I bought this in November 2005, used it almost everyday without disconecting it so no wear would be put on the connectors. Last week the sound quit coming through in the right ear. Surprising since the connectors are gold plated, you would expect it to last as long as my headphones which are 7+ years old without gold plating (and still function pefect. Anyway, it was only $2.90 from Part Express when i bought it from here, but the shiping was really high. So if you buy it plan to replace it in a year in a half.