Looking for very comfortable headphones to wear all day

T

tgabe213

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As the title says, I'm looking for a pair of headphones that I can keep on for 8 hours a day, but be able to take them on/off multiple times in the day. I don't want my ears to hurt or get sweaty. I'd obviously like some decent sound too :p

So what's out there? I'd like to keep it as inexpensive as possible. Just looking for something to use while at work during the day.

thanks!
 
Everybody will find different headphones comfortable. Unfortunately for me, it seems i can't stand almost all types of headphones. I just bought some sennheiser hd238's which are considered highly comfortable by others and I can't stand the clamping force. I just did tons of research on headphone comfort. Standouts for full-size are audio technica ad700 and sennheiser hd500. Portable-size many say sennheiser px-100's are comfortable. But for me, I think clip-ons feel the best because of lack of weight and clamping force, followed by IEMs. However, IEMs tend to annoy the inside of my ear after an hour or two but this will be tip dependent and at least they are lightweight. Ear buds would be the most comfortable I think but sound the worst.

The most comfortable to me that I have tried so far is koss ksc-75 which are fairly cheap at $15-20. Mid's and highs sound great on these, i wish there was a little more bass however, overall totally worth the price. It's a clip-on and the rubber ear clips are adjustable, which means no clamping force on the ears and no headband weight on the top of the head. I have heard some don't like the fit, but I can't see why not compared to the comfort of all other types of headphones. I will be returning the sennheiser hd238 and sticking with koss ksc-75 and iem's.
 
As always, I'm going to recommend the Audio Technica ATH phones. Most comfortable phones I've ever seen. Their wing system really works, they just kinda float on your head. It is great. What you do is decide if you want open back or closed back and what your budget is, and based off of that you know which one to get. They've got them both open and closed, and a whole lineup of different levels of them.
 
audio technica ath-ad series or beyerdynamic dt770/880/990
 
Love my HD500s and I've definitely gamed with them on for hours on end without any kind of fatigue. Only side effect being your ears do get a little hot from being covered for so long. One thing to note though is the HD500s terminate with a 1/4 stereo plug so you will need to use the included 1/4-1/8 adapter to plug them in to any kind of media device.
 
I recommend the hd-595s. Had mine for a few years now and put many gaming/music hours on them with total comfort. If you want to go cheaper you can get a pair of hd555s and mod them (take piece of foam out) since they have the same driver as the 595s
 
450 said:
Sony MDR-F1.
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These are the only choice. Completely open, lightweight, and padded. You will not know they are on. However, they are completely open (meaning you hear the environment and the environment hears you).

Really no chance of ears getting sweaty (unless the whole room is hot). Awesome spatial positioning. Easy to drive.

One of the finest gaming headphones. Top / top of middle tier of headphones under a grand for music.
 
Why are you all suggesting AD700's and other open headphones for the OP in a workplace setting? Do you intend for him to annoy the fuck out of his coworkers with his personal taste in music?

If you want the comfort of the AT's of that series your only choice there is the "A" variants, such as the ATH-A700. (Not AD) It's actually closed and will prevent your coworkers from listening to what you're listening to. They share a nearly identical physical design with the AD's and you will forget you're wearing them entirely.

Other than that, you could try IEMs which are another good choice for noise isolation, although IEMs tend to be a love-or-hate proposition as far as comfort. Some people find them incredibly awkward, while others swear by them. As someone above mentioned, it can be very dependent on the (replaceable) tip of the IEM, and you can experiment with different types. Comply foam tips are pretty nice. You could try something cheap like the NuForce NE-6 in this category.

Other people around this forum seem to like the JVC-HARX 700/900 series, but I have never heard those so I don't know how much sound they might leak. They look closed, but I guess they have small vents in them so are more of a semi-open design. Anyone know how well they isolate/badly they leak?

To OP:
What kind of job environment are you in anyway? Cubicles? Personal office? Loud/Quiet environment? Also, what kind of music do you listen to? Different headphones are better at different genres.
 
I will get slapped for this; but if comfort is paramount; bose triports are at or near the top. (durability/sound quality aside)
 
Hey guys, thanks for all of the responses.

I'm in an office environment, with coworkers just a few feet away. For the most part, it's a very quiet atmosphere, so I think music would disturb others (some listen to music too, but I don't want them to put their headphones on just cause mine is too loud). I listen to all kinds of music. Rock, some rap, techno, ambient, classical rock. I'm all over the board here on music.

I'm wondering if I might be better off getting a decent set of earbuds. I've had a pair of my Skullcandy Ink'd and Apple iPod buds die in the last two months. It is very irritating.
 
The AT-M50 will block out any outside noise... and your co-workers will not hear your music either. They aren't exactly "cheap", but they are certainly worth getting. I got mine for ~$115 shipped, and have NO complaints.
 
Depending on your budget, I'd recommend the Sennheiser HD600/650, sonically they are superior to the 5xx series cans, in every fashion(Properly Amplified).
 
My AD700's are sitting on my desk, with music playing (from two media players to gurantee sound, Daft Punk and James Taylor) and I can only just hear the occasional loudest Daft Punk notes over my computer. The loudest fan is probably of average fan volume and the rest are slow 120mm.

How loud do you people listen to music? My system volume setting procedure is, turn it all the way down, hit the up arrow three times. That puts any media player I bring up at about half volume for my preffered volume.

I actually like the open headphones so when people come to me I can hear what they say while I remove my headphones instead of asking them to repeat themselves.
 
tgabe213 said:
I'm in an office environment, with coworkers just a few feet away. For the most part, it's a very quiet atmosphere, so I think music would disturb others...
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Don't go with any open-backed headphones that get recommended to you then unless you like listening to your music extremely quietly, as open headphones DO leak, and your coworkers WILL be listening to what you are listening to, even at reasonable volume levels.

tgabe213 said:
I'm wondering if I might be better off getting a decent set of earbuds. I've had a pair of my Skullcandy Ink'd and Apple iPod buds die in the last two months. It is very irritating.
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There are actually two types of headphones here that you've mentioned, earbuds and IEMs. Never buy earbuds, they are generally trash due to their design (There is maybe one manufacturer I can think of that makes a decent earbud). The skullcandys that you mentioned are "IEMs" or "In Ear Monitors". The difference between the two is that buds sit in front of the opening to ear canals, while IEMs are inserted into them and form a seal in your ear, which improves their sonic characteristics a great deal. There is a very wide variety of fantastic IEMs, and the right IEM would probably be a great choice for you. Unfortunately, Skullcandy is not one of them. Skullcandy as a brand tends to be flashy, flimsy, junk.

tgabe213 said:
I listen to all kinds of music. Rock, some rap, techno, ambient, classical rock.
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You'll probably want to shoot for a more balanced sounding headphone due to the variety in your music, maybe something leaning a little more toward a bigger low end.

You could look up reviews on some of the following and see if any of these IEMs interest you: (Kept it to sub $100)

Meelectronics M9 (Budget option)
NuForce NE-6 (Good bass, cheap price)
Head-Direct RE0 (don't buy from amazon, do head-direct.com.)
Klipsch Image S4 (Supposed to be very comfy as far as IEMs go, heavy on bass)
 
Kett said:
Don't go with any open-backed headphones that get recommended to you then unless you like listening to your music extremely quietly, as open headphones DO leak, and your coworkers WILL be listening to what you are listening to, even at reasonable volume levels.


There are actually two types of headphones here that you've mentioned, earbuds and IEMs. Never buy earbuds, they are generally trash due to their design (There is maybe one manufacturer I can think of that makes a decent earbud). The skullcandys that you mentioned are "IEMs" or "In Ear Monitors". The difference between the two is that buds sit in front of the opening to ear canals, while IEMs are inserted into them and form a seal in your ear, which improves their sonic characteristics a great deal. There is a very wide variety of fantastic IEMs, and the right IEM would probably be a great choice for you. Unfortunately, Skullcandy is not one of them. Skullcandy as a brand tends to be flashy, flimsy, junk.


You'll probably want to shoot for a more balanced sounding headphone due to the variety in your music, maybe something leaning a little more toward a bigger low end.

You could look up reviews on some of the following and see if any of these IEMs interest you: (Kept it to sub $100)

Meelectronics M9 (Budget option)
NuForce NE-6 (Good bass, cheap price)
Head-Direct RE0 (don't buy from amazon, do head-direct.com.)
Klipsch Image S4 (Supposed to be very comfy as far as IEMs go, heavy on bass)
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THANK YOU for the clarification on IEM and earbuds. I'm guessing the Apple iPod ones are considered 'earbuds' since they 'rest' in your ear, but the skullcandy's I have 'seal' around the ear.

The only downside I think there is to IEMs is that it can be difficult for someone to get your attention (i.e. had some paper thrown at me yesterday cause I couldn't hear).

Have you used/tried out each one of those you recommended, or have you seen them recommended elsewhere/popular? Now that I know what IEM's are, I think it will assist with my research a little further.
 
tgabe213 said:
THANK YOU for the clarification on IEM and earbuds. I'm guessing the Apple iPod ones are considered 'earbuds' since they 'rest' in your ear, but the skullcandy's I have 'seal' around the ear..
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Yessir
tgabe213 said:
The only downside I think there is to IEMs is that it can be difficult for someone to get your attention (i.e. had some paper thrown at me yesterday cause I couldn't hear).
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This is definitely something that IEMs do. In general they provide pretty much the best isolation factor of any headphone form-factor. Many consider this a good thing though; great for places you are stuck in that are noisy when you just want to block out everything.
tgabe213 said:
Have you used/tried out each one of those you recommended, or have you seen them recommended elsewhere/popular? Now that I know what IEM's are, I think it will assist with my research a little further.
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Personally, my IEM experience is with a few more expensive models (Monster Turbines, UE Triple.Fi 10, etc) and a few lower end models that I didn't particularly care for. (10-20$ range)

I recommended you look into the ones I mentioned because of what I have heard about them and are kind of off the top of my head based on your pricerange/music. At one point I was thinking about grabbing a pair of the NE-6's for a bassy headphone, (They were NE-7Ms back then before the made them without the mic) but ultimately ended up with Turbines somehow. :rolleyes:

Most of the info I get when I am researching a new pair of headphones for music comes from head-fi.org.

Specifically, threads like these might be a good place for you to start:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/450407/multiple-iem-shootout-v-3
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread...mpared-monster-jamz-padacs-aksent-added-03-21

To get more out of other people's reviews, it helps to seek consensus among different reviews, and especially helps to see if you can find a review that someone has done on a piece of audio equipment you have heard. That becomes a good reference point from which to interpret their other reviews. For instance, the review of the Ink'd iem in the second review round-up above might help you as a reference point for the rest of the reviews in that thread.

You might want to do a comfort test with your Ink'd IEMs for a day at work if you haven't yet though, a few people get sore ears after several hours of having IEMs in. The most comfortable headphone I have ever worn are still the full-size audio technicas with the "3d-wing" design; in my case the ATH-A700. Zero fatigue/pain/soreness no matter how long I wear them.
 
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Another set of skullcandy buds down. I need something I can go buy today (best buy). $50?
 
tgabe213 said:
Another set of skullcandy buds down. I need something I can go buy today (best buy). $50?
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How often are you going through these things? If you were to spend twice as much, you may get something that lasts for years. Quality over quantity should be a mantra for more people these days.
 
Denon AH-D5000 is the most comfortable piece of headwear I've ever had. They even beat my favorite hat for comfort - but they might be beyond a comfortable price point for the entry-level audiophile.
 
Ruoh said:
How often are you going through these things? If you were to spend twice as much, you may get something that lasts for years. Quality over quantity should be a mantra for more people these days.
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I'm all about "you get what you pay for". The skullcandy's were my first IEM's that I bought to replace the apple iPod ones. I had eventually boughten 2 more pairs. Use on the go, at work, and at the gym, so I didn't have to keep track of 1 pair (at $15 it didn't matter much). Well they all seem to be just dying on me out of no where now.
 
tgabe213 said:
I'm all about "you get what you pay for". The skullcandy's were my first IEM's that I bought to replace the apple iPod ones. I had eventually boughten 2 more pairs. Use on the go, at work, and at the gym, so I didn't have to keep track of 1 pair (at $15 it didn't matter much). Well they all seem to be just dying on me out of no where now.
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Same reason why Ive been sticking with cheap skullcandy IEMs. I lose them all the time.
 
I impulsed on a pair of Sennheiser HD428's while at Best Buy yesterday (closed), though, I'm not sure I'm happy with the comfort of them.

I've decided on headphones and want to stay within about $60 (on Amazon). Ideas? Everything here has been a bit out of my price range.
 
Superlux HD668B.

Some people find them uncomfortable but I can wear them all day long just fine. They were too tight out of the box though, but after some time they got soooo much better (I put them on a book at night to slacken them a bit)

Edit : they do leak a bit though :/ but they are cheap and their sound is on par with headphones that cost almost 10 times more.
 
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Like I mentioned before, In addition to the above, you could look into the JVC HARX 700... I've heard they are good for the price from many on this forum.

http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HARX700-High-Grade-Full-Size-Headphone/dp/B0013OWPV4/ref=pd_cp_e_1

As far as buying something at best buy... I wouldn't. It limits your choices severely and you always end up paying significantly more. They also don't exactly carry a wide variety of quality headphones last time I checked. (Which, admittedly, was several years ago)
 
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Grrr...I somehow looked over those when reviewing the thread. The only downside with those that I see are ears getting hot, but I'm going to give them a shot. They are SUPER cheap.

Thanks!
 
The JVC's came in today. Awesome. Plain and simple.

Thanks for the recommendation! I may end up picking up another pair, maybe the 900's for gaming at home (using Koss UR20's at home that I got for $10 on Black Friday)
 
Stay away from Grados. I can't reccomend a comfortable pair of headphones cause I just have grados lol.
 
Blubikins said:
Stay away from Grados. I can't recommend a comfortable pair of headphones cause I just have grados lol.
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I have four sets of headphones the Denon 2000, Sennheiser 598, Fostex and my Stax. I tried the Grados twenty years ago and they never impress me with comfort.
 
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i like the dr dre beats headphones. pricey but the very best to get
 
cheapo said:
i like the dr dre beats headphones. pricey but the very best to get
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I would hesitate before calling them the "very best." They might have a big marketing division and they certainly are not horrible headphones, but there are almost always better headphones for similar/less price, and there are also headphones that cost astronomically more than even the most expensive Beats and most people would prefer the quality of those.
 
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