I'm on the lookout for a new set of 'phones now the left earbud of my Koss Sparkplugs has decided to stop working, despite much messing around trying to fix it.

Before them I had two pairs of Sony Fontopia MDR-EX71SLB, one set lasting about a year and the second lasting considerably less than that.

My problem is always that the wire starts to come away where it meets the earbuds, or a loose connection occurs in the earbud itself. These happen because I keep my headphones wrapped up in their little bag and in my pocket all day. I've no choice about this as I sometimes don't have a rucksack with me and when I do it gets treated with little care.

I've had a look about and think something like the Sennheiser MXL 51 (http://www.headphoneworld.com/HeadPh...gid=6|SE-MXL51 would probably help as it's lanyard would prevent me from unintentionally tugging on the headphones as I walk, get bus/tube etc, meaning the wires would stay in place. However, I really don't like the look of the actual earbuds on these as they look too big and uncomfortable.

So in summary, I'm looking for a pair of comfortable, ok-sounding (for use with iPod whilst commuting), headphones that I can keep in my pocket and will be able to cope with everyday use and last a decent amount of time, and won't break the bank!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Nobody has any suggestions?

[TameRacingDriver]

Sennheiser CX300 have, for me, proved to be very robust, and certainly qualify as sounding ok, sufficient enough for portable use anyway, and certainly better than your average Sony Fontopias.