Best portable in ear solution for 250bucks

The thing I find with an iPod Touch 4G is that you're not going to find the best sound out of them straight through the headphone jack. I don't know WHAT it is, but music just sounds more "lively" through the Sony machines that I have. That's not to say you should get rid of your Touch, but recognise that as long as you use it straight out of the headphone jack it won't sound as good as it can be.

That being said, at 250 bucks you're looking at a some serious sound quality output. The truth is, a $250 IEM is going to be better than a $100 IEM and a $150 amp, unless that IEM is the RE-0. Oh yeah, that doesn't even include your interconnects/LODs. You also have to take portability into consideration. I don't know about you, but I buy portable players so I either A) slip them into my back pocket and chill on commutes or B) use the apps on the Touch. I don't like strapping on an amp, because it longer fits my definition of portable. 

Now for the crux of this post: depending on the music you listen to, you'll gravitate towards different 'sound signatures'. As someone who listens to everything, I'm pretty happy with the Westone 3. It's just a fun set to listen to. Plenty of low end (so much more than expected for a balanced armature set) for dips into the "hip-hop" culture, and plenty of resolution for the faster pieces. Handles everything well. This fact, however, isn't stopping me from oggling a pair of Phiaton PS200 though. I sure could use less bass for some of the jazz that I listen to.

What's the moral of the story here? You're not going to find an ideal solution. You can find compromises though. So just read around head-fi! There's a good link >>HERE<< that you should check out. Just skip to whatever price range you're looking at, or go right to the numbers if you're a "too long; didn't read" type of dude. Good luck!

Depends on what kind of sound you are looking for. Bassy, sparkly and fun? I recommend Panasonic HJE900. Generally neutral with some warmth and smoothness added to spice things up? I suggest Fischer Audio DBA-02. Neutral and accurate with very little to no coloration? Etymotic ER4 P/S is your best friend.