Hey all, I've had my HD558's for about 8 months now. I think they sound okay, but the problem is the comfort. I know people praise the HD55x series for their comfort, but for some reason they are just not comfortable for me. I believe it is because of their clamping force. It was worse the first few weeks when I took it out of the box, but I left it stretched over my computer case (around 20cm/7.5inch), for a week or two and it got slightly better. And just recently I decided to keep them on the box they came in whenever I'm not using them, which is about 10cm/4inches. But even then, after a couple of hours of wear, I don't even want to wear them anymore because of discomfort. So really over the past 8 months of owning them, they've only been on my head about half the time? Maybe even less.
And this might just be a coincidence, but within the first month of having/wearing the HD558's, I got some kind of ear infection (swollen lymph nodes) behind my ear lobe, pretty much where the bottom of the earcups contact my ear/skin, so because of this I avoided wearing headphones in order to let it get a little better.
Also note that I wear glasses, so that might contribute to why I find them uncomfortable. (Does anybody else have discomfort from wearing the HD55x's with glasses?)
By the way, my brother has a pair of AD700's which I think are really comfortable and light-weight, and I think the reason is because they don't have the same clamping force.
 
So although I think that I like the sound, I can't really tell because of the discomfort. Now I'm looking for a possible replacement, and my priority is comfort.
I've been looking at the Beyerdynamic DT770's. I looked around for reviews and comparisons, but got mixed opinions saying that HD558 was more comfortable, and others saying the DT770's were. But just looking at the pictures, the DT770 earcups look like they are much larger and soft, compared to HD558's. To be honest, I find the HD558 earcups to be rather stiff, but the ones on the DT770 look like they're pillows lol.
1) Are they both made of the same material though? Can anyone who owns both pairs or have experience with both please comment on which they think is better. And also, if you wear glasses with the DT770's are they still comfortable? Thanks.
 
I know that moving from HD558 to DT770 would mean moving from open to closed headphones, but I don't mind it if it means better comfort and actually being able to wear it for more than a couple hours without feeling pain. Plus I wouldn't mind the extra bass, since I found myself unsatisfied/missing the bass on the HD558's.
 
The DT770's seem to go for around $200-$250, I'm not sure which ohm version to get yet, as I don't have an amp yet, but my brother does have a Asus Xonar DG w/ headphone amp.
1a) Would the Xonar DG power the 250ohm version? Or what version would it power/should I get?
 
But, if I had to choose to stay with open headphones, I think I would consider the AKG K701. They seem to go for around $300.
2) As far as I know, the K701 is the same as the Q701 and K702. Just different colour schemes? Correct me if I'm wrong please.
I know that the K701 lack bass just like the HD558, and instead pay more attention to detail. Which is why I think I might prefer the DT770, as I want something for "fun", and less analytical.
2a) How are the K701's in terms of comfort compared to the 558 and DT770?
 
What do you guys think?
3) Is the DT770 a good upgrade from the HD558? Or is it more of a "sidegrade"? They both seem to be in the same price range of $200+, although I managed to get my HD558 for just $130.
3a) How do the DT770 compare to the more expensive DT880 and DT990 in terms of comfort and sound quality? Is it worth it to spend the extra ~$100 to get the 880/990?
 
Honestly leaning towards the DT770 right now, but just wanted to ask a couple questions to get more insight.
Would appreciate any input, and sorry for the long post.
Thanks.

I have no experience with the 558s or 701s but own the 770s. They are fantastically comfortable - I have heard them described as pillows around your ears. 
 
Not sure where you are looking but I got the 770s for ~$170 a year ago. You should be able to find them under $200.

Quote:

idiosyncra3y said:

I have no experience with the 558s or 701s but own the 770s. They are fantastically comfortable - I have heard them described as pillows around your ears. 
 
Not sure where you are looking but I got the 770s for ~$170 a year ago. You should be able to find them under $200.

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Yea, here in Canada everything is more expensive ):
amazon.ca says it's about $220. And not many retailers here sell quality headphones such as Beyerdynamic. Only recently we started to see headphone companies such as Sennheiser and Audiotechnica make appearances in stores.
I'll have to look around for a better deal. But for now, I just want to know about the comfort first. Thanks for your input.