Tangled and Knotted Wires

[K0MP4CT]

As is almost inevitable with cables, my headphones have tangled and unravelling them, just causes it to go back to the tangle. It's not a huge deal as the cable is long enough for me to use without issue. I'm just curious, is it shortening the life of my headphones? Cables are made to be able to bend, so surely it's not causing any damage?

[Matu20]

Untangle them maybe?

[K0MP4CT]

2 minutes ago, Matu20 said:

Untangle them maybe?

"Unravelling them just causes it to go back to the tangle" I don't need someone being facetious, thanks!  

[Senglide]

Well every cable will wear out over time and the more it bends the faster that happens... I have to be honest though I have never really seen a cable get damaged from being twisted. The only thing you have to take care of is the spot where the cable connects to the earpieces themselves, that's usually a weak spot.

[anothertom]

4 hours ago, K0MP4CT said:

Cables are made to be able to bend, so surely it's not causing any damage?

While in the context of cables, and more abstractly of any material, this is sort of right. Any cable you buy (or is used by a manufacturer) will be rated to a specific minimum bend radius and a mximum twist rate. If you go past either point in copper (or metal core) cables then they will start to plastically deform (i.e. it won't return to it's original shape) or in the case of fiber optic cabling it will break.

 

You say that if you untangle the cable it immediately re-tangles itself. Do you mean it ties itself in knots by itself of that you have a spiral cable? Because I've never met a sentient cable...

[schwarzerrogen]

^^ Probably the cable re-twists itself.

 

People need to learn that all cables have a 'grain' or direction the want to be coiled and rolled. If you force the cable to twist and pull out of that grain, it will tangle and knot. The best thing to do is start at one end of the cable and gradually twist it with your fingers while going down the length of the cable until it straightens out. 

 

Once you've got your cables all cleaned up, maintain them. Don't let them lie all akimbo on the ground or behind your desk. If you don't use it for a bit, wrap it up so it's safe. Try not to walk or roll a chair on them. Coil up unused lengths if you need to use a cable. Start using cable ties and manage your cables. If properly treated a cable will last until it's shroud degrades, which should take YEARS to happen. 

 

This is why I'll never spend another dime on Turtle Beach or Sennheiser; they put massive long (and fragile) cables on everything which then gets wrecked in normal use. If you need a longer cable, get an extension cable. It won't degrade your sound enough to notice it. 

[K0MP4CT]

8 hours ago, schwarzerrogen said:

^^ Probably the cable re-twists itself.

 

People need to learn that all cables have a 'grain' or direction the want to be coiled and rolled. If you force the cable to twist and pull out of that grain, it will tangle and knot. The best thing to do is start at one end of the cable and gradually twist it with your fingers while going down the length of the cable until it straightens out. 

 

Once you've got your cables all cleaned up, maintain them. Don't let them lie all akimbo on the ground or behind your desk. If you don't use it for a bit, wrap it up so it's safe. Try not to walk or roll a chair on them. Coil up unused lengths if you need to use a cable. Start using cable ties and manage your cables. If properly treated a cable will last until it's shroud degrades, which should take YEARS to happen. 

 

This is why I'll never spend another dime on Turtle Beach or Sennheiser; they put massive long (and fragile) cables on everything which then gets wrecked in normal use. If you need a longer cable, get an extension cable. It won't degrade your sound enough to notice it. 

I'm using Sennheiser :))) the headphones are fantastic, but the cable just tangles. I've tried your method, but it only fixes the issue for a minute at most. I think my best bet is to let it stay in the tangled position its in, rather than trying to force the wire into a position it doesn't want to be in.