ATH-M50X Hinge Repair

NEW Update: I've made some slight changes based on feedback I've gotten to make this part just as strong but allow for more ear cup range-of-motion. What: Hinge repair bracket for AudioTechnica ATH-M50x

Why: The one obvious mechanical design flaw on these otherwise incredible headphones is the design for the plastic tab that prevents the ear cups from rotating past the point of sitting over your ears. Basically this small plastic tab is a single point of failure for holding pressure on your ears. If this breaks, your headphones are useless.

Previous options for repair were limited. You could either try glueing a new piece in place, but frankly there's just too much pressure but on this part, and it will break in short order. The other alternative was to buy a replacement headband for ~$25 usd off of ebay. This works, but swapping headbands is not easy - there's a lot of tricky disassembly, wire routing, and reassembly.

That's why I made this 3D printable solution. For just a couple bucks you can get you beloved ATH-50x back in action in just a few minutes. Recommended Print Settings:

• Material: PLA, PETG, ABS
• Layer height: under .15mm. (My printer does a great job at 0.0875mm)
• Infill: 30%

Also see ATH-M50X Hinge Reinforcement, a free hinge reinforcement for those who want to preemptively protect their hinge-tabs.