[Buried]

I got a set of Shure E4Cs and am happy with them. They were for me a good compromise between price and sound quality. The E5Cs have a somewhat clearer soundstage, but are a noticable step up in price.

I listen mostly to orchestral classical and some big band jazz. I rip to WAV rather than MP3 or FLAC. I've never been happy with MP3 rips in terms of string sounds, cymbals/hihats, and clarity in the top end. iPods won't play FLAC.

The E4cs aren't the equivalent of an absolute top end set of cans or preamp/amp/speaker setup, but they're MUCH better than I expected out of earbuds. The isolation is really good. If I use them on an airplane, I can't hear the screaming kid so long as it's 3 rows away. They deaden at least as much sound as the earplugs I always wear on airplanes. If I wear them in my cube, I can't hear my cube neighbor who is incessantly making personal phone calls, and I also can't hear people come into my cube by knocking on the supports.

I haven't had any problems with them bumping into things due to sticking out of my ears too far. I do wish they had a better wire solution. I've tried the suggested "loop it above your ears", but it didn't work for me. They do have a slider over the wires leading to the buds so you could slide that up and tighten the wires near your chin.

I've tried all of the various fittings and the foams work best for me both in terms of comfort and sound/isolation quality. I actually experimented with wearing some of the rubber ones in the cube so I could hear people come in, but they are too uncomfortable for me. I purchased a pack of 20 replacement foams, but haven't cracked it open yet. I've had the Shures since December.