Speaking from a less technical stand point: I am not much of an audiophile, but definitely moving up from iPod's standard headphones is a must.     I first got a pair of Philips SHE2641/27 In Ear Headphones (For the cheap price and because my iPod headphones had broken). These headphones were flat to say the least and did not fit my ear very well. These also soon broke (I am a bit rough at times).   After my Philips I got a pair of Skullcandy Lowriders. These were average. The bass was heavy and the overall sound was just loud. These soon...