[The_X]

I've been extremely happy with my E500's for the past three years that I've owned them.  I bought them back in college when I had some good-paying part time jobs.  However, it's the start of med school now and the cables just gave out completely--cracked in two places!  So, I'm looking at my options.  I'm currently pretty poor and will be for some time.  I liked the E500's a lot, but the prospect of expensive future repairs scares me.  My understanding is that Shure cables are always a gamble.  They can last a few months, or they can last years.
 
Should I take the gamble?  Or are there better options out there these days?  I was once an avid Etymotic owner, crappy-bass-be-damned.  I noticed that Amazon sells the ER-4S for $170, which sounds very reasonable to me.  The rolled off highs of the Shures make them lack that sense of vibrancy and airiness that the Etys possess.  However, I always liked the E500's because I listen to a diverse variety of music ranging from classical all the way to trance.  I also like the ergonomics of the E500's--I had Triple.Fi's for a short period of time but hated the fit. 
 
So... take a gamble and fix the E500's, get ER-4S, or... something else?  I'd love any input you guys might have!

 

[a_recording]

I'm sure you could find someone else to fix your Shure's for less than Shure is asking you - which frankly sounds like a pretty unreasonable price to me, considering you could get completely new earphones that have released now that are considered competitive for almost the same price.
 
I don't know who does headphone repair, but maybe you should ask around. Otherwise, consider the Ety MC5's to tide you over, since you'll be getting pretty good bang for buck sound there. In my opinion they are pretty good with most genres, and are apparently a little more musical than the ER-4's. (I can't confirm this, I don't have a pair myself.)

 

[The_X]

I've been looking but haven't found anywhere that will recable E500/SE530's.  Any ideas?

 

[a_recording]

I think fisher hearing might fix Shure's. You could even have them made into customs...

 

[rawrster]

Your option is probably to reshell them and make them into customs provided it's just the cable that has gone bad and not the drivers. It won't be cheap however. A remold is from $90-$145 or so depending on where you get it from. A good cable such as an ES cable is around $30 and impressions usually cost around $50. That's not including shipping and possible refits.

 

[The_X]

I don't need a custom fit.  I'm very happy with the stock shape, I just need a basic recable.  I emailed Kim from Fisher Hearing.  Is there anywhere else I could get the cables repaired without actually going all the way to a custom mold?

 

[rawrster]

They don't do recabling. Also you would either need to find a DIY or just get a new one. Typically recabling won't be cheap.

 

[The_X]

Oh... bummer!  I've been away from Head-Fi for a while and it seems like there is a huge influx of new earphone models.  So you guys think I might be able to do better getting new headphones for $145ish?  I'm not sure how far the industry has come.  It seems like a couple years ago, the headphone market was significantly smaller than it is now.

 

[rawrster]

I guess that depends on if you liked your E500 or not. There are much more choices now than when the E500 came out however.

 

[The_X]

So I just took a careful look around, and a set of Denon AH-D2000's are just $215 on Amazon!  I don't really need the small size of the E500's these days, although their sound quality really needs no qualifiers.  However, it's still hard to justify spending $145 on a new set that might crack again.  I truly do like the E500 sound though.  But GOD, the CABLE!!

 

[hammck]

My Se530 cables crapped out and I got them reshelled into customs. Couldn't be bothered with Shure anymore, their warranty commitment left something to be desired and the fact is, they had sub standard cables for a few years. If you don't want to go down the custom route, there are a lot of non-Shure alternatives these days, that are better.

 

[PolloLoco]

Quote:

So I just took a careful look around, and a set of Denon AH-D2000's are just $215 on Amazon!  I don't really need the small size of the E500's these days, although their sound quality really needs no qualifiers.  However, it's still hard to justify spending $145 on a new set that might crack again.  I truly do like the E500 sound though.  But GOD, the CABLE!!

Read the reviews here, but I think most would say the Fischer Audio DBA-02 and perhaps the Radius DDM are better values at $150 than your Shure E500's.  A lot of people are loving them as their favorite iem's.

 

[goodvibes]

Ask them what it would cost for replacing with the 535. Make it clear that you're frustrated by the fixed cable.

 

[The_X]

I emailed them appealing for lenience
 
Quote:

To Whom It May Concern,
For the past three years of ownership, I have been extremely happy with my Shure E500's.  They accompanied me through my undergraduate degree, living in loud dorms, spending late nights listening to lecture recordings, traveling across the United States, Europe, China and Tibet.  For many people, a pair of good headphones becomes a close companion--the E500's certainly filled that role for me.  Regretfully, the cables recently cracked and frayed in two places at the right ear.  I put myself through college and had enough money to treat myself.  However, when I spent $450 on the E500's, I was counting on them as a long-term investment.  I was disappointed that they lasted such a short period of time, and that repair costs a hefty $145.  In addition, I am now living on student loans and simply cannot justify spending so much for a repair, when the developing earphone market has now made many excellent choices available for low prices.  Finally, the longevity of a repair is not guaranteed enough to justify the cost--a new cable may simply break again in a few years.

I realize that your policy is to simply charge a flat repair/replacement fee.  I am appealing to you as a potential lifelong customer.  Up until breaking, the E500 was simply one of the best products I have ever owned.  I would be extremely grateful if you could fix my earphones for minimal cost reflecting the actual cost of recabling.  Thank you for your time, and for your amazing headphones!

 
Will update if I get a response!

 

[ClieOS]

I am not sure if you know this or not, but the $145 is for replacing the whole IEM (= you get a new pair of SE530, made with new cable formula that is much less prone to crack). It is not for fixing / replacing the cable since Shure never actually 'fix' broken IEM, they either replace it free under warranty or ask for a fee when it is out of warranty (= your case). So it is unlikely that Shure will reduce the fee because it is "recabling" since the whole thing will be replaced by a new pair of SE530. The smart plan will be, give them the $145 for the new pair of SE530, then sell it for higher price. I'll say you can probably sell a brand new, but no warranty SE530 for $200. In fact I just checked on eBay and there is a pair of used SE530 (mint to new condition) being bade over $200 now. You can use the extra $50 money for whatever next.