Audio Hardware Rant - HDMI Monitor Sound Playback (with no speakers to speak of) + Headphone Woes

 It's quickly turning into one of *those* nights I think:

* 1) Spent ages trying to debug why Firefox was not playing any audio (but MuseScore) was:  Turns out, the stupid HDMI switcher has again caused computer to forget that I've previously hell-banned audio from being sent to play on my monitor via HDMI, but it had suddenly decided again that that is the default location it should go!  

ARGH!

Does anyone sell HDMI cables where the audio pins are purposefully knocked out, and this fact is communicated to the PC at the other end, so it never pulls this trick again?!


* 2) It seems I also need to hurry up the search for 2 pairs of headphones:  My main pair (that I've brought over with me) have in recent weeks developed a very disturbing habit of suddenly and randomly / explosively *LEAPING* from my head and collapsing into a crumpled/folded bundle that lands with a loud thud either on my keyboard, on on the floor!


My main requirements for headphones are:
 a) Ear cups do NOT use PU leather, or equivalents that will flake in 6 months tops
 b) They are better than the crappy el-cheapo Panasonic ones I once got that leaked sound AND had to be turned up to 90% to hear anything
 c) No sound leakage
 d) They don't clamp hard with horrid nutcracker squeezing force (like all those I encountered as a kid)
 e) It has a cable, mounted on the right side only, which is ideally more than 2m long (and/or can be detached, to allow switching out if too short)
 f) Ideally has some degree of noise cancellation / muffling, to block out any annoying environmental noise that may be an issue