There’s no doubt about it: the default headphones that ship with all iPhones and iPods today really, really suck. They are just far too big to be able to fit into my earlobes, and the quality is pretty shocking; way too much bass for me.

When I got my first iPhone, I decided the buds simply wouldn’t do and so the search was on for a replacement pair.  They had to have:

• Good sound quality.
• Hands-free capability, preferably like the default Apple buds.
• Noise-isolation.

Up until recently there really wasn’t much choice at all. You essentially got a good pair of headphones and used an adapter for the hands-free, or you don’t bother at all.

There’s a nice product on eBay which was my first replacement pair. They use the same driver unit as the Sennheiser CX300 (which is an awesome bud), but have a clicker unit attached. The cable is really rubbery and crap, but for £25 I think they were a pretty good buy. Unfortunately, they died after about 5 months of reasonably heavy usage because the connector edges are sharp and don’t have rubber grommets to prevent the cable being cut.

Fortunately, you now have a few more choices.

• Ultimate Buds is a whole company set up around splicing existing headphones such as the Etymotic ER6i and a clicker unit. I decided against this as they are solely a US company, and this meant importing to the UK. Price: Three models from $60 to $160. 
• Sennheiser has the MM50 iP which is essentially an official version of the eBay model I described above. Additionally, I find the clicker to be a bit large and it looks like it might get in the way. Price: £60 - a bit much, considering the CX300s can be had for half of that.
• JVC have the HA-KX100, which seems to have received some poor reviews. To me, they didn’t look particularly comfortable. Price: £68.46.
• V-MODA Vibe were some of the first to be released, but are seemingly plagued with quality control issues - apparently, this is somewhat down to breaks in the cable. I tried a pair, and for me there was way too much bass. On the upside, they look awesome. Price: £68.46.
• Apple have just started shipping their new in-ear headphones. They are designed for the second generation iPod touch, but they are nearly backwards compatible with the iPhone - the volume control being the only thing which doesn’t work. Initial reviews are pretty good, but not great. Price: £54.

All of the above have their problems - personally I felt that I really couldn’t live with them. Pretty much the next step us is the Etymotic hf2 so yesterday, I sucked it up and paid the hefty £97.82 price tag. Which is pretty much more than I’ve spent on headphones in my entire life combined.

Let me tell you, they are worth every single penny.

First of all, let me encourage you to not get put off too much by the 3.5 star review level on the Apple Store. I guarantee the sound quality is better than any other in-ear headphone I’ve ever tried. What is crucial is that the headphones are sealed correctly in your ears. To do this, there’s a choice of two flange tips, or a foam tip which moulds to the shape of your ear. For me, the large flange was the way to go.

Once they’re sealed up properly, you know you’re listening to something special. Mids, highs, bass - it’s all rendered in crystal clarity. I listen to a wide variety of music - jazz, classical, soundtracks, rock (heavy, classic, …) - and it all sounds completely different. I put my pair of cheap buds in, afterwards and it sounded like a joke. Honestly, they are that good.

Sound isolation is also crazy insane good. I was sitting in the middle of a massive crowd of people in the Touchwood Centre, and it sounded like they were a few hundred feet away instead of right next to me. I found them a little uncomfortable at first, but after a while, you pretty much get used to the fact that they’re sitting lodged quite a way up in your ears. Call quality on the microphone is as good, if not better, than the microphone on the iPhone itself.

There are, however, niggles. Although the button for the remote works pretty well, it feels a bit cheap. Also the remote itself is a bit big. Possibly I’d like it a little further down the cord as well. I also feel they could probably include another set of filters and another set of earbuds as well for the price.

Seriously, if you’re looking for a really good pair of headphones for your iPhone or iPod, then go no further. These are absolutely excellent - if you’re willing to take the price.