Not sure how well that'd work, maybe if you spliced and soldered it'd work, but I'm not entirely sure because it gets a tad confusing when you have bundles of wires. If you're good at soldering give it a try but don't blame me if you end up with two non-working headphones.

However, there are a few adapters on the market which let you just plug in your own headphones and still have headphone controls. This one by Griffin works with iPhone as well as iPods, but this cheaper sleeker one by Belkin works with all iPod models and looks rather nice.

Depending on your headphone/earbud style i have seen people who have de-soldered the OEM buds and just used the cables on a replacement set of buds. YMMV. but i know one guy that put some sony in-ear style buds on the Apple cables. he was a decent solder technician, so again, you may have some trouble if you aren't too good at fine-pitch solder work. but it can be done. I've replaced the cables on a few sets of BOSE headsets that the cables had been pinched or not long/too short for use. so i can vouch for doing it. i have thought about doing the same thing, but don't have a set of headphones that i've wanted to try it with as of yet.

good luck to you. and if you are willing to plunk down the green for it, the Apple In-Ear Headphones are actually quite good. I have a set and they sound marvelous. They have the control on them

I think it'd just be easier to buy another set of buds that have an inline mic and volume controls. I got these Sony one that work really well.

I have successfully done this to all of my favorite headphones and also my super amazing external speaker belt thingy that is the most awesome thing EVER!!!

I'd hate to burst your bubbles, but as popular and as "great" as these Apple Headphones are...they're actually some of the worst headphones out on the market.

Reasons:

• They still use the Old School Ear Phone Design from the era of portable AM/FM Radios and Cassette Players. Think about it, what other company releases that design anymore? It's out dated. That design does not created an air tight chamber in your ear thus expels much of the sound and has no outside sound cancellation. It's like running the heater with you door cracked open.
• Many of us can agree...they keep falling out of our ears, and on to my skateboard and get yanked out of my other ear.
• You know headphones suck when you can change the EQ setting on the iPhone/Pod/Pad and it doesn't even make much of a difference...
• The wire insulation that they use is quite elastic, durable, and resist scratches and tears very well...but they also create the most haphazard knots and tangle so easily that sometimes instead of trying to untangle them I'll just put the iPhone speaker(WHICH ALSO SUCKS &!#... literally the worst...2 for 2...hmm I wonder where Apple stops caring could it be their speakers??? Macbooks too...) up to my ear.

etc...etc...etc...

Sorry I needed to vent and to inform the blind public...APPLES HEADPHONES ARE THE WORST HEADPHONES!!!

The only good thing they have is the Remote/Mic/Volume/ unit. Every set of headphones I've added the Unit to have worked perfectly, have made me SSOOOOOOOO glad to not have to suffer with the $!@@$! Apple Headphones, and give you all the Apple Functionality with a sense of Rebelliousness.

Below are the instruction on how this is done:

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED::

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1.) Buy a pair of SkullCandy's $20-$45 ear buds...they out perform the Beats, any model you decide to use. Trust me, you don't know how quality...and BASS...and $20 feels when you put on some Beats and think, "hmm, their not that good...".

2.) Stupid Apple Headphones with the Unit. (I am referring to the Remote/Mic/Volume Unit as "the Unit")

3.) Scissors

4.) Electric Tape (The real stuff, Nylon, Elastic, Thin, Sticky)

5.) Soldering Gun, Solder, and Flux.

6.) REALLY THIN Heat Shrink Tubes.

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INSTRUCTIONS::

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REMOVAL OF THE UNIT FROM APPLE HEADPHONES:

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1.) CUT OFF->Apple Headphones->RIGHT EARPHONE

• Cut as close to the Earphone as possible.

2.) CUT OFF->Apple Headphones->RIGHT EARPHONE CABLE

• Cut as close to the Y-Intersection as you can.

You have now removed The Unit with as much spare wire on it as you can get.

PREPPING THE OTHER HEADPHONES:

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1.) CUT->Good Headphones->RIGHT HEADPHONE

• Cut as close to the MIDDLE of the wire from the Y-

Intersection to the Headphone.