Best earphones for under $250?

New Radius DDM#2 seem to be a decent option based on the recent review.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/545647/review-radius-hp-twf21-aka-w-n-2#post_7355911

Tip: you can get them at Promotional price from MusicaAcoustics for under 250

You should be able to find triple.fi 10's for 150-200, and I think they're easily better than the Shure  SE315's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserFriendly 

Also these on the guide to earphones by prices

Etymotic ER4P/S [$175]: analytical, high detail, great isolation.

• The Audio Technica CK10s are discontinued, so I have 4 choices now. 

Similar to Audio Technica Ck10 you can get is Ortofon e-Q5

decent review here: http://anythingbutipod.com/2011/01/ortofon-e-q5-review/

This are  within your price range as well.

Earsonics sm2 fits. Odds are that the Brainwavz B2 will turn out to be a DBA twin. Currently preorder cheap.

I personally like the Triple.fi 10. It's a very good IEM once you get a proper fit (try all the tips and flip mod if you're having trouble). Keep in mind that the SE315 is a single-driver balanced armature IEM, while the Triple.fi 10 is a triple-driver balanced armature IEM (and it costs less).

My 2 cents worth.

Triple.fi 10's definitely aren't crap, if fact I'd say they'd be able to compete pretty decently with even the Shure 535's.

The problem with the TF10's is that they are awkwardly shaped so that some people have trouble getting proper seals with them which results in bad sound.

I haven't heard the Shure 315's before but I think they were just neutral.  I think it's absurd for them to be considered best headphones under $200 though, unless you absolutely love the sound signature.  Most of the members here would disagree with the ratings on that site, plus it's a store and you can't trust always trust store ratings.  Their top rated Shure 535's and Westone 3's are relatively unpopular compared to many other similarly priced headphones in the same tier such as the SM3 and UM3x.

It might help if you know what kind of sound signature you prefer.  If you don't know that then just tell use what kind of music you listen to.

TF10's have a V-shaped sound signature, so the bass and high are pronounced and the mids are slightly recessed.  That basically means that there's plenty of bass and stuff like cymbals/hihats will be slightly louder and more noticeable in songs, but vocals will be slightly softer sound a bit farther away.

ER4's have extremely recessed bass, guitar baselines in songs are barely audible and drums are very "snappy" and fast; they don't thump or boom. This makes the mids and highs stand out a lot and makes everything sound cold and analytical.  Er4's are also extremely detailed.

I think SE315's are neutral, so no part of the sound stands out.  I'm not very sure though, to be honest SE315's are quite unpopular and are very rarely recommended to anyone.

DBA02's and Brainwavz B2's are another very good choice, there are some good reviews on them. 

You can't fully appreciate IEMS unless they're comfortable! I owned a pair of Super.fi 5's that sounded great for the price, however they hurt my ears so I eventually sold them. I think it's because I have smaller ear holes(?) than most guys. Anyway I ended up replacing them with Westone 3's but I think they are a little over your price budget but I'd also recommend the Westone 2's. However, sari0n makes a good point, you need to know what you're looking for because each IEM has their own sig. sound. Best of luck!