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My Ipod keeps destroying earphones!


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Old 07-08-2008, 13:07
Kim85
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I've had my 80gb Ipod classic since December 07 and have been REALLY happy with it apart from one thing. I've now managed to get through 6 pairs of earphones in just over 7 months. Each time the same thing happens - the right ear starts losing sound until eventually it's gone completely. Now once I thought it was unlucky, second time coincidence but now 6 times I'm starting to think it's the Ipod, bearing in mind I've never broken a pair of earphones before prior to this!

I've gone through 2 pairs of Apple earphones, Sennheiser CX300 which cost me nearly £30, a cheap £5 pair (by this point I really didn't want to be spending large amounts of money), and 2 pairs of decent quality earphones that I've had for many years and have never given me any trouble before!

Do people think Currys will exchange my Ipod for a new one bearing in mind I've had it under a year? I don't want to be told that it's all a big conincidence and that there's nothing they can do or insist on sending it away as I had a bad experience with Curry's repair service a few years ago.
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Old 07-08-2008, 13:49
cbates
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Maybe you have it too loud.

All my friends always need new headphones because they listen to their music too loud - if its damaging their headphones god knows what it must be doing to their ears!
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Old 07-08-2008, 15:17
big_hard_lad
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You are clearly listening to it too loud. Go into the settings menu and you can set the maximum volume, try turning this down a bit and see if your headphones last longer. Personally, can't see Curry's replacing it.
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Old 07-08-2008, 15:52
gary77
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i had the same problem i did have my music on full blast with the ipod nano 3rd gen ive noticed i cant have it on full blast anymore which ive now gotten used to

Best advice is to not listen to it as loud as you have
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Old 07-08-2008, 16:03
moisie
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There's no way it can be your iPod as such - it's just outputting sound. If you have it too loud then yes it can break - but the same could be said for any device. If it was something faulty with the iPod then it wouldn't get fixed with a new pair, it would be broken and stay that way.
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Old 07-08-2008, 16:29
Aspartame
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This sounds very worrying. I don't mean the six pairs of destroyed phones, I mean the damage you're doing to your hearing. This can only be caused by playing the thing too loud.
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Old 07-08-2008, 17:55
blueacid
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If ANY amplifier is driven to its maximum and subsequently starts to distort, then it can and most likely will damage the coils in the speakers/headphones.

Turn it down, even if you "like it loud".
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Old 07-08-2008, 19:11
Kim85
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Ok this is the thing, I DON'T listen to the music loud! I usually keep it on minimum volume except of course once the sound in the earphones start going and then I have to start raising the volume to be able anything!
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Old 07-08-2008, 19:34
stateofgameplay
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Sorry, I think you are blowing them, not the iPod.
Do you have a EU iPod, as it should have a volume limiter that you cannot alter (unless you've loaded hooky firmware)
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Old 07-08-2008, 22:44
Kim85
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Sorry, I think you are blowing them, not the iPod.
Do you have a EU iPod, as it should have a volume limiter that you cannot alter (unless you've loaded hooky firmware)
Sorry but I really don't believe I am causing this myself. I'm fully aware of how loud I listen to my ipod, I'm practically housebound with illness at the moment so I'm only listening to it indoors at home and as it's quiet here I only need it on the minimum volume to be able to hear it clearly.

Yes I do have an EU Ipod and no I have not changed the volume limiter, I wouldn't know how.

Anyway I had a search on Google and it seems like I am not the only person to experience this and it always seems to be the right ear that goes.
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Old 07-08-2008, 23:00
tortfeasor
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When I were a lad I used to have a similar issue with my earphones - the right one would go first and to be honest, I think the main reasons were because a) I was using quite cheap earphones; b) I used to shove the earphones into my bag or pocket and generally throw them about with little regard for any damage I could cause and c) overuse.

I hate earphones - went back to good old fashioned headphones when I started going to the gym a few years back because they were always falling out of my ears! Yes, as a former mobile jock, I even had the really big stereotypical DJ ones, which to be honest are fantastic for durability and sound. I know they don't look great, but they certainly sound great.

Anyway - all I can say is from my experience of earphones is that they tend to require replacing more frequently than traditional headphones - sometimes the problem is due to the jack - it is amazing how easy it is to bend or damage the jack on a set of headphones/earphones.

My advice is maybe you should try headphones. They are making some really compact sets these days that aren't so bulky. I've had a pair of the Sony MDRV150 DJ headphones for 2 years - use them for the gym mostly now. They have been thrown in and out of the gymbag, dropped countless times, pulled apart by my sweet cousin when I wasn't looking (she managed to snap the plastic) and... still work perfectly fine. They are probably one of the best set of headphones I've ever owned and I intend to buy another pair - especially at that price on the Argos website!
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Old 07-08-2008, 23:51
chrisjr
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Contrary to what some on here are saying volume is not the only way to destroy a speaker or pair of headphones (which are essentially the same in principle, if not in size)

A DC voltage on the amplifier output is one alternative source of damage. Though I would expect that to be accompanied by a click as you plug the headphones in and distortion in use. Or perhaps there is a voltage spike on the amplifier output as you turn the unit on. Again you should hear a click but if the spike is high enough in voltage it can damage the coil in the speaker eventually. That is one reason why a lot of HiFi amps use relays to disconnect the speakers for a few seconds after turning on. It lets the PSU etc settle down and keeps any nasties away from the speakers

A high frequency signal above the audible range could also fry the speakers over time. A poorly designed amplifier could easily oscillate at inaudible frequencies and at surprisingly high levels. I should know I've built a few in my time Or a frequency limiting capacitor degrades and sets off the oscillation (seen that happen as well).

The only way to see if an oscillating amplifier is the problem would be to plug the unit into an oscilloscope and observe the output. Not something most of us carry round with us If it is DC then a simple multimeter would show that up.

Either cause could work over a period of time, hence why plugging a new pair of headphones in appears to cure the problem. Only for the damage to build up gradually again.

And on the subject of volume. It is quite possible to blow a pair of speakers rated at 100W with a 10W amplifier! At first glance you wouldn't think the amp could generate enough signal to trouble the speakers. It certainly would not be as loud as a 100W amp into the same speakers (half as loud actually not 1/10th as you might think)

However if the 10W amp is driven really hard it can easily go into clipping (ie the output stages run out of PSU volts to reproduce the signal). This generates loads of garbage which can do very nasty things to the speakers.

So you don't actually have to be listening very loud to cause damage. If you have underrated amplification and are working it beyond it's capabilities you could actually do more damage than using a higher powered amp which is not stressed so much to produce the required volume.
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Old 08-08-2008, 10:58
liz31tt
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My 14 yr old daughter's the same, I think it's because as one of the previous posters said, she doesn't look after her earphones. They're flung about in bags etc. and then she comes moaning to me when they don't work! I told her last time, if they break again she'll jolly well have to pay for them herself!!! They've been fine since..... strange....eh??!!
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