If anyone's thinking of doing a removable cable mod
without modifying the headphone, here's some info that I hope helps. I will just include pics for stuff that's not already in this thread. Thank you
@PETEREK and the others in this thread for the help.
So, people said that you can do this mod "without modifying the headphone" if you use SMC connectors. I'll save you the confusion - yea, you don't modify the headphone, but you do modify the SMC connector.
Disassembly
These headphones are very easy to take apart. 4 screws hold the cup/driver to the frame, and 4 screws remove the cup from the driver. Just note that there is some glue holding the cables in place - it's easy enough to pull apart, just go slow.
The wires are well marked. Brown on both sides = ground, and pink/blue wires indicate L/R positive. The positive connection is marked on the driver contacts with a red marker.
Removing Stock Wires
I try to make this as simple as possible. A dab of solder on the soldering iron, I pull a bit on the existing wire, and just touch the iron to the solder already on the headphone. In about a second, the solder re-liquifies and you can pull the old wire out without removing the existing solder blob.
New SMC Connectors
There is very, very little space available between the headphone frame and the cup. You need
SMC connector model 2963:
This is a tiny connector already, but you have cut it down even further to get it to fit. I was able to do this easily with my wire strippers. Here's what mine looked like after cutting:
Next, solder wires at 90-degree angles to the connector:
For soldering the wires to the driver, I reverse the procedure I mentioned above. I tin the wire, place it on top of the existing solder blob (with a little bit of downward force), and just touch the iron to the wire long enough to reflow the solder. the wire pops into the existing solder and we're done.
After confirming that the connections are correct (i.e. playing music), I finish the connector by adding a dab of hot glue around the connections, just for insurance.
When mounting the SMC connectors to the headphone, place the friction ring
on the outside of the headphone, so they mount as low as possible.
When re-assembling the driver & cup, go slowly and don't over-tighten. You don't want to strip the wood or, god forbid, cause a crack.
Finished product: