Help with wiring colors on old headphones

[Patrick]

I have some vinatge headphones (Sennheiser HD424) and want to attach a new
plug.

Which color wires are the positive ones?

The colors in one of the leads are red & blue and in the other lead black &
yellow. (No wire is used as screening - there's just two wires in each
lead.)

 

[Phil Allison]

"Patrick"

I have some vinatge headphones (Sennheiser HD424) and want to attach a new
plug.

Which color wires are the positive ones?

The colors in one of the leads are red & blue and in the other lead black
&
yellow. (No wire is used as screening - there's just two wires in each
lead.)

** Stick the damn phones on your fat head and connect pairs of wires to a AA
battery until you hear a click.

Now you have your two pairs of wires.

Wire them to a plug any way around you like and connect the same AA to the
common and both positives at the same time.

If the click seems to comes from right inside your head - game over.

If you need more explanation - you do not deserve it.



...... Phil

 

[Patrick]

"Patrick"


** Stick the damn phones on your fat head and connect pairs of wires
to a AA battery until you hear a click.

Now you have your two pairs of wires.

Wire them to a plug any way around you like and connect the same AA to
the common and both positives at the same time.

If the click seems to comes from right inside your head - game over.

If you need more explanation - you do not deserve it.

..... Phil

The four wires are already grouped as two pairs, so we already know which
two wires go together.

I want to get the phasing right (even for headphones). I need to know
which color wire in each pair is the positive.

Are you familiar with decoding these red & blue and black & yellow
headphone wires?

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I have some vinatge headphones (Sennheiser HD424) and want to attach a
new plug.

Which color wires are the positive ones?

The colors in one of the leads are red & blue and in the other lead
black & yellow. (No wire is used as screening - there's just two wires
in each lead.)

Black and blue are the commons. Not that it would make any difference if
you commoned red and yellow.

You can check for sure by unplugging the leads from each actual earpiece
(red and blue plugs), but be careful to pull on the actual plug only. The
pins are of slightly different sizes.

Hope you have a source of the muffs for these - they crumble to dust quite
quickly.

 

[Martin Brown]

The four wires are already grouped as two pairs, so we already know which
two wires go together.

I want to get the phasing right (even for headphones). I need to know
which color wire in each pair is the positive.

No you don't need to know it. It will be abundantly clear if you have
the phase in one ear wrong by 180 degrees - unless that is you are deaf.

Are you familiar with decoding these red& blue and black& yellow
headphone wires?

I would hazard a guess red, yellow are positive and blue, black
negative. But why didn't you make a note of where the cables were
connected when you took the original apart?

There are only four wires as two trivially distinct pairs - the worst
that can happen is you need to flip a pair if you choose incorrectly.

Regards,
Martin Brown

 

[Phil Allison]

"Patrick"

"Patrick"


The four wires are already grouped as two pairs, so we already know which
two wires go together.

I want to get the phasing right (even for headphones). I need to know
which color wire in each pair is the positive.

** I just gave the the answer - you fucking idiot.



..... Phil

 

[Patrick]

No you don't need to know it. It will be abundantly clear if you have
the phase in one ear wrong by 180 degrees - unless that is you are
deaf.

I would hazard a guess red, yellow are positive and blue, black
negative. But why didn't you make a note of where the cables were
connected when you took the original apart?

There are only four wires as two trivially distinct pairs - the worst
that can happen is you need to flip a pair if you choose incorrectly.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Years ago someone wired up these headphones to a 1/4 inch plug and they
they say they don't know what polarity meant. There's no point following
their clueless wiring.

Out of phase headphone transducers create a far more subtle adverse
effect than that noticed in loudspeakers, so it is not something
immediately evident by A-B testing. Nor is testing necessary if someone
here knows what the color coding is.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Patrick = another PITA Jerk

Out of phase headphone transducers create a far more subtle adverse
effect than that noticed in loudspeakers, so it is not something
immediately evident by A-B testing.

** That is 100% fucking BULLSHIT !!!!!!!!!

With any mono signal, the difference is HUGE.

Do exactly what I said you PITA moron.

If the click seems to comes from right inside your head - game over.

If you need more explanation - you do not deserve it.



..... Phil

 

[Patrick]

Black and blue are the commons. Not that it would make any difference
if you commoned red and yellow.

You can check for sure by unplugging the leads from each actual
earpiece (red and blue plugs), but be careful to pull on the actual
plug only. The pins are of slightly different sizes.

Hope you have a source of the muffs for these - they crumble to dust
quite quickly.

You must know the headphones well because I had long forgotten the leads
plugged into the earpieces. I didn't realize the mini plugs were keyed to
go in only one way around. With that info I could have continuity tested
the colored leads to each of the larger pins on the plugs but you saved me
doing that becauase you have given me the color coding too. Thank you.

You're right about the muffs crumbling. I threw them out. First I'll see
what the cans sound like now and then decide if it's worth getting new
muffs.

It's been instructive to see how many people misunderstood what the
original question was trying to solve and they gave obviously useless, if
not misleading, advice. It's never been the same since Eternal September.

 

[Patrick]

"Patrick = another PITA Jerk


** That is 100% fucking BULLSHIT !!!!!!!!!

With any mono signal, the difference is HUGE.

There is no phase cancellation like there is for speaker sounds because the
sound from each headphone transducer is interfereing with the other.

Your lack of knowledge is made all the more lamentable by the unwarranted
self-assurance with which you conduct yourself.

Do exactly what I said you PITA moron.

If the click seems to comes from right inside your head - game over.

If you need more explanation - you do not deserve it.

.... Phil

Your poor knowledge is a liability to this group because your can't
recognize your inadequate understanding even after it has been politely
explained to you.

I hope you don't mind but you are now in my plonk file to spare me reading
your further pitiful lamentations.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Patrick = another PITA Jerk"

There is no phase cancellation ..

** My god you are one ARROGANT CUNTHEAD !!!

FUCKING TRY IT !!!

The difference is FUCKING HUGE.

You stinking pile of autistic shit.



..... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"Patrick is a Psycho ASSHOLE "

It's been instructive to see how many people misunderstood what the
original question was trying to solve and they gave obviously useless, if
not misleading, advice. It's never been the same since Eternal September.

** Listen here - pal.

You do not need any headphones worn over your ears - YOU need a fucking
bullet between the ears.

Same goes for the retarded bitch that bore you and the donkey that knocked
her up.

Never come back or I will really tear you apart.



..... Phil

 

[David Looser]

You must know the headphones well because I had long forgotten the leads
plugged into the earpieces. I didn't realize the mini plugs were keyed to
go in only one way around. With that info I could have continuity tested
the colored leads to each of the larger pins on the plugs but you saved me
doing that becauase you have given me the color coding too. Thank you.

You're right about the muffs crumbling. I threw them out. First I'll see
what the cans sound like now and then decide if it's worth getting new
muffs.

It's been instructive to see how many people misunderstood what the
original question was trying to solve and they gave obviously useless, if
not misleading, advice. It's never been the same since Eternal September.

Actually that's untrue, nobody misunderstood the question or gave useless or
misleading advice. And Phil is quite right, the effect of having the
headphones out of phase with each other is not at all subtle, it is at least
as obvious as it would be with speakers. Just because there is no phase
cancellation in the air doesn't mean that the brain is not immediately aware
of the phase difference heard in the two ears.

David.

 

[Meat Plow]

"Patrick is a Psycho ASSHOLE "



** Listen here - pal.

You do not need any headphones worn over your ears - YOU need a fucking
bullet between the ears.

Same goes for the retarded bitch that bore you and the donkey that
knocked her up.

Never come back or I will really tear you apart.



.... Phil

This type of threat should be forwarded to http://www.individual.net/

[email protected]

with the entire header field including message ID.

There is no excuse for this type of venomous reply and most all
responsible news providers will terminate the responsible account
without question.

 

[amdx]

This type of threat should be forwarded to http://www.individual.net/

[email protected]

with the entire header field including message ID.



There is no excuse for this type of venomous reply.....

Au Contraire, Phil is the excuse for this type of venomous reply.
Mikek
PS.
Patrick,
We do get some rather interesting diatribe from Phil, rarely with any good
reason.
Don't take it personal, he's not nice to anybody.
Phil has some issues he deals with, but when he answers an electronics or
audio
question he's most likely right.

 

[Jamie]

Wire them up to a mono source and insert a dpdt switch so you can
easily and quickly reverse the phase of one earpiece. Insert a PVC
T coupling between the earpieces. Compare the sound levels coming
from the bottom of the T while flipping the switch. Loudest is in phase.
Art

But!, Are the ears in phase? :~j

Jamie

 

[Phil Allison]

"Tim Wescott"

"If the click seems to come from right inside your head - game over".

What more do you need? Phil's given you a test to see if the phasing is
correct, can you not figure it out, or what to do if the click seems to
come from your right or your left?

** If both ear phones work but are wired out of phase, the AA cell click
test produces a sound that seems to be originating outside the head on both
sides. Mono speech or music sounds much the same.

The effect is far MORE pronounced than with typical stereo speakers in a
room.

The OP demonstrates his a monumental ignorance of headphones, hi-fi sound,
usenet etiquette and common sense.


..... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"Meat Plow"


** This trolling asshole is a narcissistic psychopath.

He knows nothing and understands even less.

I want the lunatic jerk kicked right off usenet.

Who will help me ?




..... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"David Looser"

Actually that's untrue, nobody misunderstood the question or gave useless
or misleading advice. And Phil is quite right, the effect of having the
headphones out of phase with each other is not at all subtle, it is at
least as obvious as it would be with speakers. Just because there is no
phase cancellation in the air doesn't mean that the brain is not
immediately aware of the phase difference heard in the two ears.

** I have come across folk with their hi-fi speakers wired out of phase and
gone un-noticed for months or years. Room acoustics and listening position
being critical to observing the fact. However, stereo headphones wired out
of phase is just the weirdest sound and not tolerated by many for long.

Headphone listening is nothing like listening to stereo speakers or natural
sounds in the environment - the outer ears are no longer involved and moving
one's head has no effect on the sound heard. The stereo effect becomes
extreme and the "sound stage" appears to be inside one's head extending left
and right as well. Plus the who damn thing moves about with your head
movements.



..... Phil

 

[Rich Grise]

I have some vinatge headphones (Sennheiser HD424) and want to attach a new
plug.

Which color wires are the positive ones?

The colors in one of the leads are red & blue and in the other lead black
&
yellow. (No wire is used as screening - there's just two wires in each
lead.)

My first guess would be blue+ red- and black+ yellow-, but here's how to
find out. First hook them up, arbitrarily starting with what I said, or
the other way - it's a coin toss. Listen to something in mono. You'll
have to find your own mono source. (finding a mono source is left as an
exercise for the student.)

If the resulting sound comes from the middle of your head, you got
it right. If it sounds like two sources on either side of your head,
you've got the polarity wrong on one side or the other.

I'm getting this from remembering (I think) that in the old 4-wire
phone lines, green was tip and red was ring, and black was tip and yellow
was ring.
--- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip_and_ring

Hope This Helps!
Rich