Best in ear headphones

[EGT]

The Etymotic ER4P is a good place to start. I've had all Shure in ear phones, the E5s are fantastic if you can fork out the dough. Didn't much like E3s/E2s ...

In saying that, i've settled for these babys!!

 

[yeungdoug]

Sony ones are GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ditto on the above... and they are available in white!

I bought the white ones and use it for jogging and workouts. Never had any issues of them falling off (as oppose to the apple ear buds). I also use it in the subway and when I'm flying. Works great too.

 

[yippy]

I just got the Sony MDR-EX71s. They are definatly the best headphones I have ever had, of course, other than the iPod head phones, none of my other ones ever cost more than $10, but still, they are good and I like them.

 

[srchurch]

I have been looking at buying a pair of Sure or Etymotic isolation headphones, but I was wondering if anyone has experiences with their effectiveness against the skull penatrating low frequency sound of an airplane? Do they work better than the active phones (like the Bose QC2)?
Those Etymotic 6i Isolator phones sure look like a great set!

 

[Nawlins]

I use the Shure E3c's with my new 4G iPod (see signature for details). Overall, they're great. It took me a few days to figure out how to insert them correctly to get a good seal. Now that I know how to get a tight seal every time, they block almost all outside noise. They are light on bass, but for almost everything else they are outstanding. I notice parts of music with these earphones on that I never have before.

I haven't heard the Etymotic ER-6's (nor the ER-6i), but they've gotten great reviews. The ER-6 is rated slightly higher than the Shure E3c on CNET - 8.3 vs. 8.1, I believe. The Etymotic ER-6 retails for $130 and the Shure E3c retails for $180.

 

[geeman]

I use the Shure E3c's with my new 4G iPod (see signature for details). Overall, they're great. It took me a few days to figure out how to insert them correctly to get a good seal. Now that I know how to get a tight seal every time, they block almost all outside noise. They are light on bass, but for almost everything else they are outstanding. I notice parts of music with these earphones on that I never have before.

The main issue with ear-canal type units is getting an airtight fit. Some people take to them quickly; some have more trouble.

I use the Etymotic ER-4S (note: NOT the "P" version) as the sound quality is far better than the "P" version IMHO. You can buy an adaptor to convert a "P" to an "S" for about $20.

The only issue is that the "S" version drives the iPod harder, resulting in a lower overall volume - so I use a SR-71 headphone amp with the Etys. Yeah, it's a bit of a pain carrying around another piece of kit, but using a good headphone amp with the Etys and either Apple Lossless or 320Kbps LAME-encoded (i.e. NOT iTunes-encoded) mp3's gives you sound that you just wouldn't believe: They really are that good. You get great extended bass, clear crystal highs and you can follow each instrument individually without a problem: The result just sounds more "musical" to these ears...

... but then again a set of Ety's and a SR-71 amp will set you back over $700 - that's double what I paid for my iPod