After taking of the ear piece and separating the pieces, I checked all the connections and tried electrical tape to cover the exposed wires without luck.
So I put a piece of slim leather between over between the outershell (with microphone sensor) and internal board and screwed it back together,
BINGO, it works for now. The problem seems to be some arcing across the outer and inner components, which the cardboard solution pointed toward.
Thanks guys. Nice to save these great and expensive headphones. Now I can work at home again, while my family dances and rocks out without disruption.