[aos]

I use Audio Technica ATH-900 - I also work as a programmer and want to drown out the talking, though it's not as bad as your environment. I found they work very well in this regard without compromising sound quality too much. Extremely comfortable. I also have HD-25 II and find those great for portable use - but not comfortable enough to use the whole day. I agree with jawang and believe HD-25 isolate about as good as you can get without active noise cancellation.

By the way there was a very well written (and LONG) PDF document somewhere around here that targeted portable/closed headphone options well. It's probably quite out of date now but it may give you some ideas. That's how I decided to try A-900 which I bought on my trip to Japan, as they'd be hard to get otherwise. The recommendation was spot-on.

Active noise cancellation is definitely something you may want to consider, too.

 

[moonshake]

Quote:

+1 on AKG K271 MKII. I have it, super sweet mids and okay isolation.

+2

 

[Ypoknons]

I can't give personal experience but if you need isolation to such an extent but have a comfort issue with universal IEMs you can look into some of the cheaper custom IEMs or universals with custom tips.

 

[AudioCats]

custom IEM

 

[Skylab]

Of course, the OP said no IEM's

If you want the BEST sound you can get from a headphone that isolates really well, then you should get the Ultrasone Edition 8.

But assuming you don't have $1,500 to spend, some others that you might consider are the Shure SRH-840, the Senn HD-25-II, and the Beyer DT770 (consumer 2005 version is the best sounding). These three headphones all isolate quite well and all sound very good. The HD-25-II isolates the best of these, but for me was not comfortableness enough to wear for more than an hour since it is on the ear. The Shure and Beyer are very comfortable and isolate quite well - but they sound pretty different - best to read up on the threads about their sound.

I thought the Senn HD280 was very disappointing sonically.

 

[alont]

What's the matter guys, no love for the PXC 450?

I have 'em and they offer superb noise isolation

 

[stokitw]

It depends how loud your colleague's volume is. Previously I use AKG 271s in my office for isolation. It does the job until one of my colleague speak louder than the others. Then I go to active noise cancelling phones i.e. Bose QC15. It blocks almost all those loud discussions which K271 cannot isolate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I work as a programmer in possibly the worst environment. I am surrounded by people who need to talk all day as part of their job, with TVs on in the background that need to be on. I also cannot stand the physical comfort of IEMs. I am looking for the headphones with the best possible isolation with decent sound quality -- without an amp. The last time I was around the GMP 8.35 D's seemed to be the best fit, but it was hard to shake the FOTM feeling from the thread. Are these still the best option? I am willing to give up a lot for any better degree of isolation. My budget is around $400 but can bring more to the table if necessary.