RealAudio or MP3

iPod owners can easily spend more on accessories than the player itself. Docking stations play iPods through external speakers while charging them. There are iPod car adapters, alarm clocks, FM transmitters, microphones, and hundreds of other add-ons. Jeremy Horwitz, executive editor of the iPod news and review site iLounge, says one category of accessories stands above all others when it comes to increasing your iPod pleasure: headphones.

I recently tested two replacements for the earbuds that came with my iPod. Both will run you somewhere between $85 and $100.

Shure E2C: Rich sound, but I couldn't get them to fit in my ears right, even with all the different size attachments included. The E2C isolated sound very effectively -- I couldn't hear anything but the music. The headphone cord was a little thick and heavy, causing a noticeable pull downward. Another beef: The E2C comes in one of those nearly-impossible-to-open plastic cases. I had to use a knife to pry the headphones loose, and I thought there was a real risk I would severely cut myself in the process.

Westone UM1. Fantastic sound. I heard bits of music I would not hear with the Apple earbuds (the newer generation of which aren't half bad). Good sound isolation. The cord is lighter than the E2C, which is great. But again, fit is an issue. The foam tips lost their structural integrity after a few uses in the gym.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata writes about a possible solution to the problems I had getting earbuds to fit: custom molds.