The Head-Direct RE2s are pretty durable. The exterior of the RE2s is only made of three pieces of plastic put together. The exterior durability is right at the top of the stack because it is so simple and is pretty well thought out. It seems that no durability compromises have been made to make the earphones better or slimmer. The mini jack connector on the RE2 seems equally well constructed and will probably last for a very long time.