My current earphones are going so it's time to replace them. Trouble is I love the ones I've got but they are discontinued and the updated model doesn't seem to be as good so I'm looking for recommendations.

My current ones are Sony MDR-EX70 and I've been really happy with the sound, fit and durability (lasted almost 6 years of abuse). The criteria I have is...

- $50 or less, maybe I can go higher if it's not a whole lot and the price increase is worth it.
- Has to be the in ear bud type as I normally only wear one ear at a time when I'm at work and I've had horrible problems with fit of various types over the year. See picture below (preferably not with an extension though).
- Has to sound good, I like bass.
- They will be used around 8 hours a day split pretty much equally between radio (talk/music mix) and straight up music of all types.
- They must be durable. I have a habit of knocking them on the floor and running over them with my chair and getting them caught on something and ripping them out of my ear when I move.
- One feature that would be nice (if it's even an option) would be the ability to override stereo sound and have both channels go through one ear piece. Since I only use one it gets annoying when I can only hear one channel of a multi channel broadcast and I can't figure out a way to force it on the computer.

No, no, no. Classic schoolboy error there. You want these from Sennheiser:

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX-...6351585&sr=8-1

I'm listening to them right now. Believe me I've tried every type of in ear headphone (including the Sony ones you mention) and these are far and away the best I have ever had. Be careful where you get them from though as there are millions of counterfeits out there.

Good luck.

p.s. note that most people that give them low ratings dont realise that you need to push them all the way in before you get the real sound! This feels weird if your not used to it.

The picture was an example of the ones I have now. The ones you posted look pretty similar in fit, basically a post with a rubber bud that you shove down the ear, not over ear, some stupid bud/clip combo or those flat ones that always fall out. The price is right too.

I had a long 'ear bud' discussion with colleagues yesterday. One of them spent $400 on a set of earphones.

I would if I could, but I can't so I shan't!

Yeh I would too, I have always used Sennheiser for DJ headphones though and been very happy with them. The build is top quality and they last for ever!

I like my Sennheiser HD 25 headphones. They are badged BA as I got them off ebay from a bulk load of ex Concorde equipment. Paid 30 quid at the time which was pretty good seeing how all the shops were charging a good 80-90 quid or thereabouts for the Sennheiser badged version.

Aye, they are a bit tasty, but a tad pricey.

At work, I've been using the Philips SBC HN060 noise cancelling ear buds, works really well when you've got tunes going through them but the passive noise doesn't work so well otherwise, and the AAA battery lasts ages, and you don't need a battery if your not using the noise cancelling part.

Bose one's? those are nice though...

They look good - I've had the Shure equivalent for a few years and the sound is great too, just more expensive. I've ripped them out of my ear a few times including once when the cable got trapped between the seat and the track of a rowing machine. When I have to replace them I suspect I'll try these out as a cheaper alternative.

Oh Shure - nice! The cream of the crop when it comes to in-ear phones. I would like to know how different they are from the Sennheiser.

Bose? In the audiophile circles, Bose is not really highly regarded in the same way that B&O isn't. The Americans love them though.

The Bose ones you speak of run about $100. I have those and LOVE them. So far they are the only ones that produce the amount of bass that I need. I've tried others and even owned a pair of Sonys but it's a far cry from the Bose Tri Port In-Ear Earbuds. I love the fact that they come with sized silicon ear inserts that customize the fit. I bought these to replace the rinky-dink white iPod earphones that came with my iPod. They kept slipping out my ears when I worked out on the treadmill. These fit perfectly and dampen the noise around me. See if you can find them on eBay and then go retail. It's worth the extra $50. Trust me.

You're not into drum 'n' bass are you?

Exactly what I was thinking. I love my Shure's for the gym and when flying because they really do block out the external sounds. I much prefer that to the whole battery operated noise cancelling ones - why get something that needs a battery when there's a perfectly good alternative.

Here are mine