"Hi, how are you?" he said.

"Good, how's it going?" I replied.

"Alright. Hey, how's that iPod sound? You get good sound out of that?"

And that's when I got to show off my new In-Ear Headphones. The earbuds that come standard with iPods are really pretty good as far as earbuds go, but for serious listening in noisy environments they don't quite cut it. Old-school over the ear heaphones (aka "Cans") deliver much better sound while also cutting out unwanted background noise, which is key if you use your iPod in urban environments, on airplanes, or in other places where you'd rather not be distracted from, I don't know, Kenny Rogers' greatest hits.

Last November I reviewed Macally's Noise Reduction Headphones. These are big white cans with a twist: battery-powered electronic circuitry cuts out certain noise frequencies before they can come between you and your music. Macally isn't the only company to make headphones like this (Bose, for instance, makes a few models), but they make a pretty affordable pair that come in white/grey to match your Pod, sound pretty good, and fold up for easy storage.

Problem is, if you're like the cashier I was talking to, you might not "do cans." "No way," he said. "I can't wear those things anymore."

Enter the in-ear headphone, or "canalphone". After reading my Macally review, a few readers emailed to tell me about earbuds designed to push into the wearer's ear canal, effectively using the canal itself to enhance the sound while also sealing out external noise (or at least some of it). A few folks mentioned Etymotic's ER-6 canalphones as exemplary products. Only problem is they retail for $139. Shure also makes a model for around one hundred dollars.

Apple must have caught wind of this trend, because along with the iPod mini they've now introduced their own In-Ear Headphones. Priced at a reasonable $39.99, the In-Ears bridge the gap between normal earbuds that lack in bass response and let in all kinds of external noise and pricier canalphones and bulky noise reduction headphones. They also work with any standard 1/8" stereo headphone jack found on a laptop, CD player, walkman, etc ... not just with iPods.

The In-Ears are basically earbuds that come with silicone caps that push into your ear canal -- not far enough to do any damage, but far enough to improve bass response and seal out other noise. Think of them sort of like the earplugs parents make their kids wear at concerts, except that the idea is to seal the noise in instead of keeping it out. The bonus is that you can actually set your iPod to a lower volume level while still getting the full effect of your music.

The Apple models work pretty well, but they're finicky and not quite perfect. They come in a plastic carrying case with three sets of silicone caps to fit different sizes of ear canals. I tried all three and settled for the Mediums. Once the phones were properly shoved -- I mean fitted -- in my ears, they sounded pretty good. Bass response was definitely better than with standard earbuds, and the noise cancelling effect was somewhere between being underwater and wearing earmuffs. I mean that in a good way -- I could hear my own breathing, humming, and gum chewing fairly loudly, but I also couldn't hear too much of my fellow subway rider's conversations. Definitely a good thing.

The problem with these phones is that they have a tendency to slip loose. Moving my head, turning my head, accidentally tugging on the connector cord -- all of these things pried the earphones loose enough from my ears that I had to push them back in. When the phones are properly settled into my canals, they really sound quite good -- especially considering how small and light they are. Paying a hundred dollars extra for the Etymotics supposedly not only gets you better electronics, but it also gets you foam and silicone caps that look like they're designed to stay in your ears a little better. After a couple of days the Apple silicone caps seemed to adapt to the shape of my ear canals a little bit and the slippage lessened.

I explained all of this to the cashier at the bookstore. He seemed interested, and then he said something.

"Try the Ety's. I hear they're really good."

Etymotic? Are you reading this? Send 'em over and I'll give 'em a whirl.