The S4s are not much of an improvement over the original brands the OP mentioned. There are much better values out there for friends and family. Looking cool has little to do with good sound. I auditioned the S4s once, and they are not really a good value for friends and family. They were popular here once, but since then, there have been many new models in the price range that outperform them. I suggest checking Joker's massive IEM thread for suggestions.