Thanks for your suggestion. But im looking for earphones and not headphones (On ear).

My bad...

I've not used any Earbuds priced above 1k. Never felt comfortable wearing them and have not used any for years now. But happened to listen to a philips bud. Forgot the name but it was more comfy than what I had expected. And sounded better than the ones that used to come with the ipod shuffle. Buds have become alien stuff to me, Im sorry that I cannot suggest any.

You can check out this list from Head-fi for earbuds:

https://www.head-fi.org/f/showcase/c...y/earbuds.290/

Thanks guys...Seems with my criteria the only well known options are the Sennheiser MX X70 Series.

I wanted to upgrade into the audiophile class after using entry level models like Creative EP630, Senheiser CX 180, SoundMagic E10, AudioTechnica CLR100 etc.

The AudioTechnica was a clear mismatch to my listening preference where it was so good on vocals but fared poor on the bass.

Had shortlisted One More Triple driver & RHA MA 750. Both turns out to be very different from my preference though these are supposedly bassy earphone. I kind of thank me that i didn't purchase it without auditioning. Finally, liked the V Moda Forza Metallo which suited my listening preference (tight bass). Honestly, with my iPod touch, I couldn't find a lot of difference between the Creative 630 / Sennheiser CX 180 / JBL 100 TA that I have used Vs the Forza and it retails @ 12,000/-.

Is it that the iPod touch couldn't bring the best out of the Forza?? Anyone has a recommendation on a product similar on the imaging to the above listed earphones?

PS: I listen to regional songs (melodoius & fast numbers), English hit charts, instrumental etc.

I can't comment on the V Moda you are looking at, however, I've heard a first generation Crossfade and it is outstanding in sound quality and comfort. Yes; it is a on the bass heavy side but tight, well defined bass.

The iPod isn't the greatest for sound quality but I won't call it bad either. I would also not spend too much money on headphones or earphones if the source is going to be an ipod. It does not support any form of high resolution digital audio files and is limited to aac or high high quality mp3. Except for the instrumental genre you mention, I doubt if any of the others even figure when it comes to recording quality. I'd recommend you download a high bit rate audio file from itunes (pay for it) and then do an assessment.

The trouble with digital audio is their source. There are lots of ways you can get digital audio downloaded but we don't know their true source. Were they recorded on a analog medium and then converted to digital? This is not a bad thing but it has to be done right and only a good sound engineer knows how to do this. Was the entire mastering done in the digital domain? We don't know any of this for the free material we download. Even the one's that claim to be flac. You can easily convert a mp3 to a flac but that is pointless.

Do remember that when you say audiophile class, the ipod was never meant to be one. You might want to consider switching over to a Sony or Onkyo player if you want to get anywhere remotely Audiophile.

Got myself One More Piston Fit blue colored earphones. I am a sucker for budget earphones and these will replace my soundmagic E18s which were very nice but fell victim to poor build quality and the right ear piece somehow screwed itself loose and won't fall back in place. Will try to stick it, but that is an errand that I have postponed to a future date.

Meanwhile the Pistons feel a lot airy compared to the E18s that were a lot more muddled and have rolled off highs that makes them easy to listen for longer durations. Hopefully they open up more with further use. Build seems a lot more durable with thicker wires. The earpieces are angled at 45 degrees which helps in quickly finding a comfortable fit. Haven't used the mic yet to comment on voice quality.

Humph! Speak for yourself. The mighty iPod supports ALAC Sorry but went through hell few years back converting all FLACs to ALACs just for playback on the iPod classic connected to the car stereo

Since then changed to Android and the ease of direct playback of FLACs. Have the v20 now and it's a beast playing 24bit FLACs. Got the Onkyo remastered collection of Iron Maiden and oh man it's just bliss.

For high-res FLACs, you can check out HDTracks.net.

A phone with a portable amp would be best for audio bliss.

I am aware of HD Tracks, Qobuz and a few others. I was trying to educate the FM about high res audio. Clearly, he did not seem to know there is limited scope with an iPod.

May not be an audiophile class, but I found a basic Bose sound sport provides a much better listening pleasure as compared to a normal head phone; when paired to a simple 20-25K cell phone.

I use a QC20 along with Moto Z Play for most cases. And am very satisfied with the performance.

For the car its a mix of oversampled MP3 or Apple lossless running on the classic ipod. Work well with Infinity Primus speakers without any amp.

Where do I buy authentic Beats Wireless Studio headphones ear pads? My current set has worn out and need a replacement.

Thanks for the link, Thad! I joined SBAF!
Finally a place where people call a spade, a spade. Most audiophile forums can be described only with words that would get me banned from here.

Hi guys, check out a Video I made about new Sony Headphones I bought.

My 4 to 5 year onld Brainwavz M2 is starting to have cable issues. The audio is not affected, but I am afraid that it will snap any time. I want to replace this with another IEM. Not sure on what to buy. I do not want another M2. Are there any recommendations? Ideal IEM should be a step up from M2. The audiosource is from an audiofly DAC and FLAC files played through foobar OR youtube OR any number of movies played through VLC. Occasionally it will be connected to my android phone, so having a mic is a plus, though not a deal breaker.

I myself am not a fan of IEMs but if I were to buy a pair it would probably be a Shure. I've heard good things about them and they are pretty robust. I'd say they would be a nice change from the M2.