I think headphones are unfortunate though because they are often used to drown out all the noise around - or at least this has been my experience. In my current

I think headphones are unfortunate though because they are often used to drown out all the noise around - or at least this has been my experience. In my current company and especially my last one (a very well know design studio), headphones were used because it was insanely noisy. I look forward to a day where the only reason I have headphones on is because I want to actually listen to some music. That said, I am a huge fan of cubes/offices/personal spaces. The most productive I've ever been is in those types of environments.