Home Theater magazine's Dec. 2002 gift guide recommended NCT NoiseBuster Extreme Noise-Cancelation Headphones(www.nct-active.com/nbex.htm). They claimed its "the best $40 you'll ever spend."
well, i had a pair of those noisebusters, and while it wasnt the *worst* money i ever spent, it was up there on the list. they sucked. then i went and tried the sonys (over the ear model) and was blown away. they cost me $199 about 2-3 years ago. they turn airplanes into tomb-like quiet.
the conclusion i reached was this - it's like trying to buy a luxury automobile for under $10k. you might get lucky, and lots of sales people will tell you that it's just as good as a lexus/bimmer/mercedes, but guess what - it isnt.
Thx for the replies...I purchased a pair at Circuit City yesterday (Targus) and will fly today. If they are no good, I will return them and look for Sennheiser PXC 250. They are winning a bunch of awards and just came out (SRP $149).