Call me mean and penny pinching but I have this aversion to spending more than £10 on earphones that the cat will chew on or the normal everyday useage will destroy, especially when they come as Christmas cracker gifts now...

Oddly enough, the most expensive set of buds I ever bought were the quickest to break - without feline aid. The bit that surrounds the mesh just popped off and wouldn't go back on, leaving the wiring exposed and falling out.

LTS