Here is my option for replacing wires. We need, for example, an RCA cable (tulips) - 3.5 minijacks.
We cut the tulips, and then soldering to the headphones and sizing for reliability. The wires are pretty solid. Definitely better than most cheap China, and IMHO is no worse than many expensive ones.
Photo on the example of headphones from fixsprays. Next in line is Sanheiser 203. Strong and reliable.