How do I replace the head pad on my ATH-M40 headphones?
When you replace head pads remember to keep all screws in separate piles or containers, and all left and right parts separate. You will need double-sided sticky tape and a flathead screwdriver. Please familiarize yourself with these instructions before starting.
- Firstly remove the ear pad by placing a finger under the pad, pulling diagonally out and away from the ear cup. Work around the pad this way. Unscrew the 4 screws holding the driver to the ear cup and remove the driver. Then unscrew the connection cables from the drivers
- Unscrew the two small screws at the far side of the ear cup that holds the ear cup and hanger arm in position. Push against the hanger arm side that does not have the cable entry to free it from the ear cup using the flex of the hanger, then remove the hanger
- With a small flat-head screwdriver pull out the cable from the hanger arm, starting from the top
- Unscrew the two screws at the top of the hanger arm (do not mix up these screws) and pull the hanger arm out taking care to feed the cable through, taking note of how the inside plate holder fixes together
- Unscrew the two screws in the slider arm and slide the inside part up, then with a flathead screwdriver feed the cable through
- Remove the outside slider
- Unscrew the head pad holder. Take the outside part and feed it down the cable.
- Remove the inside holder that will be taped to the head pad.
- Follow steps 2 to 12 on the other side if you have not been doing each side together.
- Now work the head pad to one side to reveal the two screws holding together the slider assembly and unscrew them, taking note of the channel the moving slider is in
- Work the head pad around to the other side and remove it, then remove the other slider assembly
- To put the new head pad on can be tricky, you must keep the cable in place. A good tip is to keep the metal band as straight as possible. Or tape the whole internal pad very tightly to the metal band to give you more room to work with. Unfortunately there is no easy way to get the new one on, just work it around till it is in position
- Make sure the connection cable is similar lengths on both sides
- Replace the slide assembly with the internal slider in the correct channel and screw this into position
- Replace the double-sided sticky tape inside the inner head-pad holder and line it up with the slider assembly
- Feed the cable through the outside head pad holder, click the two head pad holder parts together and replace the two screws
- Feed the cable part-way through the side hole of the outer slider and through the bottom of the outer slider, making sure you leave plenty of cable to work with between the head pad holder and slider (ensure you have the correct left or right side assembly)
- Pull the inner slider down and into the channel of the outer slider and bring the outer slider up. At the metal band put a small amount of pressure on the outer sliders, flexing it inside so the metal band fits into the correct channel
- Replace the screws holding the slider together
- With the cable on the side of the slider, pull the slider to full extension then gently pull the cable through into a good position, but don’t make it tight
- Feed the cable through the top of the hanger arm
- Take the small inner plate and put it on the inside of the round holder at the bottom of the slider.
- Push the hanger arm over both the slider’s round holder and the small inner plate. Then screw the hanger onto the slider, making sure you use the correct screws
- Feed the cable through the end hanger hole and place the cable in the gap of the hanger arm, you can use a small flathead screwdriver to help get it into the correct position
- Feed the cable through the side hole of the ear cup and flex the hanger arm into the two side holders of the ear cup
- Replace the two screws on the outside of the ear cup that holds the hanger arms in place
- Screw the cables into the corresponding terminals as marked inside
- Replace the driver and screw the final four screws
- To replace the ear pad, take the top lip, placing it into the gap of the ear cup. Then hold the top in place and put a finger under the pad from the inside and work it around into the gap. If it goes over the gap use a flathead screwdriver to put the pad in place. When all the pads are in place give it a quick rotation for a final adjustment.
