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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
terraplane8bob's avatar
terraplane8bob
68 posts
 

I am surprised to not have seen STAX "ear speakers" mentioned.  They are light, open back and sonically speaking are extremely accurate.  I worked as an audio engineer and used Sennheiser 600 earphones for convenience during the recording sessions but used my STAX "Lambda Pro's" for editing purposes.  Their light weight often fooled me into thinking that I wasn't wearing earphones at all !

longball44
5 posts
 

Focal Clear, very nice and Sound awesome 👍

kinglek
6 posts
 

Audeze MM-500
Got them two weeks back...amazing...worth every penny
Put them up against Focal Stellia....MM blew them away.

I generally listen from 1-6 hours....never know you have them on.
 

meiatflask
152 posts
 

So I spend two days at Axpona this spring pretty much confined to the headphone room.  Having not owned headphones for several decades, the wearability without physical fatigue was my concern, along with sound quality of course.  I ended up purchasing the sennheiser HD800s. Having owned them for six months now, I am happy with my decision.  Very comfortable and I can wear them for a couple hours.

As for the sound- I have done two things to tweak the sound. First, try different ear pads. I purchased a couple of the Dekoni models, each less than $100.  Each has an effect on the sound (albeit not dramatic and mostly on the bass).   And each fits/feels a bit different. I settled in on the fenestrated sheepskin.  So for a couple hundred bucks, a great way to tune in your comfort and sound.   I suspect replacing to OEM pads on other brands might also affect the comfort level.

but even more importantly, upgrade your cable.  I purchased some from  Lavricables (based on recommendations from others on a’gon), balanced, uses silver wire, and they made a dramatic difference in detail, soundstage and sweetness of the mid to treble without making them bright. If you thought the HD800s had too much treble, my experience says these cables smoothed it out.  I spent about $800, including a break in service. Highly recommended.

meiatflask
152 posts
 

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