[ColtMrFire]

That's incredibly odd for it to happen twice.  Maybe once, but twice is weird.  I would think Sennheiser would have built the cable better than that.  Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[Rozenberg]

  That's incredibly odd for it to happen twice.  Maybe once, but twice is weird.  I would think Sennheiser would have built the cable better than that.  Has anyone else had this issue?

Actually the fact that there isn't much report about the cable breaking already says that Sennheiser built the cable pretty well. It depends on how the owner treats it.
 
And no, my HD800 is old but cable still works fine.

 

[ColtMrFire]

  Actually the fact that there isn't much report about the cable breaking already says that Sennheiser built the cable pretty well. It depends on how the owner treats it.
 
And no, my HD800 is old but cable still works fine.

 
Yeah.  I just don't understand how a cable (from any headphone) can break by just sitting in a box.  That makes no sense to me.  I'm not calling anyone a liar by the way.

 

[Fegefeuer]

I had a friend break his HD800 cable when putting it into the box. I guess there are certain moves and twists the cable does not appreciate much. 
 
Mine are all ok until this day but I'm also very careful with my stuff. 

 

[BingCrosby1903]

  I had a friend break his HD800 cable when putting it into the box. I guess there are certain moves and twists the cable does not appreciate much. 
 
Mine are all ok until this day. 

 
Quite possibly. I should clarify that phones sit in the box with the lid open and the rest of the chord draping down. I was extremely annoyed to see it happen the second time. There are other reports of it happening. I do live in Sydney, so perhaps the heat doesn't help. I can recall German car rubber trims having problems in Australia a long time ago.
 
As I said, I'm looking for an alternative this time.

 

[Rozenberg]

Only possible way I could think of the cable breaking inside the box is when you wrap the cable and put it inside the box. I used to do that and noticed if I forced the whole cable inside its space, the rubber strain relief would get bent.
I also avoid leaving the cable hanging down. Best way is probably to just leave it plugged into the amp, or put it on a flat surface.
 
Also if your cable is broken, you might want to consider finding someone to just solder new connector. Might be cheaper than buying new since the price of stock cable is pretty ridiculous.

 

[DavidA]

   
Quite possibly. I should clarify that phones sit in the box with the lid open and the rest of the chord draping down. I was extremely annoyed to see it happen the second time. There are other reports of it happening. I do live in Sydney, so perhaps the heat doesn't help. I can recall German car rubber trims having problems in Australia a long time ago.
 
As I said, I'm looking for an alternative this time.

HD-800 cables are pricy due to the connectors, its a complicated design and not the easiest to work with.  The average price of the connectors are $40-60 so a complete cable is usually about $100 at the low end.  I don't think its the heat, more likely the ozone breaking down the rubber like it does with tires and other rubber items.

 

[cycle53x12]

Interesting about the cables breaking. Mine have not lived a charmed life but are still working great and my HD's are some of the Earlier ones. They do seem to be well made compared to the ones on the HD600,650 series. 

 

[jibzilla]

  So the stock HD800 cable has broken for the second time. I really don't want to pay the price of a Hd600 for a 2nd replacement. Is there any company like Blue Jeans Cable that does a HD800 cable? I'm not after an exotic aftermarket, just a high quality and durable alternative to the original. Thanks.

 
I will sell you my stock cable for next to nothing. Send me a PM. Sorry this happened to you, especially twice.

 

[JaZZ]

My second HD 800 cable is about to break as well again – interrupts in the right channel, apparently due to a short-circuit at or within the connector. A reason to switch to a Black Dragon, which doesn't cost much more – and offers a different flavor that I happen to like quite a bit: very smooth, bordering on artificiality, but musical and resolving nonetheless.

 

[FLTWS]

  My second HD 800 cable is about to break as well again – interrupts in the right channel, apparently due to a short-circuit at or within the connector. A reason to switch to a Black Dragon, which doesn't cost much more – and offers a different flavor that I happen to like quite a bit: very smooth, bordering on artificiality, but musical and resolving nonetheless.

 
I agree, if I were using the Senn stock cable and having issues, the Black Dragon is the way I'd go for the money. I paid $290 for a 10 footer of the standard V2 with a 4 pin XLR and I like the sound of it with my HD800. (I think there is also a more expensive "Premium" V2 with more costly connectors). Don't know how $290 compares to the cost of a new Senn stock cable. I also "suspect" if a mechanical issue comes up with Moon's Black Dragons they could repair it quickly and cost effectively. The cable coils nicely as well for storage and are relatively light weight. I never figure "8" my cables.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

In retrospect, I wish I'd gone with the stock balanced cable. VenusAudio sounds fine and the cable itself is great, but the connectors are always a little loose, even after I returned the first cable and got a replacement. Stock 1/4 inch cable connectors snap right in and stay there.

 

[eeagle]

  In retrospect, I wish I'd gone with the stock balanced cable. VenusAudio sounds fine and the cable itself is great, but the connectors are always a little loose, even after I returned the first cable and got a replacement. Stock 1/4 inch cable connectors snap right in and stay there.

I recently picked up the ZY Cable 6N Upgrade for SENNHEISER HD 800 Headphones Balanced 4Pins XLR on ebay/hiendgurunyc to use with my recently acquired HDVD 800 and am quite happy with it.  The cable has been on Massdrop a while back as well.
 
The stock cable was quite tight, and I wondered at first if I was missing a latch button, but they do just pull out.  The new cable is tight as well.
 
Thus far I have not seen a dramatic sound improvement over the single ended cable, but will do more critical listening.

 

[FLTWS]

My stock cables connectors were so tight and I had to apply so much force to squeeze and hold the HD800 ear cup housing and pull on the cable connector to remove the cable, I was afraid at some point I could see my fingers slipping on the housing and ripping right through the mesh, or slipping off the connector and ripping the cable off from the connector.
 
Both my Black Dragon and Dana connectors slide in and out with ease, I've never noticed any connectivity issues over the past 7 months with HD800 and these connectors.

 

[jussi2013]

Which mods are recommended today, if I just want to make it closer to 800S, and don't want to test everything?
 
SuperDupont Resonator + Dust Covers removed, that's it?