Double Recommendation: Urbanears Earphones and Firefly Electronics

I bought a pair of earphones about a year ago. They were relatively expensive, just over $100. I have come to the opinion that it is OK to spend extra money on things that you use all the time. I was constantly using earphones with a microphone to call people while I was out of town, and to listen to podcasts when I was on transit. I bought them at a shop on South Granville that specialized in earphones. I could not find them online so I think they have gone out of business or this would have been a triple recommendation.

Notice the somewhat incongruous jack in the picture above. From frequent use, the connection to the earphones was partially broken (no sound in the right channel). I had thought I might fix this myself, even borrowed a soldering iron from a friend, but then I (thankfully) found a local place that would fix it for me: FireFly Electronics in Harbour Centre mall. They charged $40, so not cheap, but still less than the original cost, and I like repairing more than replacing on principle. Why I like these headphones, for phone calls especially, is that they don't completely block the ears, so you can hear external noise and your own voice sounds more natural as you speak.