the spool 53 to a lanyard coupling 41 49 for example alternatively as illustrated in fig3 a coupling 28 29 may be provided that engages each tether at by one of the portions 28 29 of the coupling and the coupling may be threadingly engaged together by rotating around the end of a tether 56 for example inserted through an end of a portion 29 of the coupling 28 29 each portion of the coupling 28 29 may rotatingly engage its respective tether allowing both portions to rotate during threading or only one of the tethers 56 may be rotatingly engaged on a portion 29 allowing that portion to rotate and threadingly engage the other portion 28 of the coupling 28 29 for example therefore the examples of fig3 and fig4 b may be combined if a threadingly engaged coupling as illustrated in fig3 is combined with one or more extendable earbuds as illustrated in fig4 b as illustrated in the example of fig4 b a first tether 56 is coupled to one portion 41 of the lanyard coupling 41 49 extending through an opening in one end of the housing 40 around a first one of a plurality of female posts 43 around an opposite side of a next one of the plurality of female posts 43 and is directed to the spool 53 such that the tether is co wound on the spool 53 with a second tether 54 in the example the second tether 54 is directed around the same sides of both of the female posts 43 in contrast to the first tether which winds through the mechanism on opposite sides of two female posts.