Wow! NEver saw those AKGs! I would like to hear those and compare to the Klipsch.
The Klipsch S4s originally retailed for over $200 or so I think I recall.
Ear buds are mass market products used by many. That is good for audiophiles seeking good sound for not much.
Earbuds are a great place IMHO to establish a reference for how recordings actually sound prior to investing in speakers and all that goes with it, including having to deal with room acoustics.
Earbud's job is highly optimized. Closest proximity to your hearing sensors takes a lot of variables out of the equation for good sound, making getting it a lot easier and cheaper. You need a good transducer with flat response. Also a tight seal in the ear to provide optimal acoustics.
Headphone/earphone-centric web sites compile and publish detailed measurement charts facilitating quantitative comparisons of hundreds of product options. It is much easier to both on paper and in practice to assess and compare earbuds than say high end audio speakers.
Earbuds are inherently highly efficient. Demand on amplifier is low on the grand scale of things in that not much power is required to produce good bass. Source quality becomes more apparent in that many other variables downstream are not in the picture as with a home audio system.
Of course,you need speakers in a room then to translate the sound into something that resembles what you would hear were you listening live. Room acoustics and many other factors that keep us all buzzing on and on then become part of the secret sauce.
