I finally got them. Wow, these Merks are great sound!

The spectrum is fine. I wouldn’t mind a bit more treble, but I realize that’s a tall order for canal buds. I’ll bet these $10 canalbuds will be a worthy opponent to any of those listed. I can’t be happier seeing how I went through three sets of crap to finally get the sound that I like.

http://www.amazon.com/Merkury-Innovations-MI-HP5510-Metallic-Earbud/dp/B002MZZR6I

I suppose the final score depends on how long these Merks will last. A low point is for the straight jack versus a sensible angled one. For shame.

I hate those cretinous ‘regular’ earbuds because they habitually fall out while running or by even tilting your head the wrong way. Where are your facts to back up your claim about canalbuds being more destructive than earbuds? Everything in moderation isn’t a bad thing albeit any sound device should be used responsibly. Trust me, some people (like my pompous boss) talk at a volume that can likely cause hearing damage over time.

Anywho, I just came on here to say to stay away from two earbuds from the (don’t laugh too hard) $10 down category for cheap gym earbuds.
1. Coby Jammerz: The “extra bass” is basically achieved by killing the treble. Terrible muddy sound.
2. Elecom Ear Drops Series 3. Cheap sound like the Cobys, ‘nough said.

I think I’m going to try out the Merkury MI-HP5510 for $10 being that the reviews are quite good. I could buy Skullcandy Inked for $10, but I heard they aren’t that great being that they also kill off the high end to sacrifice for the low end of the sound spectrum. I need a balance for my span of music that goes from Zamfir all the way down to Slayer. Oh, and the wire cords on the Merkury MI-HP5510 are a braided fabric overlay, so you would likely not get the sporadic noise transfer from the wire cords from the typical vinyl variety. I’ll buy the new MI-HP5510 buds in a few days and report back.

My major gripe with almost all earbud manufacturers is the use of a straight plug versus the ‘L’ shape because a lot more stress is taken by the jack with a straight plug in it, for obvious reasons. An angled plug also keeps my player more compact.

(PS: a non e moose: “Keep it clean.” That request probably means no profanity (no matter how much you mask it), ya think?! I know I shouldn’t expect better etiquette over the web, but I’m a dreamer. I’m always guilty of profanity-laced “shop talk”, but I treat the web like any public area with consideration and respect for others. It’s like blowing cigarette smoke in another person’s face … just because you enjoy smoking as much as the next person, nobody likes smoke blown into their face whether they are a smoker or not.)