Headphone extension cable

[threni]

I'm considering a 3 metre headphone extension cable (1/4" male to 1/4" female) for my Sennheiser HD660S headphones (150 ohm, in case that's relevant). Is it worth worrying about the sound quality loss and getting a more expensive one? Or is any (working) cable as good as any other?

 

[wasnotwasnotwas]

I'm considering a 3 metre headphone extension cable (1/4" male toe 1/4" female) for my Sennheiser HD660S headphones (150 ohm, in case that's relevant). Is it worth worrying about the sound quality loss and getting a more expensive one? Or is any (working) cable as good as any other?

You havent said which. But I would have thought most should be fine. Amazon basics /ugreen or other modestly priced.

 

[dmac6419]

You havent said which. But I would have thought most should be fine. Amazon basics /ugreen or other modestly priced.

I concur

 

[threni]

You havent said which. But I would have thought most should be fine. Amazon basics /ugreen or other modestly priced.

Thanks for the quick response!

Well I deliberately didn't mention any specifics because I didn't want to limit it to just this or that; it's more the principle. I'd never give a moments thought to a USB/ethernet etc cable, for example. I'd just get the cheapest and return it if it didn't work. But with audio I'm not sure if there's some measurable amount of resistance or whatever per metre, or if there's a certain type of shielding, or that I should avoid running it alongside mains etc.

 

[wasnotwasnotwas]

Thanks for the quick response!

Well I deliberately didn't mention any specifics because I didn't want to limit it to just this or that; it's more the principle. I'd never give a moments thought to a USB/ethernet etc cable, for example. I'd just get the cheapest and return it if it didn't work. But with audio I'm not sure if there's some measurable amount of resistance or whatever per metre, or if there's a certain type of shielding, or that I should avoid running it alongside mains etc.

I would order cheap mass market and test. No issues, no problem. If you pick up em /rf etc, look to ones constructed to resist. I've never had anything noticeable on a couple of metre amazon 3.5 to 3.5 with sensitive iem. Not sure who does quarter inch though, never looked

 

[dmac6419]

I would order cheap mass market and test. No issues, no problem. If you pick up em /rf etc, look to ones constructed to resist. I've never had anything noticeable on a couple of metre amazon 3.5 to 3.5 with sensitive iem. Not sure who does quarter inch though, never looked

I concur amazon brand works just fine for me as well

 

[frogmeat69]

I am sure this would work just fine, lifetime warranty, and it's cheap, too.

https://www.amazon.com/PHX14-10-TRSF-Headphone-Extension-Cable/dp/B017Y4NA1U/ref=sr_1_3?crid=39J35BXNPCASH&dchild=1&keywords=1/4+extension+cable&qid=1605972856&sprefix=1/4"+extension,aps,181&sr=8-3

 

[dmac6419]

I am sure this would work just fine, lifetime warranty, and it's cheap, too.

https://www.amazon.com/PHX14-10-TRSF-Headphone-Extension-Cable/dp/B017Y4NA1U/ref=sr_1_3?crid=39J35BXNPCASH&dchild=1&keywords=1/4+extension+cable&qid=1605972856&sprefix=1/4"+extension,aps,181&sr=8-3

I use those for my guitars (the instruments ones) but male on male good cables

 

[RayDunzl]

Is it worth worrying about the sound quality loss and getting a more expensive one?

It's worth worrying about connectivity.


I bought a Hosa extension for $5.76 in 2013.

The female connector didn't maintain good contact. Can't disassemble the connector.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010CTUW6/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Should have returned it, but didn't.


I bought a PigHog extension for $6.89 back in May 2020

It works just fine.

Also can't disassemble the connector but there is no need to.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017Y4NA1U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[threni]

Thanks @RayDunzl and @dmac6419 but getting the PigHog sent to the UK more than doubles the cost so I've gone for cheap and cheerful from Amazon.co.uk (A Stagg cable for £4.95). (Amazon deliberately make their UI trick you into signing up for a "Prime trial", but easy to cancel it; I think this is the third time now! If they want to do free next day (sunday) delivery on low value items that works for me!)

 

[RayDunzl]

A Stagg cable for £4.95

Looks good to me.

Repairable.

 

[Fregly]

I got 10ft Amazon extension I like.

 

[wasnotwasnotwas]

Looks good to me.

Repairable.

View attachment 94917

I use their xlr no probs.

 

[threni]

Looks good to me.

Repairable.

View attachment 94917

Sadly, no. It was too good to be true. The quality of the cable and soldering seems fine, but the female jack socket has some sort of problem; crackles if you move the headphone plug, or when it happens to end up in whatever position causes the problems. Hard to see how you'd fix that sealed unit. Shame as the rest of it is good quality. Well, one other thing actually - there's nothing clamping the socket to the cable - so when you pull the socket you're not pulling the sleeve of the cable but the soldered wires themselves.

 

[RayDunzl]

Hard to see how you'd fix that sealed unit. Shame as the rest of it is good quality.

From the photo it would appear that you could open the female end, and bend the contact a little.

If not, well, I got fooled.

 

[threni]

From the photo it would appear that you could open the female end, and bend the contact a little.

If not, well, I got fooled.

At first I thought the soldered wires were touching the outer shielding on the socket, so i put a little tape around them. But it's not that - it's something inside the socket itself. I can't see anything or take it apart, so it could be anything. Dunno if it's not clamping the jack, or there's too much give causing a short.

 

[RayDunzl]

Are you familiar with one that you can disassemble?

It sure looks like the guts should unscrew from the cover.

 

[threni]

Are you familiar with one that you can disassemble?

It sure looks like the guts should unscrew from the cover.

You unscrew the outer "shield" but you then just see the outside of the socket and the wires soldered to it.

I can see now, after a few minutes fiddling with aluminium foil, that the loose connection is not due to the two prongs within the socket which grip the plug (tip and ring), but the neck of the socket where the sleeve touches it (ground). The quality of the lead and jack is pretty good; the others I've look at don't look as repairable. I've tried the two headphones I own with that size jack and they both act the same way and have caused no problems previously on other sockets, so I guess I either return this and spend probably at least double on the next best, or somehow fix this one with some permanent version of "wrapping foil around the sleeve"!

Edit: Yeah, wrapping a strip of foil round the sleeve a few times well away from the ring, then pushing the jack in forms a solid connection. This'll do for now.