Sennheiser CX 500 $129 Includes:...
Sennheiser CX 500 $129
Includes:
Earpieces
Soft case
Right out of the box, the Future Sonics M5's sounded so awful that I gave up after 30 seconds and wished I had brought my hated, crappy iPod headphones. The problem wasn't the phones themselves, but how well they lodged in my ear canal. I then tried the many different earpieces that came with the earphones and eventually found a set that felt great. Problem solved!
As for the Sennheisers, they fit well right out of the box, even though they came with a variety of earpieces (and a soft case for storage to boot). Unfortunately, they had no instructions, unless you count the diagram on the inside of the packaging.
Etymotic Research ETY 8 $299Includes:Bluetooth...
Etymotic Research ETY 8 $299Includes:Bluetooth adapterUSB cableEarpiecesSoft caseInstruction booklet
Conversely, I opened the Shure box and was thrilled to find a ton of usable extras including a really great instruction booklet. By looking through this, I learned what those strange extras included with the other earphones were. I realize this isn't rocket science, but each pair of headphones was completely different and the manufacturers should help out a little bit on this front. In addition to the booklet and earpieces, Shure also added an extension cable, hard case, double mono adapter jack, and volume knob add-on.he Etymotic Research ETY 8 Bluetooth headphone uses Bluetooth to transmit signal from your music player to the earbuds, thus eliminating a wired connection. It does this through an included Bluetooth adapter that you plug into your iPod. Also included is a USB cable to charge the earphones (which have a 10-hour battery life). To help you figure this out, they've thrown in an instruction booklet along with the variety of earpieces and soft case for storage.
If the wire that dangles from your standard headphones drives you crazy, the ETY 8 is a good option. Personally, I felt like I had a tennis ball in both ears. I ended up inserting the earpiece really deep into my ear canal just to make it feel like they wouldn't fall out from the extra weight. Sonically, they were pretty good, but I definitely wouldn't wear these to the gym. They're clearly for a niche market.
I realize that I gave the Shures a golden ticket on this and afterward I looked at the prices and they were the most expensive pair by far.