When a Headphone Repair Reveals an Unexpected Story
Brands like Austrian Audio will likely not face this particular challenge—after all, the company has only been around for a few years.
At ULTRASONE, however, we sometimes receive products that date back many years. The model involved in this case was part of our lineup until 2009, which makes repairs a bit more challenging today. In fact, apart from myself, no one from that time is still part of our current team.
Recently, a customer sent us a PRO 2900 Balanced headphone for repair, explaining that one channel was no longer working.
We repair almost everything—but occasionally we are still left a bit speechless.
The Real Problem: Not the Headphones
After inspecting the headphones, it quickly became clear that the headphones themselves were working perfectly.
The real issue was the cable.
I personally called the customer to explain that, despite its age, the headphone unit was in excellent condition. However, the cable had clearly been modified and was the source of the problem.
The customer initially insisted that the product had been received exactly like this from our former sales manager, claiming everything was original.
I explained that this special version of the PRO 2900 Balanced was originally delivered with a 4-pin XLR connector, specifically designed for professional environments to achieve the best possible resolution and spatial sound performance.
Still, he remained unconvinced.
Only when I pointed out that ULTRASONE has never used connectors without gold plating did he begin to reconsider. As our conversation continued, the full story gradually emerged.
The headphones had actually been sold to another buyer, who later returned them for repair. Somewhere along the way, the buyer had soldered a different connector onto the cable.
Unfortunately, the result was extremely unprofessional, as clearly visible from the cable:
No insulation
Cold solder joints
No strain relief whatsoever
Under those conditions, no cable can function reliably for long.
A Gesture of Goodwill
Despite the situation, we decided to help.
As a special gesture of goodwill, we produced a professionally assembled 6.35 mm cable for the customer—even though the headphone itself was originally designed for balanced operation.
My Perspective
If the customer had taken longer to explain the true story—or if his “creative version” of events had been less charming—we probably would have declined the repair altogether.
After all, there was nothing wrong with the headphones themselves, and the cable had been modified by someone else.
Normally, we do not repair products that have been altered in this way. In this case, however, the customer was fortunate: it happened to be a long weekend bridge day, we were in a good mood, and he happened to answer the phone when we called.
But sometimes things go even further.
We have even received Sennheiser headphones sent to us inside ULTRASONE boxes for repair.
In those cases, the answer is simple and clear:
That is where we firmly decline.
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