Hayduke
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2006
- Posts
- 1,125
- Likes
- 10
I've never spoken to Todd on the phone, but I have spoken with Derek. He always seemed very knowledgeable and helpful.
I know Todd is super busy, so I feel bad when I send him emails. I keep telling him to pass me off to someone in the customer support area instead of the president of the company
WARNING LONG POST
I'm finally sending my headphones back in. I've suspected a fit issue since day 1, but wasn't sure until recently after reading some other folks' reports about their seal. I've put off sending them in for a refit because the fit is pretty close and they sound so good. I was dreading having to use my iBuds while the Freqs were away. I was also trying to wait for my bowling league to end (next week is the last week).
When I started developing cable problems, I just took care to treat the headphones gently until I sent them in. The first problem was the cable housing breaking loose from the plug. This wasn't a big deal. It never came completely out and I just pushed it back in. I could have easily repaired this as someone else did, but I figured I'd let the Freq folks fix it.
Then the left ear's cable tore at the strain relief. I posted some pics here and everyone seemed to think I must have had an "event" that pulled on the cable. I didn't recall one, but I agreed it seemed logical. They still worked fine and I continued to use them and monitored the problem. The tear didn't seem to be growing so I was confident they would last a few more weeks until the bowling season was over.
Well now I have 2 more cable defects. At the plug, the shrink tubing is splitting at the "corner" where it get bigger. I know it's hard to explain. Look at your plug. See the part that is fatter then the cable? Where it meets the even thicker part is splitting. The worst problem is now on the right ear. The cable housing has cracked here as well. This time it is right at the end of the little clear tube that is supposed to be the strain relief.
The cable was in such bad shape and I need it to last through next week, so I finally broke down last night and made some repairs. I used a hot glue gun to fix the tear and crack at the ear pieces. I left the plug alone since it still seems strong enough to make it another week. They came out pretty good. You don't notice anything unusual unless you look closely or know what to look for. I didn't add much material, but I swear they feel heavier. I think it might just be that they feel stronger after getting used to them being so delicate.
I'm now convinced there was no "event" that caused the original problems since all FOUR problems developed independently. This of course leads to the question of...
What is causing it?
I sent Todd an email with these same thoughts.
I think there are 2 possible categories of causes. Either my use of them or the environment. I don't think I use them in any extraordinary manner. It's possible I use them more then an average customer, but I'm not even sure that is true. I wear mine everyday. On a normal day I probably insert/remove them a dozen times or more. On Thursday nights (bowling night) I insert/remove them at least 30 times (3 games, 10 frames per game) over the course of a few hours. Is this considered excessive? I sure hope not. I didn't realize these headphones weren't suited to an active lifestyle. That's why I wanted custom IEMs, the Sennheisers are too big
The only other thing I can think of is my environment. I live in Flagstaff, Arizona. Yes, it is Arizona, but it's not Phoenix. We are at 7000 ft surrounded by the largest stand of ponderosa pines on the planet. It snows here. So I was wondering if perhaps the cold affected the cable? I have noticed it gets very stiff when it's cold, and I wear mine outside even in the snow. They are great when you're shoveling your driveway! But there are other head-fiers in cold climates and I don't hear anyone else having so many cable problems.
I asked Todd what my options are for a cable. He hasn't responded yet. I'm willing to use the Westone cable like Will did, but since they are now offering cable upgrades, I also asked about getting one of those. A detachable, and therefore replaceable, cable is starting to sound very important to me about now. I'd even be willing to pay to have mine changed to the Music Maker cable. We'll see what Todd says.
I know Todd is super busy, so I feel bad when I send him emails. I keep telling him to pass me off to someone in the customer support area instead of the president of the company
WARNING LONG POST
I'm finally sending my headphones back in. I've suspected a fit issue since day 1, but wasn't sure until recently after reading some other folks' reports about their seal. I've put off sending them in for a refit because the fit is pretty close and they sound so good. I was dreading having to use my iBuds while the Freqs were away. I was also trying to wait for my bowling league to end (next week is the last week).
When I started developing cable problems, I just took care to treat the headphones gently until I sent them in. The first problem was the cable housing breaking loose from the plug. This wasn't a big deal. It never came completely out and I just pushed it back in. I could have easily repaired this as someone else did, but I figured I'd let the Freq folks fix it.
Then the left ear's cable tore at the strain relief. I posted some pics here and everyone seemed to think I must have had an "event" that pulled on the cable. I didn't recall one, but I agreed it seemed logical. They still worked fine and I continued to use them and monitored the problem. The tear didn't seem to be growing so I was confident they would last a few more weeks until the bowling season was over.
Well now I have 2 more cable defects. At the plug, the shrink tubing is splitting at the "corner" where it get bigger. I know it's hard to explain. Look at your plug. See the part that is fatter then the cable? Where it meets the even thicker part is splitting. The worst problem is now on the right ear. The cable housing has cracked here as well. This time it is right at the end of the little clear tube that is supposed to be the strain relief.
The cable was in such bad shape and I need it to last through next week, so I finally broke down last night and made some repairs. I used a hot glue gun to fix the tear and crack at the ear pieces. I left the plug alone since it still seems strong enough to make it another week. They came out pretty good. You don't notice anything unusual unless you look closely or know what to look for. I didn't add much material, but I swear they feel heavier. I think it might just be that they feel stronger after getting used to them being so delicate.
I'm now convinced there was no "event" that caused the original problems since all FOUR problems developed independently. This of course leads to the question of...
What is causing it?
I sent Todd an email with these same thoughts.
I think there are 2 possible categories of causes. Either my use of them or the environment. I don't think I use them in any extraordinary manner. It's possible I use them more then an average customer, but I'm not even sure that is true. I wear mine everyday. On a normal day I probably insert/remove them a dozen times or more. On Thursday nights (bowling night) I insert/remove them at least 30 times (3 games, 10 frames per game) over the course of a few hours. Is this considered excessive? I sure hope not. I didn't realize these headphones weren't suited to an active lifestyle. That's why I wanted custom IEMs, the Sennheisers are too big
The only other thing I can think of is my environment. I live in Flagstaff, Arizona. Yes, it is Arizona, but it's not Phoenix. We are at 7000 ft surrounded by the largest stand of ponderosa pines on the planet. It snows here. So I was wondering if perhaps the cold affected the cable? I have noticed it gets very stiff when it's cold, and I wear mine outside even in the snow. They are great when you're shoveling your driveway! But there are other head-fiers in cold climates and I don't hear anyone else having so many cable problems.
I asked Todd what my options are for a cable. He hasn't responded yet. I'm willing to use the Westone cable like Will did, but since they are now offering cable upgrades, I also asked about getting one of those. A detachable, and therefore replaceable, cable is starting to sound very important to me about now. I'd even be willing to pay to have mine changed to the Music Maker cable. We'll see what Todd says.
