A Poor Audiophile Looking for "Hidden Gem" Earphones

[Crockett15]

I'm looking for budget earphones from the $30-$60 range and sending a BOLO for "hidden gems" and killer steals.
 
I'm coming off a worn/broken pair of Sony MDR-XB20EXs, which I loved for a while, but are now hard to find for a decent price and are bass heavy for my aging taste. The XB20EXs seemed to be a steal for the $20 I spent on them, so I'm looking to make another quality purchase and upgrade for the next decade.
 
With my music taste maturing and my angsty teenage years behind me, I thankfully no longer base quality listening on bass and volume alone. If I had all the money in the world, I would probably have a different setup for each genre (or even album) I listen to, but that's a distant dream. 
 
What I'm looking for: 
 
High quality, clean and accurate sound reproduction (Vinyl, CD, and FLAC listening)
Design that works and lasts (the flat/band wires on sony and monster phones are worth their weight IMO)
Great Isolation and sticky fit 
 
 
Music I listen to: 
 
Indie, folk, Bluegrass, Oldies, classic rock and Instrumental
 
 
The reason I can't splurge on earphones is because I am hoping to get a nice set of either noise canceling, or closed cup over-ear headphones down the road. But in the meantime, I need a pair of earphones that will take care of my music needs riding in the car, jogging, sitting at work and enjoying a relaxing afternoon.
 
Your thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'll continue my persistent research in the meantime.
 
Cheers

 

[zamorin]

I would suggest the Vsonic VSD1 or check out these comparison threads:

http://www.inearmatters.net/2009/01/list_01.html

http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-302-iems-compared-1964ears-v6-stage-added-11-12-13-p-806      

 

[DrSheep]

Try the Sleek Audio SA1 for $40 on Amazon.  I bet you will be impressed by them.

 

[Crockett15]

After doing some research, I'm trying to decide between the Sony MH1Cs and VSonic VC02s. How do these compare to each other? Anybody have personal comparisons or thoughts? And the Sleek Audio SA1s look fun, but also quite 'gadgety'.
 
Any opinions on the VSonic R02 (silver or bass) vs the VC02s?  
 
I'm still wondering if there are any other off-the-cuff sets that outperform their price.
 
Thanks

 

[zamorin]

Both the MH1C and the VSD1s are highly rated here. Not sure about the VC02s. Why did you narrow it down to that?

 

[wskl]

  After doing some research, I'm trying to decide between the Sony MH1Cs and VSonic VC02s. How do these compare to each other? Anybody have personal comparisons or thoughts? And the Sleek Audio SA1s look fun, but also quite 'gadgety'.
 
Any opinions on the VSonic R02 (silver or bass) vs the VC02s?  
 
I'm still wondering if there are any other off-the-cuff sets that outperform their price.
 
Thanks

 
I did a short comparison between the MH1C and the VC02 in the below thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/635372/vsonic-vc02-info-appreciation-thread/210#post_9060423
 
As mentioned in your original post, you wanted a "clean and accurate" sound, then I would definitely recommend the VC02 over the MH1C.