Hi All,
Finally joined the forum today after years of just looking--- I am a budget audiophile, and all of your counsel has been amazing over the years to someone with limited funds-----thank you.
I took a chance on the Hifiman RE-400 in 2015 after the price drop to $79 USD ( unhappy with sound out of box---have been in love with the sound ever since after an initial 2 weeks of "burn-in" and use with a Audioquest Dragonfly v1 DAC out of a standard laptop). I listen to almost everything ( primarily instrumental), and play music as a hobby.
I was disappointed to find the same thing happened to me after about a year----sound was intact, but BOTH sleeves pulled out per your quote below, Utopianemo. I had treated them like a baby, and took the time to wrap them loosely around my fingers and place them in their accompanying case after use.
I am happy, and thankful, to say they have been going strong without issues to this day in 2017 after the simple repair below ( $79 was, and is, a lot of money for me!). I profess no expertise.
Went to Walmart and got some cheap "crazy glue" (cheap cyanoacrylate) for about one dollar.
Used a toothpick as my tool ( really!) and wore a pair of 2.0 magnifier reading glasses during the repair.
GENTLY--with my fingers, I pushed the sleeve in as flush as it would go.
Placed a small drop of glue on the toothpick and ( IMPORTANT !! ), taking care to AVOID the small ventilation port on the housing, carefully spread the drop of glue around where the sleeve and the housing met.
After letting the buds dry outside the case for a day, I did the same thing again with each bud, spreading the glue a millimeter or so down the sleeve for reinforcement.
The repair, thankfully, has been amazingly durable---I am listening to them as I write this post in 4/2017.
Some SIDE NOTES---
I try to make sure to push ONLY on the housing exclusively while pressing them in my ear, and avoid touching the sleeve.
My wearing " style" is with the cord hanging down--- versus above the ear.
Hope this helps---thanks for all of your helpful counsel over the years everyone, and happy listening!
Hey all,
The stress relief on the left channel of my Hifiman RE-400 sheared off at the point where the cable enters the left enclosure. It now can slide up and down the cable. I'm worried that the cord may itself shear over time.
I am thinking the best solution would be to use some sort of epoxy to secure the strain relief back in place. Does anyone here have an opinion on the matter? Either a good product to use, or a better idea?
Thanks,
Nathan Daniels
Portland, OR