OK, yet another travel related story. Have you noticed the serious upgrade in headphones on airplanes recently? Only a few people use the ones that are supplied by the airlines, which isn't so surprising. My ears hurt for a couple of hours and of course the sound quality is rather lousy. These days, you see personal ear buds, and a lot more of the high end Bose Quiet Comfort Noise Canceling variety.

Check these out for your next trip. I saw the ultra lux Grado GS 1000 Statement Series in a nameless mall in Taipei.

This flagship offering has a wooden housing that offsets it up to date features. Grado tweaked the driver to work with the wood to reduce distortions. The cushion shaped foam creates a large chamber for a more spatial quality to the sound.

Stone Audio UK offers it for £995 (or about $1,890).