Sennheiser CX-series dismantle and repair

[bogdan2011]

I'm a big fan of Sennheiser and their CX series earbuds, but unfortunately I've bought three pairs in the last few years because they would break easily. Still, my choice when it comes to what's available in my country.
Anyway, last week one of the earbuds on my CX 300 MK2 died out of a sudden. After checking, I realised the cable broke where it splits and goes to each earbud.
Those of you who purchased these know that the cable is pretty thin and its isolation is made out of some kind of silicone. So I knew the only way I could get them working again is to change it completely.
 
I then looked on the internet to find someone who managed to open the earbuds and expose the points where the cable is soldered and found this guy:
 

 
I realised they can actually be opened and there's no welded or cast plastic that prevents this.
I slowly removed the metal ring using a fingernail (don't use anything metallic and don't force it) and then, with a cutter blade, I slowly separated the two parts as shown here:
 

 
That's how it looks completely dismantled:
 
http://i.imgur.com/HsbAEQt.jpg
 
I then unsoldered the two wires, removed the old cable and pushed the new one through the silicone tube.
 
http://i.imgur.com/gph1Jo1.jpg
 
That was actually tricky since I couldn't find a thin cable like the original one. The new one is a bit thicker and stiffer, but I managed to carefully run it through the tube.
Soldered the wires:
 
http://i.imgur.com/Rpm9kbo.jpg
 
First one done and working, moving to the next one:
 
http://i.imgur.com/4DtvEuh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aY7V8AX.jpg
 
You won't be able to put the two plastic parts back together like they were from the factory (they are a bit welded I thnk), but the metal ring will hold them together. Be sure to orientate them correctly:
 
http://i.imgur.com/rVDkXZa.jpg
 
Some shrink tube to hold the two wires from separating any further:
 
http://i.imgur.com/PhoC4T5.jpg
 
The stereo jack:
 
http://i.imgur.com/IAJEs0M.jpg
 
Final product:
 
http://i.imgur.com/pzALM4R.jpg
 
I see that Sennheiser has some other similar earbuds so I think this will work on them too. I'm pretty satisfied, it was fun and definitely worth the hassle, they're great headphones! I actually have another pair on which the stereo jack broke, I'll repair those as well.

 

[Hutnicks]

Thanks for this. I have a set of 300's in dire need of recabling and have just been putting it off. Maybe now I'll get motivated to do the deed

 

[nuqqi]

Maby this is a sign that sennheiser is of really bad build quality? Why buy em xD u can order more durable stuff from the internet.

 

[bogdan2011]

I don't think it's a matter of the quality of Sennheiser products, but more about the race to make them smaller, thinner, more pleasable to the average user. They are actually well built for their size, especially the cable.