Great sound, but wire break defect..beware!!

I have used these headphones for quite a few years but have gone through several pairs. The HD457 have great sound, with a good solid bass, midrange, and treble. A major plus is that these headphones are driven easily by portable music players. They are also quite comfortable.
Unfortunately, I have experienced problems from them as well. Wire breaks on the right side, just below where it joins the headset. The thin plastic peels off and the thin wire breaks when exposed and no sound in right side. This has happened to me 3 times. The 1st time was when I had been using the set for over 2 years, it was past the warranty, and I was forced to buy another pair. About a year later, the same thing happened, fortunately under warranty so they replaced it. Now a little over a year later, the same thing happens! Of course just past the 2 year warranty that I had on the original set. The wire is too thin. I have an idea though on how they can improve this though. How about having unpluggable wires from the headset, so when the wire breaks, it can be replaced easily and cheaply? Of course the companies dont want that because then they can't rip you off. Needless to say I won't be purchasing these headphones again. 3 strikes and you're out Sennhesier!