I'm not a big fan of in-ear headphones. There's something about them that just creeps me out. I look at them and get the feeling that I'm one step closer to home theater being a chip installed in my skull. *Blink* 50000p video and 21.1 surround all in my brain *Blink* and I'm out of the Matrix. Whatever.
Anyway, the latest pair of portable-ish head phones I am using are the very good iGrados. They were about $40 I think, (from our friends at Audio Den) and fit pretty well. They have much better bass than any in-ear I have used at twice the price (Klipsch, Sennheiser). You just can't recline with them on- there is a hard plastic band that wraps around the back of your head that prevents that. They would be fine for exercise though, even though I prefer to run without music. I would imagine the iGrado would keep your ears warmer than running outdoors in February than iPod buds! I also use larger Grado S60 cans for late-night listening to the main system, and for the money ($70? there may be an improved version- check out Music Direct: http://www.musicdirect.com/p-7148-grado-sr-60i-headphones.aspx) they are hard to beat.
I had meant to order the SACD of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," but as is so often the case on Amazon, I found myself scrolling through the "Other People Who Bought This. . . " and discovered a band called "Animals As Leaders." I know nothing about the band, but as I sit here typing I am listening to a track on their MySpace page called: "Tempting Time." The guitarist is a speed demon. Kind of a cross between Eddie Van Halen and Stanley Jordan for Progressive Metal. Interesting. I'm ordering it.
