[Shoewreck]

Grado's don't isolate anything. They leak in like there is no headphones on your head and out like they're lying on a table.
I'd choose some closed headphones for subway if there weren't IEMs. I ended up with Etymotic ER-6 for noisy environments.

 

[lauinbeta]

Quote:

It almost seems necessary. The standard cable looks like it will break instantly. What are your thoughts?

The grado cable is sturdy enough to be run over several times by my chair and not suffer any lasting damage. And the business end of the cable seems pretty hefty to me. Its certainly larger than any of my other connectors, including the one on the ES7.

Not too sure about those Sony's. I haven't really heard of them (or at least bothered to look them up ) here.

As for your isolation situation, I don't have much experience with subways being in a city that loves its cars and without the proper geology for a feasible subway. Subways are loud from the train noise correct? The ones i've been in were fairly quiet (seems people don't talk much in while on the train).
In that case ES7's might be okay in terms of isolation. The isolation you get is comparable to cupping your ears with you hands somewhat tightly. If you are walking most of the time, then any time on the subway would probably bareable if not pleasant. They barely leak any sound at all too. Lastly, I assume Japan has a low crime rate because those ES7's are so shiny they are just asking to be stolen.

 

[lauinbeta]

If you feel like the noise is too great on the subway, then IEM's might be a better option. I can't seem to find the right tips to get a seal on my ER-6i's but Comply's with my UM1's block a ton of noise. People can talk to me and all I hear/see are lips moving. I suppose properly sealing ER-6i's would be even better.

If you have anymore questions give me a PM. Seems I have a good majority of the phones being recommended here. Quite a coincidence.

 

[chintimin]

I'm selling a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-770s. Drop me a line!