Quote Originally Posted by Hsu View Post
I've seen reviews for ones that were like handcrafted with wooden and gold plated parts that ran about $5000, and the reviewers were like this sounds amazing... but no thanks.
I could see that. Gold plated anything in audio equipment makes for better quality -- gold is a better conductor for electrical signals (i.e. audio signals). I don't know if I'd pay $5,000 though.

Quote Originally Posted by Momiji View Post
Why can't you just stick with the headphones then? They're more comfortable than earbuds, IMO.
Because people might find them more comfortable than headphones? (especially the ones you can get moulded to your ear) And they are better quality? And the have the ultimate in noise reduction? I mean, the most expensive ones are generally used for live stage use, but they are also good for studio monitoring and stuff like that.

Personally, I'd rather go with earphones for everyday MP3 use (I'll use my headphones for uncompressed audio at home though). I have been thinking of getting some decent earbuds for home recording/mixing though.