I use etymotic MC5's with my iPhone and I think they are great. I didn't get a mic on mine, you can get ones with full remote in MC3's. Some points:
The build quality is supposedly better on MC's than HF's, neither are metal bodied though. MC's are polished plastic whereas HF's are a sort of soft touch rubber.
Mine improved loads with burn in, so dont be too upset when you first hear them. Supposedly the MC's had a little more bass than HF's.
Foam tips are rubbish, the headphones stick too far out, they are stupid on this design of headphone. Tri flange are where these are at. They go really far into your ear, but are super comfortable. I found best way is to not push and screw them into your ear, but instead choose the tip the seals perfectly when put in the first time. Hope this makes sense...!
The right tri flange tips seal brilliantly, no issues there with noisy people in the street. I went with the larger white ones, found much better seal and much better bass with these.
Do you really want a mic and remote on canal headphones? I thought the effect of hearing yourself through the seal would be strange, like when you can hear the cord banging around. Thought it would sound weird having a coversation like this.
Genuine apple in-ear headphones with remote and mic are £10 free delivery on ebay from a seller called ecell [size=10pt][size=10pt]accessorize. The ones that are £70 from apple...Worth a thought, I've got some as well as etymotics.[/size][/size]
Sound wise, these aren't bassy headphones. Bass is there, deep, enough of an impact, doesn't have any over emphasis though and no mid-bass hump. This is what I was after, and it sounds great. I was worried there would not be enough bass- but I think it is great. I listen to electronic music, and it sounds awesome through these.
Volume wise, I listen pretty close to the maimum limit, only a few squares below. They still sound fine, but, if you are a little deaf then you might struggle. I don't think the sound will improve much adding an amp.
Most importantly, you can choose funky colours!
UPDATE: Those in-ear ones from Ebay were fake....bummer, thought they were too good to be true. Genuine my ass....
