Forget the ear buds, go for "The Plug"

Each person is different, but for me, especially in areas of noise, these are the only things I use. They stay in my ears great without hurting them (unlike ear buds, which KILL), enable me to hear the music or audio books without the background noise of the room from interfering. I can wear them for many hours without pain or discomfort. While ear buds fall right out of my ears, these do not.

I have had several pairs now. The first one, the foam inserts were sticky, but that problem hasn't happened in any others. They come with several different sizes and shapes of foam inserts that you can choose from to fit you best.

I love the sound quality, even at loud levels. On some songs there has been a slight problem with the bass, but that might be because of the recording itself.

The only real problem I have had was that twice the two plastic sections came apart. The first time I was able to snap them back together and they continued to work just fine, the second I wasn't able to save them. But this was after using them for 16 months, so no real loss. It was time for a new pair anyway.