[scattered]

I've had my 5G since early January, and today the earbuds lost sound in the left channel. I'm not surprised, since they aren't what strikes me as a quality product, but it is annoying. Will Apple replace the earbuds for me, or should I just go buy some thing else?

[Josh Reid]

They almost definitely will replace them for you...in the past, they used to just ship out a new set without requiring you to even return the original damaged pair since it is such an inexpensive item. At most, you'll just have to put your old ones in the shipping box that the new ones come in, and send them back, pre-paid by Apple. Give them a call!

(But I would recommend investing in a new pair of earphones anyhow, something like Etymotics or something, which you will be much more satisfied with.)

[imitchellg5]

I would just get new better quality earbuds. I do agree with Josh, they should definetly replace them. If you appear angry enough if you take it to an Apple Store, they might even give you a different brand. (works sometimes)

[dngonzales]

I have the same problem i just got my ipod today and right out of the box the right headphone is all crackly ive tried hooking it up to other headphones/ speakers and the ipod is fine
i know its the headphones
and no i dont listen to rap or my music extremely loud
do you think they will replace them or offer other ones?

[scattered]

I went through the website, and they're shipping me new earbuds. I do have to return the old ones, but it's no big deal.

[janikphoto]

i would invest in better headphones. i am even just using a air of $20 phones from target made by panasonic and they sound much better than the apple ones... A bit bass-heavy, but the apple eq can help that...

[dreamryche]

The Apple earbuds suck, plain and simple. I went through 2 pair before trying a pair of Sony Fontopia in-ear phones. They're much more comfortable and sound better than the Apple earbuds. I'll probably be trying something different, though, because the rubber/plastic they use to cover the wires has basically disintegrated in a couple places.

[iMacfan]

Sure E3c - very expensive, but very good!

[ghporter]

The problem with earbuds or ALL brands is that, in order to keep them light and flexible, they use a very fine and flexible grade of wire. Eventually you can flex the wire so much (particularly if you bend the wire sharply in the same spot all the time) that it breaks. It takes four wires to connect both earbuds, two for each. All it takes is a break in one wire (even a partial break) to make them perform unacceptably.

I wouldn't say that Apple's earbuds "suck," as such. They do have a fair dynamic range and pretty good response, but they do not fit most ears very well. I got a pair of Griffin earbud covers for my wife-they are soft silicone rubber and fit into the ear canal-and she loves them. As a plus, they increase the amount of sound going into the ear canal while blocking more outside sound, so you can hear better at lower volume levels, saving both battery power and your hearing.

[RGB]

My left earbud died this week as well.