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Got into higher end headphones. Speed ran my way from a pc38x, then a 6xx drop reservation, then to a 560s since it’d take too long, followed by a 660s, then lastly a used 800s. I wanted a nice new pair for the final winner, so I bought a second fresh 800s. I think I got a solid 10 minutes with these.

Edit: Resurrected! Does anyone know what gauge those exposed wires are? My calipers say I need 30 gauge wire for a complete fix since tiny silicone sleeve came off one.

Bonus: I understand warranty or return but I’d just like to make it clear it’s really not that serious. You remove the pads, unscrew two screws, pop out the magic sound maker, and tap tap with the soldering iron. Now that know what I’m looking at I could probably fix this in a minute since I cheat with an electric screwdriver. The worst part was waiting for my iron to heat up and that takes a whole 20s. There was no real chance anything bad would happen… to the headphones. I could’ve burned myself.

Overall a great confidence boost in my diy abilities like unscrewing screws… or holding a wire with tweezers. Thank you all. Imma gonna go make a microwave more powerful or something now.

I am sorry 🙁

Yikes!!! I had such a hard time when taking mine off as well and would always be scared that this would happen. I decided to get the Hart modular cables so I don’t have to take them off again

Have you tried taking out your Hart cable? Not able to get mine out as easily as the stock ones

Damn, that sucks, that’s really horrible.

Those connectors are the one badly built thing about the 800S in my opinion, they really should’ve gone with some standard connector. I’ll never unplug the cable from mine again.

I’ve seen this happen too many times

That sucks. Sorry to see this happen.

How comfortable are you with soldering?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF_sOXUGUKY

It looks like the wires cleanly snapped off, but it's still salvageable.

Too comfortable unfortunately.

Lol nice, looks like you'll be back up in no time then. :)

That sucks. And Sennheiser's warranty probably won't cover it since you're not the original owner, which sucks.

It would definitely be worth learning to solder to fix this, or maybe you know someone who can solder?

Pretty sure I had an older pair that were fine(Made in Germany 4xxx serial number) but man these news ones…it just popped right out! Not saying quality changed or anything but yikes. These were my first pair of new headphones lol!

Oh no these are brand new. The warranty claim page was down and my soldering skills are decent so I’m already inside.

Not sure if quality dropped recently (I really hope not), since my pair is an old Germany-made one as well…

I guess this is just plain out a manufacturing defect. I hope you’ll be able to return and get a replacement soon.

One side was definitely tighter but I was able to do it with the 800s, 8XX and HD820

Yeah the HD800s are infamous for this defect, really incredible that they get to charge so much for a poorly built headphone.

Ohhh I thought you said you bought them used

Godspeed

Good to know its doable. Like you though, no plans of ever taking it out

This thing, again? Makes you wonder how are those connectors even mounted in the cups when they come off that easily... Are they not attached via that pretty substantial groove around them, or is the surrounding (presuming) plastic that flimsy that it gives away on a little tug?

The metal piece that holds the wires is held pretty snug inside the plastic housing honestly but this is really all that connects it. They felt pretty firm to me but I don’t know. This bad boy wanted freedom.

This might hurt a warranty claim if you try to fix them yourself.
At CanJam Chicago last year was listening to a pair of LCD-5’s ( not at the Audeze booth ) and when I took them off the right side connector just fell out on it’s own but the wires stayed connected as I wasn’t changing cables just taking them off. Hope you get it fixed.

I actually plan to make my own cables. One shorter one so I can mount the Qudelix + mod mic for gaming and one that’s not 100 ft long. I was planning to cut out the internals and 3d print something so the cables aren’t pointing straight down.

They’ve been fixed for the most part. I’ve built e-bikes/eboards/quads so my soldering/diy skills are actually decent. One of the benefits and appeal of less “high tech” headphones is I can fix them relatively easily. I mean not ideal but I didn’t even get to put the mod mic magnet on and I’m tired of waiting haha.

Thankfully they've had the courtesy of designing the driver units like that, with separate, firmly attached solder points, as opposed to just having the voice coil wires going directly to the cable connectors. That kind of an arrangement would be something else to accidentally yank apart...

Yea I was thankful it’s a super simple solder imo. The only downside was my wire stripper pulled the silicon off one because it’s such a small gauge lol. Minus that mishap I probably could’ve been in and out in like 5 min.

If I were someone else without the tools/soldering skills I probably would’ve felt some kinda way because ouch first new pair? First high end new pair?!

I’m just gonna assume unlucky and it had a weak solder or something. I literally got the 800s because I wanted durable quality. The Astros I used before might not have sounded great, but I liked the build vs the lower end Senn stuff. Maybe try somethings with less than stellar QC after I settled in with the 800s. But nope got a mini diy to get started instead lol.

Yup took a few minutes and lost the silicone sleeve on one, but back in action. I guess I get a bonus trip to Microcenter tomorrow to buy more wire. I’ll take that as a win.

B R U H. I would be pissed

Hahahahaha. Sorry. You'd think for that price they'd be built a little bit more solid.

Why wouldn’t you exchange them for a new pair?

why not just return it?

They were “open box” but basically new and included the warranty. I could have tried but don’t think I would’ve gotten such a good deal. A smarter person would’ve probably just gone through warranty but it was a simple fix. I’m generally pretty eager to try and fix things myself.

New discounted sold as open box. Warranty was included so could’ve claimed but I like to fix.

That’s what I’m saying but at least the internals were nice and clean so easy repairs. A trial run before the parts to make some cables come some might say.

Glad you know what you’re doing. My 6XX’s come on Friday and I can’t wait!

Shout out to the 6xx I was originally aiming for… ended up with all this before the drop could ship haha. Probably for the best in my case.

when compared to my less expensive noires they seem really well designed but not built like a rock... if i am explaining that clearly. the hd-800 is mostly plastic

Another one? If you don't know this about Sennheiser and audeze, you need to do more research!

You didn’t just ask for a replacement?

Fat discount on it so possibly through warranty. Site was down and I was sitting next to my tools. Possibly 1 week+ vs 5 minutes. I am confident in my repair skills. Just gotta attach the two points, two taps of the soldering iron.

I know very little about headphones but from what I read there was just a lot of praise for how long peoples 800s have lasted. I used my Astro A40s for like a decade so I’m pretty gentle with my stuff but wasn’t expecting this. If these do break, I’m fairly confident (much more after this) that I’ll be able to fix them myself/source parts.

Did see a lot about Hifiman quality control since Sundras were an option. A bit ironic since I kinda avoided them lol.

It is pretty simple to fix, but if it has warranty from Sennheiser then I would just get it fixed by them instead. Don't want to make the problem even bigger.

While I did partially pick up a new one because it has a warranty, it was more like “fresh for me to ruin on my own”. I’m a fan of modding/customizing so things break. Generally if I break it myself, then I gotta fix it. I don’t think I’ve actually ever utilized a warranty. If plastic snapped or something I would’ve returned/warranty but I’ll take every opportunity to tinker I guess.

I wouldn't even bother fixing it, honestly speaking. I'd just return them & get another pair, from another brand. If a company allows this, has poor QC and this shit happens fairly common, they don't deserve your money. Just my opinion on the matter. :)

This is probably the easiest thing to fix on headphones, and I might even try fixing them myself if i don't want to wait and they will still look good after, but if it's anything bigger, like a damaged driver or housing, then in not even going to try.

I actually tried a ambitious project a few months ago, and it didn't go as planned. I took off galaxy buds plus and wanted to make them into a bluetooth receiver because it's good quality compared to the cheap one I was using and because I have a samsung phone it uses a higher quality bluetooth codec and everyone who has tested said they do sound noticeably better with a samsung phone. There was a a YouTube video I was following, but thatcwas for the original galaxy buds, and looked relatively easy, but for the Buds plus the driver is glued into the housing, so I couldn't take it off, and I couldn't desolder the speaker and expose the contact pads because they were on the other side. I tried for a while but couldn't do anything. Before that I converted them to run off USB instead of the battery and that was successful, I plug them in and they both show up on my phone, but then the project dies there. I already had the wire stripped and ready to solder to the sound output, so I just gave up on it.

I have a cousin who still uses the original galaxy buds, I'm going to wait until the battery on them die and he might just give them to me. Then I might try again. I even made a housing for them.

Technically this is my 5th pair of Sennheisers. After having this happen I have seen a few post complain about the same thing and I mean… I can see why I wouldn’t call it poor QC but maybe they could’ve done something to hold the metal piece inside the headphone housing better.

Regardless this was the last pair of Senns I planned to buy anyway. Was eyeing some Audeze’s but I’m sure there’s problems or negative opinions/experiences with any choice lol.

That's fair, I suppose.

Me, I only ever tried one pair of Sennheiser headphones, HD660S. And I disliked them. The sound was good, but everything else wasn't. Very cheap feeling plastic, it squeaked annoyingly every time I moved my jaw, or even head in general. Since they were open, I heard that squeaking all the time & it drove me mad. Heck, even my old ATH-M50 headphones (original ones, not even an X version) felt a lot more premium with their build quality and materials. HD660S felt like a good, $300 sound within a horrid, $10 housing. Suffice to say I never bought Sennheiser again.

Honestly after going inside of these I think I’d be tempted to swap out whatever. It breaks down nicely, I was surprised.

I try to stay away from things I don’t understand well like software or batteries so that project already sounds complicated. Especially on something so small. Everything looks easy when someone else is doing it.

Interesting on the Samsung codec. I’ve had every Fold and this is news to me… possibly because I use an iPhone/AirPods for music usually. Folds getting more love these days though since it can output Ldac… not that I can really tell a difference if I’m being honest haha.

I agree 100%! The PC38x really threw me off because imo they felt like cheap plastic. The Astros I had previously weren’t amazing but things like the metal arms on them made it feel much more “premium”. Besides the Astros and AirPods (Pros & Max), the only headphones I owned are actually M50s! I was thinking maybe I was being too bougie since that kinda build quality was all I know.. but maybe it’s not enough lol

I figure the 800s would be a good base line. Neutral with a good sound stage I can use for gaming/VR/XR plus plays nice with an EQ. Once I settle in good I’ll find one really nice pair I can listen to music on till they can zap jams directly into my brain.

It might be something more than codec, lots of people who are into audio can't tell the difference with better codec, but even normal people can easily tell samung buds sound better on Samsung phones, I think it's the same for Apple as well. Some people say they make other devices purposely sound worse and then say it's just the codec, or they apply a slight eq which makes everyone perceive them as better.

Also the battery and software part was very easy. For software I paired them to my phone and turned off touch controls because I was going to unplug the touch sensor and didn't want it freaking out, turned off transparency mode because it would freak out as well if this worked. And the battery was easy, there was a positive and negative contact pad, you have to solder the positive and negative end of the USB wire to them, the only hard part was soldering them individually and connecting them together into 1 USB port. One bud didn't work so I had to remove it and solder again until it worked.

It was a huge pain to work on it, something so small and I have very little experience and lacked the propper equipment for the job, probably the most janky soldering set up anyone has ever seen.

I have a 4xxx made in Germany too! 10+ years old, rock solid.

Must be a recent issue, Mine have been solid and I unplug them about once a month when i transport them.

Neat! The ones I have were definitely older and well used. Paint missing off of every corner and edge basically. Crazy stuff considering the new pair are 47xxx. Wonder if these serial numbers are consecutive because that’s a lot of 800s out there.

Just use the warranty and get a proper new unit. You might as well use it if you got it.

I'm sensing some sarcasm here (hope you get a new set of cans)

just wait for what happens to the cable after 2 years...

Oh hey, wireless option.

You should contact customer support see if you can get it fixed or replaced

This is why I don’t touch the cables on my HD800S with a 10 feet pole.. :)

Yea I’ve seen lots of people say it splits at the Y but I’ve got parts for custom cables coming today and I might go by Redco and buy some wire. Fixing these headphones was just a trial run on making cables I guess lol

mine was fine until the rubber flaked away near the left port. cut it open because it was basicly worthless anyway. its a ton of thicker (looked silver by weight and color, but probably nickel/chrom plated copper?) wires around some cotton and then 2 single really tiny silver wires for signal. build quallity is not the best i might say. considering that those cables where 300 bucks solo at launch when most random sub 100 solutions have about the same quality... yikes

Bad design. Yeah, some who end up in the situation as shown in OP's image separated the connector housing from the headphone by attempting to yank it out with too much force. The lemo-type connector used for the HD800 series has a locking mechanism when inserted into its housing.

To release, one needs to twist the connector back and forth while gently pulling it out. One finds that doing so doesn't require that much force. I much prefer the Focal Utopia's more sensible approach, which requires pulling down on the top of the connector to cause this top to slide down slightly and release the connector from its housing, so one can release the connector and pull the headphone cable out from the earcup all in one motion.

But yeah, this aspect of HD800 series design is pretty awful, especially for the uninitiated.

Those connectors can be crazy tight if they are new, i remember the horror of trying to remove cable first time with my HD800.

I mean technically this was my second pair. The new connectors do feel tighter but hey old ones are like a decade old it seems. Might try to make something modular because I plan to swap cables.

To be on the safe side, never disconnect!

/r/techsupportgore dayum

I see, you bought this one from Chrono :D

Fragile doesn't even begin to describe those connectors?

Wireless!

Bad connectors, soldering joints arent supposed to take any physical strain. Rma it and dont do any diy

Yeah the connectors are rock-solid. Too solid, if at all. The problem is the supporting structure.

that's... very sad :(

I am sorry to inform you but I was already inside fixing it right after I posted. Just removed the pad and two screws. Two minutes of work vs who knows how long to RMA. Not to toot my own horn but my solder was cleaner than the factories anyway lol. This is good because they’ve getting action all day as I play some nice immersive space sim on a big ol 49” curved monitor.

I pinch the wires with one hand and just use my finger nail/thumb on the other hand to strip these type of small silicone wires for my drones.

Yup, same and what holds me back pretty much. It’s too much money to feel like they need to be babied like that.

I feel that lol

I have a tiny little wire stripper (the majestic Radio Shack Leatherman Squirt lol) that I use. Generally effective but this was a real short wire. Also could’ve just been me not paying attention. I looked down and saw copper strands between my fingers and no sleeve in sight. Years of drones ended up saving the day. I found some assorted spare wire from my quads.

I have a Focal headphone and Focal is known for their drivers just failing randomly. Things break though, it’s just a higher financial risk when it’s an expensive headphone. Higher priced things should be built well, but that’s not always the case.

Agreed 100%. Shit happens and we purchase these things to use them and enjoy them, worrying about it sucks and would preoccupy my already crazy OCD about keeping things very well taken care of lol. Comfort and build quality are way up the checklist for me with cans. It’s a bummer because they are legendary headphones for soundstage from all accounts. Still, for the 20 or so times we’ve seen this over the years, there are thousands of pairs that we don’t hear about working as designed I’m sure.

Buy Beyerdynamics or Sony's if you want cans that last. my HD700's turned to goo as my Z6's still look new, although I did have to tighten an ear cup screw..

I've always been terrified of the thought of trying it, but I'm intrigued by the thought of being able to repair my own equipment. Where do I begin?

Soldering iron is incoming...

PS mine just arrived a couple weeks ago. First time I tested removal and they needed a firm tug unsettled me a little, also. Magic headphones however!

Well soldering skills came from quads. There is a lot of soldering required on some small things. Sometimes you mess up and just reset by rewiring everything from scratch. From there I kinda just tried to fix what ever broke with varying success.

This fix was like a 1/10 for complexity. It was literally two screws and we’re soldering. There’s a lot of other things you can fix/mod but varying difficulties. An example of hard would be the 0603 led. I’ve had the pleasure of soldering some of those without the wires. Breathe too hard and they disappear because they’re so small.

I’d recommend a “Pinecel” since it’s only ~$25. That was my “upgrade” after my Hakko that cost 4x broke. Super neat little thing and it can run off of a power banks usb-c. Add in some solder, flux, wick, desolder pump (desolder gun sounds cooler but they’re $$$), and a sponge/brass. I use pretty cheap basic stuff. The Pinecel is the real game changer.

Yeah if youre able to diy it its doable, also i recently had to repair a set of hd800 for a customer who also ripped out both connectors. Thougt he rough to his gear, but might be overall just a bad design... Have fun in the verse o7.