Have you heard better any better earphones?
My ex71 lasted about 18 months. I know have UE metro.fi2 (not exactly high end either) and the difference is like day and night. Better highs, mids, clear and tight bass, better build, better isolation, soundstage exists! (unlike in the ex71s, I never knew what soundstage meant when using those)! I can't believe I put those pieces of crap in my ears for 18 months without realising how bad they were!
Sure they beat the standard apple headphones, but the ex71s are still very low quality imo.