swaaye, I hear the
Sony MDR-V7506 (AFAIK a replacement for the V6, as they both look the same and have the same specs; avoid the V600, which AFAIK sounds nothing like the V6/7506) and
Sennheiser 280 Pro (tho the
'Pro' might just refer to the all-black version) recommended a lot at Ars for <$100 (the Senn regularly goes for closer to $80 at Amazon) closed headphones that don't require a separate amp to sound as good as they can (whereas $200 cans may get into amp territory). I've used the 7506 myself, and it sounds and fits OK (well, maybe the OK fit is due to my glasses, and the OK sound is due to OK source material or amplifiers: onbaord PC audio, Audigy 2ZS, mid-range CD/MP3 players, and Denon minisystems). IRC, you can replace their earpieces with a more comfortable velour set from Beyerdynamics. A Google search should help you out.
Amazon seems to offer the V6 for preorder at a great price,
just $72. Again, I thought these were phased out for the 7506, but maybe they were never discontinued, or maybe they're being reintroduced. You can see that other store prices at Amazon put both the V6 and the 7506 at $99, so Amazon's $72 price may just be a preorder special. Don't hold me to that, though.
You can find a review of the 280 Pro and other sealed cans
here.
Monty, give the
Sony EX71 a try. You might find they sit securely enough in your ears that you don't need the hook, but the EX81 looks like a hook version of the same earbud. Either way, I've heard they're very good at blocking outside noise, and the 71 at least is comfortable--provided one of the included bud sizes fits you. Reviews at Amazon indicate they're not as rugged as before, but they're proably worth a try at ~$30. Just note their unusual cord lengths.