We almost all hate when our headphones break. It’s really frustrating, but luckily in many cases they are easy to repair.
Among all the issues, the sound coming from one earbud, cable tangles, headphone jack issues, and sometimes no sound at all, are the most common problems.
In our recent guide, we shared tips to extend the life of your headphones, and in this guide, we will share tips that help you repair your broken or damaged headphones by yourself.
How to Repair Your Headphones
Identify The Problem
The very first step you need to take is first to identify the problem. If you cut the cable or open the headphone, you may make the problem worse instead of repairing it.
When you plug your headphone’s 3.5mm plug into your device port, and you notice a little distortion when you play music, or the music playback keeps stopping, the problem might be due to a problem with the headphone jack.
How To Fix a Headphone Jack?
If you are looking for a solution to fix the headphone jack on a iPhone, Android phone, or laptop or desktop computer, this method can be used.
To fix your headphone jack, first take a look at the jack and identify how serious the issue is. If your headphones require only cleaning, then take an object like a needle or copper wire, put it inside the mobile jack, and rotate it so that dust is expelled from the headphone jack.
However, if your headphones look okay but still do not work, you probably will need to replace the plug.
To replace the 3.5mm headphone plug, you need the following equipment.
- A 3.5mm metal stereo plug: it is available on eBay and Amazon and available on local hardware stores.
- A soldering iron
- Soldering wire
- A wire cutter
- Pliers
First of all, you have to cut the cable 2 to 3 inches from the headphone plug and separate the wires. Separate all the cables from the damaged plug and see which coloured attach with tip, ring, and sleeve. The best advice is to write down everything on paper or on the computer.
Note: if the jack already has a TRS(Tip, Ring, Sleeve) connection, then get a TRS headphone jack and if it has TRRS(Tip, Ring, Ring, Sleeve), then get TRRS headphone jack.
Now connect all the wires and solder then, but be careful. Make sure each wire connects at the right position. To help you solder the headphone cords back together, please watch this video.
Is replacing the headphones plug worth doing? Probably only if you have expensive headphones.
How can I fix my headphones at home without soldering?
If you are not good at soldering or looking for a simple and easy method, then you can repair your headphones without soldering.
This method has some drawbacks. If you have headphones with a mic, chances are that if you use this method your mic won’t work. But the advantage of this method is it costs you around a dollar and super easy to perform.
Things You Need
- All you need is an AUX cable and a knife or cutter.
How To
1. First of all, cut the AuX cable from 2 to 3 inches or 5 to 7 cm of the jack.
2. Remove the rubber from wires nicely, and then clean the varnish. When the copper wire is in front of you, you’re good to go to the next step.
3. Now split each wire and figure out their colours, and with that, move on to the headphone cable.
4. Cut the cable of your headphones from 2 to 3 inches away from the jack. Remove the rubber and varnish as well.
5. Isolate the wires, and here you have to concentrate. Your headphone may have three, four, or five wires, depending on whether you have a mic or not. On the other hand, AUX cable usually has three wires (mics excluded). You have to join three AUX wires to the headphone wire.
6. Check which colour is attached with whom and then pair them with each other. Once you connect all cables, use insulation tape and cover them.
Conclusion
Not all headphones can be repaired and fixed but instead of just throwing them away, giving them a chance could be a cost-saving option, especially when you have a expensive pair of headphones.
The most common problem we see that causes damage to headphones is their cable or plug, which can be replaced. We shared a complete procedure to replace both cables and plug.
