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Thanks for all your responses guys! I have looked at all of them and Id say the $100 "downtowns" look very nice "They are purple!' and are a very good price. But my other headphones just died so I dont know if I can wait!
I liked the look of the V-Moda but they are a tad bit expensive for me. Not sure yet!
Just a quick question, is there any audiophile phones that are in-ear or do those not exist haha
LOL,
NOW you ask that after I deleted my post with all the IEM notes!
Re-posting some of what I wrote earlier, with a budget like that you could get some nice IEMs that definitely fall into the audiophile realm. It depends a little on if you're looking for a flat/neutral or fun response. On the flat/neutral side you could do worse than Hifiman RE-0 for just about half the budget. They're a relatively flat/neutral headphone, light on the bass with a small treble spike, but other than that, neutral and very high performing for the price. They do really like amping so you'd want to get a small battery powered amp for it such as Fiio E10, E11, etc, however they ran find out of my iPod Touch without an amp and with a little bass boost applied to flavor. They're suitable unamped, but shine much more amped. They're dynamic so they have a port hole in the back unlike armature IEMs. That can be a negative since it hinders isolation, but could be a plus for your application since you're wearing them on the go and they let you hear your surroundings, even if just somewhat.
If you're looking for a "fun" headphone, UE headphones work well. SuperFi 5 has a fairly clean v-shaped curve, and the TripleFi 10 has a very detailed sound, but with a deep V curve, meaning treble is bright and fast, bass has good extension and is pretty tight, but mids can be very recessed and distant. That is the extreme, but a good definition of a "fun" headphone. They're an ergonomic disaster, but with some 3rd party tips they can be comfortable and can be had within your budget. Again they don't need an amp to sound good, but adding an amp brings the soundstage and detail out further, and tightens the bass a little.
Klipsch x10 can fit in that price range if you look, but I have durability concerns about them. They're great cans with excellent mids, but the wires do seem very frail to me and are non-replaceable.
There are a lot of IEM options in that price range. The Hifiman is unique at its price point (everything Hifiman is, including their $1200 planar magnetic full size phones), and is one of the few neutral dynamic IEMs. TF10 and x10 used to compete at the very high end of universal IEMs until coming down in street price. The "high end" universals are now dominated at the $500 price point by Shure SE535 & Westone W4, the last real jumpoff point before >$1000 custom molded units.
I like my TF10 when I want a fun sound (and it works great for brighter classical chamber music due to the very crisp over-extended treble, though they're most commonly associated with rock & pop), I love the sound of my x10, but I rarely use them for fear of wearing out that fragile cable. My main IEM is my SE535 since warm, detailed mids are the closest thing I can get to my HD650s on a tube amp on the go
