Reddit mentions of JVC HAFX30B Headphone, Marshmallow, Black

Your description has me interested in buying but I have quite a few questions.

1. As someone who is afraid of buying expensive IEMs because I've broken my fair share of them, how durable is it?
   
   
2. I currently own these cheap IEMs for my runs and two headphones: ATH-M50 and V-Moda M80. Do the IEMs compare to the headphones at all? Would the IEM be able to handle the stress from the runs?
   
   

JVC (or other brand) "marshmallow" headphones work great for this. The earbuds are soft memory foam type material instead of rubber, and they're not as bulky as over-the-ear sets.

JVC's on Amazon

You might be able to find something similar for $5 at a local Staples/Best buy/other retailer

Grab some of these headphones. They ear part is made of the same stuff as ear plugs, and they don't breathe, so they block most sound. For some reason I listen to audio books and podcasts while I work out, and the gym by my house only seems to play Tool. They block most everything and I can easily listen Ira Glass without a Lateralus backing. I actually use them on flights and just show the stewardess the fact that they are not plugged in during takeoff.

Can be found for as little as $5. Act as a semi-earplug that plays music. Works great.

http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HAFX30B-Headphone-Marshmallow-Black/dp/B005FDOG6G/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1369618150&sr=1-1&keywords=jvc+marshmallow+earbuds

JVC Marshmallows are the cheapest, most comfortable, best-sounding earbuds I've ever used. They are in my ears 6-8 hours a day and NEVER get uncomfortable. The sound quality is nuts for the price. I'm on my 2nd pair now. Took me two years to wear out the first pair and I bought the exact same ones as a replacement.

The link is to the standard ones, but I use the ones with inline mic/remote and they're only $2 more.

What you're looking for are "closed" headphones. There are two types of headphone - open and closed. Open allow air to move in the headphone, and have better sound, but leak sound out (and in). Closed do not.

I use big headphones at work, but mine are open. I have a pair of JVC Marshmallows, which are highly endorsed as maybe the best quality for the money in earbuds. They are so good at blocking noise it makes me uncomfortable sometimes.

JVC Marshmallow Earbuds are what i've been using for a while. I usually tie a knot just below my neck in the wire to help keep the chord from flapping around, but sometimes I still have problems with my arm hitting the chord.

When I'm out in public, I use JVC marshmallow ear buds. They are very portable and reasonably cheap. Since they are made of foam, they tend to shape to your ear canal and block out noise pretty effectively.

For non-music ear plugs, I also have Hearos hi fi ear plugs, that tend to help block out more prominent ambient noise, but they don't get rid of everything. They are also great for going to concerts; they lower the volume of the music, but you still hear everything as intended (rather than as muted and muddy, like most foam ear plugs will do).

When I'm at home, I use Shure 840s. Most people in my house don't trigger me, so it's not a big issue there, but those things still have excellent noise isolation, even though they are not active noise-cancelling headphones. I absolutely love them for listening to music.

Hi all! I use my headphones all the time, and I even used to work in audio sales for ages. But everything I have has worn out, and I've been out of the loop for a long time. Could use some advice on brands etc.

Budget - <$150

Source - Tablet/mobile.

Requirements for Isolation - Fairly low. I use my headphones at work and on transit, and I don't mind outside noise. I just want to make sure it's not too loud to others around me.

Preferred Type of Headphone - earbuds

Preferred tonal balance - As natural as possible. I have somewhat spoiled ears, and I really dislike artificial base boosts of any sort. EDIT: Vocal quality in music is of particular importance to me.

Past headphones - I'm replacing two sets - a cheap JVC Marshmallow set and Sennheiser MX 470's. Neither of those blew me away, but they were cheap and readily available when I needed somethings.

Preferred Music - About 70% of what I listen to is online audio, mostly let's play/talk videos and streams. The rest of the time, I listen to music from a variety of sources such as a small FLAC collection or Google Music.

My biggest problem, again, is that I've been out of the loop for many years and I don't know what to look for at all brand-wise. I would really like to upgrade from my very basic earbuds though.