[El3mental]

Just buy another pair of S500?

I'm sure you can still find them under $50.

Or go one up and get the S680.

Yeah I'm only seeing the S500's for $75+. I lucked into my first pair for $35 new in box, so...... Not seeing many listings for the S680's either, and they're $175+.

You can solder new cables in. They're fairly straightforward.

Well, I don't really have any experience with that. But for starters I was trying to figure out how to check where the wire issue is. Can I simply pull off the ear pads to get to the speaker/wire? Repair seems like it'll be easier than buying new, I'm just not sure how to go about it is all.

 

[penmarker]

you need a small philips screwdriver to remove the speaker housing. just removing it shouldn't cause any problems if the wires are still soldered securely to the drivers. The wires are usually knotted or relieved with clamps at the entry so there wouldn't be any force pulling it off the solder. if you can see all solder tags are still intact that means the wires are damaged inside its sleeving. This is a common issue since wires are regularly bent. Rubber can stretch and compress, wires cannot, so they break.

 

[visiblink]

I got these on ebay from Japan a few years ago because of this thread and I listen to them all the time. They have a nice spacious sound with enough high end and solid bass. That being said, the comments about them making your ears a little sore after a while are spot on.

I'm generally using them, believe it or not, with a Panasonic Shockwave portable CD player. It still sounds better than any phone or mp3 player I have and the headphones and player make for a nice combination.

A Cowon Plenue V is on the way and I think I'll report back on that combination too.

 

[visiblink]

I just got the Plenue V and it really is a phenomenal player. The equalizer and effects give you so much control over the sound. You can tune things in just how you like them. So I'd say the player and headphones make for a very nice combination.

 

[SmOgER]

Right so I'm officially of to Audio-Technica camp. SR30BT's are in quite similar price category as these used to be I think, sound as good and then some. Quite surprised there aren't that much info on them, so posting here in case someone's shopping for something similar to now to what those used to be - affordable great sounding portable cans.

 

[dima054]

del

 

[Asudef]

What are some good mods to bring out the bass in these? The stock pads were boomy but mostly in the mid to bass area, not a lot of sub-bass which I guess is to be expected at this price point.

I swapped leather pads to mine which reduced the boominess the mids became very forward so I put a sheet of paper towel in which toned it all down. Right now clarity is great but I miss that punchy bass. They sound better than my over ear Momentums but not sure I like them enough to hang on to at this point.

 

[visiblink]

What are some good mods to bring out the bass in these? The stock pads were boomy but mostly in the mid to bass area, not a lot of sub-bass which I guess is to be expected at this price point.

I swapped leather pads to mine which reduced the boominess the mids became very forward so I put a sheet of paper towel in which toned it all down. Right now clarity is great but I miss that punchy bass. They sound better than my over ear Momentums but not sure I like them enough to hang on to at this point.

I think you're in for a lot of experimenting if you are determined to shift the sound profile by making physical changes. My best guess is that if the denser leather pads made it less boomy at the low end, you might try foam pads that are less dense than the originals.

I find that I can achieve a lot with equalizer settings, but I know that's anathema to purists (those who want to leave the settings flat) and that the attainable sound profiles are dependent on the type of player you're using. The source really does matter.

 

[Sulbh]

Anyone knows if these are still available anywhere. I could only see S400 on Amazon and Ebay.

 

[Lifted Andreas]

Anyone knows if these are still available anywhere. I could only see S400 on Amazon and Ebay.

Sadly not, I wish I kept mine all those years ago.

All I can find is spare pads on AliExpress.

 

[Sulbh]

Hi I am looking for replacement pads for these headphones. I was checking on Aliexpress and they were quite cheap less than $5 from different sellers. Has anyone tried these? Are they able to provide similar sound quality as originals?

 

[penmarker]

I got random pads for mine. They fit fine, forgot how the original pads sounded like but I don’t think it’ll change too much. And for the price you really can’t go wrong.

Glad I bought a pair again back then. I’m using mine at the office now. Had them since college.