I just bought the Sony MDR-ED228 Earbuds. They fit Horribly! They are way too big for my ears. I have to use excessive force to push them in.

Well, I'm out for the hunt on New Earbuds again.

I've been reading a lot of topics on these forums about earbuds, but there are way too many choices. Oh, and I'd like earphones below $50.

I've been looking at these:

SONY MDR-EX71SL
Sennheiser MX-400/500
--Which is better? Also, I can't find any stores online selling the 400.
Aiwa HP-VX100

Well, I've narrowed down my choices to those three.
I like how the Sony has adjustable sizes, but I don't really like how it blocks out all external noise. I like to talk to people while listening to music, etc. Also, I've heard that the EX71's are really muddy. For the price, the Sennheiser 400/500 look excellent. But I'm not sure if there's a difference between the two besides a volume adjustor. Also, I can't find any online merchants selling the 400. I've also been reading a lot of good reviews on the Aiwa.

Keep in mind that my ears are quite small... the Sony ED228 will not fit in my ears.

Any recommendations?
Oh, and sorry for posting another earbud topic. I'm kind of desperate for some good earbuds right now.

Well, here's the deal. If the Sony 228s won't fit in your ears, the Senns won't. Also, there's no difference between the 400s and the 500s, so I would recommend the 400s because the volume control is just another point of failure.

Beyond that, if you don't want something like the EX71s that block noise, and have trouble getting traditional earbuds to fit, you might have to try some more traditional headphones that go over/on top of your ear instead of in them. Let me know if you want recommendations.

Well, the Apple Earbuds that came with the iPod fit fine.
I thought the Senns were smaller?

Maybe I'm just using the 228's wrong... That whole Bass Boost thing keeps confusing me on where to put it.

--EDIT--
Well, I just went back and tried on the ED228's again, and for some reason, they fit fine now. I guess I was just using them wrong..? But I still want a better pair of earphones. Also, the 228's kind of stick out which looks weird, if you know what I mean.

--EDIT #2--
Well, I found some merchants selling the Sennheiser MX-400.
It's between the 400 and EX71. Is it absolutely impossible to hear external sounds with the EX71 on? I find it hard to believe that it shuts off all outside noise. Also, this whole thing about it sounding muddy.. is that true?

After using the ED228's for the past hour or so, I've gotten really used to them. They fit snugly now that I know how to put them in, and they sound very nice to me.

For the time being, I think I'm just gonna keep them.
At least until something really good comes along for <$50 or I get $90 to purchase the Shure E2.

I've narrowed down my choices between the Ety's and the Shure's,but this is what I need to know:
1.How do the two handle dance music-specifically House Music?
The Bass on House can range from tight to the point of almost sounding distorted. And the highs, especially in some forms, like tech house can be extremely intense-and this is with no EQ.
2.How do these handle on "classic" dance music?-what I've noticed is that on the headphones I have now (Sony V-6's)the sound is pretty sweeping,like you're actually listening to a live performance. How would these stack up?
3.How do they fare on rock songs that have heavy duty distorted guitars?
4.How are they if you use them for mixing?
5.Which is the sturdiest,and which has the best warranty?
6.How do the Shure E5c's rate?
7.Last but not least, if you listen to these types of music (especially House),which EQ settings do you recommend on the I-pod?
Sorry for the length of this post,but I have tons of questions,and any feedback I get is more than welcome.

For both of you:

Sony MDR E888. Big in the ear, but affordable and they blow the EX70/71 out of the water.

The EX70 cut outside noise by about 10dB. If I remember correctly, that means that everything sounds about half as loud. How much you can hear depends on how loud you have the iPod turned up. If you want to see what the effect is like, pick up some ear plugs. They'll cut out more noise than the EX70s, but they give you a good idea of the effect.