[Mods12]

I have having a problem with my dt880s where every time the cord the left ear audio will go in and out. It is out of warranty. Should I re cable it or what if I just did the detachable cable mod do you think my problem will be fixed?

 

[witt]

This happened to my DT 880s as well. I didn't even bother with a recable. I just bought some new headphones. This is why I only buy headphones with a detachable cable now. It's pretty much inexcusable for headphones to be made without a detachable cable these days IMO, given how expensive and much of a hassle it is to recable. 

 

[DaveK1977]

Don't be too quick to throw them out!  If you have basic soldering skills (and mine are basic), you can change the cord in an hour, or do the detachable mod.
 
Before doing that, though, flex the cable around until that side comes back.  If it doesn't, use an ohmmeter to measure the impedance once you take the cup off, just to make sure that it's the cable and not the driver that's bad.  It would be upsetting and disappointing to go to the trouble of changing the cord for that not to have been the problem.

 

[Mods12]

How exactly do I do the detachable cable mod? I ordered a 3.5 socket. And I looked at some pictures from here http://www.head-fi.org/t/652514/beyerdynamic-dt880-premium-detachable-mod-d but I am still a little confused.

 

[DaveK1977]

You'll have to disassemble the left cup, and solder the jack to the wires inside.  You might want to mark your earpad to make sure you get it back on right side up.  It will have conformed a little to your head, and will be tedious to reorient if your forgot.  The only part where you've really got to be careful is removing the retaining ring that holds down the driver.  It has a couple of places on it that are good places to stick a screwdriver to lift, and you'll need to use a couple of places working around the outside as you won't pop it out with just one lift.  Once that's done, desolder the cable and solder the jack on, then you'll need to poke the jack out through the stress relief hole and screw the retaining nut on it.  I trust my soldering to wires a lot more than to the little jack terminals, so I cut the end off of a 3.5mm extension cord and used that instead.  The link below will take you to a pic of my DT990s showing that type of jack, which still retains the factory strain relief.  Either way, your world of cable length, quality, and features just opened up.  When you're putting the cup back together, there's a small square sticking out of the ring to make sure it's aligned properly again.  Putting the pad back on is actually the most tedious part.
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/70574389@N00/14954973869/

 

[Mods12]

Can the Blue, red and copper wires just go on any prong of the the jack or is there a specific way I need to do it. And can I just use any 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable or are some cables better?

 

[DaveK1977]

Certainly some cables are better, and you need to choose to fit the task.  The short ones with a mic are great for using with a phone.  For longer runs, you should use one of the ones intended for carrying line out.  Look at Amazon under what Monoprice has for the best deal relative to the quality.
 
As for the colors, I don't remember which is which in there, but you have to get it right.  You can probably tell by looking at the positions on the jack as to which part of the plug it conducts with.  They're called TRS connectors, for Tip Ring Sleeve in order going back from the end.  The tip is L+, the ring is R+, and the sleeve is common -.  When you're in the headphone cup, you should be able to tell which color is which by looking at what goes where.  Twist the wires on to the jack's terminals, plug a cord in and play through them and verify that both drivers are working before soldering.  Be careful and methodical about it, and you'll get it done.

 

[Mods12]

Certainly some cables are better, and you need to choose to fit the task.  The short ones with a mic are great for using with a phone.  For longer runs, you should use one of the ones intended for carrying line out.  Look at Amazon under what Monoprice has for the best deal relative to the quality.

As for the colors, I don't remember which is which in there, but you have to get it right.  You can probably tell by looking at the positions on the jack as to which part of the plug it conducts with.  They're called TRS connectors, for Tip Ring Sleeve in order going back from the end.  The tip is L+, the ring is R+, and the sleeve is common -.  When you're in the headphone cup, you should be able to tell which color is which by looking at what goes where.  Twist the wires on to the jack's terminals, plug a cord in and play through them and verify that both drivers are working before soldering.  Be careful and methodical about it, and you'll get it done.

. Thank you for all your help I was able to make contact with the jack and figured out which wire went wire. I haven't soldered yet because I need to get the covering off the tip of the wires. How do I do this carefully.

 

[DaveK1977]

My wire strippers weren't anywhere near small enough to do that, so I used the tiny pair of scissors on my Swiss Army knife to cut mostly through the insulation, then pinch it between my thumbnail and my index finger to pull it off.  That worked fine, but you've got to be careful not to cut the conductor that way.

 

[Mods12]

Ya my wire strippers arent any near small enough either. I'll try your way and be careful I'll let you know my results.

 

[Mods12]

I completed it it successfully thank you for all your help. Got it soldered nicely and it works fine with any 3.5mm audio cable. Wish that detachable cables were standard on headphones in this price range.

My wire strippers weren't anywhere near small enough to do that, so I used the tiny pair of scissors on my Swiss Army knife to cut mostly through the insulation, then pinch it between my thumbnail and my index finger to pull it off.  That worked fine, but you've got to be careful not to cut the conductor that way.

 

[DaveK1977]

You're welcome, and I'm glad I could help.  Anything to save them from the trash, especially if you liked them.