# Audio Technica ATH-ESW9 Recable Step-by-Step w/ Pics



## Joelby

I'm posting some step-by-step instructions for those who dare to recable their pristine ESW9s 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			



**Updated Method, details at bottom**

 Most importantly, this thread demonstrates a clean cable entry into the cups without having to drill or file those precious woodies!

*Important Tools Used:*
 Soldering Stuffs
 Heat Gun
 Hot Glue Gun (Tie Wraps in updated method)
 Micro Philips Screwdriver 
 Multimeter
 Finger Nails 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




*Materials Used:*
 26 AWG silver-plated copper twisted pair (without any shielding/sheathing)
 1/8" and 1/4" Nylon Sheath
 1/4" Heat shrink Tubing

 First off, let me state that my finished cable is tangle free but maybe a tad bit too rigid. This is mainly due to the duel layers of nylon I used. The cable will be much more manageable with only one layer. Either way will work fine for the cup entry.

 Now, lets rip apart those beautiful headphones!
 Begin by removing the ear pads. To do this, gently tug one side of the pad outwards until the leather "lip" comes off the lip on the cup. The pic below shows the underside of the pad.





 The next step is where you'll need those fingernails. Work your way around the edge of the black felt, scratching up the edge until you have enough free to tug on. Gently pull the felt up, working your way around the edge to remove it. You might want to try a tool for this, but my fingernails worked fine without damaging the felt. Leave any residual adhesive in place for later.





 Next, remove the 4 tiny screws with your micro screwdriver. Careful not to lose them!

 NOTE: I only took pictures of re-assembly so the wires you see are not stock, but my recable wires. The actual stock wires are practically microscopic and probably wouldn't show up on my camera! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








 When the fourth screw is removed, the driver assembly will easily lift off the cup. There is plenty of slack with the cable to flip the driver over and put it next to the cup. To make soldering easier, carefully remove the yellow matting from the back of the driver. It is lightly adhered to the driver, but will fall apart very easily (fiberglass insulation). 





 Now, desolder the wires from the driver. Make note of which wire goes where first! Green is left signal, Red is right signal, and Copper is ground. 

 The stock cables have a knot in them that must be a crappy form of strain relief. Fart around for about 20 minutes trying to get the knots out. Then pull the cable out of the cup and also pull off the strain relief plug. 

 Now for the moment of truth! I'm assuming that you have your cable assembled at this point. In order for your cable to fit into the cup holes without modification, you should leave the ends with about 3" of unsheathed wire. Note that I have used 26 AWG wire. You may have a hell of a time cramming anything bigger into there.

 Use a piece of 1/4" heat shrink, about 1.5" long. Shrink it on so that about 1/2" is covering just wire, with the rest covering wire+nylon.





 Feed the wire through the cup holes until the tapered point is snug in the hole. You may have to bend the heat shrink portion up as you feed it through, as it may get stuck at the plastic “U” shaped slot. Push the cable down into the slot for a nice tight fit.





 Fire up your hot glue gun and drop a bead into the square opening as shown below. Be mindful not to heap too much glue here. It should end up being flush with the rest of the frame.





 Once your glue is nice and cool, you're ready to solder the new wire to the driver terminals. Reassemble as above, in reverse order. I used a little hot glue to put the yellow insulation back on. I didn't use any additional adhesive to put the black felts back on. Just line up the edges and smooth them out.

 Hope this helps cure some anxiety for prospective recablers. With patience and the right tools you won't put a single scratch on these beauties!





*UPDATE*: I tweaked the cable by forcing the full cable with sheath through the opening in the cup. I used a tie wrap instead of hot glue. The result is a more durable cable entry with no need to heat shrink. The 26 awg twisted pair will fit with 2 layers of nylon/techflex (1/8'). 

 The finished product!


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## aj-kun

nice writeup mate appreciate it and its bookmarked =D


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## apatN

Clean work and a nice write-up! Should help anyone who is willing to recable his Audio-Technica. Thanks!


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## acroyear

How is the sound now compared to the old cables? Any major differences?


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## Morph

Has anybody recabled ESW9's with a Silver Dragon? If so - does it "sparkle" them up a bit without getting rid of this wonderful "pouring sweet honey in your ear" feature they have?


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## Joelby

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *acroyear* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_How is the sound now compared to the old cables? Any major differences?_

 

I can't say I'm a believer in cables drastically altering the sound of headphones. They still sound fantastic. The main reason for the recable was tangle issues with the stock POS.


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## cheemo

Excellent step by step re-cable write up Joelby!


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## FrozenGecko

Awesome guide!! this has great pictures!! Nice work Joelby!


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## BassThor

Awesome guide, thanks a lot for posting. 

 btw, anyone know if the ATH-ES7 uses the same housing design on the cans?


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## Joelby

I've updated the cable entry with an improved version. You can force the sheathed wire into the opening in the cable housing without having to modify it. 26 awg, 2 layers (1/8"). Eliminates the need to use heatshrink and is more durable. I also used tie wraps instead of hot glue this time. Either could be used.

 I did this as I was changing my Y split to an improved design. 6mm cable pants from partsexpress.com along with some heatshrink. Probably one of the best DIY Y splits around.


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## rayk

Yeah the default cable leaves alot to be desired!

 What cable are you using with yours? I'm thinking of doing a re-cable on mine so if you could share you parts list that would be awesome!


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## ShinyFalcon

I'm slightly bothered by the earpads... Are those the official earpads?


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## Joelby

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *rayk* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Yeah the default cable leaves alot to be desired!

 What cable are you using with yours? I'm thinking of doing a re-cable on mine so if you could share you parts list that would be awesome!_

 

I used 26awg twisted pair silver plated copper from seller navships on ebay. You could use any 26awg, really. If I did it again I might try Canare or Mogami star quad.


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## rayk

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Joelby* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I used 26awg twisted pair silver plated copper from seller navships on ebay. You could use any 26awg, really. If I did it again I might try Canare or Mogami star quad._

 

Ahh cheers, I think I will go with mogami W2893 if I can track it down in AUS.


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## rayk

Anyway I tracked down Canara L-2E5 cable here, which is a dual twisted pair. I'm assuming each cup of the ESW9 (haven't opened mine yet) has 1 channel and 1 ground.

 Since it looks like you are also using a twisted 2 wire cable, are you connecting the grounds from each cup to the cables shield at the Y split? or is your main cable a quad?

 Thanks!


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## jaystink

i'm not sure this is exactly the right place to post this, but i need to recable my ath-es7 's, but i've new to the whole headphone scene. i'm sure i'm capable of recabling them. this guide is just what i was looking for, but i'm not sure exactly which wires/jacks to get, and have no idea where to get them from. i asked at a local music shop, the source, and futureshop, but got no useful help. i've also searched elsewhere on head-fi, but haven't really found what i'm looking for.
   
  Joelby, where did you get your materials? and does the 26 AWG silver-plated copper twisted pair come with a headphone jack, or did you use another, or reuse the one on the headphones' original cable?
   
  i miss my es7 's, so i'd really appreciate some help


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## Joelby

Quote: 





rayk said:


> Anyway I tracked down Canara L-2E5 cable here, which is a dual twisted pair. I'm assuming each cup of the ESW9 (haven't opened mine yet) has 1 channel and 1 ground.
> 
> Since it looks like you are also using a twisted 2 wire cable, are you connecting the grounds from each cup to the cables shield at the Y split? or is your main cable a quad?
> 
> Thanks!


 
   
  I did indeed use twisted pairs. The main cable is quad, with the grounds meeting at the plug. You could connect them at the split but this would probably be less durable.
   



  
  Quote: 





jaystink said:


> i'm not sure this is exactly the right place to post this, but i need to recable my ath-es7 's, but i've new to the whole headphone scene. i'm sure i'm capable of recabling them. this guide is just what i was looking for, but i'm not sure exactly which wires/jacks to get, and have no idea where to get them from. i asked at a local music shop, the source, and futureshop, but got no useful help. i've also searched elsewhere on head-fi, but haven't really found what i'm looking for.
> 
> Joelby, where did you get your materials? and does the 26 AWG silver-plated copper twisted pair come with a headphone jack, or did you use another, or reuse the one on the headphones' original cable?
> 
> i miss my es7 's, so i'd really appreciate some help


 
   
  markertek is always a great supplier. Best if u live in the us. Otherwise, a minimum $100 purchase is required for international. Cable isn't going to come with a jack unless your buying a complete aftermarket cable. 
  If u want to go cheap, get some mogami star quad and a neutrik plug. Would cost u ~$15
   
  UPDATE : NO LONGER USING SLEAVING AFTER THE Y SPLIT ON MY CABLES. FINDING HEATSHRINK IS MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE WHILE STILL DURABLE. I'LL UPDATE THE ORIGINAL POST WHEN I GET A CHANCE WITH NEW PICS.


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## broken24

Hey, just wanted to say thanks for this thread. It has helped me a lot.


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## crowley

i'm so tempted to do this but i haven't soldered anything in ages


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## nosaj03

How did you determine the connections on the soldering post of the drivers?


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## Joelby

Best to use a multimeter to check continuity (resistance) between the post and the plug. For instance, if you're checking the posts on the left driver: test between the tip (left +) of the plug and the posts. One will have infinite resistance, the other will have a low ohm value. The one that has a value is the + post. Confirm by checking the other post and the sleeve (ground) of the plug.
   
  Right + is the ring of the plug.

  
  Quote: 





nosaj03 said:


> How did you determine the connections on the soldering post of the drivers?


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## nosaj03

Quote: 





joelby said:


> Best to use a multimeter to check continuity (resistance) between the post and the plug. For instance, if you're checking the posts on the left driver: test between the tip (left +) of the plug and the posts. One will have infinite resistance, the other will have a low ohm value. The one that has a value is the + post. Confirm by checking the other post and the sleeve (ground) of the plug.
> 
> Right + is the ring of the plug.


 

 Ok gotcha! I figured thats what you did. You tested it prior to cutting the stock connector.


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## Bostonears

joelby said:


> Best to use a multimeter to check continuity (resistance) between the post and the plug. For instance, if you're checking the posts on the left driver: test between the tip (left +) of the plug and the posts. One will have infinite resistance, the other will have a low ohm value. The one that has a value is the + post. Confirm by checking the other post and the sleeve (ground) of the plug.


 

 Joelby's is a good method to check for proper connection of an existing cable attachment. But if you're going to recable the phones, you're going to desolder the wires anyway. The method I use is to record the position of each wire at the driver attachment, e.g. take a picture with a digital camera. Then, desolder the wires from the drivers, and use a multimeter to check continuity of each wire to the plug. That way, you don't have to be concerned with resistance values. You either have continuity or you don't.


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## dmort

I'm going to do this - I've purchased: 
   
   
  1 [SHRINK-14-GY] Sumitube B2 Heat Shrink Tubing 1/4in Grey - 4 Feet @$0.49/ea = $0.49
  2 [NYS-231BG] Neutrik NYS231BG 3.5MM TRS Plug Black/Gold @$1.10/ea = $2.20
  1 [SHT18BE-4] Heat Shrink Tubing 1/8 Inch Blue- 4FT @$2.32/ea = $2.32
  12 [L-4E5C BK] Canare L-4E5C Mini-Star-Quad Microphone Cable by the Foot - Black @$0.50/ea = $6.00
  1 [SHT12BK-4] Heat Shrink Tubing 1/2in. Black 4ft @$2.45/ea = $2.45
   
  This guide, plus other take apart guides for other models have helped me get a handle on how its done. Only one question, how can I tell which wire is ground and which wire is the active channel before desoldering? I know this is being addressed above but I'm not sure I totally understand. Or is it safe to assume that the wire that is white is ground and the wire that is colored is the active channel? 
   
  My intention is strip the Canare wire into two pairs (for the section between the y split and the headphone), twist them, then use heat shrink tubing to complete the sheave. I've also ordered that y cable pants item that was described in an earlier post to make the y split studier and more elegant. 
   
  Will the neutrik plug have the solder points labeled? how am I to know which is ground vs. left. vs. right channel? 
   
  Obviously I will test connections before soldering.
   
  And, I will post pictures.


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## Bostonears

dmort said:


> Will the neutrik plug have the solder points labeled? how am I to know which is ground vs. left. vs. right channel?


 

 For TRS plugs:
   
  tip = left channel (at the solder points, this will be the one coming straight out from the center of the plug)
  ring = right channel
  sleeve = ground (large, outer attachment)


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## dmort

That is super helpful and totally answers my question! Thank you! Recieved my markertek order, now just waiting for the parts express half of things. 
   
  With risk of hijacking the thread - anyone have a portable amp to reccomend with esw9s? I'd like to spend around $100 and was looking at the ibasso t3 as an option. Are there others to consider of similar quality, features, and price? Thanks Audio Technica people!


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## Joelby

I justed bought the iBasso D4 and it sounds excellent with the ESW9s. More expensive than the T4 but it has a USB DAC as well. I think the T4 is geared more for IEMs and probably puts out less power than the D4. That be said, ESW9s are super easy to drive.


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## Joelby

UPDATE: I've recabled these phones for the final time. I went with Canare Mini Star Quad this time. I love the look of techflex on the cable but found that with it sheathing the mini quad it would not fit through the barrel of the 1/8 Neutrik plug. My solution was to remove the insulation from the quad cable. I left the shielding intact. Another solution would be to drill out the hole on the barrel. I prefer the former method as the end result is a slimmer cable with ample protection from the shielding and techflex.
   
  The end result is a solid, flexible, portable cable that looks great. The metal shielding under a single techflex layer gives it a really pro look. I keep saying that I'll post pics... fail on my part. Times are busy and I really only get on headfi at work now.
   
  Either way when I get a chance I'm going to clean up this guide with new pics.


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## skn

Sorry for bumping a months old thread, I just need some help. I bought the materials and set out to doing the recable, but as soon as I de-soldered the old wire and tried re-soldering the new one on one of the headphones, the metallic what-you-call it where you solder the wire just came off, and the cable doesn't seem to be able to be soldered at the plastic-like thing below it. Is there any chance of survival of my ESW9s or did I just break them beyond repair?


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## k0gs

Quote: 





skn said:


> Sorry for bumping a months old thread, I just need some help. I bought the materials and set out to doing the recable, but as soon as I de-soldered the old wire and tried re-soldering the new one on one of the headphones, the metallic what-you-call it where you solder the wire just came off, and the cable doesn't seem to be able to be soldered at the plastic-like thing below it. Is there any chance of survival of my ESW9s or did I just break them beyond repair?


 


  I'm surprised no one's replied.  I'm guessing by now you've either chucked them or figured out how to fix 'em.  It looks like you applied too much heat and the metal pad came off the plastic.  If you haven't torn the tiny wire that connects to it, I would get some epoxy and glue that sucker back on.  Afterwards. you should clean the metal pads with some alcohol, use a low heat soldering iron and a small flux core solder so it melts the solder quick.  Remember to tin the wire ends first, put the wire on the pad, apply solder tip then solder.


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## k0gs

I'm going to resurrect this old thread since it's helping me quite a bit.  I bought a knockoff ETSW9 for less then $25.  It's a decent copy, but the drivers suck (of course).  So I opened them up and tore the old drivers out (they were glued in, so had to really pry them out).  Then I dug out my old Sennheiser HD495's, got their drivers out and am in the process of putting them in and recabling the whole thing with canare's as per the info above.


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## k0gs

In case anyone gives a crap, here's some pics of my frankencans.  These are ATH-ESW9 fakes with the original drivers glued in, and replaced with some old Sennheiser HD495 drivers:
   
   








  and done:


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## v0yce

I know this thread is dead, but I just wanted to say thanks for making it. I never would have had the guts to recable my woodies, without it.


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## Mad Max

Nice!




   
  Cars should be able to see you more easily in the dark of night with that.  =]


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## Turnyface

OP:
   
  What type of techflex did you use?


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## TTker

great guidance


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## dmort

I have a pair of fake esw9s as well. A nice copy - when comparing them to the lists of ways to tell your esw9s are fake, it seems like they are real! Of course, the sound quality is the real teller - these sound lousy. Turns out Audio Technica will sell you a replacement pair  of drivers for $40 plus shipping. So, I'm going to pull the original fakes out and try to figure out how to install the replacement real models. I have already done a re-cable with canare cable, so once this driver exchange is completed, these should sound fairly close to the real product and be much cheaper.


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## dmort

My replacement drivers arrived from Audio Technica - the parts department was very responsive - I guess the shipping worked out to about a week. Of course there was a holiday weekend in there. I'll post comparison pictures of the fake drivers as compared to the real drivers. I have a brand new baby, so these headphone projects can't happen immediately!


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## maximuslt

Upload photo.


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## digiman

any chance you can reupload the tutorial pics?


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## Bostonears

joelby said:


> [from the 1st post of the thread]
> The next step is where you'll need those fingernails. Work your way around the edge of the black felt, scratching up the edge until you have enough free to tug on. Gently pull the felt up, working your way around the edge to remove it. You might want to try a tool for this, but my fingernails worked fine without damaging the felt. Leave any residual adhesive in place for later... I didn't use any additional adhesive to put the black felts back on. Just line up the edges and smooth them out.


 
  Since this thread is showing signs of life again, I'll note that after I performed the re-cable on my ESW9, I tried the phones both with and without the black felt. I found that these phones sounded better without the black felt in place. In particular, the upper treble was less rolled off. I'm sure the headphone's designers wanted to protect the drivers from possible damage by installing the felt, but I find it hard to believe that they listened to the phones both ways and preferred the sound with the felt. Or maybe the sonic benefits of leaving off the felt aren't apparent with the stock cable. (I never tried that.)
   
  Of course, any given modder has the option of partial felt, by cutting holes in it or only using pieces of it. Don't assume that you have to reinstall it as it was originally.


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## maximuslt

*Bostonears*, Is it true ? Braid affect the sound ?


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## Bostonears

maximuslt said:


> *Bostonears*, Is it true ? Braid affect the sound ?


 
  I'm not sure what you mean by "braid", but if you mean the cable, yes, it can affect the sound. In my case, I installed a 24 gauge silver-plated copper cable, which increased treble detail compared to the stock cable.


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## maximuslt

Bostonears, you have a picture of the final result ?


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## Bostonears

maximuslt said:


> Bostonears, you have a picture of the final result ?


 
  I don't have internal pictures, but here's what the finished product looks like. The cable is covered with multi-filament Techflex sleeving (softer than regular Techflex). Originally, I had shrink tubing around the cables as strain relief where they exit the earcups, but I found that made the cables more microphonic, i.e. slight rubbing on the cable was quite audible in the headphones. Since the cables normally hang straight down from the bottom of the earcups, they don't get flexed very much, so I decided that the Techflex sleeving alone was adequate strain relief.


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## v10gta

I was able to do this to the M50s


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## maximuslt

*Bostonears*, Try using "NYLON BRAIDED SLEEVING", it is much softer.


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## Bostonears

Quote: 





maximuslt said:


> *Bostonears*, Try using "NYLON BRAIDED SLEEVING", it is much softer.


 
   
  Do you have a link to specific sleeving you're referring to?
   
Techflex multifilament sleeving that I used is nylon, and it's quite soft (described as "fabric-like").
   
  Regular Techflex that's for sale most places is what they call Flexo PET, which is monofilament polyester. That stuff is very stiff. I would not recommend monofilament polyester sleeving for headphone cables, but it's fine for interconnects, speaker cables, and other wires that don't often get moved around.


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## maximuslt

Try using paracord or shoelaces  
  I found a box at home from his shoes and discovered there spare laces, orange, very soft. I will use them to create interconnects, since they have a large diameter.
   
http://360blog.nautica.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Orange-Laces.jpg
   
http://shoelacestring.com/images/orange_shoe_laces/neon_orange_shoe_lace_orange_shoe_string.jpg


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## Bostonears

maximuslt said:


> Try using paracord or shoelaces


 
  Paracord is braided nylon, but it doesn't have a hollow core. How would you run cables through it?


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## maximuslt

Nylon can be different for softness.
  Unplait.
   
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Paracord-Commercial-Type-III-Inch-Scale.jpg/685px-Paracord-Commercial-Type-III-Inch-Scale.jpg
   
  Here are selling textiles http://www.ebay.com/itm/Santa-Fe-Textiles-SF618-Spool-of-1-8-Heat-Shrink-Wire-Tubing-/140916987450?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20cf4e963a
   
   
  I think it's easier to use shoelaces. They are a wide variety of colors and sizes. They are made of textiles.


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## maximuslt

*Bostonears*, 100% cotton http://www.audiophonics.fr/gaine-metre-gaines-coton-c-238_365.html?osCsid=0eb7b6a6eb8fa86dcef1b6e2eb2235c3


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## GAViN617

OP, could you reupload the pics? Looking to do this with my ES-700s. Thanks


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## mkmossop

Ya if anyone has the pics saved and could reupload them that would be great .


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## ehreiyc

Can these pictures maybe be re uploaded ? I am very curious to see what it looked like in-progress haha


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## mkmossop

Quote: 





v0yce said:


>


 
   
  What type of techflex is this? All the techflex on the sites I'm looking from looks a lot more plasticky. Is this just regular PET techflex?


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## clarko2

Hi, is it possible that you reupload the photos? Plan to recable mine


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## Feilong4

clarko2 said:


> Hi, is it possible that you reupload the photos? Plan to recable mine


 
 I second this, as I also plan to recable mine.


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## SwimToTheDeath

Sorry to dig up such an old thread, but could anyone re-upload the pictures?


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## mstark

Also looking for the pictures to this guide! Anyone? 

My ESW10 broke, and I want to use the opportunity to recable them.


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## Feilong4

Still praying for some picture guides.


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## mstark

^same :/


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## digiman

me too!


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