The ALO 780 is more than a cable change - there is some internal dampening as well, and the diode board was removed. Which in turn makes the headphone sound a lot closer (not more or less the same as) to the Edition 8's. Sounds like magic, but is it really? I don't know 'cause I never tried either headphones so I won't comment. As for your question, no I doubt a cable change can do that much, which is why I haven't bothered to change cables on any of my headphones thus far. I'm just going by what I read. I also read that the HFI series are all low-end versions of the Edition 8's but with different drivers. So that's where my question came from. Call me curious and a seeker of knowledge, but don't assume things. And sure, ideally you should buy a headphone if you like the sound. However, there aren't many places I can try an Ultrasone, which is a similar story for many other head-fiers. Hence people buy them and then sell them if they don't like the sound. Also, I can't see myself spending a grand on one pair of headphones; if I can get a bargain on a sound I might like, so be it (who doesn't like a bargain?). If I don't like it, I sell it and give someone else a bargain. Thanks for the advice anyway.