Yes, it is easy to break. I'm on my 3rd set (2 replacement sets in less than a year). The first had a lot of grounding issues - had to replace it after a day. The second's sound went bad despite a lack of external damages. Now, the right earphone on my 3rd is exhibiting some rattling noise on certain tracks that are particularly stressful on high frequencies - all in less than a year.
And I've had 2 s4is prior to this - both broke within the first 6 monhts. I've always loved Klipsch's sound quality but this is ridiculous - x7is are not exactly cheap.
I haven't tried the detachable Shures, though - but that's looking like a good prospect for my next set.