Build or buy a replacement cable for my headphones

November 2, 2004 12:55 PM

I'm planning to buy a pair of Sennheiser 497 headphones. The cable is easily removed and replaced, and as all reviews note that the cable is unwieldy for portable use, I'm looking for a shorter replacement. Googling finds no such animal. Ideas? Could I make my own with basic soldering skills?

I did find some high-quality replacement cable, but it's not any shorter than the OEM.

posted by schoolgirl report to Technology (3 answers total)

You should be able to cut and solder. I'd done that with an ancient pair of 414s.
posted by sageleaf at 1:01 PM on November 2, 2004

headphone cable is normally pretty fine, but you can solder it no problem as long as you're careful. just make sure that the plugs are standard before you cut anything.
posted by andrew cooke at 1:08 PM on November 2, 2004

I own a pair of 497's and use them while walking around on campus. My fix was to use a twist tie to tie up a group of loops of the cable to make the overall length enough to go from my messenger bad to my head, a few feet.

Works good and is easily undone when you want to use them at home and need more length.

Also, good choice, these are awesome phones!
posted by asterisk at 4:24 PM on November 2, 2004