[dwarfed centipede]

I was looking at getting some cheap headphones to leave at work, and was wondering what you all are using in your non-hifi situations like excercising, cutting grass, work, etc.  I have an older pair of Sennheiser mx400 earbuds that I really liked, but they appear to be discontinued.  Thanks.

[youravhandyman]

I'm using the NuForce NE700X but these may not be "cheap" at $65. Strong bass but not overbearing.  I often forget I am wearing them since they sound so natural and never fatiguing.  Also like them because they aren't tinny and bright like most cheap headphones.
But if you want dirt cheap go with the JVC Marshmallows...$12 on Amazon.  Impressive for such cheap headphones.

[Scott F.]

Hi Leo,

I use a pair of Shure in ears. Like yours, they have discontinued the model but mine were around $200. I was a little leery wearing $200 in ears to cut the grass and when I'm traveling (planes) but they have lasted really well and sound fairly decent. They are a bit bass-lite but the EQ feature on most any iPod style player takes care of that. I could never get used to ear buds, they kept falling out so I opted for the in ear style. They give better isolation anyway.

If you are looking for good sounding traditional cans, the Grado SR-80 can't be beat. You just need get the the soft ear pads to go with them. Awesome traditional cans for the price ($99).♠

[electricbear]

I have a pair of Denon that I use with my Zune. I think they were around $60ish. They sound ok and fit nicely but I haven't really compared them to any others.

[wedweb]

If these are for work and work has other folks near you, then open back headphones are a no go.  Closed back or mostly closed back are appropriate.  Learned the fun way about this.  Have a pair of wireless Sennheiser headphones and start blasting Black Sabbath Paranoid and walking around the office.  When I returned to my seat my neighbor was smiling and I asked what was going on.  He said he liked the Paranoid album too.

Bo