So I'm not a DIYer and also not great at documenting everything, but maybe this will still help someone. I picked up a modded HE-5LE (LFF Code LEX) from a great Headfier, but it was definitely showing its age and I wanted to bring some life back to it.
First issue was the headband, which was pancaked, worn out, and the attachments weren't strong. One actually came off on me and it's impossible to get back on from the outside.
The way these are constructed, the screws holding the round adjustment parts are on the inside of the leather. Meaning they must have screwed it together and then hand stitched the leather up.
Here you can see the two screws that hold everything. They're tiny, maybe 1/2" in length.
And this is how the inside of the headband is constructed. A piece of material to give it the width, some mesh, a thin piece of foam. The metal band is sandwiched between those and the entire thing wrapped in thin leather.
This part I didn't photograph because it was a pain, but here's the end result.
In this case, I wanted to retain the OG headband look, not swap it with a newer version. I can't sew, I'm not a leather worker, and don't have all the tools necessary to do this task better. So what I did was purchase the sheepskin Accessory House Global headband made for the Grado PS500/1000/2000, etc. shown here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QT8K6D4
It's open on both ends. When that arrived, I slid the metal Hifiman headband inside and used a razor blade to cut the threads back carefully, so I could expose the screw holes on the metal band. If you do this, you have to blade towards the top of the headband, not the padded part--if you cut into the padded part, just toss the headband and buy another one... it's trash. Then I marked the tiny holes and punched through the leather from the inside out. After that, I sourced new 1/2" screws and attached the round parts. Then I test fitted everything and finally glued the AHG ends back up. The metal frame is not original--it's from one of John Massaria's R7DX. I'm not sure if my 5LE had its band replaced at some point or not, but my original hardware was painted black.
It's not perfect, but I think it's a lot better than where I started, and it still keeps that classic Hifiman look. Should this break down the line, it's just a matter of opening up the ends of the leather headband and reattaching.
First issue was the headband, which was pancaked, worn out, and the attachments weren't strong. One actually came off on me and it's impossible to get back on from the outside.
The way these are constructed, the screws holding the round adjustment parts are on the inside of the leather. Meaning they must have screwed it together and then hand stitched the leather up.
Here you can see the two screws that hold everything. They're tiny, maybe 1/2" in length.
And this is how the inside of the headband is constructed. A piece of material to give it the width, some mesh, a thin piece of foam. The metal band is sandwiched between those and the entire thing wrapped in thin leather.
This part I didn't photograph because it was a pain, but here's the end result.
In this case, I wanted to retain the OG headband look, not swap it with a newer version. I can't sew, I'm not a leather worker, and don't have all the tools necessary to do this task better. So what I did was purchase the sheepskin Accessory House Global headband made for the Grado PS500/1000/2000, etc. shown here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QT8K6D4
It's open on both ends. When that arrived, I slid the metal Hifiman headband inside and used a razor blade to cut the threads back carefully, so I could expose the screw holes on the metal band. If you do this, you have to blade towards the top of the headband, not the padded part--if you cut into the padded part, just toss the headband and buy another one... it's trash. Then I marked the tiny holes and punched through the leather from the inside out. After that, I sourced new 1/2" screws and attached the round parts. Then I test fitted everything and finally glued the AHG ends back up. The metal frame is not original--it's from one of John Massaria's R7DX. I'm not sure if my 5LE had its band replaced at some point or not, but my original hardware was painted black.
It's not perfect, but I think it's a lot better than where I started, and it still keeps that classic Hifiman look. Should this break down the line, it's just a matter of opening up the ends of the leather headband and reattaching.
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