My 2 cents...
I also did a headphone/earphone search back in Dec/Jan. I wanted something small (for planes, office, etc) and good sounding. Sound isolation wasn't key, but a bonus if possible. I wanted it to sound good from my iPod or Mac and since it's mostly streaming audio or MP3, I wasn't necessarily looking for top notch audiophile quality.
I didn't go the over ear route, just too bulky to be used everyday for me. If I had, I probably would've looked hard at AKG. My father in law has the noise cancelling Bose but w/ the feature on, it felt like my eardrums were being sucked out. Not comfortable at all.
So I started w/ in ears. I have the Sony MDREX51 and they're decent at $25. They fit OK, but w/ in ears, they have to fit perfect for you to like them and for them to produce sound properly. I lucked out at Macworld and there were some demo's I tried. The Shures (E3c) were fine but a little tinny. Etymotic were the same for me, though the fit wasn't right. I tried Xtrememac's FS1 (designed by Future Sonics) and they fit very well. The only negative is it uses some foam pads that can wear but the fit is VERY good and bass response is good. (I listen mostly to hip hop, R&B, jazz, reggae/ton, rap, neo soul etc so bass is relevant.) Future Sonics sells monitor headphones and these are based on them. Future Sonics has a similar set for cheaper.
Then I tried what I ended up buying. Ultimate Ears Superfi 5EB. Bass response is amazing, as if my head was a sub. It does this w/ 2 drivers per ear. Fit is greatt, for me. AND, because it's in ear, it's complete sound isolation. Normally $200, but I got them on ebay for cheaper.
Good luck.
Superfi
