My original pair of custom 3's purchased from klipsch (2/08) came with cables that were fairly supple. they hung loosely and I could roll them around my hand and place them in thier case. Later when I retrieved them they would unroll without any real kinking. I had to RMA them 11/08 due a short in the boot covering the jack. The (replacement?) pair i recieved have cables like those mentioned in previous posts. Hard, kinky, constantly getting tied up in hard angles. I wonder, did klipsch change the cable material? i thought maybe this was refurb materials but now since reading posts here , i'm thinking klipsch went with some less effective material. i will be calling them in the morning to try and find out more. this new cabling has completely detracted from my enjoyment of these great sounding headphones. Sadly, if some suitable arrangement can't be made, this will be my last pair from klipsch.

So was it my imagination, or did others have really nice cables on thier Custom 3's????

 

george

Hi George,

Engineering did not request a material change to the cable.  Could it possibly be that you are in colder weather conditions at this point? 

 

 

gmg888:

So was it my imagination, or did others have really nice cables on thier Custom 3's???

No, my first pair shorted out a few months after I got them and my replacement pair has become really bothersome, after some months they have become stiff, and there are *6* places where the fabric has slpit open and wire underneath has risen to form a small loop forcing the cable to bend at a 90 degree angle. I've uploaded some pictures.

J.4knee also mentioned that he had this issue.  After talking with an associate it came up that you may be kinking the cables by how you unwrap it.  See the picture as an example.  If you have a twisty tie on the cable while you pull the cable from one end, each loop will become kinked under the pressure.  You can minimize this by lightly loosening the spool of cable until it is unwrapped.

If you pull the cable out by just holding onto the headphone chassis you may kink the cable as each loop comes out of the pocket.  I have been using a pair of pilot builds from 2007 and I don't have any kinks yet.  So I suspect it comes down to how you treat the cable.  I have even caught the cable on things from time to time and not had an issue. 

Here is a picture of my case for Custom 3.  I don't carry my 80 G iPod in this case because it is tight with all the stuff and I figured I would see if a case on the iPod by itself would help the life of the hard disc.  The last 30 G iPod didn't like the drops, especially once on concrete, (but that is another story). 

I don't recommend including a larger MP3 in this case with Custom series since it may tend to kink your cable from the compression when closed.

Here is a picture of my Pilot build C3 from Dec 2007.  This is my primary IEM that I use daily.  Notice how the cable is wrapped and again how there is no iPod in the case.  The cable doesn't have any kink. 

 When I am detangling the cable I always am careful not to pull the cable tight light you would in tieing the knot on a shoe.  If you follow this practice your cables should last a long time.

Thank You for your reply, I just wanted to add some clarification. This particular pair of C3s already had some kinks when I first took it out of the box1 They gradually became worse as months went on and new ones appeared. I don't use any Twisty ties, and I don't make tight loops when storing them (these are'nt my first pair of IEMs, but the first ones to have this probem). And I don't own an iPod, instead I used a 80GB Zune. However I don't store the C3s in the same case as that Zune, since they don't fit. I used the metalic carring case from Ultimate Ears to store them seperately. I never carried them in my pocket. I only recently started using the Klipsch carrying case when I started using a Cowon D2, its a much smaller device, so the C3s and the D2 fit together in the same case. It is good that your pair are in prestine condition, I which I could have had the same luck. What is the missing varible? I don't abuse or mishandle them. The fabric on them is splitting and the wire underneath is rising to form a small loop. Its better seen in my first and third picture.

I'll add some to this later. 

To Prof. Thump Let me know if either one of these is being stored incorrectly.

 

Professor Thump:

Hi George,

Engineering did not request a material change to the cable.  Could it possibly be that you are in colder weather conditions at this point? 

 

 

Would colder weather conditions affect the cable in any ways?  When I first got my custom 3s in early december, there were a couple of kinks in the wire straight out of the box, but now there are over 15 of them.  

 Mine also has 2 kinks straight out of the box, and gradually they got worse and more appeared. I for one am in San Diego, CA, there a shortage of extreme coldness here, but even if it were cold I'm sure the IEMs would be in a place that was warm enough like in its case or in a pocket. I hope Prof. Thumb was'nt suggesting that someone would store it in a block of ice!

TJ Max:

 Mine also has 2 kinks straight out of the box, and gradually they got worse and more appeared. I for one am in San Diego, CA, there a shortage of extreme coldness here, but even if it were cold I'm sure the IEMs would be in a place that was warm enough like in its case or in a pocket. I hope Prof. Thumb was'nt suggesting that someone would store it in a block of ice!

Store them in Jello maybe, but never ice! 

I am starting to wonder if the cold weather is an issue.  I have been asking the cable supplier this concern but don't expect to get any real answers.  It is certainly better to have the cables warmer while unwinding and winding them.  That being said, you don't have an option if you are skiing...

Hmmm skiing.  Maybe I need to hit the slopes.

having the same problem myself..  cables have been VERY stiff ever since I got them..  seems every place they bend frequently they bunch up on mine..  been using mine 45+ hours a week for about 6 months and just had the left ear start cutting in and out..

I never put mine back in the case, just lay them on a shelf in the closet so no kinks yet.  I will say however that my C3's tangle extremely easy and are harder to un-tangle than any other pair of headphones I've ever owned.  Of course they sound better than any other pair I've ever owned also.

 Novel approach to cable management