hi there i have recently developed tinnitus nothing to do with the nwz device but my unit developed a fault ,not being recognized by my laptop or any computer at all at the same time i was noticing the volume on the left side was a lot quieter i was quite upset as i thought it was my tinnitus that had progressed but fortunately having solved the first issue i thought i would just see if the ear phone bud was dirty and it looked exactly the same as the right bud but i continued to clean them both with the driver pointing down wards and rubbed it with a dry toothbrush then used an alcohol wipe and rubbed it over again ....hey presto its working great again you just cant tell by just looking ,a periodic clean is the the key,it seems soooo much clearer and crisp on both sides too..goodluck
