[HecticVector]

Background:

Hey all, so basically the jack snapped in half on my K518's during a night of rough use DJing. Since then I replaced the jack with a radio shack model, but the stock cable was a pain in the *** to solder, so I just clipped some old ear buds, used that cable and soldered to drivers inside the headphone. This worked like a charm, but the cable is too short to realistically DJ in, plus my pet bunny bit through them so I've just got electrical tape over the solder point right now...
 
Options:
 
So the way I see it, I have three options. The first is to pick up some Mogami W2893 or Canare L-4E5C (any preferences out there?) and a new male jack and do the same Y split style the K518's started with.

My second option would be to get the dual cable equivalents of the above cables and lead those from the drivers into a female jack at the Y, then make various sized male to male cables for the rest of the length.
 
The final option would be to bring a quad cable all the way up into the left can, drill a hole at the top and lead two of the cables up around the band into the other can.

Comments/Concerns:
 
1) Don't think I can really go wrong with such a classic approach. Though I'm wondering if it's worth throwing some multi-thread nylon sleeving over the pairs of cables after the Y. I've seen some comments on microphonics, but I'm curious how bad it could be. I do want this to be durable, but I doubt anything could withstand being nom'd on by a bunny....

2) I've seen some people comment on using male/female connectors this way, something about how the grounds are/aren't balanced so it'll mess with the sound quality? Are there perhaps special connectors that avoid this problem, keeping separate grounds for left and right?

3) I'm concerned about cable management around the headband, as well as any effect drilling a hole might have on closed headphones. I don't really have a preference in style, just wanted to throw this out there.

Closing thoughts:

I'm going to wait a couple days to see what people say before ordering parts, but when I do get the parts I'll add some pictures of the process. Also, is it worth buying any sort of fancy solder for this sort of work?

 

[xtcriott]

Hey Hectic,
 
I actually just did a recable on my K81s(same model minus the color). I used Mogami W2893 and I found it to bring the mids forward a little as well as open the soundstage up a bit, as well as keeping the bass nice and tight(IMO). As far as your concerns:
 
1. I used the Mogami with Nylon sleeve over it and though the cable is thicker than a normal headphone cable(No the original K81 cable is not normal, it was flimsy and a PIA) I find that my new cable is durable. Especially after super gluing some strain relief inside the cups. I get no wiggle room where the wire enters the cups.
 
2. I would advise against it, solely bc the more joints you have in line, the greater the possibility of you have a weak connection somewhere, as 3.5mm jacks do not perform a complete a flush connection inside the female jack. So the less plugs you have, the better, IMO.
 
3. I am sure you can find a way to fasten the cable to the top of the headband, give it a shot and let us know!
 
Also, I have pics of my recable job in my profile, feel free to look and ask questions. I'll subscribe here, but you can also PM me as I will get that much quicker.