For those hoping to score a good deal on Ali, beware of Lunashops, a cable purveyor who's got products that are blatantly defective and can cause a lot of expensive damage. While I had a good experience with one of their HD800S cables, I had the nightmare-of-nightmare experiences with their $100 replacement Sony IER-Z1R pure silver cable (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255...2BRyXCb&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US).
As you can see, they clearly advertise this cable to be compatible with the Sony mmcx connectors. Well, when I plugged these in, I did not realize that a couple of unplugs later, the cable's mmcx plug would get stuck in the IER so tightly, that I could not remove it. After minutes of working with it, I left it alone and came back to try again. Unfortunately, this time a little upward force and the cable unplugged, but in doing so, dislodged thin metal sheathes (that had covered the plugs) inside each of the Sony mmcx connectors. Thus, I found that no cable could plug in as the connectors had these tiny metal rings wedged all around the circumference of each socket. And they were stuck tight! I worked for an hour or so to try and gently remove them using a jewelers loupe and some jeweler tools, but no luck. I woke up the next day and tried again. This time, I found that using very small tension pliers I could get these metal rings to move, actually break, and finally come out of the IER-Z1R. Yay!!! NOT.
The Sony stopped working completely - in removing the metal sheathes, I must have ruined the mmcx connectors. I have sent them to a shop in the UK for repair ($200 USD - though just happy they're repairable).
Lunashops told me to send the cable back before they would issue a refund (I sent them pictures of everything). I used flat rate USPS, but the shipping cost $45 USD. I asked them to 1) refund for the cable; 2) refund for the return shipping cost; 3) pay for the repair to the Sony's. They only agreed to #1 and blamed me for "improper use" of the cable and connectors.
Now I've had plenty of experience changing cables
Still, the Sony is notorious for being difficult in this regard, but I have successfully changed its cable many times before this occurred.
Long winded way of saying, stick with the tried and true cable makers and avoid Lunashops at all costs!! There are too many reputable alternatives to go through this (Penon, Linsoul, etc.). Lunashops - I truly wish I had never found or heard of them!!!
Including a pic of Sony with the metal sheathes from the end of the cable's plugs stuck inside:
As you can see, they clearly advertise this cable to be compatible with the Sony mmcx connectors. Well, when I plugged these in, I did not realize that a couple of unplugs later, the cable's mmcx plug would get stuck in the IER so tightly, that I could not remove it. After minutes of working with it, I left it alone and came back to try again. Unfortunately, this time a little upward force and the cable unplugged, but in doing so, dislodged thin metal sheathes (that had covered the plugs) inside each of the Sony mmcx connectors. Thus, I found that no cable could plug in as the connectors had these tiny metal rings wedged all around the circumference of each socket. And they were stuck tight! I worked for an hour or so to try and gently remove them using a jewelers loupe and some jeweler tools, but no luck. I woke up the next day and tried again. This time, I found that using very small tension pliers I could get these metal rings to move, actually break, and finally come out of the IER-Z1R. Yay!!! NOT.
The Sony stopped working completely - in removing the metal sheathes, I must have ruined the mmcx connectors. I have sent them to a shop in the UK for repair ($200 USD - though just happy they're repairable).
Lunashops told me to send the cable back before they would issue a refund (I sent them pictures of everything). I used flat rate USPS, but the shipping cost $45 USD. I asked them to 1) refund for the cable; 2) refund for the return shipping cost; 3) pay for the repair to the Sony's. They only agreed to #1 and blamed me for "improper use" of the cable and connectors.
Now I've had plenty of experience changing cables
Still, the Sony is notorious for being difficult in this regard, but I have successfully changed its cable many times before this occurred.Long winded way of saying, stick with the tried and true cable makers and avoid Lunashops at all costs!! There are too many reputable alternatives to go through this (Penon, Linsoul, etc.). Lunashops - I truly wish I had never found or heard of them!!!
Including a pic of Sony with the metal sheathes from the end of the cable's plugs stuck inside:
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