[JonnyRocket]

I recently lost sound in one side of my IE8s. I found out the screen was clogged so I polled them both out and cleaned them with hydrogen peroxide. When I put them back in, the earphones lost most of the sparkle and became noticeable brighter. I am not a fan of bright headphones. Does anyone know how to fix this? And does anyone know why this would happen. Do the screens also double as filters? Thanks for your help!

 

[JonnyRocket]

Anyone??

 

[Copperears]

You probably damaged the screens (which yes, are filters) by attacking them with hydrogen peroxide.

Hopefully Sennheiser will be kind to you; be careful next time.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[HONEYBOY]

I recall removing the screen from my first pair, when I had a similar issue, and they did become noticeably brighter (clearer),  so I am also under the impression that the screens do act as filters. Anyways, how did you put them back?? 

 

[JonnyRocket]

I turned them upside down and pushed them in with my thumb, but they still sound like there is no filter. They also seemed to lose their sparkle. I'm going to see if I can order a new pair from Sennheiser and get the original sound back.

 

[HONEYBOY]

May I ask what you mean by sparkle? More "sparkle" is generally associated with higher treble energy. You've got to be pretty sensitive to treble because even though I sensed that the sound became a tad brighter without the screens, it wasn't overly so. I would try to put them back the way they were or use no screens at all. Bear in mind the the IE8 is now discontinued, so you may have to get the IE80. Let us know how things work out for you...

 

[JonnyRocket]

IMHO the treble didn't seem clearer, it seemed boosted. For reference, I use them on My S4 ipad 3 and Old sansa fuse without an amp. Half my music is iTunes quality and the other half is lossless. I listen to a lot of EDM, in it when there is a lot going on in the track the treble seems to mash together. This is what I'm not liking. I tried to put e screens in the correct way, but it is REALLY difficult. They are a little bent up from removing them. I soaked them in hydrogen peroxide for three days so I'm thinking that did something to the filters. I'm hoping the IE80 screens will work for them.

 

[james444]

The screen's mesh adds a bit of acoustic resistance and (slightly) attenuates treble as a result.
 
Instead of re-using the original screens, you can also try to achieve a similar effect with something else. Any non-woven fabric like e.g. an eyeglass cleaning cloth, teabag, etc. should be suitable for that. The procedure is simple, just cut out a small piece (2-3 times the diameter of your nozzle), stretch it over the nozzle opening and secure it with the tip. However, you might need to experiment a bit to find something with similar acoustic resistance to those screens.

 

[JonnyRocket]

That

Thats a good idea! How do you know if a type of fabric is woven or non woven?

 

[james444]

I'm not an expert, but as a general rule I'd say, if it frays after being cut, then it's woven.
 
If you've only very thin fabric at hand, you can also try adding multiple layers. The higher the acoustic resistance, the more treble will be attenuated and smoothed out.

 

[JonnyRocket]

Thanks for your help! I checked around and there's a fabric store a few miles away. Im going to get some non woven fabric and see what I can do.

 

[james444]

You're welcome.
 
Alternatively, you should be able to get a microfiber cleaning cloth from any optician or camera store. Or you may even find one inside some old specs case, like I did.

 

[JonnyRocket]

I went to the fabric store and got a few pieces of non woven fabric. I cant fit the tip on the nozzle with the fabric stretched across it. I tried a really thin polyester fiber. Any ideas? Also why use only non woven fabric?

 

[james444]

Reverse the cap before trying to fit them on the nozzle. If that doesn't work, stretch them over a pen to widen them before you fit them on the nozzle.
 
Regarding non woven fabric, no idea, I just followed someone else's recommendation and it works fine for me. Guess to avoid fraying and probably because polyester / microfiber is resistant to moisture.