I never imagined I could ditch my Apple earbuds and attach large over-ear headphones to my sleek iPhone, especially ones with a non-white cable :) Well I was wrong.
The reality of commuting in the excessive noise of NYC's screeching bus brakes and clattering subway tracks forced me into finding a better audio experience. It was both a matter of common sense and personal health; the constant assault of volume from the environment and my own earbuds was starting to take its toll on my hearing.

I got a pair of the Beats by Dre Solo headphones as a Christmas gift from my girlfriend and they have been a godsend. I have sampled Bose headphones, but their overall construction doesn't feel solid enough for a $150 price range. And for cold-weather, the Beats actually fit a little better over a wool than the Bose. The Beats also do a spectacular job of shielding out the noisiest A-train. I found that Bose noise-cancelling technology added a slightly noticeable distortion to certain ranges of audio. The only downside to the great insulation of the Beats is that when I'm on a phone call, the bass in my own voice significantly reverberates more than I'm used to.