I had ER6's, then ER4P's. Bought the Shure E500's and gave the ER4P's to my wife. She still loves me and loves the ER4's. I find the Shure E500's far superior (I've got some Bose QC2's I'd sell you cheap!).

Guess this is as good a place as any to post
Ripped from Slick Deals

Shure Isolating Earphones (white only): SCL3 $59.00 or SCL4 $79.00 after IR Musician's Friend

SCL3 Was 149
SCL4 Was 249

Usually I'm happy with my BOSE QC3 noise cancelling headphones. But there are times when I need to carry less bulkiness as possible.

So I started looking into those in-ear headphones. Seeing that I was pleased with my BOSE QC3, I naturally started looking at the BOSE TriPort In-Ear headphones, but cnet didn't give any good reviews on them

I was wondering if anyone here could give me their personal reviews or suggestions on in-ear headphones. And if it's really good, I don't mind spending $100~$200 on them

I have the Shure SE530s and they blow away anything else I've ever owned. I used to be in the noise canceling camp (my first NC earbuds, a pair of Sony MDR-NC10s, lasted 10 years and are still good, but I retired them) but sound isolation is the way to go.

The SE530 is pricy but if you can stretch your budget a bit I think it's a really amazing product. Shure also offers a full range of products, including several in your stated budget range, some of which are discussed in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...g-earbuds.html

I just purchased the Shure SC210s in that price range and couldn't be happier. The replaced my Sennheiser 250s which I left on a plane somewhere.

Riding the subways in NYC I don't notice the background noise. They are that good.

Do you mean Shure SE210? Where and how much?

I'm an admitted tech addict (hello, my name is.... hehe)

This thread seems to be focusing on the higher end or pricier models of earbuds, so just putting an option out there for the travelers on a tighter budget.

I although I have shelled out the coin for both Bose & Sony over the head noise reduction headphones, I haven't spent a lot of money on earbuds yet, but I haven't really had a motivation to... primarily because I've had such a great experience with Koss's "The Plug" or "SparkPlug" ($10-$20) earbuds.

The Plug is an noise "isolating" earbud, rather than active noise "reduction", but I really like them anyway. They come with a few sizes of the squishy earbuds that expand in your ear and are very comfortable to wear for long periods. (for whatever reason, the non-squishy type of earbuds tend to make my ears sore)

I picked them up at the last minute at RadioShack one day as I ran to the airport and couldn't find my Sony's. Didn't want to spend much money as I knew I'd locate my "good ones" when I got home again. I grabbed these and was so happy with them, that they never leave my travel bag now.

I find that these are always what I reach for when I am listening to my mp3 player and trying to sleep on my transatlantic flights... the larger headphones just get in the way of me being comfortable. They do a remarkable job at blocking out the snoring seatmate or the chatty kids in the seats behind me.

I'm s(h)ure I did. I got them at J&R for $150 and that seemed to be in the ballpark of what they were selling for in other places but I needed to pick them up that day (along with my Acer and a few other things).

In the lower price range I am a big fan of the Sennheiser CX300s. Which by the way Amazon has today for $22. That is an absolute steal.

After giving careful thought and reading all the reviews, I decided to get the Shure SE530. A retailer on Amazon.com was selling these for $319.95 + $4.95 shipping ^

I hope it arrives by next weekend before my trip to Albuquerque! I'd love to try them out in the plane!

Did you go for the SE530PTH?

It is worth paying the extra to get the Push To Hear Module as if travelling you have to keep popping the IEMs out to talk to crew, hear announcements etc whereas the PTH module lets you flick a switch and hear external noise through your earphones.

You can also buy it on its own if needed. I have these headphones and they really are superb.

For those not wanting to spend so much then the main thing is to get good isolation. Higher end IEMs come with a range of tips such as silicon flanges, foam etc. If you want to just improve your existing IEMs then check out Comply and pick up some of their foam tips for your earphones, if supported.

A couple of weeks ago I had to endure a night with bog-standard ipod phones. For a side sleeper, that was torture.

I have looked into the higher end shures, by they all seem to protrude to long to offer comfort when sleeping on the side. But for you are awake, I am sure they offer better isolation and sound. I would like to have a tiny speaker element that you could fit in an for ear plug and add a silicone mouldable (I use the US brand Mack's) earplug as a cover.

The SE530s tuck in to the ear cavity so are good for falling asleep with.

Hey, thanks for the heads up! I'm going to try these.

I concur. I can't side-sleep with my Etymotics, and I sure as heck can't with the Bose QC3. But sleeping with the SE530s are actually quite OK.