CLEANING HEADPHONES: THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE
Regardless of the type of headphones you use – over-ear, on-ear or in-ear – they’re all inevitably exposed to environmental influences during daily use, be it dust, ear wax or moisture. Regularly cleaning your headphones will definitely make a big difference to their longevity. This article explains how you can clean your over-ear and on-ear headphones:
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Regular use of your over-ear, on-ear or in-ear headphones – whether it’s at home, in the studio or at the office – can clearly leave its mark. The effects can be seen on the ear pads and headband in particular. We recommend that you clean these parts regularly and replace them completely when necessary.
Cleaning over-ear and on-ear headphones
First, we recommend you pre-clean your headphones with the aid of a microfibre cloth. Simply wipe the headband, ear cups and ear pads with the dry cloth to remove any surface dirt and particles from these areas.
Cleaning ear pads and headband
Now you can move on to a more thorough cleaning of the headband and ear pads. Always be aware of the materials you are dealing with:
Velour und Alcantara: Used, among others, in our DT 770 PRO, DT 880 PRO and DT 990 PRO models, and in our high-end T1, T5 and Amiron headphones, these materials only need to be wiped with a dry microfibre cloth. Alternatively, you can use a cloth that’s been slightly moistened with water. But definitely no soap!
Genuine leather surfaces: In the case of breathable, genuine leather surfaces, the same applies as for velour and Alcantara. To ensure this material retains its suppleness for as long as possible, we recommend the occasional and economical use of leather care products. Genuine leather was used in the first generation of our T1 and T5 headphones, after which we switched to synthetic leather.
Protein or artifical leather: For materials like these, used in our MMX 100, MMX 150 and Custom Game headsets, for example, we recommend cleaning with a moist cloth.
Regardless of material, remember to mop up any residual moisture with a dry cloth after every cleaning operation.
Further useful care tips for your headphones:
- Here we explain how to choose the right ear pads for your headphones.
- If you want to replace the ear pads because of excessive wear and tear, we’ll show you how easy it is to do this.
– Replacing ear pads on T1 (3rd generation), Amiron and MMX 300
– Replacing ear pads on PRO headphones
Cleaning jack plugs and cables
If you own wired on-ear or over-ear headphones, you can also include the jack plugs and cables when cleaning them.
Jack plugs: Subject to mechanical stress, jack plugs can be wiped with a cloth. No other special care is necessary.
Input jacks: If left unused, the input jacks on the housing of headphones are a good place for dirt or other particles to accumulate. If this should happen, you can carefully clean them with a pair of tweezers or a can of compressed air.
Cables: Cables with textile braiding can be easily cleaned with a lightly moistened cloth. This also applies to cables protected by a silicone sheath, which can be subsequently treated with a silicone spray to ensure the sheath remains supple.
Spare parts: Replacing parts after heavy wear and tear
If it’s no longer possible to properly clean the headband or ear pads, we recommend that you replace these parts. Our online shop offers replacement ear pads and headbands for a wide range of headphone models. We can even supply original, inexpensive spare parts for models that are several decades old. And replacing the parts yourself is easy. Your headphones will look as good as new again, even after years of intensive use.
However, when ordering ear pads, make sure that you order the right pair and opt for the same material as the original ear pads. This is because the material is carefully chosen to be the optimum match for each particular model of headphones, in terms of both comfort and sound. Our article on “Choosing the right ear pads” provides a lot more information on this topic.
Want to know the correct way to replace your ear pads?
Here are detailed instructions:
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