Do the mobile phone earpieces have different resistance ?

Thread Starter

disturbed123

Joined Jun 11, 2020
122
the wire from one earpiece has separated from the earpiece and it cannot be soldered again and now i have to install new earpiece. i cannot have the same in few days. I have tried 4 earpieces and 3 of them have very low voice, the 4th even has no voice.

if we assume that the audio "chip" of the board is fine can i put every healthy earpiece i have?

thanks in advance

we talk about something like that -> https://shop.hdlanka.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/nokia-105-speaker-earpiece-1.jpg
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
Many sets of stereo headphones have a resistance of 32 ohms for each side. But some have 8 ohms resistance. For cellular phones things are not nearly as consistent. In fact, that is why there were so many different connectors for so long. One more thing is that many of the cell phone cords include a volume control, and that might be the source of the problem.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
Those pieces shown do not appear to be intended for soldering to. It looks like they have spring-type connections, probably it is not possible to use them in any except their intended application.
Probably this is a case of where the mobile phone maker has been able to create an earphone so different and impossible to repair that the only recourse is to pay them for a complete replacement set.
Certainly it is a pain to pay $75 for a $3 earphone but that is what the disreputable makers wanted.
The alternative is a complete replacement assembly only using part of the cord from the damaged earphone set.
AND I am wondering what brand the mobile phone is? Others may know of a source of accessory items that work but cost much less.
 

KeithWalker

Joined Jul 10, 2017
3,063
Phone earpieces do have a very wide range of different impedances, sensitivities and frequency responses. If your phone has a standard 3.5mm phones connector, I recommend you buy several of the most inexpensive different headsets you can find and try them. Here in Canada you can get them for as little as $2.00 from Dollarama.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
It is also likely that the cord has some failure point aside from where the end was that came apart. And we have no clues as to the soldering ability or equipment resources of the TS.
So one suggestion is that the TS check the resistance of the connection wire before making any more efforts at replacing the earpiece. If the wire has partly failed then that must first be corrected.
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
The one's I seen in a dollar store state they are 32 ohms impedance. Your nokia 105 also is 32 ohms impedance.

I'm sure there are different ones out there, but I don't want to spend the afternoon researching to find them.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
Why is an earphone for a cellphone so important anyways? We have no idea as to what the connector end of the wire looks like. Some of the phones use very proprietary connectors on their headsets just to assure that users can ony use that brand of headset. And the picture does not really tell me much.
 

KeithWalker

Joined Jul 10, 2017
3,063
Why is an earphone for a cellphone so important anyways? We have no idea as to what the connector end of the wire looks like. Some of the phones use very proprietary connectors on their headsets just to assure that users can ony use that brand of headset. And the picture does not really tell me much.
A headset with earphones and a microphone are very necessary where the law states that you can only use "hands free" devices while driving.
 

KeithWalker

Joined Jul 10, 2017
3,063
I am aware of that rule, and how it is the result of large payoffs by the cellular lobby. The distraction is from the full duplex conversation, not from the effort of clamping the phone between ear and shoulder. That effort is a distraction as well, and reduces the drivers ability to watch traffic. But the major distraction is the conversation.
I agree with you. I don't use a phone when driving. I argued with my boss about that back in the nineties. He tried to give me a hard time for not picking up my phone when I was on the road. I explained that I couldn't answer customers' technical problems anyway because all my reference material was in the office. I won!
 

Thread Starter

disturbed123

Joined Jun 11, 2020
122
maybe none of you understand what i mean.

I have mine service and one phone came for replacing charging usb port. that was successfull but the phone is chinese/vernee/ and the wires of the earpiece ( i am talking for that part because we hear someone when we are using GSM NOT! for headphones plugged into 2.5 or 3.5 jack) fall off and cannot be soldered again.

earpiece like that i showed from Google can be soldered with wire to whatever we like
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
I routinely solder those tiny connections on the cheap headphones. Certainly it is tedious and it does take a soldering iron with a very fine point. I also use a good magnifier when I solder so that I can see what I am doing.

What you will find with different headphones is that some are far better at producing sound than other ones are.

And no, I do not completely understand what the explanation means.
 

Audioguru again

Joined Oct 21, 2019
6,672
Haven't you seen in the rear view mirror people driving behind you talking together and almost rear-ending crashing into you?
More distraction as talking on a phone. Talking to somebody beside you while driving is not illegal YET.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
All of the cars of my friends and I, have voice activated phone use (answer, volume and call). Hence, no headphones, microphones, or hand dialing are necessary. Talking on the phone is the same as talking to a passenger.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
All of the cars of my friends and I, have voice activated phone use (answer, volume and call). Hence, no headphones, microphones, or hand dialing are necessary. Talking on the phone is the same as talking to a passenger.
You do realize that the blue-tooth link from the phone to the car system is not really private or secure? Fairly short range, yes, private and secure? Not really.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
You do realize that the blue-tooth link from the phone to the car system is not really private or secure? Fairly short range, yes, private and secure? Not really.
Yes, I do realize that. But since I’m not worried about it and don’t believe anyone would want to listen to my phone calls, that’s not an issue. I’ve retired from being a double naught secret service man...

You do realize that conversations in your home aren’t private and secure? Nor are conversations with your girlfriend in line at Walmart. Nor are conversations walking down the street or in a park or on a bus..
 
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MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
the wire from one earpiece has separated from the earpiece and it cannot be soldered again and now i have to install new earpiece. i cannot have the same in few days. I have tried 4 earpieces and 3 of them have very low voice, the 4th even has no voice.

if we assume that the audio "chip" of the board is fine can i put every healthy earpiece i have?

thanks in advance

we talk about something like that -> https://shop.hdlanka.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/nokia-105-speaker-earpiece-1.jpg
Hello there,

As others here have been saying, ear phones available for purchase can have a wide range of impedances. They can go from about 8 Ohms to much higher like 128 Ohms and up. it is surprising that there are so many different impedances out there really.

There are two main specifications that have the most effect on the level of sound you can hear out of any given device you use however. These are:
1. Impedance of the headphones
2. Nominal output impedance of the device you use with them.
And also though the quality of the headphones.

These two specs and the quality have the biggest effect on the volume you hear out of your device.

First the quality can make a big difference. Good quality headphones generally have higher output volume given the same specs 1 and 2 above.

The impedance of the headphones has a lot to do with the volume. In general, the LOWER the impedance of the headphones, the louder the sound will be, given the same quality and same output impedance of the device. This is because there is only so much power available with a given impedance and the internal voltage (boosted or non boosted internally) of the device.

The output impedance of the device comes into play because the headphone impedance recommended by the device manufacturer should be used or it is best to stay in the range given for that device. Some devices could get damaged if you go too low on the headphone impedance. Many are spec'd for 32 Ohms and that is a safe bet in most cases.

So if you use a set of 64 Ohm headphones with a 32 Ohm output, you'll get less volume than with a 32 Ohm set of headphones given the same quality.

Some examples...
I had a set of 64 Ohm headphones i used with a 32 Ohm output and the volume was lower than expected. It can be a lot lower because the maximum output power is P=V^2/R where V is the internal voltage and R is the impedance of the headphones, and the internal voltage is not variable it remains at a fixed level and of course there is a limit on R due to the way the manufacturer made the device so you can not go too low.

I also had a set of 32 Ohm ear buds from the dollar store. These matched the recommended output impedance of my device but the sound level was way too low. Not recommended.

Having a set of 32 Ohm quality headphones, the output level is better than expected and the volume control never has to be set to the highest level. The difference is quite remarkable too.
With the dollar store ear buds, i could set the TV volume up all the way and still not get enough volume for normal listening to regular TV shows. With the quality headphones, i can listen at a settings level of less than 10 out of 100 maximum and get plenty of volume.
So the quality of the headphones can really make a big difference.

Unfortunately the price is related to the quality. You have to pay more for good headphones although that is not a single buying point because again the impedance of the headphones has a lot to do with the volume too. For example, for the 64 Ohm headphones mentioned above i payed over 80 dollars (USD) for, and the dollar store ear buds i payed 1 dollar for, and the quality headphones i payed around 30 dollars for.
The 80 dollar HP's had less volume because the impedance was too high, while the dollar store headphones had less volume because the quality was so low. The one that came out on top by FAR was the 30 dollar unit because the impedance matched the device and the quality was good.

The ear piece drivers are the main factors in the quality and volume of the sound you hear. Today the best ones have driver magnets that have a diameter of 40mm or above although even 20mm is probably good. This is in stark contrast to the old style with maybe 10mm driver magnets. Due to the use of rare earth magnets instead of ceramic, these headphones have really good volume and really good base response. The price is going to be higher but they should last a long time.

The magnet diameter and type of magnet is really something to think about. Rare earth magnets are strong and 40 or 50mm is probably the same diameter as the speaker cone itself! This makes for awesome bass response and really good volume.
 
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