iPod -> Headrom Total Bithead -> Etymotic ER4-P with the P-S cable (effectively ER-4S)
Thanks for the inputs guys.
Some of the setups aren't really portable at all IMHO...
I mean does anyone actually wear a headphone with an amp to go jogging?! Even travelling/flying too...
I travel with them and the amp every work day. (1 hour train ride from the burbs to downtown) and a few hours a day at the office/cube land.
But anyways I don't see a problem with iPod if the rip quality's good... Apple lossless or even AAC I think are ok...
Given a quality rip Apple lossles or greater then 256kbs AAC, the playback quality is fine. Before the music sever I used to hook the iPod to my Pioneer VSX-74TXVi and ML Vistas, still great sound.
I guess I was looking for ML owners' opinion on some of the more established earphones such as Etimotic/Shure/Ultimate Ears.
Headphones and the lack of amplifier power to drive them are the limiters with portable music. First problem is the garabage $29 headpones they include with a $300 player. Second is the lack of amplifier, this has beeen cut so that they can use smaller batteries and still get an acceptable battery life.
I get a headphone amplifier, I have the Total Bithead, but also consider the Micro (I will get one of those next time I get a case Joeyist). This makes an audible difference even in the bad headphones they give you.
Next get a great set of phones. ER-4S is waht I have and love, great sound, (these were the best speaker I owned up till I got my ML Vistas). And excellent sound isolation. Required for travel (train or plane) and in large noisy cubes at work.
I use my Shure's a lot when I'm studying (which is hours everyday... Joey knows...) and definitely when I'm flying. Jogging no because it's kind of dangerous, but running on a treadmill, yes.
I used to were heaphones while jogging and riding my bike till I noticed a Mercedez directly on my tail one day. I never heard it approach. these were cheap sony headphone connected to a walkman. If exercising outside (on the public roads) no headphones or cell phones you need to be aware of your enviornment.