Electric Shock using headphones

podcake

Just a thought here.

1) I'm assuming that the headphones are using a wire that is insulated all the way along ( most likely a silicone wire)

2) the part of the headphone you are getting the 'shock' off is metal

3) generally (certainly in my experience) the chassis/case/body of a pair of headphones is not connected to any of the wires used to transmit the sound. ( That said I've only worked with plastic/rubber ones)

looking at all of these points I don't see how you can be getting an electric shock off those headphones, because even if the potential presented at the cone was higher than GND there is still no circuit between you and GND. ( GND being earth/ground).

even if you DID complete the circuit because the body of the phones was wired into the incorrect potential I seriously doubt that you would feel much if anything (also as a side note you would, one assumes, have an entry and an exit point for the current so you would feel it in TWO places. This is true because the metal body cannot be connected to both GND AND the possible high potential..).

the best way to be sure fix this is to buy a pair of headphones that are all rubber or silicone and you cannot possibly get any shocks, if you still do.. I have to say its something other than an electric shock..

podcake

also.. try disconnecting the laptop from the mains and see if it happens then!....

Enterprise_1701C

Did you touch anything different or were you just laying there? Static builds up over a time and then releases at the first chance so you might have unknowingly shifted to a position that allowed the release.

Static shocks can be quite bad - I have actually watched lightning travel from my fingers to the banister of an escalator before now - and that hurt!!!

I just have difficulty believing you would get an electric shock off headphones, would not have thought the socket would be capable of providing enough power unless there is a wiring fault.