Best headphones you've ever heard/used

Lenny or anyone else: has any one compared the ultimate ears 10 pro to shure 5c or etyomics rsch 4ps?

I too travel a lot and despite the better sound quality, I do not carry headphone amps ala headroom as I always want to keep things light. I've gone a lot of headphones and earphones and the two best are etymoic research and shure...etyiomic has better treble extension and more air, while shure,,,,the 5C model in particular, ..is a bit warmer but better bass. If u headbang, shure is the way to go.

anyone tried the new Qualia (Sony) Headphones?

Agree a lot with dbk. Since my last post I purchased a Total Airhead amp and boy does it make a world of difference: also use a Cardas cable specifically designed for the IPOD-amp connection which improves things incrementally. I own the Shure 3C, EC5 and Etyomic 4NS. Btwn the Shures, E5C outperforms by a wide margin, as it should be given the price difference: soundstage, clarity, definition, treble, bass, u name it. Btwn E5C and Etyomic I feel its a matter of taste and comfort: The former certainly accentuates mid bass and warmer in tone: but resolution I think is just as good but given the mid bass bump can camaflouge things at times. Etyomic sounds more clear and a more open sound stage but can be analytical at times...and is less good in terms of just rocking out if that is what you want. I use both depending mood, music and gave my 3C's to my son. Remember one of the keys is to have recorded your music in Apple's loseless compression or non-compressed file formats such WMA or via Exact Copy. You can't correct faults at the source. One thing that was not mentioned in terms of comfort, Etyomic sticks out and cord issues are sometimes (only sometimes) as some mentioned earlier, but note the E5C is designed to be hooked into your ear from behind: wrapping around from back to to top of ear and into it: if you wear glasses then sometimes it can become a bit of a balancing act. The other full gear (?) headphones are all very good and superior in a lot of cases but are bulky and not great for travel. I would also add neither the E5C or the Etyomic models are good for say running etc if that is what you require. Shure's 3C is probably a better bet in that case (and using a smaller player such as the new Nano IPOD etc).

Thanks Lenny. I also think with regard to your concerns Robm321, the UE custome molded fit may solve some those issues: pure conjecture on my part but it must, shouldn't it?

just got the new Shure 500s...significant improvement over 5c, 4c etc. 5c has that bass thing going but 500s are tighter and better attack: mid range is more clear and open sounding: treble sounds more extended though may not be true: but overall the best in ears I've heard: that includes the 2 other Shures, Etyomic 4s and untimate ear pro 5.