NuForce - NE-6 - Earphones

I initially bought these as a temporary replacement for my AKG K26Ps that crapped out on me after being left in a car for two weeks, and because I knew I'd want earbuds for music on the go. Given that I bought these for around $30, I was astounded at the audio quality these earbuds produced. The NE-6 has far more bass than any other earbud I've come across so far, and while there isn't a great balance between bass and treble, the mids came out clear- though these things lacked high treble. Despite this, they are easily the best earbuds I've come across in terms of audio quality, I'd say they're comparable with the lower-level Shure earbuds, which are twice as expensive, at the least. They also provide great sound isolation, thanks to the variety of earbuds that come with the NE-6. One inevitable fault of such earbuds is that they are uncomfortable to wear after long periods of time, and the NE-6 is no different. I don't consider this to be a major fault though, since this is a common issue. The only other complaint that I have concerning these earbuds is that they stopped working only two months after I purchased. I do not know if this is a result of faulty design/construction or if it's more due to the way I handled them- I used them everyday, stopped using the protective pouch that comes with it. One day the right side stopped working, and my pair has been like that since. If it was not for this issue, I would give these a 4-star rating, but I question the reliability of the NE-6.