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For headphones like these:
Simple on-ear headphones with microphone

The foam at the mic and the earphone have torn off. On searching for replacements, the cost of buying a set of replacements is almost the cost of the headphone itself.
Spare foam earpads Spare foam microphone pad

Without the foam, sounds do not get captured well with the mic. There's a lot of what sounds like 'static'.
But when I covered it with a small muslin cloth, sound was good. So at least temporarily I could use cloth for the mic, but is there a neater, more durable solution to replacing it? Something that serves the purpose that the foam was meant to (at least I could see why the foam is necessary for the mic, but for the earphone I'm assuming it's just for comfort).
Any easily available material that's as good or better than using that flimsy foam that easily tears off?

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  • I've just browsed on that shopping site and foam covers look considerably cheaper than the whole headset (foam type). While you are at it, buy a pack of 10. I also saw a 4-pair pack for only 3 GBP including postage.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Sep 13, 2020 at 19:06
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    "just for comfort" - that being probably the most important aspect of something you wear for hours and hours on end
    – Caius Jard
    Commented Sep 14, 2020 at 15:25
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    I'm not downplaying the need for comfort. I'm just saying it had no other function other than comfort...therefore, it could perhaps be replaced by some other more durable material. The fact that the foam is so nondurable makes me wonder if foam was used as planned obsolescence.
    – Nav
    Commented Sep 15, 2020 at 16:51
  • You can also buy "durable fabric washable earphone covers". You say comfort is their only purpose, by earphones get manky too.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Sep 15, 2020 at 18:30

1 Answer 1

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Kitchen sponges are real cheap and you can cut them to the exact shape you need and superglue them or otherwise affix them to your headset. They may be similarly flimsy but they're very cheap to replace and not difficult to craft with.

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  • I'm accepted this as an answer since I see that it points to the logic of finding any reasonable sponge of an appropriate dark color and using it. Cutting it is not going to be trivial. The finish isn't going to be good either. But as a hack it's ok.
    – Nav
    Commented Sep 11, 2021 at 4:37

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