Do Bose NC headphones have a tendency to break the speaker on one side?
Two of them broke
I have two QC25s, and one of the speakers stopped working after about a year, and the other one after about two years.
The first was under warranty, so they repaired it for free.
I had to pay for the other one, so I replaced it with a Chinese speaker myself.
However, the Chinese speakers I purchased seem to have a slightly weaker output, and the sound is a bit tinny. So the balance of the left and right volume is different, and the mono sound seems to come from the left slightly instead of the front. Also, the noise canceling seems to be a little weak only on the right side where I repaired it.
Implanted with real QC25 speakers
Since I couldn't get real speakers, I figured I'd get some real junk and remove and reuse those speakers.
Junk that does not sound on one side can be obtained inexpensively at EBAY. This time I got a junk one (the white type on the right in the photo) for $30 at an auction.
Removing speakers from junk
You can learn more about how to disassemble the QC25 and how to replace the speakers by watching this video.
Follow this video to remove the speaker.
First, pluck off the ear pads and the blue sheet inside them. Remove the small screws on the left and right inside the headphone.
Remove this screw, and the silver cover can be removed. There is a claw at the top, so remove it by lifting the bottom.
You can see the black cover inside, which contains the speaker. Remove the small screws on both sides of the black cover.
This black cover is attached with glue. Warm up the area around the cover with a hair dryer for about 5 minutes. I heated it with a heat gun, but it would overheat, so a hair dryer is recommended.
The glue has softened and can be pried out with a flathead screwdriver. There are thin wires connected to the cover, so gently pry them open so as not to cut them.
Remove the speaker wires by applying a soldering iron to them. The black cover can now be removed.
The speaker is also glued in place, so heat it up with a hair dryer. It would be about five minutes.
The glue will soften and can be pried off with a flathead screwdriver.
The speaker has been removed.
These are the original speakers.
Transfer to QC25 to be repaired
Removing a broken speaker
The right channel here is the QC25, which was previously broken and repaired with parts made in China. Replace the Chinese speakers to original speakers. If one of the speakers is broken, you can use the same method to transfer and repair it.
The operation is the same as the white QC25. Pluck off the ear pads and the blue sheet inside. Remove the small screws on the left and right inside the headphone.
The silver cover will come off. The speaker is inside the black cover.
Remove the small screws on both sides of the black cover.
This headphone has been repaired, so the cover opened immediately, but if you are going to repair it, please warm it with a hair dryer to soften the glue and pry the cover open.
You can also use a soldering iron to remove the speaker wires and remove the speaker. If this is also the first time you are removing it, warm it up with a hair dryer to soften the glue and pry the speaker open to remove it.
Left: original product. Light: the previously replaced one made in China.
It looks exactly the same, but the volume is a little different.
Installing the original product
Instead of glue, I used hot bond to hold the speakers in place.
Wire the red wire to the left side of the terminal and the orange wire to the right side.
Put on the black cover and close the screws. This screw is smaller than the screw that will be attached after this one.
Install the silver cover as well, and screw it on from the back.
Attach the blue sheet and put on the ear pads to complete the implantation.
It's fixed perfectly
With the Chinese speakers, I felt that the sound on the right side was weak and the sound seemed to come from the left side rather than the center. But now that I have replaced them with original ones, the sound seems to come from the center. The noise cancelling effect is the same on both sides.
As expected, it is an original speaker..
If one of the speakers on the QC25 stopped working, this was an introduction on how to fix it for about $30 by getting junk from EBAY or other sites and transfering the still-working speaker.
