Which ear defenders are best?

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Especially for blocking out the sound of people talking nearby. I have a cheapish 34 dB pair from a hardware store and they aren't good enough.

I can't do noise-cancelling headphones because listening to music sometimes tires me out too.

34dB is pretty much as high as they go. Don’t be so quick to write off noise-canceling headphones for the music reason. I have recently started wearing Bose Quiet Comfort 35 noise-canceling headphones instead of ear defenders. You don’t even have to listen to music for the noise-canceling function to work. Of course, it does work better with music (near 100% blocking), but they are pretty good on their own. If you don’t want to try them, try NRR 33 earplugs under the ear defenders. That works pretty well too. Almost all ear defenders are inexpensive, so don’t judge them on price (unless you were referring to materials). You could also try electronic ear defenders (like, for hunting). I’ve never tried them so I can’t comment. My favorite brands are Howard Leight and Peltor. Both offer a range of styles and NRRs.

Did it work as well as ear defenders?

I'm still deciding on that. I still use ear defenders as well sometimes. Bose QC-35 are not as tight, secure a feel on the head. "Noise-canceling" doesn't mean "noise-eliminating." It has to do with the way the headphones reduce noise.