So Confused. $150 to spend on Headphones

[RyBoy]

Here is the few requirements I'd like (don't know much about headphones):

-Must be earbuds, because they are most portable
-Blocks outside sound
-Comfortable, tried a friends headphones that went deep in ear and it felt uncomfortable
-Great for ipod and pretty good bass
-They need to be on sale at Amazon
-$150 or less

I have read many reviews and it is so hard to choose which model. I always get great help at this forum so I thought I'd throw this out there. Thanks.

 

[JAG87]

shure e3c my friend. you wont be disappointed.

use the foam inserts thou, not the rubber ones. the foam ones need to be replaced every month or so, but they are much more isolating and more comfortable. they are around 150 bucks on amazon. i am not exactly an audiophile, but i am crazy about the quality of my music, and trust me I have yet to come across better sounding earphones.

 

[Roguestar]

$150 on earbud headphones? ROFL, I always go for a pair of Sony standard ones at around £25 ($50) and they're good quality and don't seem to break easily (unlike the worthless iPod earcraps, which have the same quality of sound as an ass-burp and about the same structural integrity too).

 

[darkswordsman17]

By earbuds does that include IEMs? If not then you're not going to get some that block sound out well at all (basically earbuds are the worst type of headphones as you are trying to overcome outside noise by turning the volume up which combined with the fact that they don't really sit in/on your ear very well and you're not going to get much isolation and you'll actually be pouring sound out as well).

If you go with normal type headphones or IEMs you'll be better off all around (sound quality, sound isolation, and also comfort in my opinion). Earbuds are pretty much just made to be as cheap as possible. With IEMs there are several different types of tips that you can use, so you should be able to find one that is a lot more comfortable for your ears than the ones your friend had.

Try here or here.

 

[jondl]

Most ear buds won't block out outside noise unless you go the IEM route.. but it seems that you've tried out an IEM and didn't like them.
Here are some you can look at.

KSC75 - $30 - Wrap around ear style but no isolation. Good SQ for the money. (Don't be fooled by its' price)
JVC Marshmallows - $20 - Sits right in your ear but isn't an IEM. A cross-breed between IEM and ear buds.
Yuin PK1/PK2 - $70-140 - The top choice for ear-buds atm according to head-fi users.
Vmoda Vibes - $90 - These are my personal favorites. Open styled IEMs.
JBL Reference 220 - $80 - Again, open style IEMs.

 

[foges]

If you can go used go for the e4c's, i got some for 140 over at headfi.org. They are amazing! Else ill vouch for the e3c's

 

[gamephile]

EDIT Good Lord I actually decided to read your original post and realized my response probably wasn't too helpful. Basically make sure you read a few reviews to the set of earbuds you want to make sure they'll have the bass response you desire. Like anything, the more money you put forward, the better return you'll get. In the IEM (In ear monitor) realm, more money usually translates to more pronounced and clearer bass. Hope this makes up for my lame original reply. EDIT

Headfi.org is a great site to start your search and do some research. I recently bought a pair of Etymotic ER-6i's and a set of Sennheiser HD555's from Amazon but did my research at headroom (headphone.com)
The Etymotic's are in ear monitors that are great for blocking out noise, but the bass is lacking. Alternatively the 555's sound great and are so comfortable I don't really notice them when I'm wearing them, but they're open so they provide no sound blocking. Also keep in mind that open headphones will leak sound into the environment too. At the volumes I listen to it ends up sounding like normal closed headphones would at really loud volumes to people around me. The Etymotic's were 80 at amazon and the 555's were around 100.

 

[Oyeve]

For Ipod I wouldnt spend more than 50bucks. Cx-300 or is it cx-500? Anyway, the 50 buck sennheisers.