Hi
 
sound components are my worst area in pc knowledge    I want to buy a pair of earphones for my zen, but I dont know which to choose. there are the traditional types and the in-ear ones. I never tried one out, so I dont know if they hurt if you wear them for a long time. anyone who has the experience pls share    
 
I'm currently looking at these 2:
http://www.creative.com/products/p [...] duct=11708
 
or
 
http://www.creative.com/products/p [...] duct=11397
 
which do you think is better (sound, comfort)?
 
PS: i'm not an audiophile, but I like good music  

Here is a link that should help you a lot.
 
http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-headphone-type/

if your looking for comfort and sound quality go for a pair of Sennheiser CX300  they are amazing, dont expect to hear people when you have your music on though.  If you get them on ebay be careful of the fakies

 
The later one linked is going to give you great sound quality while also blocking out A TON of outside sound (the most out of any earphone style) Someone mentioned above, while playing music at even low volumes... you can't hear people talking or yelling at you.  
 
The former link is meh.. i don't fool around with ear-bud headphones. Ear-bud headphones are generally uncomfortable and not the best sound because of the position in the ear... I would reccomend a stylish clip-on or street style headphones over those.  
 
The link given above is quite good.

Go with the Shure EC3.  They have a super flat response and have outstanding bass.  They sound fantastic.  I have a Zen V Plus, and coupled with the Shure EC3s, they provide an eargasim.

Thorn,
 
Typically "in-ear" like the second link you provided are what we call "sound isolating" ear phones.  They isolate you from external sound distractions by being a somewhat snug fit in the ear.  The ear-buds (1st you linked to) allow external audio in a little better.
 
Both have their pros and cons.  For instance, if you are going to wear them for work and need to communicate every now and again with co-workers the earbuds make it easier for people to get your attention.  But the in-ear (based upon design) can at times be a little hard to get used to.  Some people can also hear faintly their own heartbeat with the in-ear design.
 
Don't mistake "sound isolating" like the Shure E3C for "active noise cancellation".  Active systems like the BOSE QC3 actively remove those external sounds through circuitry.
 
I would try the in-ear types from a local vendor for a little while that way if they bug you you can just return them.

From past experience the in ear bud earphones are very bad sound quality and very uncomfortable.  I did however have a pair of Sony Speart in ear that were connected together with a band and they were fairly comffy and sounded good.  They folded up nice and never broke.  
 
The traditional earphones are superior.  Sound and comfort wise.  DO not get the normal earphones with a small ear suchion pad.  Get the ones with the big pad that fits over the ear.  The studio type earphones.  The smaller pads that do not fit over the ear are even less comfy than in ear.  The bigger ones that fit over the ear, although look big and heavy, are usually light and you hardly notice your wearing them.  
 
Seiheiser makes a good pair.  Sound good.  You can take Seiheiser apart into small pieces, replaces a broken piexe and put it all back together.  Seiheiser is the most common brand and parts are always availalbe.  Expect to pay lots of money for them though...seiheiser is a top brand.  
 
If you don't like broken cables on headphones...then maybe think about a wireless set.  SHould last youa lot longer since you won't ever break the cable.  If you can solder, jsut open up a pair and replace the calbe.  Seinheiser is nice for this since they are servicable.  
 
There are also 5.1 surround sound headphones.  Zalman makes an awesome pair and they are not expensive.  For gaming they are amazing.  You hear better than with speakers.  great for FPS games.  
 
Good luck and I hope I covered all the grounds for you.

Gondo,
 
I have the Gainward version of the 5.1 Headset and I like them for gaming as well.  Amazing in COD where you hear the guy running up on you from the back right and you just turn and fire knowing that you will get a hit.
 
I rarely get snuck up on now .
 
The Gainwards have a nice 40mm driver for the base channel in BOTH ears.

Yes there are some good 5.1 headphones, Gainward, Medua, Zalman.  I believe Zalman are the cheapest.  I had some and the cable broke.  Not easily repairable on these headphones.  
 
I think the ultimate headphones would have 3.5mm plugs on the headphones itself, then jsut plug in a male-to-male 3.5mm cable in to the headphones then into the output.  If the cable ever breaks just replace it..the new one will plug right it.  No more attached cables that soldered in.  I'm still waiting for this to be invented before I buy another set of headphones...cause I keep breaking mine.

first of all, tnx to ALL those who replied.    
 
now, I have come to a conclusion that in-ear are not the type for me (although they sound nicer) because I want them for school, etc. I have decided to go either ear-bud or street style.
what do you think about these:
 
http://www.headphone.com/guide/by- [...] mx-500.php
 
tnx again

THORN...
 
You might want to look into the behind the neck style for your useage.
 
The earbuds like you linked to are sometimes difficult to keep in..  Using them at my desk I sometimes just turn my head and they come off.
 
The behind the neck are often comfortable and offer a more secure (stay put) wearing than the buds.
 
You can still get bud style that are attached to a behind the neck.
 
Or are you trying to hide the fact that you have them in?

in fact i'm still searching and looking around different styles. I'll post back when I find a good pair  

Your looking for somethign portable you take to school ,etc...  Probably for use on an MP3 player right?
 
Well the earbuds are the most uncomfortable I find, and they don't fit right so the sound really sux.  
 
I'd recommend the in-ear phones with a band that goes over or around your head.  The new sprot ones go behind your head.  These have a hard plastic ear pice the slided sideways into your ear and are comfortable and very good sound.
 
The earbuds slide straight into your ear not sideways, have a foam pad sometimes, and are uncomfortable.  
 
The Seinhesser PMX70 Sport look good.  I had an older  pair of Sony sport I likeed.  They had the band over the head like traditional earphones, and the hard plastic ear pieces that slides in sideways so the sound is directed forward and into your ear canal.  Very loud and good sound...watch not to go deaf  They folded up nice and pakced away into my pocket.  Only gripe was the cable was only 3 ft long.

I am looking at getting a pair of the :
 
Acoustic Research AR-h500 series.
 
Active noise cancellation for work!!!!!
 
Cheap and made by AR which make a decent product.
 
I just need something cheap that will cancel/isolate sound.

I got a Shure E4c and a Cowon U3. The combination is really nice. I got the Shure for less than half the regular price at BestBuy close to Boxing Day.
 
With the Shure you need to experiment a bit - they come with lots of "sleeves" of all sizes and shapes and you'll probably find some of them comfortable but not all. The best thing about them is that they reduce the noise outside a lot without relying on batteries for it. I can still hear when the bus starts or stops but not the people talking in the next seat.  
 
I also like the in-ear style because the headphones stay put if I need to run a bit.

Yeah, I would recommend street style headphones for your use. No noise canceling... but way better than ear-buds in many aspects.

Dsid,
 
If you looked at the original post the ones he linked to are quite inexpensive.
 
E4Cs are NOT in that class
 
I do not think he wants to spend that much money !!
 
Just a thought..

Thorn,
 
You could look into the sport buds that go OVER the ear with a plastic piece and stay pretty secure.  They are built to be a little more mobile..
 
Good article about street style here:
 
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/sennheiser-drops-5-street-headphones-187870.php
 
Looks like an interesting concept the "MX55V" series...

hmmm... I'm starting to like these sport buds    
 
lol I never thought buying a set of good earphones is so difficult  

Go to the store.   Try them out and see what's comfortable.  That is the #1 criteria.  They will all sound pretty good unless your an audiophile and have k9 hearing and require speakers that can reproduce 30kHz cause you claim you can hear it
 
Second criteria is a nice cable, with a nice length.  Especially for portability and Mp3 players.  A single sided cable is nice so you don't have the cable comming out of both ears, choking you.  Single sided is nice to run down you sleeve and into a pocket or whatever.
 
Replacable cables and servicability is also nice.  Sennheiser wins here.  Some of their models have replaceable cables.  WHO wants to spend over $50 or even $150 on nice headphones to have the cable break in a few months.  
 
Try them out and see what's comfortable, then choose wisely.  Something you can fold up and jam into your pocket without breaking is also nice.