Help with wiring colors on old headphones

[Rich Grise]

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

I believe it's time for you to go **** yourself.

Thanks for playing!
Rich

 

[Phil Allison]

"legg"

Sounds right.

** The OP's headphones are not right until they do.



..... Phil

 

[legg]

From my years of tinkering with old stereo headphones as a teenager, I'm
going to confidently guess:

Black - Left Ground/-ve
Yellow - Left +ve

Blue - Right Ground/-ve
Red - Right +ve


Martin

Sounds right.

RL

 

[David Looser]

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

No. Don't mess around with "PVC T-coupling" or any other such nonesense,
just put the headphones on and listen. The effect of having them
out-of-phase is immediate and obvious. And as Phil said that is s far more
reliable method of ensuring correct phasing than assuming that the lead
colour use is consistent.

David.

 

[Phil Allison]

"David Looser"

No. Don't mess around with "PVC T-coupling" or any other such nonesense,
just put the headphones on and listen. The effect of having them
out-of-phase is immediate and obvious. And as Phil said that is s far more
reliable method of ensuring correct phasing than assuming that the lead
colour use is consistent.

** Must be lotsa folks who have never had the dubious pleasure of listening
to out-of-phase signals on stereo phones - cos moulded on plugs and three
wire leads makes doing it even deliberately a bit tricky.

But those who have owned or mucked about with * electrostatic * or *
electret * head phones might well be aware of how it sounds - as there are
four wires to deal with and every chance that at some stage miss-connection
to the amp's speaker terminals will create the issue.

Damn shame these products have all but disappeared or become extraordinarily
expensive.

As a reference for sound quality ( or to hear exactly what is on a
recording) a pair of Stax Electrostatics were in a class of their own.


..... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"spamtrap1888"
"Phil Allison"

** 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.

That's why we really should have binaural recordings for headphone
playback. Weren't there stereo-to-pseudo-binaural converters at one
point?


** An Australian company called " Lake Technology " designed and made the
things.

Dolby Labs bought them ( circa 2003) and everything went pear shaped.




..... Phil

 

[Brian Gaff]

Well these leads plug into the ear sockets with little plugs, assuming they
are wired the sam, it should be a simple continuity job.

Most of those phones came with silly din plugs on the end as I recall.

It really does not matter how you do it of course as long as the
transducers are in phase at the end with two leads to earth of the plug.

While on the subject of these open back phones. I have a set of 414s and
need new ear cushions for them. anyone know if they can still be bought?

Brian

 

[Brian Gaff]

I bet you are in teaching... grin

Brian

 

[William Sommerwerck]

"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 ?

If the "lunatic jerk" you're referring to is yourself... I'd say everyone in
this group.

 

[Phil Allison]

"William Sommerwanker"

If the "lunatic jerk" you're referring to is yourself... I'd say everyone
in
this group.

** Ain't it just amazing !!

If you go after ONE troll, the rest of the cunts come in and gang up on
you.

So you gotta take the WHOLE lot on, all at once.

What a bunch of gutless, fascist pricks they are.



..... Phil

 

[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.

A pair of headphones with incorrect phasing is about as obvious as being
hit on the head with a brick. Amplifier to mono and try listening to
something. If you have it right the sound source will appear to be very
close to the middle of your head and if not it will be in different
places or spread out depending on the frequency.

If you can't tell the difference you don't deserve a hifi system.

You could always look at the cables at the transducer end.

Regards,
Martin Brown

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

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.

They were standard issue (for some things) in the BBC when I worked there
many many years ago

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.

I still quite like them for where an open backed design is suitable.

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.

Phil tends to be rude to everyone. And everything to him is black and
white. But I do know out of phase headphones ain't as obvious to all as he
suggests, or are to him.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The 414s originally came with DIN speaker plugs, but they changed to
jacks quite some time ago.>

DIN plugs with a socket on the back so they could be inserted 'in line'
with other pairs. And a 1/4" stereo jack plug Y adaptor.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Martin Brown"

A pair of headphones with incorrect phasing is about as obvious as being
hit on the head with a brick.

** ROTFLMAO !!!

Amplifier to mono and try listening to something. If you have it right the
sound source will appear to be very close to the middle of your head and
if not it will be in different places or spread out depending on the
frequency.

If you can't tell the difference you don't deserve a hifi system.

** LOL.

You could always look at the cables at the transducer end.

** Just might be that the transducers are mis-wired.

As someone who does repairs for a living - I learnt LONG ago to expect
the unexpected.

Murphy RULES !!!!!


...... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"Dave Plowman (Nutcase)"

Phil tends to be rude to everyone. And everything to him is black and
white.

** My colour vision is perfect.

But I do know out of phase headphones ain't as obvious to all as he
suggests, or are to him.

** Not with a ** MONO ** signal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As many others here, with far more insight than a jerk like you, have
agreed.



...... Phil

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

** Just might be that the transducers are mis-wired.

Highly unlikey with AKG. On this design, the leads plug into the
transducers. One reason they were so popular for pro use - they unplug
rather than break if strained.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Dave Plowman (Nutcase )

Highly unlikey with AKG.

** Irrelevant.

Only ONE ear unit is involved.

On this design, the leads plug into the
transducers.

** This * steaming great * RETARDED fuckwit did not read what I wrote.

" As someone who does repairs for a living - I learnt LONG ago to expect
the unexpected. Murphy RULES !!!!! "


.... Phil

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

"Dave Plowman (Nutcase )

** Irrelevant.

Only ONE ear unit is involved.
So?



** This * steaming great * RETARDED fuckwit did not read what I wrote.

" As someone who does repairs for a living - I learnt LONG ago to
expect the unexpected. Murphy RULES !!!!! "

You obviously don't know these particular headphones. I do.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

** Not with a ** MONO ** signal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As many others here, with far more insight than a jerk like you, have
agreed.

You have little idea about the variations between humans. To know this,
you have to be one yourself.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

"William Sommerwanker"


** Ain't it just amazing !!

If you go after ONE troll, the rest of the cunts come in and gang up on
you.

So you gotta take the WHOLE lot on, all at once.

What a bunch of gutless, fascist pricks they are.

Are you being serious? Or is this an attempt at "humour"?