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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

Showing 2 responses by dtorc

dtorc OP
52 posts
 

Thank you all for your headphone-comfort thoughts. It is funny - to a certain extent, I would compromise sound quality just to be able to wear the things without discomfort. It would be really nice if I didn't have to compromise too much. 

I tend to like a warmer sound - the pre-fazor LCD-2's are very close to my ideal, but the weight and the fit can be punishing. I tried the Sennheiser 800's and the treble response was a bit too much for me - though I agree that they were more comfortable than average.

I have a local dealer - Goodwin's High End - who are Hifiman dealers, and claim to have the Arya to audition. So, I think I will go see them and try them on. The trouble is that I need to sit there for at least 30 minutes to see how the fit works over time. I hope they have a sense of humor about that...

You also brought up some brands I knew existed, but didn't know anything else about, like Dan Clark and iBasso. I will start my auditions soon. 

I really appreciate the opinions. I find it helpful, as I usually do on this site.

David

dtorc OP
52 posts
 

Thank you to others who have added since I last checked in. When you mention a headphone, I look it up, and read about them. From the humble Pioneer (found on ebay for $100) to the Hifiman, Meze, Dan Clark, etc etc, which are, well, more than that. 

Two of you mentioned IEM's and I sort of realized that amongst my favorite head-fi experiences are my Audeze iSine 10's. My ears don't get hot, my temples do not get pressed, they are not heavy. The iSine 10's are no longer made - in fact, I think that Audeze stopped making that line of in-ear earpphones. I think I would like a more refined version of the iSine 10's as a daily headphone, and will certainly pursue the in-ear solutions. I very much like that the iSine's do not require a seal in the ear canal - the business end simply delivers the music to your canal - it doesn't need to seal it to make deep bass. I like not needing to be closed off from the world quite so much. 

 

Again, I appreciate the suggestions...

David

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