[Jarvool]

Hey all,
I'm a noob on the forum and to high end audio in general. I recently got an iphone and want to pick up a decent quality pair of iems to go with. i'm having a tough time sorting through the @$$ loads of headphones in the price range i'm looking at (around $150). Ideally i'd like a pair that are durable, have good overall sound (I listen to a wide variety of music), are iphone compatible (Ideally with the inline control) and are decent for physical activity (ie. low cable noise). wanting all of these things may be wishful thinking. the models i've so far come across are:
 
Shure 115+
Etymotic hf3
Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5vi
klipsch image s4i
 
I've heard the S4i's and UE's are somewhat flimsy which concerns me because durability is a high priority. not that I abuse my stuff (quite the opposite) but they will go in my pocket, and be used while running etc. I have heard etymotic mixed things on etymotics such as music sounding "analytical" and "souless" (whatever that means). shures supposedly have a bit more bass which sounds appealing, although i don't like having to always wear the wire over the ear (having the option would be great though). 
 
any suggestions other than these are welcome, or if you think one of these is my best option let me know. As I said I'm new to this sort of thing so any help is much appreciated!
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[steveotron]

You can probably find the TripleFi 10 on eBay for under $150 (I just sold off my extra pair from the Amazon deal). Be warned, I, like many other people who've had them, had issues with the tips and proper fitting. That was solved by getting the Sony Hybrid tips and now I'm a happy owner. You might be lucky and not have these issues, but I just thought I'd put that out there. I also had the same issue with my previous UE headphones, which were the SuperFi 5vi. Seems like EU can't get their tips right. The SuperFi 5vi would be way under your budget, which isn't exactly a bad thing. They're going for around $65-70 on Amazon, and I have a brand new pair on eBay which should go for around $50.
 
Shures are going for $65 at Electronics Expo: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=786806&t=2545813

 

[Jarvool]

so you think ultimate ears are the way to go then? are they pretty durable little guys?

 

[steveotron]

Quote:

so you think ultimate ears are the way to go then? are they pretty durable little guys?

I think they're fairly good for the money, but I haven't had as much experience with IEMs as others (more of a full headphone person). As for durability, I don't think they're the greatest. My cable is giving me problems right now, but I think UE is fairly aware of the issue, and it shouldn't be too hard to get a replacement cable sent my way.
 
I'd recommend checking out the gear page to see what everyone else is saying about other viable options (http://www.head-fi.org/products/category/universal-fit), and see if the descriptions of the sound (remember these are subjective but most people tend to get similar impressions) to see if they fit with what you listen to/want.

 

[ZARIM]

DBA-02, Radius DDM, JVC FX500, HJE900, Custom 3 and Sennheiser IE7.

 

[Jeanethics]

I own two S4i's An there is a quality issue with the three button remote i haven't had them for that long to see if they last they sound pretty good.
I am currently looking for the triplefi 10's as previously stated i read they are good once you get the proper fit..