Direct Sound Extreme Isolation Headphones

 A good option for some noisy environments
These headphones have worked pretty well for me at my office. I'm in a big group of cubicles with completely exposed air conditioners overhead and industrial lab equipment not too far away. These really let me turn DOWN the volume and still hear my music. Sound quality is certainly acceptable, but compared to nice headphones (even in the same price range) it is somewhat lackluster. Think lo-fi. The point is that these headphones have way, way better sound quality *in a noisy environment* than the alternatives. If you don't need the isolation, look at the Sennheiser model below or the Sony MDR-7506. Or AKG K240. Or something more expensive. :)

Before deciding on these, I tried a few other worthy contenders:

** Bose Quiet Comfort 2. For the kinds of noise in my office, these did not do as good a job at isolation as the Extreme Isolation did. They are amazing at getting rid of low frequency noise, however. I can see why people like them for air travel. I found these to be LESS comfortable than the Extreme Isolation after use for a few weeks. (It feels like there is a pressure difference when the isolation is turned on.) Sound quality in the Bose headphones was OK but not stellar by any means. I didn't like that the active isolation circuit (which creates an annoying hiss) has to be engaged all the time (or the headphones don't work), and I didn't like the price, which is about 3X higher than the Extreme Isolation 'phones.

** Sennheiser HD-280. The Senn's have noticably better sound (much more definition and clarity, if somewhat lacking in bass), and do have impressive isolation. But it isn't anywhere close to what the Extreme Isolation provides. These would probably work fine in a less noisy office. And they don't look as dorky, either. :)

I have had 2 coworkers try out my headphones and decide to get their own set.

One important point--when you first get the headphones, they are VERY tight. One friend initially called them the "head pinchers". This effect makes for a very uncomfortable experience, but the good news is that they loosen up over time. Now, besides the obvious bulk, I don't notice any discomfort at all. One friend successfully pre-stretched his when he got them to counteract this effect.

 Headphones Work Great - Wife Loves Them
I bought the Direct Sound Extreme Isolation phones for my wife to use so she can hear the movie dialog on airplanes and trains.

I had previously tried the Koss QZ active noice cancellation headphones. The Direct Sound headphones have the advantage that being passive they require no batteries and also they do not introduce the white noise hissing sound of the Koss phones. Also, the Direct Sound phones reduce all frequencies, while the active cancellation phones tend to reduce mostly the low-frequency rumbling-type noise. Overall the Direct Sound phones do a much better job of cancelling all frequencies of ambient noise.

My wife loves these headphones and now even uses them while watching movies at home because she says she can hear the dialog much better.

The Direct Sound phones are definitely a bit bigger than the typical noise cancellation phones, but the superior results overcome the inconvience of the larger size.

Because we mostly use the headphones for listening to movies, I can't speak specifically to the musical quality of the sound but several times I've tried them with music they seem fine.