# comfortable headphones ?



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Anyone have recommendations for comfortable headphones? These are for listening to my Ipod, not studio headphones. I'm lucky enough to be able to listen to music during my day job and I normally wear them for a few hours each day.

I've tried 4 or 5 different types of the "ear bud" models but I've never found a pair yet which don't give me physical discomfort after a while. I also don't like the "old school" big padded models as I hate the "ear sweat" sensation which they cause. I normally end up with something like this style, because I find them comfier for long periods of time, but I'd like something better quality than these:








Sony Stereo Headphones (MDR210LP) : Professional - Best Buy Canada


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

I know it's a clothing store but, I saw these the other day and I was attracted to them as they are really quite small and comfortable looking. The reviews seem to be pretty good, but could be by all 12 year olds! I need a pair for my van so my daughter can listen to movies on the iPad when we're on a long trip.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Hmm, although they are the padded over-the-ear phones you said you didn't like, my Sennheiser HD-280s are most versatile headphones I've ever had, hands down. And, as an added bonus, I've never had ear-sweat with them, even after wearing them for hours recording/mixing.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Grado SR-60's are my favourite reasonably affordable headphones. 










I can't wear earbuds without experiencing extreme discomfort to all out pain. I must have wierd shaped ear canals or something.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Check Winners. They had some good headphones that are Sony very comfortable 

Sony MDR V250 - headphones - Headphones - CNET Archive


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> Hmm, although they are the padded over-the-ear phones you said you didn't like, my Sennheiser HD-280s are most versatile headphones I've ever had, hands down. And, as an added bonus, I've never had ear-sweat with them, even after wearing them for hours recording/mixing.


I have a pair of their HD550s that I can wear for countless hours - very comfy.


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## nutter (Aug 29, 2009)

not a huge fan of the grados, i bought a pair cheap from a bud. the imaging sucks, they are uncomfortable and they are pretty harsh but they are nice and detailed. depends what you are looking for - i wear a cheap pair of sony wrap around buds just because they image better and i can listen to them for hours.


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## Jocko (May 17, 2010)

I have Sony phones that clip over the ear and the small drivers sit in the ear canal but are not held by the ear canal.
I also use HD490's for serious listening. I also wear them for hours at a time playing Xbox. I bought them in the 90's and only found out a couple of weeks ago that I could buy new pads. I did so (£15) and now they are like new and as comfortable as they ever were.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I use Sonys. I have the next set up from these ones
Sony Studio Monitor Series DJ Headphones (MDRV500DJ) : DJ Style - Best Buy Canada

They sound great and take a beating.


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## sscups (Aug 21, 2010)

Sneaky said:


> Grado SR-60's are my favourite reasonably affordable headphones.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've had Grado SR-80's for about 5 years now, for music/games and just purchased their updated SR-80i which are just a little more bass.

Have worn them for hours, no issues after initial breakin of foam. Great headphones for $125 or so.

I purchased them from Welcome To Speaker Shop! | Speaker Shop in Buffalo. The last purchase I did over the phone no issues.


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

sscups said:


> I've had Grado SR-80's for about 5 years now, for music/games and just purchased their updated SR-80i which are just a little more bass.
> 
> Have worn them for hours, no issues after initial breakin of foam. Great headphones for $125 or so.
> 
> I purchased them from Welcome To Speaker Shop! | Speaker Shop in Buffalo. The last purchase I did over the phone no issues.


129$ at Grado SR60i Prestige Series Headphones, Black: Amazon.ca: Electronics


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I've always liked the Grados for sound quality, but I hesitate to recommend them here because the thread is specifically for "comfortable" headphones and the Grados (to me) were certainly NOT. After an hour or so of using them, the design would cause the driver/foam surround to rub against my ear and the friction would give me a "rug-burn" kind of sore on the cartilage of my ear. After a while, this becomes pretty painful 

Also, the Grado's are open-back design, which can be a good or bad thing. You can hear the environment around you, which may be beneficial at work in case you're needed for something, but as an unfortunate corollary, the surrounding environment can hear YOU too.

While I really like the sound of Grados, given the ear-trauma and non-sealed design, I couldn't recommend them for anything other than brief listening stints in quiet places.

Oddly, neither sccups nor Sneaky seem to have the same comfort issues, so maybe it's just the way my ears are designed (thanks mom and dad!), so YMMV.


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

hollowbody said:


> I've always liked the Grados for sound quality, but I hesitate to recommend them here because the thread is specifically for "comfortable" headphones and the Grados (to me) were certainly NOT. After an hour or so of using them, the design would cause the driver/foam surround to rub against my ear and the friction would give me a "rug-burn" kind of sore on the cartilage of my ear. After a while, this becomes pretty painful
> 
> Also, the Grado's are open-back design, which can be a good or bad thing. You can hear the environment around you, which may be beneficial at work in case you're needed for something, but as an unfortunate corollary, the surrounding environment can hear YOU too.
> 
> ...


So what do you use ?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

zurn said:


> So what do you use ?


See post #3 

I've been using the Sennheiser HD-280s for a few years now, and if they ever fail me, I'll be buying another set as soon as humanly possible

I just thought I would mention my experience with the Grados as a caveat for anyone who may encounter a similar problem.


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

hollowbody said:


> See post #3
> 
> I've been using the Sennheiser HD-280s for a few years now, and if they ever fail me, I'll be buying another set as soon as humanly possible
> 
> I just thought I would mention my experience with the Grados as a caveat for anyone who may encounter a similar problem.


Doh, my blind.


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## sscups (Aug 21, 2010)

Initially the foam is uncomfortable but it does break in after a few hours. Glad it's working for me as I have glasses which is always a pain with headphones.

Definitely hard to know if the comfort will work for you until you put in a couple 3 hour stints, which makes buying difficult.


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## mugtastic (May 25, 2010)

i've got many headphones of varying price and strengths - for affordable comfort with an ipod i'd recommend koss portapros (open) or denon ah-d1001 (semi-closed) or audio technica m50 (fully closed).

i find my grados quite uncomfortable.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Thanks for all the information. As sscups says above, I'm also a glasses wearer which is a further complication. I went to Future Shop tonight and bought a pair of these:

Sony Lightweight Headphones (MDR570LP) - Brown : Headband Headphones - Future Shop


I bought them based mainly on how light they look. I've been listening to them at home for about 30 minutes and I'm pretty impressed so far. I'll report back again after a couple of days of heavy duty at work


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