[glow9]

Right now I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro's. I suffer from bad TMJ so I can't have headphones pushing on my jaw at all. I dislike on-ear compared to over ear but I don't have much of a choice anymore. These headphones are for music, games, movies ect. Sometimes these headphones surprise me and I think I hear something in real life, I would like on ear headphones that produce the same kind of sound quality if not better but they need very soft plush pads velour if possible and very very low clamp. Please let me know what my best options would be. So far my research results have been kinda mediocre.
 
If anyone has found any over ear headphones that do not bother their TMJ at all I'd be interested as well.

Thank you.

 

 

[toolio]

I do not have TMJ, but find the clamping of AKG Q701s quite light. They also have velour pads. Some people are bothered by the bumps that contact the top of the head, but I am not. I suspect other newer AKGs that have the similar suspension type headband would also be "light". I own an old pair of 601s that are also extremely light without much clamping force. Of course, AKGs have their own sound signature. I'm a big fan of that sound, but not everybody is, particularly bassheads.

 

[K_19]

I have light TMJ as well and I find that the problem is not so much the clamping force itself, but mainly down to how the cups line up to your jawbone. For example, I could never get the HD 6xx series of headphones to be comfy enough for me because the oval shape of the pads somehow lines up badly on my jaw. No amount of bending the headband to lower the clamp solved the problem for me. The circular ones such as MA900 and K701/2's I have right now, on the other hand, gives me no such problems and I can wear them for hours on end. So perhaps try some other over ear headphones of variety of cup sizes to see which shape and size agrees with you... SQ wise AE headphones tend to be superior to on ears. With that said I've found the Sennheisers (HD25, PX100/200) and Audio Technicas (ES line) to be some of the best sounding on-ears out there.

 

[glow9]

For me I think it's that area in front of my ear and below that whole area where my DT 990s are pushing is bothering me so as little clamping as possible. Which of those headphones would you guys say sounds the best?

 

[Keyboarder]

These threads come up but seldom get a great answer. I'm in the same boat and it's frustrating because I've tried some great headphones I've had to get rid of because I can't wear them without jaw trouble.

 

[Skyscraper Sax]

Well, damn! I should have consulted Head Fi before purchasing Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro! I have TMJ. I am a professional Jazz saxophonist, and certain saxophone mouthpieces cause me horrible TMJ issues, making buying a new mouthpiece a total nightmare. I also play piano, and just received the 770s for that partiular purpose. Now, playing PIANO hurts my jaw! The 770s sound great, but the clamping is heavy and the large earcups hit the LOWER BACK part of my jawline behind my ears, causing TMJ pain after only a few minutes. I've started a thread on my Facebook Jazz sax group for fellow saxophone TMJ sufferers, to try to find out which mouthpieces cause TMJ. So, here is the same thing about headphones! Anybody have any suggestions? Again, this is for PIANO playing (digital, Kawai ES-110), not general listening. And I'm a Jazz guy. Piano needs a proper sound scape.... bass is important for the lower end, but it can't be hip hop heavy bass. My previous cans were AKG 271 Mk ii - no TMJ problems at all, but they fell apart and I want to try something differnt. Thanks....

 

[Keyboarder]

I still haven't found an answer. The only thing I've been able to wear for extended periods were Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10 earbuds/iems with Comply tips. I could wear them for the entire 30 hours travel from the US to Australia. Shure SE846's I can't do more than 4 hours and I've tried all earbud tip options out there except custom molds.

For cans, I kind of gave up and sold off my headphones, the last of which were Audeze LCD-MX4's that I loved but gave me TMJ issues within 1 hour of wearing.

Attention modders or ear pad makers - You should offer some TMJ friendly/extended wear friendly earpads where the inner foam is cut away/cut back on the area that makes contact between the jaw and ear so there is no pressure there other than the outer layer of the pad. (Looking at the right side of someone's head, the pad could be recessed from 2 to 6 oclock, on the left side of their head from 6 to 10 oclock) It would be less of a seal but would be a game changer for a ton of people.

 

[Skyscraper Sax]

My AKG 271 Mk. iis haved not caused me problems, but they are shot and worn out. My pain from the BD 770s is BEHIND the ear (and lower, in the muscle). With saxophone mouthpieces that hurt, the pain isn't there at all - it's in the front, which is of course where the TMJ is located. AND THE PAIN IS IMMENSE AND LASTS FOR A MONTH! Do "on ear" (not "over the ear") cans cause you problems? I'm probably not using the correct lingo.... I have $50 CCA in ears, but nobody I've heard of really digs in ears for digital piano.

 

[Keyboarder]

My AKG 271 Mk. iis haved not caused me problems, but they are shot and worn out. My pain from the BD 770s is BEHIND the ear (and lower, in the muscle). With saxophone mouthpieces that hurt, the pain isn't there at all - it's in the front, which is of course where the TMJ is located. AND THE PAIN IS IMMENSE AND LASTS FOR A MONTH! Do "on ear" (not "over the ear") cans cause you problems? I'm probably not using the correct lingo.... I have $50 CCA in ears, but nobody I've heard of really digs in ears for digital piano.

On ear do not cause me TMJ issues, but tend to not sound as good or feel good pressing against your ears themselves for extended use. If there was a light weight, high end set of headphones that were on ear I would buy them just to try but they all seem like corner cutting models and they save the best for over ear or IEMs.

I wonder if anyone with TMJ issues has tried cans like these from Hifiman. They look like the narrower bottoms would be off of your jaw more, possibly.

Or a great set of Grados

 

[elnero]

I've been dealing with TMJ for many years now. I can't use IEM's at all anymore because if they touch the wrong area in my left ear it can trigger a really bad flare up that can last weeks to months.

Headphones that I've found that seem to work ok for me are Sony WH-1000XM3's, Audioquest NightHawk/NightOwl and the Audio Technica ATH-AWAS. I did try the Sony WH-1000X4's but found they actually clamp a little more so didn't work quite as well. From my recollection, the Sony Z7 was another that was ok but the NightHawk was better.

 

[Keyboarder]

I've been dealing with TMJ for many years now. I can't use IEM's at all anymore because if they touch the wrong area in my left ear it can trigger a really bad flare up that can last weeks to months.

Headphones that I've found that seem to work ok for me are Sony WH-1000XM3's, Audioquest NightHawk/NightOwl and the Audio Technica ATH-AWAS. I did try the Sony WH-1000X4's but found they actually clamp a little more so didn't work quite as well. From my recollection, the Sony Z7 was another that was ok but the NightHawk was better.

It looks like those Audioquest NightHawks also have that oblong shape that those Hifiman Anandas do above. Maybe that's key.
I also have a set of Sony WH-1000XM3 which I thought were great at first but found my TMJ issues would return if I wore them for extended periods. For moderate use they are pretty good.