Shure SE310 Sound Isolating Earphones (White)

Pros: Comfortable, good sound isolation, decent sound quality

Cons: Takes some getting used to, expensive

Summary: Comfort: These earphones are surprisingly comfortable. I have never had in-canal earphones before so I was quite anxious. The foam plugs are very comfortable.

Sound quality: If you are into high end audio (I have a Linn system) this is not the ultimate earphone pair. So dont expect these to blow you away. You might want to try the S510 phones. I have not tried them. These are very good in that they actually let you hear some of the mids, which i have found to be the most lacking in earphones and non high-end audio systems in general.

Price: I cant justify buying earphones that are more expensive than my mp3 player which is why I bought these. These are still slightly overpriced IMO.

vs. Bose QC2: I also own the Bose QC2s which in my opinion are decent sounding (I am not a fan of Bose speakers. In fact I hate them). The Shures are overall better in every aspect - portability, midrange response is much better, better noise isolation (the cancellation in the QC2 is only OK). I have almost stopped using the QC2 since I got these.

Summary: Overall, these earphones are a very pleasing upgrade to stock earphones. I ride the bus a lot and these help block out most of the noise so I can listen at low volume levels. At work, I cannot even hear myself typing on the keyboard when i have these on. Its just music. Its nice. I am not sure if the SE510s are worth it if all I am going to use these are with MP3 players like the iPod and Zune. The MP3 player's quality might then become the weakest link in the chain.