No, it's not 1996. It's not even 2002. It's 2005. But let's give the soundman room to turn the music up.

My latest fetish are from a rather academic company called Etymotic Research. Mostly, they research technologies for audio in the ear, mostly hearing aids. But they also have started manufacturing amazing products for the audio quality nerds in the hizouse.

Look at those beauts. The sound gets right down into your ear, and from what I'm told, it really works. Many geeks on many podcasts swear by these things when they want something for portable listening with their iPod. Everybody seems to think they sound amazing (like one of my favorite spots, iLounge), and I believe it.

Besides cool headphones, apparently they also sell high-quality earpplugs. I think I need a set of those. With the stupid foam earplugs, it just sounds like somebody's muffling the sound. With these, reportedly, it just lessens the sound, not make it sound that you're listening to it through a speaker covered with a pillow.

Yes, mom, I want to save my hearing. But it comes at a cost: these things are expensive. But you can get me some $25 earplugs for Christmas if you like, really.