How to Hardwire HD800

Hello,



Hardwiring my HD800's is something I've long considered and I have never seen a full complete guide on how to do it. I get the impression that there is an unspoken rule of if you aren't confident enough to do it on your own, don't do it. Maybe that's a good rule.


Anyway, I finally summoned up the courage to do it to mine today. What really urged me to do it was the right connector was loose on my HD800's and the cable kept slipping out dropping the channel which became very annoying. That, and the price of them used is pretty low so if I messed them up it wasn't the end of the world!



So here it is.



First, the 'donation' cable. It's an OCC copper Double Helix Complement 4, 10 feet long with a 4 pin Eidolic connector. I've had this cable for years and despite also having the silver version of the Complement 4, this one is really my favorite with the HD800's. I don't think I would ever replace it so I feel good permanently joining the two. Some people would call this is crazy. Some people might be right.











As with any project, I planned it out first and gathered everything I would need. Pretty basic stuff, a soldering iron, helping hands, pliers, strippers, a small (special) screw driver, a multimeter to test for continuity, zip ties for strain relief and so on.











The first step was disassembling the HD800's. The first thing to do is remove the dust guard. That just pulls out. The pads also have to be removed and they also just pull out. You have to just go for it. Taking the pads off the HD800's is like asking a girl out - you just have to go for it and with confidence.











Next we have to remove the cups from the headband but we are met with some odd screws...











Hmmm... I have a myriad of odd fiddly screw drivers and nothing seemed to work - except one. That's right, that 'special' screwdriver.











Yes, that is a tri-tipped screw driver. Where did I get such an oddity? Ebay for about $1.99 including shipping. It's designed to open Nintendo security screws so just search for "Nintendo Screwdriver" and order anyone. What are the odds?!



Here is the full assembly, well, disassembled.









Next we have to remove the silver plastic ring from the inner driver cup. That just pops off, much like the pads.









Now we are faced with the real enemy, the wiring.











Take note which wire goes where - each driver doesn't match, believe it or not. Next we have to remove the connector tube.











That white plastic U clip just pulls out.











And the tube is friction set in the cup so just gently pull it out with plyers.



The next step was to get the cable ready. I have a newfound respect for DHC's stuff. This thing was surprisingly well made. Three layers of shrink wrap and each wire was wrapped with teflon. The workmanship is really exceptional on these cables. I very much appreciate where so much of the cost goes.











Again, make note of which wire goes to which pin on the connector and with which pin that corresponds to on the driver. I don't know if it really matters in all honestly, but I did it. So here you go, all ready for the scary soldering part. You have to be delicate here because you don't want to melt the super thin wires or driver inside the HD800.











After carefully pulling the cable through the bottom hole, I very gingerly did it. I tested for continuity, then plugged them for a quick sound test and SUCCESS! I also pre-tinned the wire and I think that is the way to go.











Rinse and repeat with the other side, reassemble everything and add in your strain relief. In my case I used zip ties.











And we are done! A fully working hardwired HD800!











The whole process took about an hour and the results are really surprising. I didn't think it would make a difference but the clarity of the drivers has undeniably improved. There is absolutely a sonic benefit to this mod, and that was something I was not expecting!



Anyway, there you go! Happy modding!



-Paul

 

Nice one. I just hardwired mine yesterday, taking pictures in the process with the thought of posting destructions. Yours are better though so I don't need to bother now .

Couple of things I'd add... To undo the torx screws, either use a torx bit (!) or, as I did, just use a small flat head screwdriver. Secondly, I tightened a zip tie around the two wires as they enter each cup, just inside the cup. This will prevent them from pulling on the soldered connections if the cable is tugged (the soldering points on the connections felt quite fragile to me).

 

@bigfatpaulie - you will have to re-host the images, maybe on imgur? You can't link to head-fi images from here, I think it refuses after checking the referrers in a fit of petulance, or something.

 

OKay, I moved the images to Photobucket.

Also, I should point out that I used zip ties for strain relief. I did mention this but apparently some thick skulled people don't read well.

@pedalhead I didn't have one that fit oddly enough. I also ran into the same issue with a flathead, nothing seemed to jive. Anything that someone has that works is fine, I was just putting out what I find worked for me.

 

Nice work. You might have mentioned that you used my post as a primer and that I gave you some tips along the way. But other than that nice work. Hope you like it!

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/hd800-hardwiring-mod.1720/

I would probably also look at securing the wires on the inside of the casing in case they get snagged on something. A really strong zip-tie might do the trick. You can also glue the zip-tie to the cables and then it should hold the cables in there much more securely. Or something similar. Having the cables secured just by the soldering alone might not last so well?

For anyone thinking about doing something similar I will also stress: Do not use anything with silver, the HD800 like thick copper wires the best.

 

I'm so sorry, I somehow totally forgot about your post... My apologies!

I'm pretty careful so I'm not too worried about the zip ties holding. I did pull on them pretty hard before closing them up to see if they would hold and they did nicely. I also considered using metal washers underneath the tie ties but opted not to.

 

Having been a long time proponent of hardwiring it's good to see others jumping into this end of the pool.

And I must say that the 800's lend themselves to being modded, more so than lots of other HP's out there.
They are very easy to take apart and work on etc., as if they were meant to be fussed with, by design.

Oh and those are torx #8 screws.
And the clamp ring uses a Torx #6 bit

Using this kind of hardware is one reason for their ease of being fussed with, and for their degree of designed in longevity.

Oh, and prying the ear pads away from their housing is easy, once you get the hang of it.
I use my finger/thumb nails to wedge them apart and then work my way around the perimeter.

Re-attaching them is easy once you get the ear pads aligned back up properly.


JJ

 

@bigfatpaulie No worries

 

@johnjen Thanks for the info re: the torx screws! Good to know!

I have to say my HD800's have really taken on new life as of late first with the SDR and now this. Honestly, I think they are back to being my favorite headphone. Sennheiser really did a marvelous job with the engineering of these things.

 

You should try the SBAF mod as well, I like my HD800 with all three mods applied!

And if you're really allergic to sharp highs you can try the TP mod too. 6kHz spike gone. Poof.

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/hd800-tp-mod.1826/

Like @johnjen says. The HD800's are VERY tunable once you figure out what does what.

 

I've considered the SBAF mod but I didn't not care for the Anax mod so I shied away. It is, however, something I will likely try at one point, along with the cork mod and your, ahem, toilet paper mod

I'll wipe the smile off my face now....

 

Any mod that makes you smile is a good mod

 

I totally agree.
800's are capable of astounding performance and are probably the most modifiable and scalable HP's available.

JJ