No one really thinks about the magic of the Sony Walkman anymore. Nowadays we can carry hours worth of music in a package only slightly bigger than a pack of cards.

But the old walkman passed on at least one genetic trait to the new MP3 players: cruddy headphones. With the portable tape players, the headphones were less of a problem – tapes are low fidelity anyway. But MP3s are digital, and even compressed, they’re quality is not much worse than that of CDs. So now the poor headphones that come with your iPod or Dell DJ20 are an audible liability.

I’m not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but I want to be able to hear the music over airplane noise when I’m traveling, and be able to pick out different instruments when I’m not.

Fortunately, there are many headphones on the market that are far better than the ones that come with the machines, and they can be had for $20 to $350, depending on the style and sound quality.

Wireless headphones are ideal for the gadget-oriented listener. They use a high-frequency radio signal to transmit the music and they get reasonable sound quality, although household appliances, particularly microwave ovens, can interfere. But being able to listen to music without wires is best for home listeners who might be watching TV, cleaning, or exercising. Wireless headphones tend to be bulky, and the rechargeable batteries they commonly come with are only good for three to four hours of listening – not great for traveling.

The perfect headphones for the highly mobile are the in-ear-canal headphones. They look a bit like earbuds, but they have a conical bit of foam at the end that looks like an earplug. Jam these into your ears, and the foam creates a seal in the aural canal. They’re a bit uncomfortable at first, but they almost totally block outside noise. They direct the music straight at the listener’s eardrum, with just a small cushion of air, so the fidelity is remarkably good. But the price reflects this. Even low-priced ear-canal headphones, such as the Shure E2c headphones, go for $99, and at the top end they can cost more than $300. But they’re tiny, give good sound, and have a reputation for lasting if they’re well tended (don’t let them knock around too much in your carry-on!). If you can make the investment, it’s worth it.

Quality headphones are still available for far less cash, however. The Koss KSC headphones have a band that runs around the back of the neck, rather than over the top of the listener’s head. They run for $19.99, have terrific sound quality, and are a lot smaller than traditional headphones. Koss also makes models with earclips, making them nearly as portable as earbuds.

One last important question to consider before purchasing an improved set of headphones: sealed or unsealed? True audiophiles will prefer the unsealed, since high-end speakers need air to resonate the bass. But on an airplane, unsealed headphones annoy fellow travelers and admit jet noise. For the casual listener, the barely-distorted sound of the sealed headphone will be best for traveling – and will finally make it possible to ignore that chatty seatmate.