SENNHEISER HD 201 HEADPHONES CABLE REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS
Sennheiser HD 201 (HD201, HD-201) are one of the top-selling headphones in the world! I am not sure when they first hit the market, but I believe they are almost a decade around and still can be purchased in some stores around the world!
SENNHEISER HD 201 Headphones
The popularity of this model came for several reasons:
- SENNHEISER is one of the top headphones manufacturers brands in the world
- SENNHEISER HD 201 model has a very attractive budget price of around 20-25 EUR/$
- SENNHEISER HD 201 have very decent build and sound quality that rivals more expensive models
SENNHEISER HD 201 / HD 206 HEADPHONES FULL SPECS
| Sennheiser HD201/HD206 Specification | |
|---|---|
| Headphone Design Type | Circumaural Closed-Back Dynamic Stereo |
| Frequency Response | 21 – 18000 Hz |
| Impedance | 24 Ohm |
| Sensitivity | SPL 108 dB @ 1 KHz / 1 V RMS |
| THD Distortion | < 0.7 % @ 100 dB SPL |
| Audio Connector | 3.5 mm Stereo Jack + 6.3 mm Adapter (all gold plated) |
| Cable | 3 meters / OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) |
| Weight (without cable) | 165 g / 5.82 Oz |
| Max Peak Input Power * (our own test measurement) |
~ 108 mW @ 1 kHz Sine Wave |
SENNHEISER HD 201 HEADPHONES CABLE REPAIR VIDEO TUTORIAL
SENNHEISER HD 201 HEADPHONES CABLE REPAIR GUIDE
I have purchased this model back in 2010 and they still function as the day one. Except the 3 meters long cable near the headphones entrance point got many bruises, damaged sections and broken wires. I will be honest: they were not spared and treated well! And I never had a more robust and durable headphones in my life. But they still work 100%! The damage of the cable can be seen in one of the still pictures on the video and the severity of the damage was covered up by an ordinary duct tape. Over time I just got bored with the present situation and ugly quick & dirty fix and decided to finally give it a proper repair.
SENNHEISER HD 201 Headphones Cable Repair 01
Initially, I did not intend to publish this repair guide publicly, hence no actual live action video of the repair was filmed, just taking stills along the way. However, I thought this could be useful to someone and so here it is in the form of detailed slide-show presentation, properly commented to give you a clue about what is going on in each and every step.
SENNHEISER HD 201 Headphones Cable Repair 02
Repair itself is not complex to perform at all thanks to a highly modular and fairly robust design — despite the low budget price range they belong to. After the repair they are looking as good as a brand new pair. Except leatherette wrapper mostly peeled off over time, that really does not matter much, neither for the feel nor the sound quality they produce (replacement pads are available on popular web shops for around $10 with shipping, but I would rather get new pair instead).
SENNHEISER HD 201 REVIEW
Sound of Sennheiser HD 201 is very decent and clean, bass is not too accentuated and this might be their weakest point for people who like extended bass range. Middle and high range are very solid. Mastering audio on this pair of headphones is something I do not recommend, mainly because of the bass that will elude you to pump-up in your mix, but when you later listen on a large speakers it will be revealed as a shock that you put too much of it.
I had a chance to listen much more expensive headphones (up to 250 EUR for a single pair) and the difference is not that great at all as you might believe. Of course, there is a difference in taste and preference, and each pair of ears has a different perception of sound. Most often, I was impressed by the headphones in the price range of 50-75 EUR, which seems to be the sweet spot for home Hi-Fi models, but prior listening is of a paramount importance to make a right decision, instead of a “blind” purchase.
CONCLUSION
To conclude this short adventure, for everyday listening of various music genres Sennheiser HD 201 headphones are one of the top choices in their class, which is enough to justify this repair episode instead to trash them into the recycle bin.
P.S. This procedure can also be used to shorten or extend and replace the original 3 meters cable, if you need it.
UPDATE NOTE
It seems that this “very same” model, at least visually, is released as Sennheiser HD 206 (HD206, HD-206). From the specs it’s impossible to tell the difference between them and the older HD-201 model, as they are virtually the same. We wonder what’s so special about HD-206 model?
5 Comments
Add Your CommentThanks for posting these instructions on how to repair the Sennheiser HD201. I have the same headphones, and was wondering how I could fix the cable, which I have currently ‘repaired’ using electrical tape, so that it looks new again. It’s a pity Sennheiser didn’t install terminals inside the shell so that we could solder the new lead directly to terminals.
April 8th, 2018I cannot thank you enough for the time and effort in this repair
November 23rd, 2020Specifically indicating which is the signal and earth cable and the left (blue) and right (red) cable and how to scrape off the lamination on the cables
I would have never fixed mine without knowing
Well done!
The issue with the HD 201s for me – and I’ve gone through dozens but they’re comfortable – is not broken/frayed wires but tugging the wire lightly by accident. The wires to the earpiece seem very loose and not gripped at the earpiece. Maybe there are a whole load of Chinese refurbished versions in the market as the wires seem to have gotten looser then ones back in the day, but, they seem to work for a year and then one too many tugs – not hard, just where the wire gets snagged – and the sound in one ear becomes intermittent and then dies. If the wire isn’t obviously frayed, how do we know where the repair should be?
April 15th, 2021Just to update. I took the faulty earpiece apart in my HD 201s and there was no sealed (glued) black box inside – just two wires soldered directly to the speaker. This confirms my suspicion that refurbished HD 201 units are being sold as “New” Sennhesier headphones on eBay (possibly elsewhere too). They’re either China knock-offs or leftover packaging and casings from OEM moldings. This may be why Sennheiser stopped selling HD201s and started selling HD206s. One advantage is that they are easy to solder, but the connections can be broken by the slightest tug.
April 15th, 2021Hi, it’s possible. I doubt they still manufacture them actively, or they simplified / lowered production quality today. I got a new pair back in 2018, but the sound in bass range is not as deep as it is on my “original” model from 2010 (but the old ones are now with almost completely broken plastic frame). So, I plan to swap drivers from the old version and put them in new ones eventually (I don’t use them anymore though, hence the “delay”).
April 15th, 2021