[Music Alchemist]

The best headphones, I have used for isolation of noise, has been MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs and Prime's. I have not heard MrSpeakers Mad DOG Pro's, but I assume they isolate good to. Hope you find a set of cans that work well for your needs.

 
His budget is under $200, if you didn't realize.

 

[reddog]

His budget is under $200, if you didn't realize.

Sorry did not see the guy were on a budget. I hope he does find a set of headphones, that pleases him.

 

[ee-yun]

What do you guys know of Direct Sound. I'm looking at the Serenity II. Doesn't appear to have too much literature on head fi

 

[Music Alchemist]

What do you guys know of Direct Sound. I'm looking at the Serenity II. Doesn't appear to have too much literature on head fi

 
Looks promising, but I have no idea what they sound like.
 
The NVX XPT100 ($100 on Amazon) has impressive passive isolation. I put them on (with no music playing) when there was loud external noise and I couldn't hear the noise at all! My pair may have been defective, but I'm not sure. NVX's project development manager personally tested a new pair to make sure everything is alright and sent it to me as a replacement. I should receive it on the 27th and will let you know what I think, if its sound is good enough for me to recommend. They are a little large, but still one of the most comfortable headphones I've tried.

 

[Barra]

  I'd mostly be using the headphones while on the subway or on the go so it would be swell if they blocked out the sounds of loud crazy people and honking car horns

At about $213 US, the CustomArt M1 CIEM is a tiny bit above your budget, but sounds much better and isolates much better than the mentioned headphones. I would highly recommend them for TOTL HP sound quality, portability, expansive full headphone sized sound stage, plus they are very easy to drive properly. We have a US tour going on right now that you might find interesting as well as the CustomArt threads. Everybody on the tour so far has pointed out what a bargain the M1 is and how great it sounds.
 

1. Homepage
2. US Tour
3. CA Thread

 
IMO, there is really no other way than a CIEM to get the isolation you need on a bus to hear the available details and emotion provided in audiophile quality recordings. It will also scale up as you get better source equipment.