Depending on the jurisdiction, Sennheiser doesn't really have much choice but to allow returns of faulty units. Certainly in the U.S., there are the basic laws of merchantability and fitness of purpose. A headphone that consistently produces microdrops would seem to fall afoul of both of them, meaning vendors would have a legal obligation to accept them back. I agree, though: Sennheiser should not let it come to that. It would be far better if they would own up. I think the fact that no Sennheiser rep has even commented in this thread is telling, considering they frequently do elsewhere on this board. I take that to mean they've been instructed to keep quiet. Even if I'm wrong, this is the kind of speculating that goes on when companies choose to remain silent on a problem, rather than address it head on. From a PR perspective, it doesn't make much sense.