question: Why is it that almost all cheap earphones happen to end up with only one ear bud working?
comment: Cables are cheap, so they wear out quickly, however it’s unlikely that both cables give out at the same time Keep using them, and if the first broke quickly, so will the other lol
passages: Because of a lack of standardization in the past regarding the dimensions (length) given to the ring conductor and the insulating portions on either side of it in 6.35 mm ( in) phone connectors and the width of the conductors in different brands and generations of sockets, there are occasional issues with compatibility between differing brands of plug and socket. This can result in a contact in the socket bridging (shorting) the ring and sleeve contacts on a phone connector.
  
  Section::::General use.
   A disadvantage of using phone connectors for balanced audio connections is that the ground mates last and the socket grounds the plug tip and ring when inserting or disconnecting the plug. This causes bursts of hum, cracks and pops and may stress some outputs as they will be short circuited briefly, or longer if the plug is left half in.
   One convention that avoided this brief shorting in the professional audio world was to use the following convention for XLR and PJ-051/WE-310 patch bays, so that, "By making the tip of the jack the low side of the line, the high side is physically protected against momentary shorts when patching in and out of the jackfield.":
   BULLET::::- If a three-conductor plug is connected to a two-conductor socket, normally the result is to leave the ring of the plug unconnected (open circuit). This is potentially dangerous to equipment utilizing vacuum tubes, but most solid-state devices will tolerate this condition well. A three-conductor socket could be wired as an unbalanced mono socket to ground the ring in this situation, but the more conventional wiring is to leave the ring unconnected, exactly simulating a mono socket.
   Attempting to fully insert the longer (17 mm) plug into a receptacle designed for the shorter (15 mm) plug may damage the receptacle, and may damage any electronics located immediately behind the receptacle. However, partially inserting the plug will work as the tip/ring/ring distances are the same for both variants.
   BULLET::::- If a male three-conductor plug is partially inserted into a female two-conductor socket such that the female ring contact bridges the gap of the male plug tip and first ring, then an identical signal will be connected to both these conductors, thus simulating a "Y" connection. This is not a reliable connection and is only useful in a test or emergency situation. Analog low and line level audio circuits usually tolerate this well if the volume (current) is not excessive, though other circuits may not because of the typical surge current that occurs at the moment all three conductors engage. Common example of condition: a typical 3.5 mm earphone socket of a mono radio or micro amp has a stereo headphone plug partly inserted. Mono audio should be delivered to both speakers if the plug depth is carefully adjusted in the socket.
   It has a 3.5mm TRS connector socket for standard headphones, and takes a TRRS connector (like the iPhone) for stereo headsets. The phone can also be operated in this manner, however loose connections can cause it to randomly stop, skip to another song, or even beep very loudly and redial without permission, even with a regular pair of headphones that does not have these features. There is also no setting available to defeat this behavior, which occurs even with the switch in the locked position.
   BULLET::::- They may cause irritation of the temporomandibular joint, which is located very close to the ear canal, causing pain. Individually fitted non-elastic earplugs may be less likely to cause this irritation compared with foam ones that expand inside the ear canal.
   Insert jacks themselves can be the source of intermittent signal problems. Internal jack contacts may get too loose over time and they may oxidize, impeding electrical conduction. Regular use of the jack helps keep oxidization down. The manufacturer using high quality jacks and good assembly practices helps reduce failures over time.
  
  Another problem with TRS, TS and TT jacks that come in Send/Return pairs is that the Send jack and plug look just like the Return jack and plug. Cross-patching mistakes are possible, resulting in no signal passing through the insert.
  
  Section::::Mixer Implementation.
   XLR connectors used in much professional audio equipment mate the ground signal on pin 1 first.
  
  Section::::Design.:Unbalanced audio.
   The individually sheathed construction has the advantage that individually cores can easily be terminated to individual connectors at the ends of the cable. Its disadvantage is that the size and weight of the cable are increased. When a cable without individual sheaths has to be terminated to multiple connectors, it is common practice to create individual sheaths using heat-shrinkable tubing.
  
  Section::::Cable construction.:Overall screening.
   3-pin XLR connectors and quarter-inch (¼" or 6.35 mm) TRS phone connectors are commonly used for balanced audio signals. Many jacks are now designed to take either XLR or TRS phone plugs. Equipment intended for long-term installation sometimes uses terminal strips or Euroblock connectors.
   BULLET::::- MIDI devices are usually designed to be wired in a daisy chain. It is normal for a device to have both a THRU port and an OUT port and often both can be used for chaining. The THRU port transmits the information through with minimal delay and no alteration, while the OUT port sends a completely regenerated signal and may add, remove, or change messages, at the cost of some delay in doing so. The difference can result in the signals arriving at different times; if the chain is long enough, it will be distorted so much that the system can become unreliable or non-functional.
   The slightly wider pivot screw spacing of the System 1 bridge needs a Floyd Rose licensed bridge design with one pivot screw cutaway that extends to the edge of the bridge allowing the Floyd Rose licensed bridge to mount onto the System 1 pivot screws. This configuration is most common in a "Floyd Rose Gotoh" bridge. Most Floyd Rose bridge designs have two pivot screw cutaways that are limited to the width of the pivot screws, and these will not fit the System 1 pivot screw spacing.
   Fischer made only heads, not combos. In 1998, his health declining, Fischer allowed Komet Amps to use his circuitry to make a 60 watt amplifier head with two EL34 output tubes.
   It is the case that a "stereo system" with external speaker attached by long leads to the main unit (holding the audio electronics) can be troubled by EMC problems which are caused by the speaker leads acting as a dipole antenna.
  
  One method of curing this is to add a ferrite choke to the speaker leads close to where they enter the main unit.
  
  Section::::Audio equipment.:Rectification in the audio equipment.
   In typical home stereo systems, the signal flow is usually short and simple, with only a few components. However, in recording studios and performance venues, the signal flow can often be quite complicated, with a large number of components, each of which may cause the signal to fail to reach its desired output. Knowing each component in the signal flow becomes increasingly difficult and important as system size and complexity increases.
  
  Section::::Feedback.
   On the one hand, this can lead to the so-called “tolerance stack-up”. When two or more parts are to be fit together, the size of their tolerances often determine how well they will match. Should one part fall at a lower limit of its specification and a matching part at its upper limit, a tight fit is unlikely. The link is likely to wear more quickly than one made from parts whose dimensions have been centered more exactly.
   The original purpose of these contacts was for switching in telephone exchanges, for which there were many patterns. Two sets of change-over contacts, isolated from the connector contacts, were common. The more recent pattern of one NC contact for each signal path, internally attached to the connector contact, stems from their use as headphone jacks. In many amplifiers and equipment containing them, such as electronic organs, a headphone jack is provided that disconnects the loudspeakers when in use. This is done by means of these switch contacts. In other equipment, a dummy load is provided when the headphones are not connected. This is also easily provided by means of these NC contacts.
   The results of this physical compatibility are:
  
  BULLET::::- If a two-conductor plug is connected to a three-conductor socket, the result is that the ring (right channel) of the socket is grounded. This property is deliberately used in several applications. However, if not designed for such a use, grounding one channel may be dangerous to equipment if the result short circuits the right channel amplifier's output. In any case, any signal from the right channel is naturally lost.
   Less commonly, some jacks are provided with normally open (NO) or change-over contacts, and/or the switch contacts may be isolated from the connector.
   Without a snake, a rock band performing onstage, for example, would require 20 or more individual microphone cables running from the stage to the mixing console (typically located at the rear of a venue). This would be harder to set up, would cause tangled cables, and it would be difficult to identify each cable.
  
  Section::::Varieties.
  
  Section::::Varieties.:Terminations.
   Earwire
  
  Section::::Styles.
  
  BULLET::::- Kidney wires pass through the earlobe and hook onto themselves and form a closed loop.
  
  BULLET::::- French loops pass through the earlobe but do not fasten at the back, instead relying on gravity to hold them in the wearer's ear.
   The Pixel 2 XL has a volume flaw that reduces the sound level of audio clips sent through messaging apps such as Google Allo, Instagram, and Telegram among others. Google is aware of the problem and is looking into it.
  
  Some of the USB-C to 3.5mm adapters for the headphones do not work. In some cases, rebooting the phone can fix the issue temporarily. Google is offering replacements for the faulty adapters.
  
  Some Pixel 2 XL suffer from speaker rattling when playing content or even during phone calls.
   Unlike simple power distribution systems, cable overheating in audio distribution is not the only consideration. If the cables are too long or too thin, significant power is lost within the cable, due to the lower load impedance. The music may lack punch and the system's damping factor/transient response may be adversely effected. As the cable ages, individual strands may also brake or loose connection due to oxidation.
  
presuppositions: One earphone breaks in a set of cheap earphones.
corrections: If one earphone wears out quickly the other earphone will wear out quickly with continued use.
raw_presuppositions: One earphone breaks in a set of cheap earphones. Cheap earphones end up with only one earbud working.
raw_corrections: If one earphone wears out quickly the other earphone will wear out quickly with continued use. If cheap earphones continue to be used, both earbuds will not work.