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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
kinglek
5 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
151 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
151 posts
 

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

mfili35
42 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
367 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).

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