FiiO RC-SE1 Shure Replacement Cable

My original Shure SE215 was faulty, but the local Shure dealer respected the warranty without 
any argument and replaced the cable. However, its the transparent one, and I would describe the
color now (after nearly 2 years) as "dirty" and at some point it has shades of green (probably he
wire got oxidenized. My son looked at it and said: "oh, this looks ugly".
 
So, I found a store that sells the Fiio RC SE1 in a walking distance from where I work, and the
price was also really good (about  $38 in local currency). Went there and tested it in the
store, and walked back happily. Already on the way back the sound started to cut on the left
side. But as mistaken with the sides, I switched the monitors. Then the sound started to get cut
on the right hand side. But also on the left. And even simultaneously on both sides (with the
phone, this means that the music does not return, as it detects removed earphones). This was
within one hour. I thought maybe because I was sweeting from the walk, and tried to wipe the
connections, taking them apart and connecting them again, same behavior.
 
Very honnest retailer, returned my money without a problem.
 
What I observed:
Sound is good, I did not notice a big change from the original (hey, its just wires!)
Microphonic: I expected plenty by Amazon reviewers, but that was not a big problem,
in particular when I used the supplied clip and did not let the wire rub against itself.
Price: much cheaper than original Shure.
Value for money: what is the value if within one hour there are plenty of incidents
that the music is cut off.
Perhaps I was unlucky to hit on a bad one, but it did look original, and compared to the Shure
wire, just looked cheap: the Shure connectors are hard to take apart and put back together, and
this one perhaps is less "accurate".
 
Anyway, this went back to the retailer, and I will order original Shure cable.

This cable appears to aim at two very particular listening scenarios:
1. You're lying in bed motionless.
2. You're sitting dead-still at your desktop.
Why? Because every single movement of this cable, every little touch, will reverberate in your ear drums like a cannon blast. I did not know what 'microphonic' means until I used this cable, and unfortunately this is something one should not underestimate. How bad it it? It's enough for your DAP, not the cable, the DAP itself to be lying 40 cm from your keyboard, to hear keystrokes. It's that god awful.
As for ergonomics, I won't say it's plain uncomfortable to wear, but it feels unfriendly wrapped around the ear and gives the feeling of a steel wire wrapped in an insignificantly small sleeve of rubber. A big step down from the original cable. The elastics of the cable are pretty bad too and it feels small and stiff to bend.
Another annoyance is the cable's length. I know it's a plainly advertised feature (and thus should not be a surprise), but you don't realize how short it is until you use it. While it's fine when your player sits in your pocket, it's simply too short to be played from anything further than that. Like having a DAC+Amp combo playing from your backpack? Too bad. Unless you're sitting with it on your lap, it simply won't reach.
 
On the bright side, listening through the RC-SE1 does improve the sound, quite noticeably. After listening to the same earphones for 4 years, I had no problem recognizing the difference. Everything becomes slightly more spacious and detailed. The sound gets more separation and little new subtleties pop up in music you're familiar with. It won't give you the 'like listening to a new song' effect of buying new headphones, but as an upgrade to mid-high-end IEMs, the $30 is a worthy bang for your buck.
 
Anyways, to sum things up:
This is my 5^th Fiio product and by now I'm used to the mechanics in which they excel at something (usually the sound quality), perform poorly for mostly everything else, and suck hard at a key feature of which you're in dire need.
I've had this cable for about half a year, and eventually downgraded back to the stock cable that came with my in-ears. Its core functionality is intact, a proven test in sound quality, but as far as usability goes it's an absolute miss that quickly negates the advantages.
 
Test setup: PC >> Fiio X5 >> Fiio L16 >> Fiio E12A >> [RC-SE1] >> Shure SE535.