Noise canceling headphones – any tips?

I’m in the market for noise canceling headphones. Got any tips? My post about summer distractions and a discussion on our Facebook page led to a suggestion that I buy some noise canceling headphones. And while I posted about headphones about five years ago, I really could use some advice.

For me, I just want a basic set. Nothing fancy. But I would like to be able to concentrate on my work and not be able to hear the jackhammer or cement truck or whatever-the-heck else is down the road from me. About 15 years ago, when I first started consulting, there was a pile driver going. I kid you not. It went on for months. Fortunately, I no longer live in the middle of a major construction zone, but it’s pretty clear there is still going to be a lot of noise from roadwork.

So, if you’re got any tips, I’d love to hear them. If you have tips for using something other than noise canceling headphones, I’m open to that too. Today, I ended up listening to MP3s with my Skype headset. I usually reserve that for business calls and telecoaching sessions, but I like to think I can make technology work for me.

How about you? What do you think I should do?