Lucky you, I'm the exact opposite. It's mostly quiet here, and relatively normal/plain/cheap ear phones remove the speaking around me. In that case ear phones a

Lucky you, I'm the exact opposite. It's mostly quiet here, and relatively normal/plain/cheap ear phones remove the speaking around me. In that case ear phones are actually a distraction/nuisance; having to constantly take them in/out, people speaking to you having to constantly say "Sorry to interrupt", "just a quick question", because they're more aware of bothering you, etc.