Workbench articles
We wrote down the answers we give most often about plugs, foam seals, cord care, and what to look for when a wire wears out.
Which plug your phone takes
One look at the bottom edge of the phone settles which of our pairs will work. Here is what changed, what an adapter costs you, and why laptops are a different story.
Keep readingGetting a seal with ear tips
Sound that came out thin and tinny is almost never a broken driver. It is a tip that never closed the ear canal. How to seat foam properly and when to swap.
Keep readingHow a wired pair stays quiet
No circuit, no battery, no cancellation. Just a foam tip filling the canal. What that blocks well, what it will not touch, and why we left the battery out.
Keep readingThe cable is the weak point
Drivers rarely fail. Cords fail, and nearly always at the same three bends. What kills a cable, how to pull a plug, and how to wind a cord that will not knot.
Keep readingWhat the in-line buttons do
One button, three buttons, or none at all. What each press does, why the microphone sits where it does, and which parts your phone decides rather than the cord.
Keep readingA pair for school and the desk
Why school supply lists still say wired, what makes a good desk pair different from a pocket pair, and the case for buying two of the same cheap thing on purpose.
Keep reading
What is your jack?
Two questions. The first is about the socket you plug into, because that rules more pairs in and out than anything else here. The second is about what you are actually doing while you wear them, because that is what each line was built around.