Earphones / Headphones: Where to try, what to buy?

leeww Taking your phones off will not stop a pedestrian walking out in front of you looking the other way, it will not stop a car turing into your path, nor a sudden stop from a driver who realises he has missed his turn, nor will it stop you loosing your front wheel on a wet white line.

It will stop none of these things. But there's always a chance that during overtaking some headphoned random prick will pull out in front of you. Experience has told me that when I see those white cords my fingers are all the more ready to grab the brakes (yep, brakes - I'm a freewheeler).