Mossberg has an interesting review of the new Even earbuds. These are active, in that they have their own battery, and so do some interesting A/D work and calibration for your specific ears.
While younger people may not find this very interesting, I find that I have to turn my music up to ridiculous volumes to be able to hear the detail I was able to hear when younger. (I guess that's the price I pay for having seen Motorhead live!)
My right and left ear are very different nowadays, so this is $99 I am happy to throw at testing these things out. I'll let y'all know what they are like.
Oh... and kleinbl00, I'd love your input, being an audio engineer and all.