Every pair of Apple earphones I've had have fallen apart within weeks. As far as sound quality goes, you can tell the huge difference when you try something else. That said, the new earphones are a big improvement. I'm just using a cheap pair of Sony earphones at the moment. I miss the inline remote
I was actually looking at sennheiser ones, but upon reading some reviews I was apprehensive... some said the bass was too heavy and I can't be bothered to fiddle around with stuff I don't have a single clue about the panasonics will do for my way to work!
I can't recommend Sennheiser enough. Had my headphones for over a year now and still haven't fallen apart or broken. And the sound is terrific, very even.
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Virtually everything that Sennheiser builds is superb. Sturdy, great sound quality, not-so-expensive and basically great. It's definitely the go-to brand in earphones/headphones!