I still have my same SkullCandy's (go to their ebay page, free shipping and they always have deals) from over a yr ago and both ears play just fine, and I have some JVC Gummies or whatever those ones are called that still perform flawlessly and costed like $5. I don't see the point in paying a lot for earbuds given that I wear them hooping, working out, doing yard work, and the possibility of them getting broken, caught , stolen, or ripped in something is high. I guess I'm not an Audiophile because my Vibe Dj Noise Cancelling sounded as good to me as my friends Beat Solo HD's at 2.5% of the price (they were 7 bucks shipped)