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halc
14
Jul 15, 2020
So close, but I will never again buy another pair of headphones with permanently attached cables. They break and are a big hassle and/or expensive to replace, usually meaning the headphone is out of commission for a long time (while being shipped for repairs, being repaired, etc) . Had it been a pair with removable/swappable cables, it would have been an instant buy for me.
(Edited)
Saxelrod92
161
Jul 30, 2020
halcUsually I agree, but they are honestly worth the sound. Also E-mu has been easy and fast to deal with even though everything ships directly from Singapore. Also the cable is pretty durable, as I had an old Denon d5000 which had a slightly worse cable and it lasted 8 years before breaking.
Waynerey
100
Jul 28, 2021
Saxelrod92I have had my HD 600s since 2003. They still sing but would have been dead meat or an expensive repair without swapable cable changes. A small increase of price at purchase or a substantial cost at repair of a damaged cord later. Roll the dice.
Saxelrod92
161
Aug 5, 2021
WaynereyIn general I agree, with brands that's definitely the case. I know with this OEM model the teaks are based off of that a cable swap is actually pretty simple. It also wouldn't cost that much to send it to e-mu to do that, probably a similar cost to buying the detachable version, plus 30 dollar shipping (that's what it cost when I bought ear pads from them). The problem with this model is that the detachable cable version didn't use as reliable of connectors as the drop fostex versions. Whereas the attached cable version actually is soldered and connected in a much more secure way inside the cup. There's pictures floating around to see, basically the cable is tied in a knot above the hole it enters in. So if you accidentally yank the cable it won't put any force on the more delicate soldered end. While the detachable version doesn't have this knot, but of course it just detaches instead. So durability is definitely considered in the design, it's like that with all the fostex variants actually. My old Denon d5000, which I bought used in 2012, took 8 years of heavy cable abuse before the sheathing started to tear open and eventually caused the wire to break. But that's from constantly wrapping and unwrapping the 10ft cable almost daily, and from air travel, or car travel being stuffed into a backpack padded area. Detachable is still better, but unless you're going to be very rough with this cable, it really won't break on you. Plus the Denon version had a thinner and more flexible cable, making it more prone to break like that. The e-mu teal cable is thicker and more rigid, most likely to address that exact failure point. It would be harder to bend this one like you could the Denon one. But the detachable option of the teaks exist anyways. You just email e-mu and they'll sell you one for about 50 dollars more than the attached version, plus shipping (around 30 bucks, even though it's coming out of Singapore). So if you really love the sound and design, and want the detachable cable, it's still available as an option. With the attached cable version doing a very good job at preventing any cable damage or wear over time. If the cable breaks at all, it's a minimum of like 8-10 years of rough usage. By then I can easily justify the repair cost versus buying a whole other expensive headphone. If you don't handle the cable roughly, then there's no reason it should break, based on its design. Speaking from long term personal experience.
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