[CBF-]

Hi, everyone. I’ve been lurking here for almost a year, but I’ve finally decided to make an account because I need the advice of Headfi.
 
I currently own an AKG K271 MKII and want to upgrade to an open backed headphone. I’m looking at the $700 price range right now, which basically has the Shure 1840, Grado RS1i, and the Hifiman HE500. I don’t like the bright Grado sound, so that leaves the Shure and Hifiman. I’ve heard the Shure, but it didn’t really impress me (the AKG K702 for a third of the price sounded much clearer to me) and it measures poorly. So that leaves the Hifiman, which I’m wary about since I really care about how long they’ll last. One of the reason why the Shures were so attractive to me before I heard them is because you can buy cables, pads, etc relatively cheaply. The HE400 is hot right now, and someone will probably recommend them. They are in consideration, although I am looking for a neutral sound and I’m not sure the HE400 is flat enough.
 
Another thing is that I will be buying the headphones from Amazon, as I have some gift card money on the site, so that leaves only certain vendors.
 
My big problem with Hifiman is with the cables, and a secondary one would be driver mismatch (this one doesn’t concern me too much). The new silver ones seem very fragile, much more than the old Canare cables (the same ones the HE400 uses?), and I’ve read many posts of people’s breaking. I don’t want to DIY heat shrink the wire and the connector because I haven’t done it before and I’m not confident I won’t fry the wire. Replacement cables are all around $100 which is way too much for me. I don’t believe cables make a difference in sound, so all I want is durability.
 
Is it possible for Head-Direct (or other Amazon vendors) to send the Canare cable instead of the silver cable? If they can’t and the silver cable breaks, do I have to send the cable back to them (and pay my own shipping) before they send a new cable? I’m already going to pay a lot for the headphones, and more money spent on shipping a defective item back is something I want to avoid. This includes the driver mismatch problem I guess. From what I’ve read, none of the authorized dealers on Amazon have free return shipping even for defective products (correct me if I’m wrong).
 
A final thing is that I can be patient and wait longer, up to a year, to see what happens in the headphone market. Maybe Shure fixes their headphones, maybe Hifiman gets better QC and the HE500 gets a sturdier cable, maybe better headphones come out in the price range. I’m fine with waiting, and maybe I’ll have more money in the future to spend on headphones. I’ll probably wait anyways until the ODA is released.
 
Okay, that’s it. I hope this isn’t too long, and I can add a tldr if anyone wants one.
 
Edit: Totally forgot about the Sony MDR-SA5000, Audio Technica ATH-AD2000, and Koss ESP950. I'm not too clear how the warranty works with the Sony and AT, and I really want a detachable cable in case something goes wrong. The Koss used to be in the right price range, but is now at $999, so I'm not sure what's going on there.

 

[TwoEars]

Another headphone that you might want to consider is the Sennheiser HD600.
 
It is certainly not the latest and flashiest anymore.
 
But it fits all of your needs: very neutral, very comfortable, very well-built, very durable (drop it - no problem!) and as far as I'm concerned still a reference level headphone with the right source and amplification.
 
A lot less sexy than the latest orthos but very good and sometimes you just want something that works.
 
In my opinion it's a solid upgrade from the AKG.

 

[CBF-]

Yeah, I was definitely looking at those before moving up to the higher tier. My problem is that Sennheiser's MAP policy makes the price a lot higher than they used to be which is pretty dumb.

 

[TwinQY]

The silver cables on the HE-500s are really frail, I once got them caught somewhere, and almost wound up untangling the whole thing - good thing the store owner didn't notice! It's also very rigid,  hard to manage, scratches a lot, and I'd replace it in a heartbeat (I think you can ask head-direct if you could replace it with the Canare, I've heard someone had that done before). I have the HE-400 on hand right now, and the Canare cable is really nice, one of my favourite headphone cables for sure, even better than the Audeze's (I don't like flat cables though, so slight bias). I also think the driver mismatch has been fixed for the most part, so no need to worry about that.
 
Construction on the HE-500, though, is a bit better than the HE-400, which feels a bit plasticky. Sometimes, when you adjust it on your head, the plastic and the grill moving around can be heard. It's not really that bad though, but it doesn't happen with the HE-500. It also feels a bit more substantial, due to the extra weight (400's are ~400g, 500s are 500g). As long as you take good care of them, I don't see why they wouldn't last you for a decent while (5-10 years? That's how old my HD580s are, and they're still in one piece, just had to replace the pads, and the HE-500 definitely feel more robust than them)
 
I would say to take a risk and get them with the Canare cables and maybe some extra pads, they really sound spectacular. I would have gotten them, but I got to A/B them alongside the HE-400, and preferred those instead. The warranty is only one year though, so there's that. HD600 sound nice too, they have longer warranties, and a reputation for longevity. 
 
Oh, and typical questions like what music you would listen to, what would you pair them with, blah, blah...

 

[CBF-]

I mostly listen to acoustic/classical, maybe some classic rock, and movies/TV, and I'll be pairing it with an ODA (when it comes out) and an ODAC. I like a neutral sound, and I'm fine if it's bright-ish, though not the Grado kind.
 
I'll email Head-Direct to see if they would be willing to switch cables. Another thing, does the HE400 Canare cable have a 1/8 plug or 1/4? They seem to switch cables a lot so I'm not sure.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Another headphone that you might want to consider is the Sennheiser HD600.
 
It is certainly not the latest and flashiest anymore.
 
But it fits all of your needs: very neutral, very comfortable, very well-built, very durable (drop it - no problem!) and as far as I'm concerned still a reference level headphone with the right source and amplification.
 
A lot less sexy than the latest orthos but very good and sometimes you just want something that works.
 
In my opinion it's a solid upgrade from the AKG.

 
X2. You can get it brand new authorized for $300.

 

[TwinQY]

Quote:

I mostly listen to acoustic/classical, maybe some classic rock, and movies/TV, and I'll be pairing it with an ODA (when it comes out) and an ODAC. I like a neutral sound, and I'm fine if it's bright-ish, though not the Grado kind.
 
I'll email Head-Direct to see if they would be willing to switch cables. Another thing, does the HE400 Canare cable have a 1/8 plug or 1/4? They seem to switch cables a lot so I'm not sure.

I think 1/8 right now

 

[CBF-]

Quote:

 
X2. You can get it brand new authorized for $300.

On Amazon?

 

[TwinQY]

Quote:

On Amazon?

Razordogdeals usually lowers it to around that price if you ask them. I think that's what he meant. They're also an authorized dealer, and lots of head-fiers get it from them.
 
But, yeah, not amazon, so I guess you can't get that deal...

 

[Katun]

Quote:

On Amazon?

 
Quote:

Razordogdeals usually lowers it to around that price if you ask them. I think that's what he meant. They're also an authorized dealer, and lots of head-fiers get it from them.

 
Yep, there is a button to make an offer. As of a few months ago, he accepted my offer for $300. My favorite headphone in that price range.

 

[CBF-]

Back to the shipping question, has anyone ever successfully negotiated free return shipping with Head-Direct? I read stories about people having to send back defective items multiple times, paying themselves for the return shipping each time, and it makes me worried.