1.  You can’t really repair these things at home once the wires break and fray on the inside, usually at the earbuds or the connector jack.

2.  I would have to explore the (wireless) stereo Bluetooth world to restore that music to my ears.

Having explored that path, attempting to repair my Nokia HS-12W, and springing for the Plantronics Voyager 855, I now repent my reproach of the wire.

I finally received the correct order of my OEM Samsung replacement headset, and I am hearing the quality stereo sound that I was missing. 

Yeah, I know, they are meager earbuds, but given that the SRS Wow equalizer feature on my phone doesn’t walk the “Bluetooth bridge”, the wire actually sounds better.