Headphone distortion on digital piano

I recently bought a Roland FP-3 digital piano which has two headphone sockets at the front.

When listening to the output through headphones, the sound is fine for the first couple of minutes. However, the sound begins to have a crackling interference, soon becoming full-on distortion.

This happens regardless of the volume. I have tried turning the keyboard off and on, starting to play at lower volume levels.

I have tried all three headphones I own (Sennheiser, Bose and Behringer models) and it happens with all three. Some research tells me that the headphone impedance may affect things. The Sennheiser is 64 ohms (I'm not sure of the other two).

If anyone knows of a possible explanation or fix, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks.
 
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It sounds like something in the FP-3's headphone output circuitry has a problem. Perhaps there is a component that is faulty and causes the problem as it heats up. If you got it from a music store and there is a warranty I would see if they would repair it (free), otherwise it would need to be fixed by a repair shop ($$$).
Have you plugged the Line Out's on the back of the keyboard into an amplifier or powered monitors to ensure those work OK, as well as the Pedal and MIDI jacks to be sure there isn't a bigger problem?

If you got it used and it has no warranty, no option of returning to seller, and you want to use headphones, a headphone amplifier connected to the Line Out jacks would work, providing those work OK (you would need a particular type of cable to do this).
 
This will sound odd, but when it starts making the noise, give the headphone plug a decent prod in all directions. I have a Roland JX-1 and it's had this problem at least three times the years I have had it. The cause is that I leave a plug connected in the studio all the time, and all the stress is on the circuit board solder joints and with the strain on the plug, the vibration of me playing it seems to kill the joint, time and time again. The cure is desoldering the socket from the board and then resoldering it.

Does wiggling your connector, quite hard, cure it or cause it to start doing it earlier?

As it doesn't come out of the keyboard output, the fault is going to be in the final headphone amp stage - and if it's not a dry joint, then it could be the driver - which in a Roland will be a multi leg device, probably secured to the board with a bolt through a small heat sink. Sometimes these come loose from the board and the heatsink doesn't transfer the heat, making it get to hot which then causes it to start distorting. If you are comfy dismantling and wielding a soldering iron - you should be able to cure it, but if not - you'll have to find somebody who can. It won't be a tool-less fix.
 
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