If price has kept you from owning a pair of Shure earphones, you'll be glad to hear that they've broken the $100 barrier, introducing the SE110 Sound Isolating Earphones for $99 bucks. It makes perfect sense for Shure - long known as the pro musicians' audio source - to enter the consumer market at a time when most music lovers are upgrading their default headphones with every music device they buy.

Everday audiophiles will appreciate the Balanced MicroSpeaker system which delivers optimized, balanced audio. Rather than noise cancelling, these are "sound isolating," cutting out approximately 90 percent of ambient noise. A "fit kit" includes sized disposable black foam sleeves (S-L) and ensures a comfortable and sound-enhancing fit. (A good seal is key to optimizing sound isolation and bass response.) Taking them for a spin, I was impressed - the sound is very close to my $250 pair of Shures. If I'd met these first, I would have been delighted.

Available in white or black, you can buy them at Shure and Amazon.