Going way back...

Gris, thank you for the MyBackup Pro recommendation. It worked out really well. It's got my endorsement for rooted phones. The restore process was quick and easy.

Next question for the hivemind: Over/On-the-ear headphone recommendations? Noise cancellation would be nice, but not necessary. I have a decent pair of earbuds, but I'm looking for something that has better sound quality.

Are the Beats Studio or Bose QC headphones all hype? I'm willing to spend the money for the performance, but I'm out of the loop. I've heard good things about Audio Technica and Sennheiser, but I need to find a B&M store that carries them.

I know output will only be as good as the input, so I will primarily use them to listen to mp3s/AACs on my iPod. At what point would I hit diminishing returns?

eta: Ars is not Audio. Two totally different things.

Bose is all hype, per my friend who did tons of research. Audiophiles snark that it stands for Buy Other Stereo Equipment. But I don't actually know anything, so I'll step aside for them as does.

The best headphones I've ever had were my Koss Porta-Pros. Extremely high quality, especially for the price, and convenient form factor. I did have to take advantage of the lifetime warranty about a year after I bought them when sound started to get it out, but two weeks and seven bucks in shipping later I had a new pair. I eventually lost them and still sometimes regret not getting another pair.

For over the ear, I like my super cheap Sennheisser HD201s. They are often reviewed as having sound quality well above their price range. They cost about $25 and at the time it appeared I would need to pay $70+ to get undeniably better quality.

Individual brands are only a moderately useful metric for deciding if headphones will be good, at least according to my research. Sennheisser makes both good and bad headphones. I I think most of the Beats branded stuff is pretty decent, but if expensive, but I am sure there is variation.

The hard thing will be getting decent headphones at a Brick and Mortar store if you don't want to pay a hefty price. Unfortunately, most of the lower priced headphones at Best Buy and such are pretty bad - the better to encourage you to pay more next time. I did buy my HD201s at a best buy, but I don't know if they still carry them. They are pretty ugly so they may still carry them as they probably don't compete to heavily with their prettier more expensive lines.

These are the ones I bought on recommendation of ND--though they're earbuds, not over the ear, they are noise-canceling. I do like them on the plane.

[link]

Note: I am a cheapskate and always wanted to buy the best I could get for less than $50. Above that price range, choices abound.

I have a pair of vmoda earbuds (Vibe Duo) that have performed very well. For earbuds, the sound quality is good, and I really appreciate the kevlar-wrapped cord. I've had them for about a year and a half and they're in great shape (and I don't baby them). I got them on clearance for $21.50 because they were a previous season's design. Bass response is a little lacking, but mid and treble are nice and crisp.

I have never found any earbuds that didn't hurt my ears.

I bought these Audio Technica ATH-ANC7B headphones on ND's recommendation a few years ago, and like them a lot.

I am a cheapskate and always wanted to buy the best I could get for less than $50. Above that price range, choices abound.

I would love not to spend an arm and a leg, but if the performance warrants it, I'll spend the money. I don't want to skimp because of an artificial dollar cap.

Meara and dcp pointed out the two moderately priced noise cancelling sets that I like. One in headphone one in earbud.

A link of my suggestion, not noise-cancelling but still pretty darn good: [link] Sennheiser HD 201. Apparently available at Best Buy for $29.99 - my local stores have them.

I am completely happy with mine. The only complaint I've ever read about them is that their bass response isn't super-high, but I am not a high-volume, must-have-more-bass kind of guy and don't notice that. Some classical pieces feel just a tad underwhelming at the tympani zone, but I can fix it in software with my equalizer, and for my preferred brands of pop music I don't need to.

The also have a VERY long cord, which is sometimes awesome but also sometimes annoying. I keep a twist-tie with them for consolidation.

Here's the review that convinced me to try them: [link]

Here's the review of the Koss Porta-Pros by the same site (I liked these an awful lot too, possibly more than the 201s, and if I needed headphones more often I would buy another pair. B&M availability may be a problem though): [link]

ETA: Don't get the porta-pros confused with the sporta-pros, which are available at bestbuy. The sporta-pros are NOT the same headphone.