It doesn't take much for headphones to become tangled, kinked, or otherwise jumbled, even though you spent time neatly wrapping them around your media player before shoving the whole thing in your pants pocket. You could spend an inordinate amount of money on higher quality headphones, but the quality of your earbuds isn't to blame, it's your technique. Spend a little time learning how to manage your headphones and you'll never have to deal with a tangled mess again.
Use an Earbud Clip
Whether you're rocking an iPod, Zune HD, or some other media player, your method for storing your headphones is probably the same. Simply wrap the cord around the player, jam the whole thing into your pocket, and hope that it's not a mess by the time you pull it out. Unfortunately, it usually is a mess, but it doesn't have to be. Belkin makes an Earbud Clip that allows you to wind excess cable around the capsule, which you then snap shut. It runs
$15 at the Apple Store, though you can find it for far cheaper if you dig around the web (
$4 on Amazon, for example).
Alternately, a company called PKOH NYC used to make an
Earbud Clip of its own that made easy work out of wrapping and unwrapping your headphones from your media player, but the product has long since been discontinued. If this is more to your liking, you can try your luck on Ebay and Craigslist.
The Figure 8 Method
For particularly long cables, the figure 8 method works marvelously and it's easy to learn, unlike those knots you struggled with in Boys Scouts. You can view the tutorial
here, and if you get stuck amid the 4-step process, you probably shouldn't be handling headphones to begin with.
The Rockstar Method
We didn't invent this method, we just came up with the name. Why? Watch this awesome 53-second video clip with music by Europe (The Final Countdown) and let us know if you can think of a better name.
How to Knot Tie Your Cables
The Figure 8 method isn't the only way to knot your cables so they don't become kinked, there are plenty of other techniques. Some of these involve wrapping the cord around your fingers before neatly tying them in place around the middle, while others, such as the MP3 knot, involve wrapping and securing the cable directly to your media player. Have about two and a half minutes to spare? Then check out these three quick video clips:
- Wrap without Ties
- MP3 Player Knot
- The "WTF Did He Just Do?" Knot
The Hanger and Clothespin Method
A hanger and clothespin don't just come in handy for doing laundry, they can also be used to straighten out coiled cords, even ones that may appear permanently kinked. All you have to do is put them on an hanger in your closet with the earbuds facing downwards. This alone isn't likely to do the trick, so to give the cord(s) more weight, attach a couple of clothespins at the bottom and let it all hang for a night. When you wake up in the morning, the cord should be straight as an arrow.
Avoid Fraying Your Cables
Any of the above methods will go a long ways in helping to prevent your cables from becoming frayed, but if you insist on simply wrapping your headphones around your media player, take extra care not to stress the headphone plug. If you do, it's only a matter of time before the stress takes its toll and ruins your headphones. Leave a bit of slack when wrapping your headphones. Or better yet, unplug your headphones completely before wrapping them like a boa constrictor around your media player. And the best solution of all? Invest in a carrying case to store your cables.
How do you keep your headphone cords tidy? Do you even bother managing your cables?
