[nothing4me]

Hello everyone!
 
I am relatively new to full size headphones. I went with the ATH-M50 since it seemed to be VERY highly praised. And I must say I love them.
 
But, after an hour or two, the rims of my ears hurt because I think they are right against the inside plastic part of the headphones. It gets very uncomfortable. I stop enjoying the music because of the pain and have to take them off.
 
I tried searching around and the solutions seem to be taking it apart and such. But, I still have the option to return these headphones for a full refund. So, I was wondering if there are any better/more comfortable headphones around the same price range? (I spent $160 on these).
 
Thank you!

 

[sophiesophie]

I've had the Grado SR80i for a couple of years, and I'll tell you, there's no headphone in the world for the price you're paying that are more comfortable, or better sounding.
 
 

 

[sophiesophie]

Can I assume you're in Canada?

 

[nothing4me]

USA, sorry.

 

[sophiesophie]

No, I just thought that $160 sounded like a Canadian price.  I'm in Canada where we all pay about 30% more for headphones for reasons I cannot explain.

 

[nothing4me]

Quote:

No, I just thought that $160 sounded like a Canadian price.  I'm in Canada where we all pay about 30% more for headphones for reasons I cannot explain.

Probably cause of taxes (I believe Canada has a very large welfare system), the scale of the economy (the USA has a larger population), and maybe cause of the distances between major cities?
 
I'm not sure, just came up with that though. >.<

 

[sophiesophie]

I always get a kick out of Americans' take on Canada.

 

[sikki-six]

Quote:

I've had the Grado SR80i for a couple of years, and I'll tell you, there's no headphone in the world for the price you're paying that are more comfortable, or better sounding.
 
 

If the i-version is anything like the standard SR80, I wouldn't call them comfortable - by a long shot. Beyerdynamics are known for their comfort and the DT770 80ohm even has a more balanced sound compared to the M50s. I used have SR80s... Those are quite fun and upfront, but the sound-stage and bass are lacking for me. BTW SR80s are way open - maybe not what the op is looking for?
 

 

[nothing4me]

Quote:

If the i-version is anything like the standard SR80, I wouldn't call them comfortable - by a long shot. Beyerdynamics are known for their comfort and the DT770 80ohm even has a more balanced sound compared to the M50s. I used have SR80s... Those are quite fun and upfront, but the sound-stage and bass are lacking for me. BTW SR80s are way open - maybe not what the op is looking for?
 

Yes, that's correct. I use them everywhere, so I don't want to annoy people with sound leakage too much.
 

 

[sophiesophie]

Here's an example of the problem.  My Grado SR80i headphones cost $180 in Canada.  In the US the same headphones are $99.  The Canadian dollar and the US dollar are on par with each other.  We have a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.  Grados are made in the US.  Why then am I paying $80 more for the same product?  I know that you can find them cheaper here and there in Canada, but that's basically the situation.  Most of our major cities are very close to major US cities.
 
The only solution then is to buy the slightly better, but very similar Grado-made Alessandro MS1i headphones from their website.  They ship for free, and there is no duty to be paid (Free Trade Agreement), and they're $99.
 
I don't know if our taxes are higher, buy we pay 12% tax on most products, headphones included.

 

[sophiesophie]

And he's right.  Some people find the Grados uncomfortable, but I don't.  Most find the M50s very comfortable, but you don't.  It's all individual tastes.  And yes, the Grados can be heard by anyone within about 6 feet distance.

 

[nothing4me]

Quote:

And he's right.  Some people find the Grados uncomfortable, but I don't.  Most find the M50s very comfortable, but you don't.  It's all individual tastes.  And yes, the Grados can be heard by anyone within about 6 feet distance.

Yeah, I just looked up some Amazon reviews and they were saying similar things.

 

[HK47]

You're spoiled! Here in Sweden we pay like twice the price, or atleast around 60%
Sennheisers are a bit more reasonably priced though.

Oh, and we pay 25% tax on everything. 
IN ADDITION, to a 30% tax on income.
Quote:

No, I just thought that $160 sounded like a Canadian price.  I'm in Canada where we all pay about 30% more for headphones for reasons I cannot explain.

 

 

[sikki-six]

Quote:

You're spoiled! Here in Sweden we pay like twice the price, or atleast around 60%
Sennheisers are a bit more reasonably priced though.

Oh, and we pay 25% tax on everything. 
IN ADDITION, to a 30% tax on income.


 

It's pretty much the same here in Finland. We pay a lot of taxes... (Remember the ice hockey final? 6-1! ) The german & austrian headphones aren't all that expensive, but Grados are. I guess it's the other way round in the US. Many japanese manufacturers (Denon, AT...) don't even really have a distributor here.

 

[nothing4me]

Quick bump! I looked at a few, but I'm still not sure. I would like to use them anywhere (minimize sound leakage).