Here we go again...headphone jack prob

Alright, so this isnt the first time i've had this problem. Last year in May 2005, i emailed creative about the notorious headhpone jack problem i've had in my zen micro, and they sent me a new one. But now, over a year later, this one they gave me is experiencing the same problem! I can assure anyone that i have never dropped or abused my micro, so whatever caused the problem, it wasnt me. Its definatly not the headphones either, i've tried various ones, and they all have the same problem (sound becomes distorted and quiet when wiggled slightly). Im pretty sure that the short warranty is pretty much gone now, being that it has been over a year, but isnt this a common defect that should be fixed by the manufacturer?
thanks for anyones help

I had the exact same problem and ran out of patience, so I just fixed it myself. I used the tutorial on mercx's website (I don't remember the name, but type in mercx on google and look for it) to the letter except that instead of soldering down the joint and possibly causing major problems, I just folded a small strip of paper and stuck it between the metal plate and the jack part. I did that about half a year ago, and I still haven't had any problems. just remember not to use too much paper, or it'll get the player messed up.

Similar Messages

  • Headphone Jack Prob

    So many people have complained of the faulty headphone jack with your product... Why can't you admit that it's poorly designed and make some kind of recall or something.. anything...ANYWAY, I've had 3 Zen Xtras, and they all have had the same problem, the 3rd one I've had for about 2 years now, and I thought I had finally received a good one, when one day the left channel went. I then got a new pair of headphones and tried that, and it worked! I breathed a sigh of relief and it restored some hope I had for Creative.. Later on, it happened AGAIN.. and I tried different pairs of headphones, but this time it didn't work.. I am beyond frustrated at this point, and I don't know what to do.. I'm a college student, and I can't afford to pay hefty repair fees for something that is attributable to poor design... I'd like to point out that people who do come forth and find this forum are probably a small percentage of those who do have the same problem that I do. I can't even imagine how many people have this problem, but can't comment on it because they don't know of this forum/site. I did contact customer support and they told me to send my player in with the RMA and a check for whatever sum of money it was for the diagnostic fee? I think? The funny part is, I KNOW what is wrong with it...it's the headphone jack.. the same problem that many , many other people have...You may ask why I didn't send it in, and that's because I know they'll hit me with fees to repair it because it's out of warranty, and I don't have the money to pay for it... secondly, why should I pay for it to get repaired, when it will probably happen again sometime down the road... So, what other players should I get? (non Creative products would be good)....or if you have any advice on this situation if you have gone through the same thing.. let me know.. post it here.. thanksMessage Edited by Cjn25 on 06-02-2006 :27 AM

    i suggest....AVOID CREATIVE PRODUCTS!!
    pure crap..headphone jack problem (zen micro), same happened to me, and as i asume, to many others...2 or 3 months after the warranty expired...i just used to listen it while walking around, no running, kick-boxing, mount climbing or any other dangerous activity...
    AVOID CREATIVE PRODUCTS!

  • Temporary fix for headphone jack prob

    so my headphone jack for my first gen zen died the second time. This time I was just not interested in spending another $40 bucks. I was kind of frustrated because I actually loved this zen. And it was also interfering with my ego because I converted many of my friends/coworkers from ipod to zen and did a few tests in the past for some sites on soundquality and audiomark etc for zen vs ipod vs iri'ver.
    anyway, this time I decided that I will buy another player. Yeah, I collect gadgets. I have an ipod, this zen and GB rio karma. I obviously wanted another zen but decided to wait until zen fixes this headphone problem. Also there are some new players coming in like toshibas gigabeat and a few others.
    So I had already given up on my zen and before abandoning it, I thought maybe I should see whats inside.
    . I opened the top cover.
    2. pulled the PCB where headphone socket li'ves.
    3. sprayed some air duster on it. no luck
    4. rubbed the socket and parts with alcohol....no luck.
    5. then I noticed that if I press the headphone pin in a certain direction, both the channels work fine. Now this was a good clue.
    6. Instead of pressing the headphone pin, this time I pressed the PCB in that direction. A microscopic view would tell that when I press the PCB in that direction, the pin hits that holy G-spot in the socket. Now again both channels work perfectly.
    7. Now to get it to work properly, my options are: set either the headphone or the PCB in that right direction. -- of course the choice is PCB.
    8. I put a piece of foam on that pressure point on the PCB and immediately covered the player with the top lid. I plugged the headphone in to check if everything is ok. yes it is. That was a good sign.
    9. After putting everything together, I moved the headphone pin in every possible direction and exerted some pressure. No problems...everything is fine so far.
    0. Then I put it in my pockets and took a walk. everything is fine.
    I dont know how long will it last. But if it reappears, i will try the same one more time before shelving the player.
    *Apologies,if this fix has been posted before also. I have not searched*

    I will take some pictures this weekend if it doesnt stop working.
    Bloodangel05 wrote:
    If you get an ipod i will hunt you down and burn it...Naaa im just NOT joking
    You have no idea how much I hate ipod and all these hipsters with white string running from their ears to their pockets. These die hard iPod fanatics are a bigger threat to the world than global warming.

  • Creative Zen Touch Headphone Jack Prob

    I've got a 20GB Zen Touch MP3 Player in which I've had for about almost 5 years now. The player has been excellent and very reliable so far but about a month ago I encountered a small problem with the headphone jack. Now I'm not quite sure if the jack has worn out due to wear and tear and mind you I use it a hell of alot. The problem here that I've got is if I'm listening to music on my headphones and I move the headphone jack itself i.e slightly wiggle it I will totally loose the sound quality and the sound quality sort of gets funny, like its a contact problem with the male jack and the female headphone socket on the Zen itself. Its like a contact problem between the both inside. Apart from that all the other functions work very well and I dont have any problems there. Now I dont know if this is a common problem with the Zen Touch or Creative MP3 player products in general.
    Ok now I have been quite dissapointed with Craeti'ves Support here in Australia. They make great products but their support could be improved. Anyhow I li've in Perth, Australia and I rang Creative support in Sydney. They said to me that I had to send in my Zen with a cheque of $300 or so dollars (can't recall the exact figure). The reason for the $300 is that if they could not fix the problem they would use the money for a relacement of a new one plus it would take 6 weeks to repair, wow 6 weeks without my MP3 player would dri've me nuts !
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  • Zen Micro Headphone jack prob

    I would like creative to recognize the problem with the headphone jack, so any one with the faulty jack post here along with any other information you might have.

    There have been mulitple threads discribing this problem. Do a search for "Micro Headphone Jack" to see what im talking about. I think they have acknowledged the problem, but im not sure. I do know that the mods are aware of the problem, and no doubt they know why all these players keep getting sent in.

  • Zen V / Zen V Plus headphone jack prob

    I want to get one of these but first I want to know if this new player has the headphone jack problem seen on previous Zen players.
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  • ZENmicro headphone jack prob

    Ahh, yes I got the headphone jack problem in my Zen Micro. I was wondering what I should do about it, and what I should expect from Creative? I already emailed them about this, but I was wondering if anyone sucessfully fixed this problem?
    thanks,
    Mel

    Ah, I have this same problem. Is your year warranty over? If so, it will be $3 for a phone call, $25 for them to look at the player, and $40 in parts, plus $20 or so shipping. If you are under warranty, it'll just be shipping and $40, however if you fight for it they will drop the charge.
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    I appear tbe having the same problem as everyone else, a dodgy headphone jack that messes uo unless it is kept entirely still (defeats the whole purpose of a portable music player).
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    I bought the Micro over the i-pod as I'd read such good reviews about it, more fool me!

    As per the FAQ post, no-one knows if an updated player has been issued.

  • New Zen Micros and the headphone jack prob

    I unfortunately had one of the zen micros with the headphone jack that ceased to work. Has this flaw been fixed in the new ones?

    SSR wrote:
    The charge is likely to be expensi've, but as this is the second time it's failed and as the warranty has just ended try pursuing a repair under warranty with support.
    repair under warranty with support? how do i go about? im located in Singapore, any website or support number to call for Singapore side? thanks.

  • Zen's headphone jack prob

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    vackie_mcbeal wrote:
    can anyone tell me what might be the problem? im thinking of getting it replaced if the problem continues. this is the last straw regarding creative products.... in as much as i try to love my player, but with the problems im facing im really disappointed that i ever bought the zen
    Vackie...all of your questions should be answered by simply doing a little (very little) bit of looking on this forum. I don't mean to be rude but there are several significantly long threads on here addressing this issue. A simple read of the other posts would tell you that this is a problem that sadly has aflicted many Zen Micro users (and other Creative MP3 players it seems).
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    I have now noticed that when using ubuntu the headphones work but that won't mute the speakers, so I am starting to think it could actually be the jack, as the headphones, as a device, arent dectected by ubuntu either, they just work because they are plugged in, I guess it's the way each OS works.
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  • No sound from headphone jack -- here's what I've tried -- now Genius bar?

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    Took this in to a repair shop and they ended up having to replace the logic board. Thankfully it was still under Apple Care.

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    I connected my brand new iPod Classic 160 GB to my brand new Sony home entertainment system through the headphone jack (to the audio line in). The volume is ridiculously low. Can somebody help me out here?

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    I had the exact same problem and ran out of patience, so I just fixed it myself. I used the tutorial on mercx's website (I don't remember the name, but type in mercx on google and look for it) to the letter except that instead of soldering down the joint and possibly causing major problems, I just folded a small strip of paper and stuck it between the metal plate and the jack part. I did that about half a year ago, and I still haven't had any problems. just remember not to use too much paper, or it'll get the player messed up.

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