Question Headphone jack on Zalman Z11 potentially broken?

[Oblivionage]

Hi, Sorry if this isn't the correct place but I'm unsure where the problem falls under.

I've been using these original ATH-M50s headphones for years and I never liked the long [language redacted] cable + requiring an adapter to 3.5mm ports, but nevertheless the sound quality was good so I never switched. My case (Old mid tower Z11) has a headphone jack port at the front top and I'm not entirely sure how this happened, but over time I've noticed my headphones started to lose signal and sound would only come out of one ear or none at all. So to fix this I would pull the cable taught and sit a mug or something over it and that would usually work. It's been pretty bad though and my usual fix hasn't been working so I tried ordering a new adapter. It kind of helped and made it easier to find the "sweet spot" but yeah that didn't last. If I squeeze the end of the cable by the jack and push down/manually try to find it, I can definitely hear the audio crystal clear. I thought maybe the cable itself might be the issue so I ordered a replacement cable for the ATH-m50 but now I'm starting to doubt it and think it might be the port itself.

Is there a way to check and or fix this issue? I opened up my pc but couldn't figure out how to open up the top panel so that I can access the ports. Are these things a simple fix?

 

[Lutfij]

I've been using these original ATH-M50s headphones
+
Is there a way to check and or fix this issue? I opened up my pc but couldn't figure out how to open up the top panel so that I can access the ports. Are these things a simple fix?
The headphones themselves are analog driven, meaning a 3.5mm jack, have you tried hooking them up to the rear of your build(the motherboard's rear I/O) or even another donor platform to rule out your headset trying to call it a day?

Following that, you can then rule out your platform being the issue, whereby the drivers might need a reinstall or the BIOS on your motherboard needs a flash/update. You can also see if the front panel audio port on your case is to blame.

 

[Misgar]

I opened up my pc but couldn't figure out how to open up the top panel so that I can access the ports.

There are guides oon how to remove the front panel using brute force, tempered with caution. Pull too wildly and you could snap the cables up to the sockets.
https://linustechtips.com/topic/433...-through-removing-the-front-panel-on-my-case/

Are these things a simple fix?

I'd check the physical characteristics of the 3.5mm headphone socket and look for a direct replacement. It might be soldered to a small printed circuit board which makes life harder but not impossible to fix.

If you cannot find a brand new audio complete cable assembly, you're faced with unsoldering the headphone socket and fitting a new one.

3.5mm sockets cost a dollar or two, but can be fiddly to fit unless you're good at soldering. Remove the entire cableform and take it to a repair shop.

 

[Oblivionage]

I've been using these original ATH-M50s headphones
+
Is there a way to check and or fix this issue? I opened up my pc but couldn't figure out how to open up the top panel so that I can access the ports. Are these things a simple fix?
The headphones themselves are analog driven, meaning a 3.5mm jack, have you tried hooking them up to the rear of your build(the motherboard's rear I/O) or even another donor platform to rule out your headset trying to call it a day?

Following that, you can then rule out your platform being the issue, whereby the drivers might need a reinstall or the BIOS on your motherboard needs a flash/update. You can also see if the front panel audio port on your case is to blame.

Gosh, I totally forgot that back panel ports are a thing >_< That's embarrassing. Yes, I plugged it in there and it works great! Thank you for the help