During last months I have tested several like Sen CX300; Philips SHP 8500; Hama SL Studioline. finally decided to buy Bose QC3 which I like most so I hope stop spending on this kind of items for now.

I am using the Sennheiser CX 300-II Precision both on my iPod and my N900 - I love them. Great comfort, great sound and they are tiny!

I'd recommend them - superb value.

Sennheiser CX200 s2........boss ear buds to go with a boss device

Im using Nokia's BH604 bluetooth stereo headset. Super comfortable on the ears. Great sounding with plenty of bass. Bluetooth 2.1 works perfectly with my N900. Plus a whopping 19 hours of music playback and 14 days of standby power. At $50 bucks, they were a steal

Ultimate Ears Superfi 5 pros.

has anyone been able to track down a pair of headphones meeting these requirements:
-earbuds
-working mic
-wired, non-around-the-neck
-<$50
?

I use tons of bluetooth headsets, and have tested these on my N900:
Motorola H500/H505
Blue Ant Stereo X5 set
LG HBS-250

I've had one set not work properly, but they're a no-name old cheep stereo headset that has had issues with every device I connect it to. It calls itself a Mini BT Stereo Headset (PANBT362). That one I can only connect in mono-mode, stereo mode loses contact seconds after it starts up. :P

Currently using Etymotic HF-5s that have already been sent for a warranty repair because of a cable failure.

This year I've also killed:
Sony MDR-EX85LP - these lasted almost a year before cable failure
AKG K 330 - lasted 2 months
Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220 - lasted about 3 weeks.

Been thinking that if the Etymotic's don't last this time (got about 3-4 months before the failure) I'll have to go back to big cans because they have cables that have a decent thickness and longevity.

How are you guys with third party wired phones controlling playback on the Nokia, especially when the unit is locked?

im using the ones in the box, they sound great