Something to mention
So, after two years of usage, the joints on my WI-1000X cracked. Rep at Sony repain station states that, this kind of malfunction is not a “malfunction”, instead it’s just a asethetic problem, which is not covered by the warranty.
In order to fit the criteria, you must have certain functions that is not working, for example, one of the earphone is not working properly.
So I just forget about that and keep using it.
At the beginning of 2020, one of the earphone on my WI-1000X stops working, but it is already out of warranty ($ony Timer confirmed?), instead of paying them 8000 NTD to get a new one. I decided to fix this by myself.
Prerequisite
- New outer shell from Taobao (1200 NTD)
- Some patience
Let’s get started
So, we will start from the left side.
Since there isn’t any “Lego” connectors on the board, you have to manually unsolder those earphone cords.
After unsolder those cords, just route them through the hole on the outer shell, and solder them back to the board.
When you finished soldering those cords, you can put back all the secrews.
Now, the right side.
Be careful when you open up the right side, as the NFC antenna is still connect to the shell, if you pull it too hard, you might destroy it.
Just like the left side, but remove the battery first, so you won’t accidentally shorts something when you’re working on it. Take extra care not to short the battery while removing it.
After that, you can remove the PCB on the right side.
Make sure to clean up the PCB before soldering earphone cords back to it.
Time for a test fit.
Looking good.
Be sure to test fit those connectors, make sure everything works before sealing it.
In the end, apply some glue to seal your WI-1000X.
There you have it, a WI-1000X with a brand new outer shell.
Some thoughts
It is true that Sony is capable of making wonderful products. I really enjoy WI-1000X, it works wonderfully as a active noise cancelling earphone.
What I don’t like is their method on repairing stuff. Instead of repairing it, they will just offer you a new one, with a lower price.
Every electronics on the PCB are still working, a “simple” shell replacement will make this earphone works again, do I really need to replace the entire device, just for this simple problem?
Not only it’s expensive to replace the device, but also not ECO-friendly, hope their engineering team can design something that’s more reliable, also won’t cost a fortune to replace.