Quote:

georgelai57 said:

When you have bought and got rid of as many headphones as I have, you begin to rank comfort higher than sound quality. If it's comfortable and even pig ugly, I'll audition them. If they're uncomfortable, I don't care how many A+++ stars they get. 

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+1000 THIS
 
If I can't listen to a hp for an hour, take it off and feel no sense of relief, then it's not for me. 

^Lol, I have not owned enough heapdhones yet, I see...

I think a lot of people undervalue comfort. It definitely plays a part in the perception of music.

OK so some one rank the comfort out of David's top 30.

I'll chime in with a few notes.
 
Winners
 
1. I have never put a single finger on the Orpheus, but all the Sennheiser models offer very good comfort. Some of the very best comfort IMO. The hdx00 are all a pleasure to wear. I have the hd650 and will never sell them as they are as comfortable as an old blanket on a cold day. Additionally they sound pretty darn good.
 
2. The Stax are also way up there in terms of comfort. My personal favorite is the 007mki, but they are all pretty close. Super light weight and auto adjusting goodness. 
 
3. Beyer is testament to fine German engineering build quality top to bottom. My wife is also German and has fine build quality top to bottom also.   They have maybe the most comfortable pads and perfect clamp in the game. 
 
 
Not winners (aka loosers)
 
1. LCD series. Some of the best sounding hp's I've ever heard and possibly the least comfortable. Think football helmet, too small with a brick on top. But wow did they get the sound on this right. 
 
2. Hifiman. I've owned most of these models. The he-4 is easily the lightest and feels almost like a portable compared to the rest. The he400 is still somewhat reasonable on weight and then the he-500 just goes over the weight limit for me. 
 
Of course these are my own impressions and not necessarily founded in reality or truth. 

Quote:

matttcg said:

 
 
 
1. LCD series. Some of the best sounding hp's I've ever heard and possibly the least comfortable. Think football helmet, too small with a brick on top. But wow did they get the sound on this right. 
 
 

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How long did you have them for?  I felt that way at first, but I have since adapted. Don't get me wrong, they are still not the most comfortable that I own, but they are not as bad as my first impression.

Quote:

fearless1 said:

How long did you have them for?  I felt that way at first, but I have since adapted. Don't get me wrong, they are still not the most comfortable that I own, but they are not as bad as my first impression.

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I had them 10 days and then returned them. The first night I listened to them for about 3 hours and they were like crack. The sound just intoxicated me. I got up the next morning at 6:00 to have some time to listen to them before work. On the way to work I noticed a pain in the back of my neck. After about two hours of listening to them that night I just didn't want to wear them anymore. 
 
I tried to get used to them over the next several days. But it wasn't going to happen for me. Too much weight. Too much clamp. 

Quote:

matttcg said:

 
I had them 10 days and then returned them. The first night I listened to them for about 3 hours and they were like crack. The sound just intoxicated me. I got up the next morning at 6:00 to have some time to listen to them before work. On the way to work I noticed a pain in the back of my neck. After about two hours of listening to them that night I just didn't want to wear them anymore. 
 
I tried to get used to them over the next several days. But it wasn't going to happen for me. Too much weight. Too much clamp. 

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Clamp could always be adjusted via headband bending/flexing, but weight is hard to redistribute, even if it's just an issue with hotspots on the skull (which in your case it isn't, as you have neck issues with the weight).
 
I only got past the hotspots issue with my HE500 (about as heavy as LCD2) by having its headband stacked with extra cushions AND leather semi-suspension strap. Never had much trouble bearing its weight though.

Quote:

matttcg said:

I'll chime in with a few notes.
 
Winners
 
1. I have never put a single finger on the Orpheus, but all the Sennheiser models offer very good comfort. Some of the very best comfort IMO. The hdx00 are all a pleasure to wear. I have the hd650 and will never sell them as they are as comfortable as an old blanket on a cold day. Additionally they sound pretty darn good.
 
2. The Stax are also way up there in terms of comfort. My personal favorite is the 007mki, but they are all pretty close. Super light weight and auto adjusting goodness. 
 
3. Beyer is testament to fine German engineering build quality top to bottom. My wife is also German and has fine build quality top to bottom also. 

 They have maybe the most comfortable pads and perfect clamp in the game. 
 
 
Not winners (aka loosers)
 
1. LCD series. Some of the best sounding hp's I've ever heard and possibly the least comfortable. Think football helmet, too small with a brick on top. But wow did they get the sound on this right. 
 
2. Hifiman. I've owned most of these models. The he-4 is easily the lightest and feels almost like a portable compared to the rest. The he400 is still somewhat reasonable on weight and then the he-500 just goes over the weight limit for me. 
 
Of course these are my own impressions and not necessarily founded in reality or truth. 

Click to expand...

 
what about the HE-5LE, i think its much lighter than the HE-500, especially that rubbery plastic version of it. 

I know that WJE had that rubber version of the 5LE but I never tried it. 

Its funny. 
I adjusted to the weight of the HE-400, but I do get a day or two to rest after a week of using them.
I agree on the comfort factor: Its a major player.
I belive however its most important on IEMs thou or on-ear HPs, a bit less on over the ear.

You make a good point. It took me years to find an iem that I could wear. The Vsonic gr07 delivered me to the promised land!!  Gotta love those adjustable nozzles. 

Quote:

matttcg said:

 
I had them 10 days and then returned them. The first night I listened to them for about 3 hours and they were like crack. The sound just intoxicated me. I got up the next morning at 6:00 to have some time to listen to them before work. On the way to work I noticed a pain in the back of my neck. After about two hours of listening to them that night I just didn't want to wear them anymore. 
 
I tried to get used to them over the next several days. But it wasn't going to happen for me. Too much weight. Too much clamp. 

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That was plenty of time. I thought maybe you had them a day or two.  

Why do some people say that the stock HD650 cable is internally inferior to the stock HD600 cable? Externally it looks thicker and inspires more confidence.

I've always heard just the opposite.