1/ running unamped from a phone, id suggest sumthin with very low impedance so that the phones can drive the cans easily. my suggesttion to u would be to look for In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs). its the kind like the creative EP630..the one where u stick it in ur ear (some dude in head-fi called them ear dildos ) IEMs typically have very low impedance (16ohms) making them very easy to drive.

anyway...for ur usage (which is using with phones) and ur budget, id recommend the Razer Pro Tones m100. ive never heard it..but it has been getting good reviews. or u could add RM30 to ur RM100 budget and get the Crossroad MylarOne from walabies.

2/ how we recommend?? its based on a few things...
- budget (most important)
- usage (gaming/music, portable/ not portable)
- do u need isolation? (closed/open headphones)
- if music, type of music u listen to
- wats ur source?
- wat amp? (if any)
- others that escape me at the moment

3/ not sure about this...but there is a logic behind it. headphones typically have higher impedance than IEMs making them harder to drive (n mebbe require more power to drive them properly). the lowest ive found would be 32ohms. and ive tried 32ohm headphones with my w810i. and although they sound alot better than then standard IEMs, i just cant get enough volume. even with the volume from the phone maxed out..its just not satisfying enough for me (but thats just me la...coz i usually listen to my music loud. might be different for u)

1/ Crossroad MylarOne u can search here in the audiophile section for a review. theres a thread for it and a forumer did a review comparing it with Koss KSC75.
difference between 16 and 32ohms arent much...but its quite significant when i used it on my w810i. but thats me coz i like loud volumes.
i never mentioned any other brands because theyre quite above ur budget. but the senn IEM is quite popular.

2/ isolation...yeah...u wont hear outside...and u wont get sound coming in. it might not block out 100% but itll block out quite alot of sound oso from going in/ out.

3/ the other way round la dude.. IEM will be LOUDER as its easier to drive compared to headphone. headphones will be SOFTER. and i prefer the sound quality of headphones. some prefer IEMs. diff people diff taste

1/ think of the impedance (ohms) as resistance.. the lower the resistance the easier to drive. hence louder volumes. m100 can be bought at either bulk section or ALL IT Digimall PJ for RM99...not sure if they have it in ALL IT LYP or not.

n some headphones do benefit from higher impedance while some do not. depends i guess.

2/ i never said i prefer volume of IEM its not hard for me to choose a suitable headphone for myself coz what i did was i bought myself a headphone amplifier (Little Dot Micro +) and use my headphones but then i rarely use my w810i for my audio. my portable audio would be my car sound system

as for suitable headphone for myself...i found my headphone liao... Beyerdynamic DT990 '05 use it in the office as my main audio setup.

guys i just purchased the m100 for 51 aussie.. abit more expensive than in msia but nvm hehe.. hear u guys saying its so good and reviews too.. gonna receive it around tuesday.. hope it will be good!! hehe.. can someone compare the quality of the m100 with the seinheiser cx300?