Neither Grado nor the Koss provide any isolation for the user. I have to agree they both are great for the money, I have the SR60's and the Porta Pros.

I would recommend a model from Etymotic Research. I had the HF5 and currently use the ER4's. The HF5's are within your price range and sound amazing.

http://www.etymotic.com/

Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud