I have those Etymotics and love them, but I only use then when I'm on the plane. To get good bass, you really need to have a tight seal in your ear. I use the foam tips rather than the flanged silicone.

Zarak,

You might check out some of the ear-bud models from Shure. When I reviewed a group of in-ear models (and disliked the Etymotic 6i because of its utter lack of bass and edgy upper midrange), the Shure E4c had very extended response, good bass and smooth neutral midrange. If memory serves, they were fairly expensive, about $300, but Shure has introduced other models since then.

Regards,

Thanks Alan...I can see if Shure has some lower cost ones. I was looking at the two I mentioned because they had good review and I saw them online for $71 for the Etymotic or $28 for the Sennheiser CX300.

The UE SuperFi 3 is a pretty good set too. I had those for a while and enjoyed them. As I can recall they were a bit heavier on the bass and a whole lot easier to drive than my AL iM716s. I think you would do very well with the SuperFi 3s.

Mark, I have the Koss KSC 75s too and enjoy them very much. I don't use them as much anymore, the wife took them over, but they are a great bargain phone with really good sound.

These appear to be the lowest cost Shure Headphones

At $119 MSRP, I'm guessing they can be found for under $100 online, which is what I am trying to keep this to.

Anyone familar with these? I can add them to the list.

I am not familiar with them, but Amazon has the Shure E2c for $66.39.

I have some Sony MDR-EX51LP's. I think they sound fine, but I don't use them very often. I tried and failed to like the Koss earbuds mentioned earlier. I liked the looks of those Sennheisers, too. Keep us posted, eh?

You should check out Grado headphones

Grados are my favorite headphone. I have the SR 325i, SR 60 and the iGrado but there is absolutely no isolation to them.

Peter,

I almost pushed those Etymotics (the E6i) through my skull trying to get a decent fit and some audible bass. I agree with you that they have excellent isolation, as did the Shures, but it was the Shures that delivered smooth, extended sound in my ear canals.

I think that fit and comfort and sound quality are so crucial with these earbud designs that I'd suggest anyone considering them only try them with a 30-day refundable guarantee.

Regards,

I've heard good things about the Grado, but I want to stick with something smaller like buds. I travel with the ipod a lot, even if it is just bringing it to work so I can listen there, so I like being able to just put everything in my pocket and go. Especially with the shuffle, regular headphones would be much bigger than the shuffle itself.