Steve, I spent a fair bit of time trialing some cans at the end of last year including the Bose QC's. Spent around an hour in the Bose store Westfield switching between the two and you definitely want around the ear and not the on ear versions. On the ear were better for portability but not sound insulation. So was about to part with a lot of money but decided to go the the Apple store. Trialed some Sony's, Sennheisers and these Beats Studios by Monster. The clarity of highs and mids were comparable to the Bose but the base beat them hands down. No distortion at full chat especially on hip hop, dance or any base heavy sounds. Bose QC 2's beat the competition up to £300 price range so I can recommend them to you. However try out the Beats first. They have an SRP of £275 but I got them new on ebay for £220 from Italy including postage. A lot of money for cans yes but I use them almost every day so I can justify it. They come with a good carry case, two cables - one with mic and one without, works with iPhones with the mic cable, needs two AAA batteries which so far have lasted around 2 - 3 months a time. Only down side is they are a very bling, but I quite liked that, and they're featured a fair bit in music videos eg. Lady Gaga, Pussycat Dolls plus a few hip hop ones.
http://www.beatsbydre.com/
Anyway that's my two penneth. Up to you really
