Stock Earbuds?

[xJownage]

Originally when the S4 came out, the other 3 members in my family were looking to upgrade their phones. They ended up getting the stock android earbuds with those S4s. I got my hands on them and they were the best earbuds I've ever used. Clear, high-quality sound with solid bass and a high ability to be EQ'd to personal preference, which is what I do whenever I listen to music (and now it sounds like **** without EQ). They even lasted me about 5-6 months each set, which included me playing basketball and dunking/generally playing all-out. They were everything I ever wanted.

Recently I made a purchase on cellularoutfitter.com, in which I purchased two sets of Samsung SGH-T528G OEM headphones, which look exactly the same.

Well, they're ****. They sound...muted and unclear, with a lack of balanced mid-high sound to give clarity and a profound lack of bass.

At this point, I'm not sure what to do. I'm guessing I purchased the wrong earbuds, but I'm not sure why the model number would make such a drastic difference in sound quality in comparison to what we got before when we bought SGH-I337 phones.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[B. Diddy]

I would not be surprised if at some point, Samsung changed the earbuds that came with the phone to more inferior ones, as a way to save costs. I believe it's happened before.

 

[xJownage]

I would not be surprised if at some point, Samsung changed the earbuds that came with the phone to more inferior ones, as a way to save costs. I believe it's happened before.

As I've continued to do research, I have found inconsistent reviews from different people on the stock earbuds. However, I have also been unable to find a way to discern the difference between the new ****ty ones and the good old ones. Looks like the only thing I can do is get a refund for the product (and not the shipping yay) and buy some durable earbuds for basketball.