Broken cables are why I like the Ultimates. I broke one of the wires and you can buy a replacement cable for $20.
That was one of the reasons I went with the Ultimates as well.
I was killing time at Denver airport a few weeks ago and spent an hour auditioning the canalphones down to the Shure E4c and the Ultimate Ear Super fi 5 pro. Both great phones though I preferred the greater sensitivity and bass response of the Ultimates which lets you play an iPod at lower volume than the Shure, hence lower distortion and longer battery time on the iPod . I later read this interesting article on both. Not that it mattered but the author also preferred the Ultimates.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/equipment/1105/canalearphones.htm
