Either I'm plain unlukcy or the RE0 has a big build defect

I got a pair of RE0s last december. Within 3 weeks there was a loose connection somewhere within the L-plug, and the sound sounded really tiny and mono. But after a few days the problem just went away, so I thought everything was fine. Around a month ago my left earpiece stopped producing sound. Fine, I contacted Head-Direct and they replaced it. I just got the replacement last week, and guess what? Yeah, barely a week's usage and my right piece isn't producing any sound. I can't say I take extreeeeemely good care of it, but I do take good care of it, and it's getting ridiculous how many times I have to send them back. And just after a week, too.

Maybe it's time to get something else. I like the sound of the RE0 (even though I'm running it from an unamped iPod classic). Is there something out there that has a similar sound signature (I want my highs!), but with a fuller and wider soundstage and lower impedence (I don't have an amp, and that would defeat the purpose of portability), and perhaps just SLIGHTLY more bass (the RE0's bass is fine for me actually)? Budget is $150.

Thanks for that. Did some read-up and it seems the MC5 is very well liked here, and has a similar sound signature to the RE0, and probably much easier to be driven.

I also read about the Fischer Audio DBA-02. That sounds like an amazing pair of earphones. How does the MC5 stack up against it? Keep in mind I'm looking at highs and treble extension, without sacrificing the mids and bass (admittedly bass is the least important one for me, but only because I find most people tend to give too much emphasis on the bass. I still want good quality bass, just not too much in terms of quantity). I also want a good soundstage. And build quality is important (it seems the DBA-02 loses a few points here, but how does the build compare to the fragile RE0?).