i'm no audiophile, but i use these with my ipod and they are perfect for me.

sony mdr-ex51

they stay put while running, are inexpensive, and come with several sizes of rubber earpieces. my 2 cents

 

These are some of the best headphones for the money. Especially if you can get them on sale at Amazon.

I think I'm on my 3rd or 4th pair. And only because I tend to lose the rubber ear pieces or lose the earphones altogether.

I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile but can't spend the money on expensive head phones as they are prone to get stolen or lost. Its a different story for home use though.

But these sony's do a great job at blocking out outside noises because they work like ear plugs. In this price range a pair of noise cancelling headphones would be pretty crappy. I've tried a bunch. nothing works like the Bose in that respect(although sound quality isn't the best).

Also the Sony's have decent bass response.

Amazon for $24 shipped.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-EX51LP-Font...99382748&sr=8-2

 

if you ever want to save $390 on a haircut I'll shave you head for 10 bucks they you can wear any head phones you want

I've never been a fan of earbud headphones..I just use the good old earmuff kind. good sound/bass.

 

How much external sound isolation do you want?

The custom molds will give you the best sound isolation but sometimes it can be too much. I'd take a look at something with a flange earmold as well.

Etymotic Research makes some excellent earbuds. I would suggest the ER-4's.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4.aspx

I have about 6 pairs of these in the lab. They have been great headphones and are spot on to their spec sheets.

the Shures are great too. You can't go wrong either way.

 

I've used a number of recommendation from ILounge (http://www.ilounge.com/).

The buyers guide is fairly comprehensive and the discussion forums are informative.

I went with Shure E2c and are very happy with the purchase.

 

best bang for the buck.
jvc marshmallows for $10.

if you're going for quality, get a custom molded one.
i've got one with an older shure pth-e500 and it's amazing.
the noise cancellation is better than any active equalization.

 

lol @ I are very happy

 

never too much
its a pleasure to control what i hear for a small portion of the day

plus they stay in the ear for activities like the gym

 

For some people full earmold can be dangerous, runners for example.

 

always good to know.