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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 

dtorc
meiatflask
152 posts
 

And checkout head-fi.org for more thoughts, comments, reviews

mfili35
43 posts
 

Grados are by for the worst I had 350s .. I had HD 800s I could not stand the way they touched my face because of their size.. I now have beyerdynamic T1’s V1. fantastic sound and only about 350 grams, have alcantera pads.. you can wear them for hours

desktopguy
373 posts
 

I've been chasing high end headphone sound for about eight years, and in that time have owned dozens of headphones, from the best budget on up. FWIW, I have a large head and have also struggled to get some headphones to fit well.

I ended up becoming a true fan (fanboy) of ZMF headphones. I currently own three and owned at least another 4 or 5. I gravitated to ZMF because their "house sound" suits me so well (slightly warm, definitely musical, great bass). I need open back headphones due to migraines & tinnitus; my current favorites are the Verite Open and Caldera Open. They both fit extremely well.

I can also highly recommend ZMF's least expensive headphone, the Bokeh closed. If a closed headphone suits you, these are quite large, very comfortable, and ZMF's steel inner headband can readily be bent to adjust clamping force.

Another headphone I can recommend based on superb comfort is the original Meze Empyrean. The sound is lovely: not the highest resolution around, but very spacious and ear friendly planar sound--and the comfort is simply beyond reproach. You can sometimes find these on the used market. I used HiFiShark.com to track used gear.

If you get any of these headphones, you'll get better sound from a desktop headphone amp. I'm a true addict/hoarder of amps and can advise you on that if you feel like contacting me (don't want to hijack this thread).

mikhailark
278 posts
 

Meze Elites are light and excellent

thom_oz
26 posts
 

@dtorc 

Try the Koss UR 40 titanium driver headphones. I have a pair I wear all day. They are slightly warmer than the Harman curve, so 6+ hours of listening daily won't make you deaf unless you are really careless. They're really cheap too, and weigh nothing (so if you buy them and aren't blown away, you only lost the cost of a Sunday buffet dinner). You might be stunned at their performance for under $50. I've worn variations of this design since 1982 (Koss HV7, HV/X, Realistic Pro-60, etc). I recommend them to everyone sick of heavy, expensive headphones that make their ears ring in 30 minutes.

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