Audiophile Mowing Earmuffs

I slide a pair of cheap earbuds under my hearing protection while I mow and listen to podcasts and music on my phone. The audio is acceptable for podcasts but it's lousy for music. I recently upgraded my Spotify account, and one of the perks of their premium service is 320 kbps streaming audio. Spotify's free accounts are only permitted streaming quality up to 160 kbps. The difference is significant and even more so with a high-end pair of headphones.

I wanted to take this listening experience with me using the Spotify app on my phone while I mowed my lawn, but the high-end headphones offered little in the way of hearing protection. So, my solution was to mod a pair of 3M hearing protection earmuffs.

I decided to take the speakers out of my high-end headphones and put them in the earmuffs. The pictures that follow show you how I did that. Please consider this, less of a step-by-step Instructable, and more of a proof of concept. This is something you can do with any pair of headphones. Enjoy!

Step 1: I Dissembled the Headphones.

Step 2: I Glued the Contacts Down on the Speaker to Prevent the Thin Wires From Breaking Off the Solder Joint.

The headphone cable plugs into the headphones either on the right or the left. The black, plastic piece on the right of the photo is the jack. Both speakers have these.

Step 3: I Hot Glued the Original Dust Cap Back Over the Speaker.

Step 4: This Is the Ear Cup and Cushion From the 3M Muffs. the Speaker You See in the Middle Will Fit Inside.

Step 5: It Wasn't Pretty, But I Made It Fit by Cutting Out Chunks of Plastic Until I Had Enough Room. Notice, I Had to Snip the Wire That Ran to the Other Speaker.

Step 6: I Drilled a Hole in Each Cup for the Wire That Connects Both Speakers and Then Another One for the Jack.

Step 7: The 3M Frame Worked Great Because It Already Had a Hole for the Wire to Snake Through.

Step 8: I Used a Rotary Tool on the Headband to Etch Out a Small Channel for the Speaker Wire.

Step 9: I Super Glued the Wire Into the Channel.

Step 10: I've Got One Cup Finished and the Wire Strung Over the Head Band and Into the Other Cup.

Step 11: I Ran the Wire Coming Down From the Headband Into the Other Ear Cup. Now, I'm Ready to Solder the Wire to the Other Speaker.

Step 12: I Have to Burn Off the Enamel on the Wires Before I Can Solder Them.

Step 13: Hot Glue Is a Great Insulator. I Glued Over My Solder Joints and Then Glued Down the Fragile Enameled Wires.

Step 14: I Put the Last Speaker Into the Ear Cup and Reattached Both Cups to the Frame. I Also Stuck the Spongy Ear Pads Back On. I'm Done!