[hpandy]

Hello

Audeze LCD-2, sennheiser 660s, sennheiser 650 - all give me an earache within 20 minutes of moderate volume (50-60 dB in the ear cup)

Dac/amps tried: audeze deckard, dacmagic + arcam alpha 10 speaker taps, fiiO k5 pro, dacmagic + O2.

Now I own Bose QC35, Sony WH1000XM2, wharfdale evo floor standers - and on each of these I can listen to music loud enough for immersion without pain.

Why do "audiophile" headphones feel like somebody is stabbing me in the ear? I complained about this here 6 or 7 years ago, and I never got around to solving it. What I want is a setup that allows me to listen to music in high quality, with enough volume to immerse me.

Essentially I want the least bright but good sounding setup possible, and at this point I'm prepared to pay whatever it takes. I want a bass presence comparable to proper speakers. I want treble as sweet and pain free as those little cotton tweeters can produce.

Please advise

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Interesting post to have while also showing an avatar of the original Sennheiser 800. I’d start your journey by not using those. I’d recommend you look into the ZMF line. They already have a more organic tuning, and then with pad rolling, you can’t go wrong.

 

[xcom]

Hello

Audeze LCD-2, sennheiser 660s, sennheiser 650 - all give me an earache within 20 minutes of moderate volume (50-60 dB in the ear cup)

Dac/amps tried: audeze deckard, dacmagic + arcam alpha 10 speaker taps, fiiO k5 pro, dacmagic + O2.

Now I own Bose QC35, Sony WH1000XM2, wharfdale evo floor standers - and on each of these I can listen to music loud enough for immersion without pain.

Why do "audiophile" headphones feel like somebody is stabbing me in the ear? I complained about this here 6 or 7 years ago, and I never got around to solving it. What I want is a setup that allows me to listen to music in high quality, with enough volume to immerse me.

Essentially I want the least bright but good sounding setup possible, and at this point I'm prepared to pay whatever it takes. I want a bass presence comparable to proper speakers. I want treble as sweet and pain free as those little cotton tweeters can produce.

Please advise

You might need an EQ... Something like a Schiit Loki. I kinda have the same issue though my problem is that I want to actually control my tunes. (personal problem LOL)
I also found that the AMP's make a big difference. My Schiit setups is very rich in the higher freq causing discomfort at points. This is why I like the iFi ICan because it gives me a bit of a balance and I dont have to mess with freq.

 

[Arniesb]

Simple thing. Headphone speakers is close to your years and if headphones bass is good it overpowers everything and this dont happen on speakers. Speakers have miles better bass that Create nice foundation that dont let highs overpower everything and Headphones dont have that. Design what might be good bass, cant be not good for mids and highs. I mean how many headphones have world class mids, highs, soundstage and bass? Very few.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

Try Focal Stellia.

 

[SilverEars]

Hello

Audeze LCD-2, sennheiser 660s, sennheiser 650 - all give me an earache within 20 minutes of moderate volume (50-60 dB in the ear cup)

Dac/amps tried: audeze deckard, dacmagic + arcam alpha 10 speaker taps, fiiO k5 pro, dacmagic + O2.

Now I own Bose QC35, Sony WH1000XM2, wharfdale evo floor standers - and on each of these I can listen to music loud enough for immersion without pain.

Why do "audiophile" headphones feel like somebody is stabbing me in the ear? I complained about this here 6 or 7 years ago, and I never got around to solving it. What I want is a setup that allows me to listen to music in high quality, with enough volume to immerse me.

Essentially I want the least bright but good sounding setup possible, and at this point I'm prepared to pay whatever it takes. I want a bass presence comparable to proper speakers. I want treble as sweet and pain free as those little cotton tweeters can produce.

Please advise

I would advise to use whatever gear you find that doesn't "stab your ears." I have no idea why you'd think 650 sounds stabbing. I know it has the 2-3k peak emphasis, but I never found it stabbing personally. LCD-2 stabbing? hmmmm. Those on the list are some of the darkest headphones. XM2 is on warm and dark side as well, and can understand you'd find comfort with it. OC35 however is not as dark, but more present upper frequencies.

I would advise to avoid Focals and Beyers, and HD800 or S. There's should be a lot more you should avoid given your extreme sensitivity. You need to figure out what part of the frequency range you are most sensitive to, and that will narrow down for any actions you can take such as EQ or looking for the one that fits your hearing response.

By the way, what age range do you fall under?

 

[hpandy]

@SilverEars I have tried software EQ-ing. It reduces pain but makes the headphones sound terrible at the same time. I think I should try hardware EQing as 'xcom' suggests above. I'm in my 30s.

@Hifiearspeakers Thank you for the ZMF suggestion

Would going down the tubes route help? I have heard that tubes make headphones sound warmer, but I have never heard a tube amp myself.

I said I would pay whatever it takes but realistically I would like to solve the problem for less than 2.5k. I would consider up to 4k or 5k for a perfect solution.

 

[HipHopScribe]

Are you sure the issue is related to frequency response and not just physical? The LCD-2s are heavy headphones and the Sennheiser line has a strong clamp, especially right out of the box, that can definitely be uncomfortable. Meanwhile the Bose QC35 and Sony WH1000XM2 are lighter and possible more comfortable out of the box

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

@SilverEars I have tried software EQ-ing. It reduces pain but makes the headphones sound terrible at the same time. I think I should try hardware EQing as 'xcom' suggests above. I'm in my 30s.

@Hifiearspeakers Thank you for the ZMF suggestion

Would going down the tubes route help? I have heard that tubes make headphones sound warmer, but I have never heard a tube amp myself.

I said I would pay whatever it takes but realistically I would like to solve the problem for less than 2.5k. I would consider up to 4k or 5k for a perfect solution.

Tube amps can also help smooth out the sound more to reduce harsh or etched upper mids and treble. But I don’t think that’s necessary with most ZMF models because they’re already tuned to be more forgiving, and then there are many different earpad options to tune the frequency response even further. I think you should look into the Aeolus. I would stay away from the Auteur and Verite as they’re tuned to be more detailed and analytical than some of the other ZMF lineup.

 

[headwig]

@Hifiearspeakers Thank you for the ZMF suggestion

Just a caveat: I'm on my first day with a ZMF Eikon and I'm finding it a bit ear-stabby. Not in the high treble but in the area between high mids and low treble. But people say this one is a bit atypical of ZMF tunings. I haven't heard any of their other models.

I agree with you about software EQ-ing. While it can technically "correct" the signature of headphones, it always seems to suck the life out of them too.

 

[scottcw]

Turn the volume down.

 

[SilverEars]

Just a caveat: I'm on my first day with a ZMF Eikon and I'm finding it a bit ear-stabby. But people say this one is a bit atypical of ZMF tunings. I haven't heard any of their other models.

I agree with you about software EQ-ing. While it can technically "correct" the signature of headphones, it always seems to suck the life out of them too.

It wasn't true for me either. I found Auteur too bright up top, and somebody told me it was the stock pads causing it. I didn't find the coloring of the sound from the wood to my liking either. ZMF stuff isn't for me. I'm not into wood looks or anything. When it comes to looks, I like clean looks like Denon D9200.

Zach from ZMF posted measurements from his crappy rig trying to say Auteur is not that bright? His graph looked so in-accurate that I can't believe he uses such rig for measurements.

 

[headwig]

It wasn't true for me either. I found Auteur too bright up top, and somebody told me it was the stock pads causing it. I didn't find the coloring of the sound from the wood to my liking either. ZMF stuff isn't for me. I'm not into wood looks or anything. When it comes to looks, I like clean looks like Denon D9200.

Zach from ZMF posted measurements from his crappy rig trying to say Auteur is not that bright? His graph looked so in-accurate that I can't believe he uses such rig for measurements.

My feeling is that fatigue is often more to do with quality within each frequency range than quantity, in my case anyway. My Aeon Flow Closed has never fatigued me because everything is very liquid and open, even though some people find it bright. It just sounds like there's room for the music. The Eikon sounds slightly grainy or congested by comparison, more thud in the sound but less cleanliness, especially in the upper mids. My immediate response coming from one to the other is that I find that lack of cleanliness fatiguing, even if the sound is technically "warmer" judging by the mix of frequencies.

That said, any judgement I make at this point is very provisional because I've only known the Eikons for a day, and my tendency on day 1 with a headphone is often to prefer what I know.

Edit: It turned out I had a bad fit for the Eikons. Getting a good fit and seal has reduced the upper mid emphasis I was hearing - it's still there but it's not painful, and the tonal balance overall is pleasing.

 

[Arniesb]

It very well could be the power thing. When i listen music at night it always sound much better... Dacs, amps and other stuff sound better mostly because of much care given to power supplies. Good power supply can make music much more realisting and non fatiguing. In my opinion circuitry plays much much smaller role. Power supply can make or break system.

 

[Mink]

Hello

Audeze LCD-2, sennheiser 660s, sennheiser 650 - all give me an earache within 20 minutes of moderate volume (50-60 dB in the ear cup)

Dac/amps tried: audeze deckard, dacmagic + arcam alpha 10 speaker taps, fiiO k5 pro, dacmagic + O2.

Now I own Bose QC35, Sony WH1000XM2, wharfdale evo floor standers - and on each of these I can listen to music loud enough for immersion without pain.

Why do "audiophile" headphones feel like somebody is stabbing me in the ear? I complained about this here 6 or 7 years ago, and I never got around to solving it. What I want is a setup that allows me to listen to music in high quality, with enough volume to immerse me.

Essentially I want the least bright but good sounding setup possible, and at this point I'm prepared to pay whatever it takes. I want a bass presence comparable to proper speakers. I want treble as sweet and pain free as those little cotton tweeters can produce.

Please advise

Just get a pair of headphones most people at Head-fi crap on: AudioQuest NightHawks.
No need for system matching, it plays wonderful with every source and amp.