[patricksalter]

I just destroyed a pair of Ultimate Ears Triple Fi EB's (long story, don't ask), and now I'm in the market for a sub $200 pair of earbuds.  I want the best sound quality I can get for a guy that listens to a broad range of music (Unlike many people here, I don't listen to Jazz, Classical, in fact, I don't listen to country or rap either).  Mostly I listen to Rock, Trip-Hop (NOT HIP HOP), Electronica, and just about anything else I didn't list in the "I don't listen to" list. 

I would be using them without an amp, and primarily off of a portable player (droid or creative Nomad), but will also connect them to a receiver at home, and often to a laptop.  So, I'm not really in the $500 pair of Grado Cans market.  Budget is $200 MAX.  It would be nice if they included a mic for use while listening to them on my Droid.  I was very pleased with my last Ultimate Ears, but am also considering Grado iGi, the Sure E4C-n (Although as many reviews I've read where people have had to replace them because of cheap cables makes these almost certainly a no-go for me.), Entomyc Er4P, but I'm open to any and all suggestions. 

Note: My entire music library is encoded as FLAC's for when I'm listening at home, so sound quality is important, so please no debates about using a phone to listen to music on, I'm fully aware of what I'm getting myself into while mobile.  Lastly, the reason I want earbuds and not cans is a personal preference, as I will be using them for extended periods of time while working, and working out, so clamping a pair of cans on for a jog or hike just isnt in the cards. 

Any and all opinions are welcome, if you got something useful to say on this subject, I welcome it. 

[Russell Dawkins]

Etymotics work well for me
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.html
Their ER4 series will play a little louder than the rest in the series (122dB), but need more amplifier cojones to do it, being higher impedance (100 ohm for the ER4S and B, 27 ohms for the ER4P) than the cheaper and apparently very good hf5s (16 ohms) which does 120db, but with much less power.

For accuracy through the mids and bass, though, they are hard to beat for the price and in general avoid the temptation manufacturers have to fatten the bass too much, just to sell to the easily impressed. They succumbed to this just a little with the ER4P which plays like the ER4S or ER4B but with more bass and a little more distortion I am told by an anonymous Etymotic tech, (perhaps as a function of the lower impedance?).

Etymotic started the quality in-ear thing at least 16 years ago, and now everyone and his dog have jumped aboard, but as often happens ... there is something about the one that started it - not least, experience.

Incidentally, the one other headphone that sounds like the ER4S to me, with possibly lower (gasp!) distortion is the discontinued AKG 240df which had the very high impedance of 600 ohms.

[Noseyears]

For $200 consider getting the DBA-02 from Fischer Audio...worth the price.