Shure E5c

Pros: Phenomenal sound quality

Cons: They cost more than the iPod you will use them with.

Summary: Ignore the price for a minute! I dumped my BOSE noise-cancelling headset ($299) and my cheap iPod earbuds for these awesome earphones. If you use the yellow squishy ear inserts, they literally block out all annoying sounds.

I was on a constant exchange program for my Apple earbuds as I never found a set that didn't crackle. After the first time I used these with my own music, I found sounds in the files that I didn't know existed. In some cases, if you have low-quality MP3's, they are too good.

I recommend these to anyone who is using the BOSE noise-cancelling headsets. These have better quality, don't make "POP" noises in your ear and are so small when compared to that monster headset that BOSE sells.