It's actually probably the best time possible to be in the market for a mid-priced IEM. There has been a flood of great flagship stuff in the past couple of years, but not much excitement in the more accessible $200-$300 range. I feel that has really changed this year.
I just reviewed the Periodic Beryllium a couple of months ago, I feel like that one is a big-time contender at $299:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazi...dio_Beryllium_In_Ear_Monitors_IEMs_Review.htm
FWIW, I know Jude is a big fan of it as well, he and I were chatting about it at CanJam SoCal. I find the Periodic Be is a strong choice for prog, death, metalcore, thrash - basically the faster and more demanding genres.
Another impressive entry into this new school of affordable IEMs is the 1MORE Quad Driver ($199), which I also just reviewed:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0617/1MORE_Quad_Driver_IEM_Review.html
I feel the Quad is a bit better suited for sub-bassy stuff - it destroys with industrial. If you happen to like EDM, it's obviously killer for that, too. For most of my metal listening I would prefer the Periodic Beryllium.
There is also a new IEM being introduced by Acoustic Research in the next month or two called the AR-E10, which is priced at $199. That one has 1 balanced armature and 1 beryllium dynamic driver and may turn out to be the best out of all of them. I've heard it on a couple occasions now and was floored by the performance both times I heard it... I'm anxiously awaiting the final version, as I have a feeling it has the potential to be a giant killer.