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I have a set of SR-60 Grados that need new cables. They haven't been used all that much, but the conductors inside the cable are intermittent. The factory wants $45 to replace the cable, presumably with the same quality, and I don't think it's worth it. Is there a relatively inexpensive cable available that I can install myself?
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Buy Chinese. Bury freedom.
Follow Ups:
The cost to have these repaired is $25, not $45. This is certainly affordable and worth doing. In fact, considering how much I've enjoyed these phones, I should probably buy another set for backup. Thanks for everyone's comments and advice!
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Buy Chinese. Bury freedom.
What about shipping costs?
If you are not into DIY then you could buy a new SR60 or higher model and sell your SR60 for parts of head-fi.org or eBay.
Some Mogami Mini Star Quad will do just fine. That's what I did.
Recabling Grados is a job for someone who really knows what they are doing. If you search around at headfi you'll find that there are one or two people that have the know-how. The glue that holds the earcups together needs to be melted in just the right way before the old cable is completely removed and the new one is soldered in place.$45 seems pretty reasonable for such an operation, but since new SR60s are only $25 more I would probably opt to buy a fresh pair and keep (or sell) the old pair for spare parts.
I would probably not opt to recable a pair of Grados unless I had an expensive, custom "upgrade" cable ready to install. This much hassle and expense should be reserved for one of the high-end Grado models. My Grado RS1i's were recabled with Cardas cable by someone who knew exactly how to separate the wooden cups without destroying them, but that type of expertise is hard to come by outside of the Grado factory.
Edits: 08/13/14
Assuming the OP has the original SR60, there have been two generations since then -- the SR60i and the recently released SR60e. So, for a mere $25, he can get a brand new pair of upgraded Grados. (The issue of whether there is a discernible difference between them is another matter.) It hurts to discard otherwise good equipment, but for $25 I know what I would do.Actually, it's less than $25 since he'll have to buy new wire too.
Edits: 08/14/14
Triode_Kingdom says that he hand-picked his pair of Grados at the time of purchase. Sonic differences in production samples are said to exist although I've never had the chance to compare several of them in one sitting.
Edits: 08/15/14 08/16/14
Thanks for the good advice. I'm certain I could do this work - I have tons of tools including a heat shrink gun, thermal strippers, low-wattage irons, glues and solvents, etc., etc. However, I don't want to make the cable assembly itself. I wasn't dissatisfied with the sonic performance of the factory cable, and I was hoping to find an off-the-shelf replacement. Absent that, I'll probably just send these in for repair. Believe me, I wouldn't do that if not for the superb sound of these particular headphones. I hand-picked them at a local retailer several years ago, even carried in my one-off tube amp to be sure the combination would produce what I wanted. The result has been the best audio I've ever heard. Thanks again, I think I've reached a decision. :)
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Buy Chinese. Bury freedom.
I'm pretty sure that you could do the operation yourself if you can get hold of some decent new cabling. From what I can remember, the operation involves wrapping the earcups in plastic (for protective purposes) then slowly heating them up in a pan of hot water until the glue softens up. Gently twist and pull the earcups apart, and you are ready to replace the cable.
I'm not sure what kind of glue is best to use during re-assembly but, as I've already said, you might be able to dig up more info from the archives over at headfi.
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