Replacing HD555 cable

Hello there.

I just bought a Sennheiser HD555 and I'm using them for my M1530. I also bought a Zalman mic (which I still haven't received).

However, I found that the cable in the HD555 is really long and the connector is very thick (as it has a 6.3mm jack and a 3.5mm convertor)

I'd like to replace it with a short (I don't need 3m, I don't even need 1m of cable) cable with 3.5mm jack.

What can I do? Where can I buy one? Has anybody done this before??

Thanks!!

 

Im seriously not a electrics person so take what i say with a huge pinch of salt, quickest way i can think of would be to cut the 6.5mm connector off, cut the cable to length required and solder it to a new 3.5mm connector. Something like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3.5MM-1/8"-TO...CONNECTOR_W0QQitemZ330339383635QQcmdZViewItem though it only takes a cable with a diameter of 4mm not sure what the 555s is. The other option is sehnhieser actually do a replacement 1/8 plug with cable but requires some small modification to the headphones http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/troublesome-hd555-cable-upgrade-362909/

Bit more info here also http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/hd555-cable-191198/

 

Open the cans up and unsolder the wire and replace it. Just be warned that the cabling has an effect on the sound quality. Though it is a HD555 so you probably wont hear much difference.

 

That is a HIGHLY debated subject and shouldn't just be taken as truth without personal research and blind testing. And in no way is the difference from the stock HD555 cable to some cyrogen treated silver snake oil cable going to make much of a difference, its only something that should be done when all other points in your sound rig have been upgraded substantially.

And as for changing the cable, taking them apart and swapping at the driver wouldn't be a smart move for someone who isn't good with a soldering iron. Your much much better off to just cut it to the length you want and terminate with the plug you want. I personally like Neutrik for my 3.5mm stuff. They are available at www.partsexpress.com

Here is a good in detail video tutorial on re-terminating headphones.
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12878

 

You are still soldering anyway. The only difference is you have to take apart the cans. You also have the benefit of having the original cable in case you ever want to swap back for resell or whatever. As for whether cables make a difference that is for a forum like Headfi etc so Ill just leave it at that.

 

Sorry man, but I need to dog you out on this one too. I've seen guys, including myself, at LAN parties that ABX tested quality copper cables and paper clips under a proper setup and couldn't tell the difference. Almost all recording studios have meters and meters of standard run of the mill cabling going through the walls. Does the length of the cable, or more relevant to this case, the quality of the cable affect the sound quality? Technically yes, it does. However, you would need the keen hearing of a bat to be able to pinpoint the difference.

 

You can go there and open a thread about it. I will assure you that you are in for a LONG talk. I may well be hallucinating so you should enlighten the others too.

 

Placebo is probably the strongest thing in sound. I've put my glasses on and it made my headphones sound better. Your mood and what your thinking changes how the music sounds to you. So if you know you've got a more expensive and 'better' sounding cable, then you will think it sounds better.

I'm not 100% sure about the HD555 but I know recabling some headphones requires that you solder the cable directly to the driver, which can be dangerous to the driver. So like I said, if your not good and confident with soldering then a re-termination is your best bet.

 

Thanks for your help. I'll try to replace the plug.

Also, I'd like to know if it's possible to limit the volume in the HD555.

I really miss the feature from my old Steelsound 5hv2 to adjust the volume of the headphones.

I have to put the volume on the pc to about 15% in order to listen to music at a proper level.

In my laptop speakers, however, I have to put it at about 70-85%.

The main problem comes when I switch from speakers to headphones, I have to quickly change the volume. Sometimes I forget and I almost went deaf this morning (this thing is really really loud).

Is there any way to limit the volume?

Thanks!

 

The best way to adjust the volume of headphones is to increase their impedance. Its done the same way with headphones that have volume controllers, they just use a potentiometer. You could try and find one of those or just simply add fixed resistance to each channel. But once you do this you have to realize that they will be more difficult to drive, so if you go to high then something like an mp3 player might not be able to go loud enough.

 

I do have a volume controller from another headphones (5hv2).

Can I reuse them for this? Would it be too hard?

Thanks (i know nothing about modding)

 

Yes you could, but you'd have to solder it in line with it. If you really want it you could just cut it out of the other headphones and put a plug on one end and a jack on the other. So you can plug it into your laptop and your headphones into it and it would work like that. Or you could just solder it to your headphone cable but it would probably look kind of weird if the two cables were different gauge(size).