Shure SE530

Pros: As good as it gets in sound isolating earphones

Cons: Price, price and, uh, price

Summary: I decided to buy some ridiculously expensive earphones about a year ago because I travel a lot and work in a loud office. I tried a friend's top of the line Etymotics and I also grudgingly tried a friend's Quietcomfort Bose headphones (I already decided I'm not halling around those giant things). The Etymotics were quite nice, but I ended up trying the SE530's at CES a couple of months ago and was blown away. I bought them last week and couldn't be happier with them. Absolutely crystal clear in the high and midrange with an enveloping bass. I think the base is significantly better than the Etymotic's, although those are fine phones as well). I was sitting on an airplane today, got lost in sound and actually forgot where I was at for a minute - it was a bit startling to have forgotten that I was on a plane (yes, I've been working too much - you have to to afford these things). Needless to say, the sound isolation is outstanding. My next step may be getting custom molded earplugs for them, the final step in my quest for perfect sound reproduction Bottom line: If I was a Pharaoh, I'd definitely put these puppies in the pyramid for the afterlife, right next to the Anubas statue....