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I've got some UE SuperFi 5 Pros (inner ear monitors, or headphones as I like to call them!). The cable has finally broken (which i'm glad of because it was too stiff for my liking anyway).
Been looking at the Null Audio Enyo as a replacement:
[url= http://www.null-audio.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=181 ]ENYO[/url]
However, it's £47 before shipping and I need to order it in from Singapore.
But the more I think about it, surely it is much cheaper just to get some good quality cable, a Paillcs connector and the pins for the IEM end? Is it a difficult job to do (I have no experience with soldering iron!)?
Thanks
Is it a difficult job to do
No, however...
(I have no experience with soldering iron!)?
... then yes.
It's fiddly, and IME the cable used in headphones doesn't lent itself particularly well to DIY patching. When I've jury-rigged in-ear headphones, they've had fine exposed wires that are quite easy to lift / destroy with too much heat or ham-fistedness.
If the cable break is at the plug end (which is more common) then it'd be a lot safer and easier to cut the cable and fit a new jack plug, with the caveat in the first sentence of the previous paragraph there ^^.
If they're going in the bin anyway then it can't hurt to try I suppose, but I wouldn't suggest running out and buying a soldering iron and a bunch of parts to repair an item that you can just replace for £40.
Is it that horrible clear cable that broke? I have the same phones and needed to replace mine not so long back, the new UE replacement cable is worlds apart from the old one. Highly recommended.
Cougar, many thanks for the advice. the damage is at the monitor end, plus I'd quite like to get rid of the cable anyway (it's 2 years old now and after daily use is looking a bit grubby - lot's of green oxidisation).
I think I'll give making my own cables a miss!!
Neil, yeah it's the clear cable. It did become a bit easier to use once it's worn in, but I can't be bothered going through all that again with another OEM clear cable.
Thanks for the heads up on the new OEM cable, that sounds perfect. I'll get some ordered! 🙂
I've trashed a number of earphone cables/sockets, why oh why don't they makee decent ones? 😡
Peterfile - The new ones are really supple and manage to stay tangle-free unlike the original clear ones. They also still have the the bits that you can profile to the shape of your ear, which is a result.
Cynical-al - Beats me, I'd like to know too. That said, the Ultimate Ears leads have lasted the longest out of any headphones I have ever owned.
mine lasted 2 years of daily use, which i'm more than happy with, especially considering i've just ordered a replacement for £19.99. Can't really argue with that. Once of the best features.
Ordered them today. HandheldAudio said the same as you guys, that the black ones are streets ahead of the clear ones now.
Thanks again guys, you've saved me an extra £30