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Gadget WEEKENDS

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IainB:
@ayryq:
Thanks. Good tip about the velour-covered replacement headphone cushions.   :Thmbsup:
Where you write:
I actually found some that were an upgrade for my headphones. I had a Sony MDR 7506 and the vinyl eventually flaked off the cushions. The replacement pads, with a velour covering, were not only better than the originals, but outlasted the headphones, and actually fit the replacement headphones I bought (ATH-M50x).

https://smile.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-EDT250V-Headphone-Pads-Black/dp/B0016MF7W2
Searching amazon for "/brand/ ear pads" turns up loads of options.
-ayryq (November 15, 2018, 09:52 AM)
--- End quote ---
Yes, that - "...the vinyl eventually flaked off the cushions" - has happened to 2 or 3 headsets that I have, though it wasn't the case with the Nokia Monsters I discuss here.

IMHO "the vinyl eventually flaking off the cushions" is just so much more built-in obsolescence, helpfully speeded-up by the chemical action of urea and sebaceous oil secreted in human sweat. I don't for a moment suppose that the manufacturers are actually surprised by this breakdown and "don't know" how to make an appropriate vinyl or other covering that is impervious to such secretions and doesn't break down over time.

I was aware that one could buy replacement cushions for some models of headphone from Amazon and elsewhere, but they tend to be grossly overpriced for what they are (I have some idea of the manufacturing costs involved) and would in some cases have been almost as expensive as buying a new pair of headphones - i.e., a rip-off. Also, Amazon postage & shipping costs to me in NZ are usually really excessive (another rip-off) - adding a sizeable percentage cost, sometimes as much as or more than the cost of the product itself (depending on what you are buying), so Amazon is not usually comparatively cost-effective and is even less so now that Amazon is obliged to collect 15% GST (Goods & Services Tax) for the NZ Inland Revenue, on all purchases bought online from NZ. Sheesh.   :o

For me, I shall probably find that buying a cheapish pair of industrial safety earmuffs will be the least-cost option. I can just use the ear-cushions and maybe the sound-absorbent inside foam, and discard the hard parts of the earmuffs, or re-purpose them to hold transplanted headphone speakers from good but broken headphones. The cushions on these earmuffs are resistant to sweat etc. - because they are designed for a hard life and to be comfortably worn for long periods by sweaty-headed users on building sites and in factories, etc. The rest of their componentry is also pretty durable and suitable-for-purpose, meeting fairly stringent health and safety standards, though, from experience in industrial engineering, their built-in obsolescence would seem to be reserved for deliberately weak links - e.g., (say) the band on top of the head, which, on some models, only takes a few hundred bends outwards before failing, right in the middle of the band. Like no-one would expect that to happen. Oh what a surprise (NOT).    :o

app103:
It's not that difficult to make something like these from an old t-shirt, sweatshirt, or other stretchy material. You'd just cut a circle (or square), then sew a running stitch around the edge with a strong beading thread, to act as a drawstring. Then fit it onto your headphones, tighten the drawstring, tuck in the raw edges so it looks good, then knot the thread so it stays tight. When you want to remove it for washing or replacement, just cut the threads.

No, they wouldn't be good as a replacement for the ear pads, but they would prolong the life of an existing pair, even if they already are showing signs of wear, flaking, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-Deodorizing-Absorption-Headphones-HC-M9B/dp/B01MYM11Q3/

mwb1100:
then sew a running stitch around the edge with a strong beading thread
-app103 (November 17, 2018, 01:23 PM)
--- End quote ---

That's where you lost me.  Not only is sewing a 'running stitch' something I'd probably do a terrible job at, I don't even know what a "beading thread" is.

4wd:
Fold the edge of the material over, sew it to form a "tube", run a thread/string through leaving both ends hanging out to use as a draw string.

Deozaan:
I don't even know what a "beading thread" is.-mwb1100 (November 17, 2018, 08:46 PM)
--- End quote ---

Me neither, but I'd guess it's a thread used for stringing beads together. I'd guess it may even be somewhat elastic, too, but then she did call for a "strong beading thread" and I don't think of elastic threads as very strong.

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