[Sam Vimes]

A bit of praise for both Shaun and the Goldring GX200s he recommended.
I've tried umpteen different in ear phones and was doubting that I'd ever get a decent sound out of in ear phones. There always seemed to be issues with sound quality even with phones that were well regarded and well reviewed. Mostly I find the ones I've tried that weren't woolly and muddy were fatiguing and tizzy over longer term listening.
Due to these reservations I was hedging my bets with the budget, I simply didn't want to add to the ever growing pile of borderline useless phones that give me headaches! After exchanging PMs on here with Shaun and finally got round to ringing HiFi Headphones yesterday. After a good long chat it came down to the GX200s or the UE Super Fi 3. I went for the Goldrings.
Ordered yesterday and here today. Already, without them being run in, they are miles better than most of the tat I've endured in the past. Listening to my Sony NW-HD5 with small headphones is no longer the painful experience it once was. No horrible sibilance unless it's there as part of the original recording is a joy that many small phones don't seem to manage. I suspect after some of the comments about the GX200s lacking a little bass the Sony player must be a little bass heavy because there's not much lacking that I can discern! It may not be as tight as it could be but it's far better than I was anticipating and far better than I'd ever have expected from £50 earphones. In fact, I'd almost given up on getting a decent listenable sound from in-ear phones which is why I was hedging my bets with the budget. I suspect that I may just be persuaded to part with a bit more after Christmas to get to the next level of performance. Happily, the Goldrings seem to be equally as effective with music from Alison Krauss, Bic Runga, Eddi Reader and Kate Rusby as they are with Rage Against The Machine, Pearl Jam, Faithless and Massive Attack. As you may be able to tell I'm having fun dredging tunes from my MP3 player.

Thanks Shaun I'm chuffed and actually looking forward to spending a few extra quid with you for the next level rather than fearful that any in ear headphones were just going to be more good money after bad.