While I no longer have them, I've tried a lot of different headphones, and the Meze Empyreans are for me the most comfortable....
Physically Comfortable Headphones
I anticipate that in the near future, I will have a greater dependance on headphone listening. I have a separate listening room at this time, and do not have to worry about affecting others as I listen, even into the night. But if/when we downsize, I am almost certain to not have this luxury again.
I like headphones. But they never seem to like me. I can't find one that I don't want to rip off my head within a half-hour. My head is probably a bit bigger sized than average, but not outrageous. My temples, the source (or at least, location) for my frequent headaches, are sensitive to pressure. My ears get really hot really quickly.
I have owned Grado G1000's, Audeze LCD-2's, Meze 99's, Sennheiser 650's, Stax SR 80's, and the most comfortable of them all, the Audio Technica Air ATH AD700's. And while the AT 700's are the most physically comfortable, the sound is too thin, and not good enough for front line music listening.
Does anyone know of headphones that fit slightly larger headed people? That have a lower "clamp-force" around the temples? I favor a fuller sound, with good bass, like my Audeze LCD-2's (pre-fazor). My budget is probably around $1500 or less.
Thanks for any suggestions...
David
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- 40 posts total
I'm glad you're willing to go and audition the HifiMans. I would also recommend them. I considered myself a Focal guy until I tried the HE1K V2's and I was instantly converted. Liked them so much I made the considerable leap to the Susvara, which was another huge improvement. I hate to use such an overused term but these truly are "end-game" for me (and I got a pretty substantial discount off the $6K list price). They have so little clamping force that if you tilt your head forward or back they will fall off! HFM obviously placed a major importance on comfort. I've had a few Audeze models and they're all just ridiculously heavy. Focals are much better. I've never heard the Utopia 2022 but it's the only other HP I would still like to. The Clear Mg is an excellent HP and in your price range. A little more clamping force than the Susvaras but I suspect that will be true for pretty much any other 'phones. I use the McIntosh tube headphone amp. There's a review you can easily find if you Google it saying that, with a tube change (which I've made), it is the best HP amp the reviewer has ever heard (this is from an older, very seasoned reviewer) and I believe it's a fair bit less expensive than the balanced Woo Audio choices. Only caveat would be that I would try to have a DAC or preamp with a volume control because the one on the Mac is annoyingly hair-trigger. With that taken out of the equation it's pure bliss. Definitely stay with open-backs. The best closed-backs I've personally heard are the Denon 9200's ($1600 and extremely well-made). I use them nightly so as not to disturb my wife and they are quite good but can't hold a candle to the Susvaras. Sorry for such a long-winded response but headphone rigs are something I'm (obviously) pretty passionate about. |
@yoyoyaya - Interesting ("Sennheiser HD800 - much more comfortable than the 650s and extremely light"). I have used the Senn 650 for years and find them very comfortable. I will have to try out the 800 if I decide to upgrade. |
- 40 posts total