[genclaymore]

I had my HE-500 for close to 2 years, while I do love the headphones, the one thing i hate about them is the SMC connection. I had two cables go bad at the SMC end of the cable, besides it being annoying to put on the headphone where it doesn't twist the cable. I don't really wanna buy another set of cables only to have the same thing happen to them 6 months down the road. I not a DIY so I can't really manually fix the cables. I been looking at other headphones with detectable Headphone cables, and I wanted to know if there was any other headphones that either sound like the HE-500 or close to it while having removable cables while at the same time not being way too much mainly around the 400-500 price range.
 
I was eying the HD700 but I don't know enough about them, There isn't any headphone stores near me that I can go and check out headphones. Like I mention either headphone sound very close to the HE-500's or some what different. I did look at the EL-8 but I don't like the fact the ear-pads are glued on and the quality control issues. I thought about using a SMC female to RCA adapter and use RCA to 3.5 cables that i have laying around from monoprice, but I doubt that would work very well. So I been thinking of just switching headphones to save the time and hassle. About the cables that went bad on me, both of them was the cables was twisted.

 

[Asr]

Hrmm well current versions of the HE-560 now use a plug-in cable, if you think you might want to go that route (as do the HE-400i and 400s, too). I haven't really heard the HE-500 in a long time, so I can't say what else might sound similar.
 
Btw, there's a meet coming up in Ann Arbor in about 2 months: http://www.head-fi.org/t/792152/2016-southeastern-michigan-spring-meet-march-26-2016-hosted-by-overture-audio-ann-arbor-mi
 
(And another meet in Chicago in a couple weeks, if you wouldn't mind going that far: http://www.head-fi.org/t/794780/chicago-area-headphone-meet-feb-6th-2016-chiunifi)

 

[genclaymore]

Yea I did thought about the HE-560 but I haven't made up my mind up completely as I still researching and trying to see how the HD700 compares before I make a choice. Maybe I get lucky and come across a deal or something which will make it easier to make my mind up. I did look at the HE-400I and S but i having thoughts that I might not like either one. I should have my mind made up in a month or two. Thanks for the info.
 
If only Hifiman remade the HE-500 with those 2.5mm connections, then it would be a matter of swapping out to those.