i will bite-I spend a lot of time doing maintenance with my buds in.
unfortunately they do get a bit uncomfortable after 90 mins or so but I`m usually finished.
using your skull as a bass port may not be ideal but once you get the fit nice and snug,the bass is awesome especially if you are using machinery or in a loud place-otherwise the HD 280`s suffice,for me anyway.
Sennheiser Cx 220 previously but they got run over-replaced with CX 300II and are if anything too bassy........around $70
my wife gave me the new buds from her new iphone and they are still as bad as when first released.
horses for courses methinks
cheers