Open Headphones and Smoke Damage

[darkangel9685]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qazwsx /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think they will just smell really, really bad.

NO!!!!!

(coming from a firefighter)

smoke can and most likely damage your sr-80's, just not right away. In fact, smoke damage can be quite bad!

Open headphones allow air to pass over the diaphragm, hence the open grills, or air holes, or whatever that they have. Smoke will travel into theses openings, taking the path of least resistance (like fire and water) and settling.

You see, smoke is basically fine particulate that hasn't completely oxidated (fire = rapid oxidation BTW). This particulate will build up over time, thus causing that "film" you can sometimes see in a smokers car/house/whatever.

The particulate will build up on the diaphragm and possibly the driver unit itself. A few things could happen, the build up could get so bad to the point where the diaphragm cannot move anymore (clogged, weight from smoke), connections could be damaged/corroded, or eventually cover/clog the vent points.

If you really feel the need to smoke near open headphones, either cover up the points where air comes in, or go into another room

fire science FTW!

 

[darkangel9685]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qazwsx /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think they will just smell really, really bad.

that would be from sulfur compounds that were not fully oxidated

 

[Inz]

Thanks again for all the information. I guess it would be best not to smoke while listening to my headphones.

 

[wnmnkh]

It is possible that particles from smoke can be attached to the drivers of the headphones. Since many drivers are very sensitive, it is good idea to not smoke (and good for your health as well.)

 

[Noldir]

Sorry to revive an ancient thread. But I bought a second hand Hifiman he-6 yesterday from a smoker. He didn't use it much but when I was home it smelled horrible, so it must've been stored outside the box for a year or three.

I can deal with the smoke smell, it'll go away with time. But is the diaphragm damaged now by the smoke particles? And any way to clean them off the diaphragm?

Removed the pads and the inside looks clean (even though the stickers on the headband are tinted yellow). Will pop of the grill and look at that side today.

Starting to regret the purchase a bit..

 

[Raketen]

Sorry to revive an ancient thread. But I bought a second hand Hifiman he-6 yesterday from a smoker. He didn't use it much but when I was home it smelled horrible, so it must've been stored outside the box for a year or three.

I can deal with the smoke smell, it'll go away with time. But is the diaphragm damaged now by the smoke particles? And any way to clean them off the diaphragm?

Removed the pads and the inside looks clean (even though the stickers on the headband are tinted yellow). Will pop of the grill and look at that side today.

Starting to regret the purchase a bit..

I know little to nothing about headphone drivers, but I have wiped down workplace ceilings with 20 years accumulated sticky smoke/tar residue... I  just mean to say it takes a SERIOUS amount of smoking in a concentrated area to create a substantial  film, not to speak of  the inside of a headphone.
 
So... doubt it? besides the drivers are not directly exposed in spite of the open design are they? The actual diaphragm part additionaly being sandwiched between two plates in the planar/ortho styles I believe, so very difficult to access.
 
Do they sound bad? I definitely would not mess with the diaphragm, they can be pretty delicate to physical (and I reckon chemical) contact even on dynanic/coil drivers (if for whatever reason you insist on possibly destroying your cans, definitely check with the manufactrer  for advice or ask around on the ortho/planar threads, I think there's even a DIY specific one).

 

[Skycyclepilot]

Worried about the damage to your headphones, but not to yourself?  Really? Gee...  As an electronics technician, I can tell you beyond a doubt that cigarette smoke destroys everything it touches.  Yes, it will destroy your headphones.  It's just a matter of who dies first - you, or your headphones.  I used to own a retail business.  Over a period of a few years, I lost count of the number of customers - all heavy smokers - who dropped dead in their forties, and working on their computers was a gross nightmare...

 

[Noldir]

Worried about the damage to your headphones, but not to yourself?  Really? Gee...  As an electronics technician, I can tell you beyond a doubt that cigarette smoke destroys everything it touches.  Yes, it will destroy your headphones.  It's just a matter of who dies first - you, or your headphones.  I used to own a retail business.  Over a period of a few years, I lost count of the number of customers - all heavy smokers - who dropped dead in their forties, and working on their computers was a gross nightmare...

I'm not quite following you, I bought it from a smoker. I'm not a smoker myself

 

[Skycyclepilot]

I'm not quite following you, I bought it from a smoker. I'm not a smoker myself

My apologies, Noldir.  I quoted the wrong post.  I thought you were the OP, who obviously was concerned about smoking while wearing his headphones.  If you can smell the stench when you place your nose to the cans themselves, then, unfortunately, the previous owner smoked while wearing the headphones, and you can be assured that everything inside the cans is coated with nicotine, which is acidic and caustic.  It just depends on how much exposure they had to the smoke.

 

[Noldir]

My apologies, Noldir.  I quoted the wrong post.  I thought you were the OP, who obviously was concerned about smoking while wearing his headphones.  If you can smell the stench when you place your nose to the cans themselves, then, unfortunately, the previous owner smoked while wearing the headphones, and you can be assured that everything inside the cans is coated with nicotine, which is acidic and caustic.  It just depends on how much exposure they had to the smoke.

No problem! Was a bit confused that's all
No idea how long they where it the smoke , does nicotine fade after some time? The fact you smell it means it gasses...

 

[Skycyclepilot]

No problem! Was a bit confused that's all
No idea how long they where it the smoke , does nicotine fade after some time? The fact you smell it means it gasses...

In my experience, it has a half-life that rivals that of uranium!  My wife wound up with a car that smelled of smoke, and two years didn't make any difference.  I ultimately ditched the car.  Cigarette smoke has hundreds of chemicals in it, and many of them are really nasty.  They seem to chemically alter things they adhere to, and that is permanent.  You might try wiping the headphones down with Odo-Ban, and letting it soak in.  If it were me, I'd find another smoker to sell them to, but perhaps you aren't as sensitive as me.

 

[Noldir]

In my experience, it has a half-life that rivals that of uranium!  My wife wound up with a car that smelled of smoke, and two years didn't make any difference.  I ultimately ditched the car.  Cigarette smoke has hundreds of chemicals in it, and many of them are really nasty.  They seem to chemically alter things they adhere to, and that is permanent.  You might try wiping the headphones down with Odo-Ban, and letting it soak in.  If it were me, I'd find another smoker to sell them to, but perhaps you aren't as sensitive as me.

Grew up in a smokers home so I'm used to the smell. I'm only concerned about the influence on the sound it might have.

 

[Skycyclepilot]

Grew up in a smokers home so I'm used to the smell. I'm only concerned about the influence on the sound it might have.

Yeah, I grew up with it, too.  I have hearing loss in my right ear from the infections that caused.  I use a program called Equalizer APO to correct the losses, so I can enjoy headphones.  Having been away from smokers for decades now, I can no longer tolerate it - at all.  As to any changes it might cause to the sound of your headphones over time, it's hard to say.  It really depends on the materials used in construction.  Nicotine coats everything, and chemically bonds with plastics.  It could cause the drivers themselves to harden.  The effects of that would probably be very subtle.  It also destroys adhesives - if you've ever seen a cloth headliner in a car sag, that's often the cause.  If your headphones use dynamic drivers, it could cause the voice coils to separate from the cones.  If that happens, you'll hear it - distortion, the same as in a blown speaker.  And finally, it can destroy electric contacts and connections - you'd notice that right off.  If you got a good deal on them, and they seem fine, maybe the best thing to do is just enjoy them.  If, however, you can get your money back, you might be more comfortable with a "clean" set of headphones.

 

[Raketen]

Wow, interesting. I'd figure what thin film that would manage to get in there would lose its reactivity fairly quickly. At least there are no electrical contacts... hopefully the soldering is robust.
Hope they last you a while... maybe there are some pad & headbands that will work on those... get rid of the smell at least.

 

[Wapencio]

Smoke (from fires) have several compounds that could be corrosive, that is, they degenerate all the surfaces they stand on. Even if the smoke doesnt carry acidic compounds (for example, smoke from burning wood), it will damage, either severally or minimally, the surfaces they stick to. Now imagine the smoke of cigarettes, which does carry acidic compouds. Surfaces are corroded by any kind of smoke, and the effect can be minimized by cleaning the exposed surface right after the exposition to smoke. If the surface is not cleaned, the damage will be severe. When buildings set on fire, the exposed structures to smoke, such as steel supports, or wood walls, must be replaced, because the corrosion will weaken them and eventually they will be useless.
 
Metals have different properties and might show resistance or immunity to certain types of smoke, eventually they will corrode by some other type of smoke. Now, in a fire, there are a lot of different types of smokes, because a fire burns wood, fabric, plastic, etc., so, basically, at a fire every metal exposed to smoke will be corroded and must be replaced.
 
Now, in the case of the metal inside of the headphones, yeah, they will be corroded and damaged if exposed to cigarette smoke, or a structural fire. This happens because the smoke from cigarettes carry several acidic compounds, which are the ones which deal the most damage to metals. The damage will depend on the moments after the exposure, if the user cleans the headphones the corrosion effects will be minimum, if not, the corrosion will eat the magnets and most likely the damage will be huge.
 
Also consider that there is some luck to chemistry, for example,a smoker could damage even its closed back headphones, which would be a really bad luck. However, keep in mind that smoke will most likely, Id say for sure, will damage your open and semi open backs.
 
As an extra, remember the electrostatic headphones use a giant only driver, compared to the planar magnetic, which consists on really thin magnets, which would be more easily consumed by smoke corrosion. So, save your HE-400i when smoking or while someone else is smoking.
 
Btw, Im a firefighter, and I take chem at med school so yeah, you can trust this. Plus, the source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0379711289900489