Just recommend him a decent, balanced sounding balanced armature IEM and let's be done with.

Listening to music WHILE drumming?
You mean you need a monitor to hear your drum being played into the mix while you're drumming, like a drum cover?
Well......you need something that emphasizes bass a bit, something to emphasize that drum a little. I was going to recommend the FS Atroi, but that's RM600.

In my experience, the Sony MDR-EX300 did actually sound pretty nice and very comfortable. You need music to play for it to isolate though because it is vented and sound leaks in. Clear enough for music and the bass, although has a bump in the mid-bass quite a bit, still is great for drums. Not the most detailed sounding for its price (has got clear detail but you need to have your mind and ears work to hear them), but definitely fun sounding. That's the older EX300. The newer EX310 may be better. That's my best recommendation FROM MY EXPERIENCE (I'm not yelling but emphasizing ). They have a J-cord design though so you might not like that, but it was easy for me back then to get the cable out of the way so it wouldn't rub on to my shirt much to minimise microphonic rubbing noises.

The other one, but I don't have any experience of, is the DUNU Trident. It was recommended to me when I was looking for a bass IEM. I chose the Atrio instead because I had the budget for it. The Trident is described as being warm, comfortable and has great bass for the price offered. You can refer to a seller here for more info, and maybe he has some other IEM in his store that you may want.

Also others I don't have experience with, but was told that it has a killer bass, the Fischer Audio Eterna and Consonance. They are maybe very coloured though. The more neutral is the Paradigm but with less bass. You can audition them at Jaben I think, or the other seller here who carries Fischer Audio products (sorry I forgot).

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jun 19 2012, 07:22 PM

AFAIK the Shure 440 is meant to be a monitoring headphone. It will not have that extra bass thump/colouration. There may be a bit of a gain after burn-in, I don't know. Best bet is to have a good bass boosting amp like the Fiio E11 or JDS Labs cMoyBB. If you can afford the higher end amps with greater bass boost like the Graham Slee Voyager or GoVibe Magnum by all means go ahead.

I would recommend you to sell that and get another headphone. However you said it was a gift. If it's a gift from a friend or anyone special like your family, I wouldn't do that. They won't appreciate that action. However if it's like a store gift or whatever that's another scenario altogether.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jun 20 2012, 11:05 AM

If it doesn't have a volume knob I think that the Hippo Box+. I had one once. The bass gain is subtle but noticeable. More of a slight sub-bass detail enhancer rather than adding a woofer effect. You GF sure knows how to pick a monitor. Add a bass boost amp and those cans (or at least those with that kind of sound sig) can do pretty well with metal and rock. For me though, because I'm a partial bass head only, not a full fledged bass head like you.

I never did have a chance to try the Eterna. But it is consistently reviewed as being very musical and engaging. Detail isn't what it is for, but it doesn't hide the detail, just presents it in a fun way. No comment on the C260. Take this with a grain of salt. For your criteria of IEM I hadn't had much chance in experiencing a lot of them.

If you want isolation, then the Sony XBA-1 is quite good. Non-vented and with good silicone tips and compact design. A single BA sound sig is very easy listening and good with detail.

Others with good sound isolation I've tried are Hippo Shroom EB (careful not to stick them in too deep ;P ), SoundMagic PL50 (with the foam tip or Sony hybrid silicone tips) and.....well those were it basically that were decent. Both aren't really bass monsters though.

BA, Balanced Armature. It's another speaker technology. Different from a conventional speaker (called dynamic) you see most of the time. The sound sig a single driver BA IEM generally produce is emphasized mids, fast and articulate bass but without much amount, good treble but without having very much energy but good detail nonetheless. Sound may be a little different between manufacturers but that is roughly how a single driver BA IEM typically sound. Can vary greatly with multiple driver (speaker) IEMs with BA. Those super detailed sounding single-BA's are in a different league and certainly out of your budget.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jun 20 2012, 06:51 PM

Yeah they're actually pretty good. It does take some practice putting them in, but once you get used to it it's great!

walabies who is a representative of Jaben Malaysia, E1-AKG who sells various audio products, I'm not sure what his store is called, hongrui who also sells various audio stuff, WS Tradings specialises in Fischer Audio stuff, Slevin Sent, beederbest, maninkl, DAViS, and calmshot. There might be others that I forgot, but for portable audio things I think all these sellers will get you covered.

Basically those are the ones I'd look for when looking for portable audio stuff, and I've dealt with some of them. They know their thing and has been doing it for quite some time.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jun 20 2012, 08:43 PM

You can try Shure SE215. I don't know if the connector issue has been resolved in the newer batches though but warranty with them is always easy. They look cool I guess. Over-ear style, sleek compact body, comes in clear and black.

Fischer Audio Eterna V2, musical IEMs. At the very edge of your budget there's only one I can think of which is the Fischer Audio Tandem. It's a dual dynamic driver IEM. It's not the best looking in the world but the spec and look can sure pop out a conversation...and who knows maybe hails of praises? Dual dynamics can be very good sounding. I had one a while ago (Radius DDM) but judging from reviews the Tandems may have smaller amounts of bass than the DDM (the DDM was a bass MONSTER!). Try them out if you can.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jun 21 2012, 11:53 PM

Denons are a popular brand but their lower end models don't receive as much praises as their higher end counterparts. But the D310 looks pretty decent I guess.

Try Superlux headphones. Look for one suitable for you, there's a trusted seller over at the tradezone.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jun 22 2012, 12:00 AM

Well.....the Hippo Shroom EB is well known for its clarity, but it is priced at RM190. I had one for a while.

You can also try the Brainwavz M1, priced similarly as the HD668B. I haven't tried the HD668B so I don't have a clue as to how it sounds. The M1 however I did have and owned for quite a while. It has a very spacious soundstage for an IEM, has reasonable treble clarity but not sibilant, has bass that's not what I would call plenty nor weak.

That's all I can recommend from IEM within that price range. You can also look at other budget options from Fischer Audio, Hippo and MEElec. Audition them as well if you can.

I don't know of any IEM having cables that short, but there is the Sony XBA-S65. It's a balanced armature IEM, built to be water resistant, is washable and it has cables that also act like straps/earloops so you can tighten them onto your ears for extra security. Priced just over RM200.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jul 3 2012, 02:39 PM

I think with NC you won't get a very effective voice reduction in the first place. A very good passive noise reduction would do fine. But still at RM200, I can think of only IEMs that can provide a lot of noise reduction. But I have limited experience with headphones, and the only one I'm using is an open-back headphone. That provides like......absolutely no isolation whatsoever. The best ones (IEM) I've used needs at least the minimum volume of music to completely eliminate out side noise. The only noise would be from the music.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jul 8 2012, 12:00 AM

If it was up to me, I'd look at the sound I like to find first. For example, do I like bass, or do I like more clarity and airiness and treble than my current setup. Next, look at your source and what can it do, what sound does it offer? Then I start looking at price, and to what extent am I willing to spend my money on. Then, I narrow down my selection within that price range.

For the headphone selection part, I ask myself a few questions. What does it have that I like/does it fit my criteria? Are there anything similar to this? Can I stretch my budget just a little bit more or are there cheaper options just as good as this? What do reputable reviewers say about them? Can I audition them (I rarely have this chance)? And the last but most important question, what can possibly go wrong if I choose this (don't like the sound, breaks within a few weeks, not good with source, doesn't sound good with favourite genre of music)?

All those makes me one very confused and undecided audiophile.

Brainwavz M1. I had it a while ago. Detailed and very spacious (good for classical) sounding with decent bass (good for pop), for the price. Doesn't have quite the bite for amped guitars as say the Grado SR60i but pretty decent, and on the plus side that sound won't get you fatigued early. Needs music at low volume to give full isolation. Or you can stretch a bit and get the M2, which is said to have more bass.

I also recommend the Sony MDR EX310-SL. I tried it for a very brief moment. Slightly better isolation than its predecessor the EX300 (which I had a while ago) and slightly more refined sound overall (I feel less piercing treble). Or, the balanced armature IEM from Sony, the XBA-1. Honestly, these two offerings have the looks.

Other recommendation I have, the Feels Pro 900, which if the reviews are right, should sound similar to my other (but not related) IEM, the SoundMagic PL50, which I liked very very much.

Hippo Shroom-EB, almost forgot. Very good detail for its price. Only have a bit of bass but good in quality. Not as good (well, not as satisfying is more correct) with hard rock music, and some metal like my other IEMs though. Still for slow classical and other mainstream genres they're great.

Hows about a HiSoundAudio PAA-1 Pro? Search for it in Trade zone. Only very slightly higher than what you ask for in price, but praised for its bass quantity and quality amongst earbuds of its price.

That I do not know. I think some AKG earbuds do have in-line mic and controls. PM bro E1-AKG.

I have no idea whether you're looking for a headphone or an IEM. For headphone, I was told that a good all-rounder portable is the AKG K450. It has removable cables too so replacing it won't be a problem. It's an on-ear headphone. A bit over your budget though. The other alternative is the Fischer Audio Oldskool 70's I have the Grado SR-60i, and I was told that these sound like the Grados but with more bass. I'm guessing it's gonna be a bit bright. The Grados sound wonderful with metal and rock (I'm a metalhead myself), but I haven't tried R&B and pop with it. I've also looked at (but never tried) Audio Technica Pro5 Mk2, Fischer Audio FA-004, and Pioneer HDJ-500. Thought you might like to have a look at (and possibly audition) them.

For IEMs you have lots to choose for. You can opt for Shure SE215 (removable cables, but earlier batches had problems with poor connection at the earphone end) which is said to be fun sounding for a wide range of genres, or a few from Final Audio Design like the Adagio III. Also

The EP-630 IIRC have a decent amount of bass and treble that is a bit unrefined. If you want a more refined sound of that, and if you can stretch a little I would suggest the Future Sonics Atrio. Great bass, which may be good for pop, and satisfyingly weighty for hard rock and metal, and has enough treble detail and amount to make electric guitars sound alive. This is one of the greatest bass kings I've ever heard, second in amount to The Radius DDM, but overall quality wise it is number 1.

If you download from someone who rips it from a single CD you might get a more consistent quality I guess.
Oh and converting FLAC from mp3 won't get you any better quality. You're ripping something that has already have some data and quality loss.

To determine if the product is good without trying them out is to look for reviews. Not just one but a few, from well-known sites and forums, such as head-fi and anythingbutipod. Our own renowned reviewer, ClieOS has a blog called inearmatters. Look for a product you think you like and search for the reviews here. As for not looking at reviews, you can try and look for the specs, but those only vaguely tell you what it will sound like. A headphone can respond to very low frequencies and yet may not be very bassy, and may respond up to 25kHz but may even be very veiled and lack any sort of treble sparkle. What specs is good for is looking at how long the cable is, how heavy it is, what design it has (open or closed type), what cable it has, that's it.

Recommendation from phillip88 is also good, and if you can stretch your budget that far go for it.

I've had the Bose IE1. If the IE2 shows a vast improvement in vocal detail and treble then I can say it's worth a buy.....however, Bose did raise the price for IE2 (last time I checked). Therefore, although not bad sounding (rather enjoyable actually for Hard Rock), still does not have a good price:performance ratio.

I assume you like bass as you like the Bose. So maybe have a look at Hippo VB. Jaben has them. It is said to be one of the bass kings of IEM in its price range, and it is also adjustable (by replacing the back plates that has different ports). Not sure of the speed of the bass (I see you like Trance). Also people say it's bright sounding at times (might not be a problem for your genres), so auditioning is highly recommended.

Fischer Audio Eterna v2 might worth to have a look at. Oh, and Shure SE215. I don't know if it still has that cable connection issue at the IEM end (the cable is removable/replaceable) so check them out a bit, and audition.