Notices

Hey guys, I have been having an issue with my headphone jack ever since I got my Sennheiser 280HD pro headphones and started using them with my n900. They have 64 Ohms of resistance whatever that means (sorry for not being knowledgeable). Apparently they are also "Optimized for MP3, iPod, iPhone, and portable media players."

Here is the issue - during music playback through the headphones the music would suddenly play through the speakers, and then switch back. At first I though it was a power output issue but I don't think that is that case as it has spread to any line out device using the jack.

It also happens when the N900 is not moving at all, so it is definitely not the jack being over-sensitive making it a hardware issue. The issue may not occur for an entire hour, and then persist making music listening impossible.

Luckily headphone daemon fixed the 'public transport' incident with loud music suddenly playing in my pocket.

Basically my question is, has anyone else run across this issue or should I just reformat and get back to you all?

EDIT: PS the headphone sign disappears/reappears when the music stops/plays.

There may be some foreign material stuck inside the jack. Try blasting it out with some duster, or alternatively blowing/sucking on the jack. Careful though, I had a problem with TV-out not working and I nearly choked when i removed the bit of lint that was interfering with the connection. If the jack is physically damaged, you may end up inhaling a bit of the connector!

If it's not that, then the jack is probably physically damaged.

hmm I think a pipecleaner is the go for this one.... I'll give it a crack and report back. if it's still screwed i think i'll format it.

Blowing on the jack probably won't do much good. Pipecleaner with maybe some alcohol to clean the contacts is the way to go. It could be the headphone jack is failing though - the HD280's unimatch jack is pretty long and would have enough leverage to snap the connector if you're e.g. dumb enough to carry it around in a snug pants pocket. If it's just a loose jacket pocket, then not so much of a problem.