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I've had headphones die because the connector came loose after around 500 insertion cycles. Several companies in China make a "mag safe"-style connector for mi

by bb88 5y ago

I've had headphones die because the connector came loose after around 500 insertion cycles. Several companies in China make a "mag safe"-style connector for micro usb that is really nice. Some of them only provide power/ground. Others provide the full 4-wire spec. I have a pair of Sony Headphones that annoyingly shut off the wireless when you charge them. So I didn't really care if it had the full four wire spec. There's some out there for USB-C, but I wouldn't trust them for high-speed data transfer.

bradknowles 5y ago
All headphones and earphones I’ve tried will cut off everything else while they are being charged. Including Bose and Apple. Yes, this is a PITA. If you know of a maker of headphones and earphones that doesn’t do this, please let me know.
- brassattax 5y ago
  I had (and lost, unforunately) a pair of Sennheiser MM400 headphones... The charging jack was on the removable battery pack and you could charge it while using it (no effect at all on headphone operation)
- diebeforei485 5y ago
  > All headphones and earphones I’ve tried will cut off everything else while they are being charged. Including Bose and Apple. This has not been my experience with my AirPods Max. They work over Bluetooth just fine while being charged, unless they are completely depleted (0% battery). For reference, this is on firmware version 4A400 but this has been the case since I received them (months ago).
- majormajor 5y ago
  I’ve used my B&W PX over Bluetooth while charging over USB-C. They also support playback input over USB-C or 3.5mm. It’s nice. Expensive, though. But not Apple Airpods Max expensive, at least!
  - nl 5y ago
    I also have the B&W PX and can confirm this. I don't love these headphones though. They clamp on my head way too hard for extended use.
- ricardobeat 5y ago
  Turtle Beach can charge while using. And play two inputs at once. The biggest downsides are how ugly they look and lack of NC.
- crummy 5y ago
  Jabra 85h can charge over USB C and play over Bluetooth at the same time.
- eitland 5y ago
  I bought a used set of Bose QC (Quiet Comfort) and they came with two removable batteries and a charger, all packed nicely in a really small case. I replaced the foam for $7 at some point but they still worked nicely last time I checked despite being 7 or so years old now.
- DevoidSimo 5y ago
  Adding another one, my Sennheiser PXC 550 (both original and II) will charge and do bluetooth or wired audio.
- rejectfinite 5y ago
  Weird, I can charge and listen to my Sennheiser Momentus Wireless 3 at the same time.
dekhn 5y ago
I grew up using Walkman; I have decades of experience with 3.5mm headphones jacks breaking. Interestingly, it seems like nearly all devices with 3.5mm jacks are engineered a lot tougher because I haven't been able to break a jack in years.
- lupire 5y ago
  3.5m has 3 pins, and they are on a cylinder. USB-C has 24.
- crancher 5y ago
  Wisdom accumulates!
  - TheOtherHobbes 5y ago
    There's a dead comment under here which points out that 3.5mm is three connections around a large-ish cylinder, while USB-C is 24 connections in a tiny space. It's easy to make tough, lasting connections when you have space for decent-sized leaves of sprung metal. It's incredibly hard to make tough, lasting connections when each connection is on a 0.2mm pitch that is almost too small to see. Bottom line - USB-C is an optimistically designed standard. It's almost impossible to make a super-affordable USB-C connector which will stay reliable for thousands of insertions. Especially when it's also used for up to 100W of power. Plastics like Stanyl are supposed to be good for 10k cycles, but it's always tempting to cut corners and use something cheaper. And the physical design tends to collect dust and compact it inside the plug and the socket - which doesn't help.
    - bb88 5y ago
      > There's a dead comment under here which points out that 3.5mm is three connections around a large-ish cylinder, while USB-C is 24 connections in a tiny space. That's not it really. It's the connector and solder strength. The problem is that when you buy a piece of electronics with a micro-usb port, you don't know which connector type the product designer used, or if the solder joints are good, etc. Sometimes you won't know for maybe 100 or 200 insertion cycles, which usually places the device outside a manufacturer's warranty. The solder joints on a right angled jack experience a torque on insertion. That torque puts strain on the solder joints. Do it enough times those solder joints will crack from the cycling. Or worse the connector just rips the copper up off the fiberglass layer, since the strength of copper bond to fiberglass is much much less of the strength between solder and copper. Here's an example of an SMD mount only micro female usb connector: https://tinkersphere.com/electronic-components/1817-female-micro-usb-solder-connector.html https://tinkersphere.com/electronic-components/1817-female-m... The only thing holding it to the circuit board itself are tabs which need to be soldered to copper pads on the board. (My failed headphones were of this type.) Though it seems like most USB C devices appear to be using through hole legs for mounting (I haven't seen a device use surface mount only yet). The solder flows through copper plated hole, bonds with the copper in the hole as well as the copper on the opposite side as well as the leg in the hole, increasing the strength of the part. https://www.mouser.com/Connectors/USB-Connectors/_/N-88hmf?P=1ysnwh3Z1z0z7ym https://www.mouser.com/Connectors/USB-Connectors/_/N-88hmf?P...
Psychlist 5y ago
I have magnetic connectors for USB-C in both varieties. The circular one I normally use just has two pins and is great because I put my phone down near the cable and it usually leaps across and connects. The multipin flat connector supports PD and data, I'm not sure exactly what its limits are but it does what I want. Both were cheap ebay purchases made because I'm willing to plug a $10 cable into a $600 phone despite the early USB-C cables occasionally frying devices.

by bb88 5y ago

bradknowles 5y ago

All headphones and earphones I’ve tried will cut off everything else while they are being charged. Including Bose and Apple. Yes, this is a PITA. If you know of a maker of headphones and earphones that doesn’t do this, please let me know.

brassattax 5y ago
I had (and lost, unforunately) a pair of Sennheiser MM400 headphones... The charging jack was on the removable battery pack and you could charge it while using it (no effect at all on headphone operation)
diebeforei485 5y ago
> All headphones and earphones I’ve tried will cut off everything else while they are being charged. Including Bose and Apple. This has not been my experience with my AirPods Max. They work over Bluetooth just fine while being charged, unless they are completely depleted (0% battery). For reference, this is on firmware version 4A400 but this has been the case since I received them (months ago).
majormajor 5y ago
I’ve used my B&W PX over Bluetooth while charging over USB-C. They also support playback input over USB-C or 3.5mm. It’s nice. Expensive, though. But not Apple Airpods Max expensive, at least!
- nl 5y ago
  I also have the B&W PX and can confirm this. I don't love these headphones though. They clamp on my head way too hard for extended use.
ricardobeat 5y ago
Turtle Beach can charge while using. And play two inputs at once. The biggest downsides are how ugly they look and lack of NC.
crummy 5y ago
Jabra 85h can charge over USB C and play over Bluetooth at the same time.
eitland 5y ago
I bought a used set of Bose QC (Quiet Comfort) and they came with two removable batteries and a charger, all packed nicely in a really small case. I replaced the foam for $7 at some point but they still worked nicely last time I checked despite being 7 or so years old now.
DevoidSimo 5y ago
Adding another one, my Sennheiser PXC 550 (both original and II) will charge and do bluetooth or wired audio.
rejectfinite 5y ago
Weird, I can charge and listen to my Sennheiser Momentus Wireless 3 at the same time.

dekhn 5y ago

I grew up using Walkman; I have decades of experience with 3.5mm headphones jacks breaking. Interestingly, it seems like nearly all devices with 3.5mm jacks are engineered a lot tougher because I haven't been able to break a jack in years.

lupire 5y ago
3.5m has 3 pins, and they are on a cylinder. USB-C has 24.
crancher 5y ago
Wisdom accumulates!
- TheOtherHobbes 5y ago
  There's a dead comment under here which points out that 3.5mm is three connections around a large-ish cylinder, while USB-C is 24 connections in a tiny space. It's easy to make tough, lasting connections when you have space for decent-sized leaves of sprung metal. It's incredibly hard to make tough, lasting connections when each connection is on a 0.2mm pitch that is almost too small to see. Bottom line - USB-C is an optimistically designed standard. It's almost impossible to make a super-affordable USB-C connector which will stay reliable for thousands of insertions. Especially when it's also used for up to 100W of power. Plastics like Stanyl are supposed to be good for 10k cycles, but it's always tempting to cut corners and use something cheaper. And the physical design tends to collect dust and compact it inside the plug and the socket - which doesn't help.
  - bb88 5y ago
    > There's a dead comment under here which points out that 3.5mm is three connections around a large-ish cylinder, while USB-C is 24 connections in a tiny space. That's not it really. It's the connector and solder strength. The problem is that when you buy a piece of electronics with a micro-usb port, you don't know which connector type the product designer used, or if the solder joints are good, etc. Sometimes you won't know for maybe 100 or 200 insertion cycles, which usually places the device outside a manufacturer's warranty. The solder joints on a right angled jack experience a torque on insertion. That torque puts strain on the solder joints. Do it enough times those solder joints will crack from the cycling. Or worse the connector just rips the copper up off the fiberglass layer, since the strength of copper bond to fiberglass is much much less of the strength between solder and copper. Here's an example of an SMD mount only micro female usb connector: https://tinkersphere.com/electronic-components/1817-female-micro-usb-solder-connector.html https://tinkersphere.com/electronic-components/1817-female-m... The only thing holding it to the circuit board itself are tabs which need to be soldered to copper pads on the board. (My failed headphones were of this type.) Though it seems like most USB C devices appear to be using through hole legs for mounting (I haven't seen a device use surface mount only yet). The solder flows through copper plated hole, bonds with the copper in the hole as well as the copper on the opposite side as well as the leg in the hole, increasing the strength of the part. https://www.mouser.com/Connectors/USB-Connectors/_/N-88hmf?P=1ysnwh3Z1z0z7ym https://www.mouser.com/Connectors/USB-Connectors/_/N-88hmf?P...

Psychlist 5y ago

I have magnetic connectors for USB-C in both varieties. The circular one I normally use just has two pins and is great because I put my phone down near the cable and it usually leaps across and connects. The multipin flat connector supports PD and data, I'm not sure exactly what its limits are but it does what I want. Both were cheap ebay purchases made because I'm willing to plug a $10 cable into a $600 phone despite the early USB-C cables occasionally frying devices.