Chosen Solution
My BOSE headphones are about 3 years old. Sometimes the sound in the left ear stops working. If I mess with the connector cord, where it connects to the computer, then I can get the sound to work. If I replace the headphones cable will that fix my problem?
it looks that the cable is broken near the connector - if is cuts in and out when you move the cable near the connector, not the plug itself. If you intend to replace the cable anyway, I would cut the cable say 10cm from the plug, to get access to the inner cables. there should be 3 or 4 signal paths: Shield (optional) equal to ground, ground (usually black), right channel (usually red) and left channel (Mostly white). you then can strip the wires back, connect the ground by twisting the wires together, and try the headphones by touching the others together. In your case you say get right all the time, so use the red from the plug with the left channel from the headphones and see it it works reliably, then use the right channel from the plug with the right channel from the headphones just to confirm that works too. If it checks out, your headphones are proven ok, and you can either replace the cable, or just solder on a new plug, as the break seems to be near the old plug in the cut off portion (this is the case most often)
You may only have to replace the mini stereo plug you can get that at Radio Shack or a local electronics/hardware store. Do Not use too much heat! you can cause short circuits if you melt shielding. Remember: Red == Right == Ring. Good Luck, N.
I would send them back to Bose. The are a good company and in my experience dealing with their headphones if there is a problem I send it to them and it comes back repaired. No charge. Be sure to obtain a return authorization number first.
Often times dirt will contaminate the contacts on the female part of a 3.5mm audio connection, and these Bose headphones aren’t immune to this problem. The symptom of this is audio that cuts in and out when you rotate or apply sideways pressure to connector on the end of the cable. To fix the problem yourself, moisten one end of a cotton swab stick in rubbing alcohol (do not soak it). With the headphones held upright (so that drips exit the 3.5mm jack instead of entering the speaker assembly), gently clean the metal contacts. Also clean the connectors on the cable. Allow 15 minutes for the rubbing alcohol to evaporate before using. Do the same for the audio source (an MP3 player, stereo system, phone, etc).
does it work well plugged into something else? other than the computer? also bose should offer a repair service to their customers for little to no cost… probably try that route first before replacing the cable and voiding any kind of warranty they might offer
This is a common weakness in BOSE headsets. You need to replace the jack to do the job right. It is a simple $1.00 part at Radio Shack. If you don’t know how to do it there is an excellent video on YouTube which walks you through it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYH1KZ_1… Also, Rich’s Methods (His video’s are ALL awesome) has a no solder method which is good for the more non techno among-us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMAm0P04… Good luck. It really is an easy fix and your BOSE will be working great again. I buy a lot of these sets on eBay and repair them to resell. I can buy a pair for $10 & resell for $75 or more depending on the headset. Some people don’t want to be bothered fixing them and will sell them for parts or repair for next to nothing not realizing they could do the repair themselves for next to nothing. God Bless, Maegi
Well if you are cheap like me, you could always find the sweet spot where the audio works and tape/tie the cord so it stays like that :P
I ’ve had my In Ear Phones a good 8 yrs or so & they are still wrking fine but the outer vinyl sheath wire covering is now getting frayed or coming apart at several intervals from behind the “Boot” on the jack to the “Y” going to the phones ! I need to kno what that kind of wire is called, where you get it and the proceedure for soldering those “Iddy-Biddy” wires ! I hve ben an electronics tech for about 10 yrs in the past & hve always had a recording studio !, so soldering isn’t a problem, but sometimes there’s a proceedure for special designs and those lil wires appear to be individually wrapped inside the sheath & there are six of them coming from the “Boot” ! Two Red, Two Green, & Two Orange. So it appears to be feeding each ear with three seperate wires ! “Very Good Design”, but I don’t find the outside sheath to be worthy of the Bose quality that one is paying for along with the “Technology” ! Basically if I can find out the proper way to seperate & reconnect this special wire I could seperate the sections, heatshrink the original covering & puttem bac together ! So, “Anyone hve the answere” ?
