[kelnoky]

Hey guys! My girlfriend's birthday is coming up and she has been complaining about her in-ears growing rather uncomfortable, since she uses them for hours at work. So I would like to get her some new cans and I hope you can help me with picking out a pair!
 
Naturally I would like to get her some headphones that have good audio quality - she mostly listens to indie and rock (e.g. Radiohead, Gaslight Anthem, Decemberists, World Inferno/Friendship Society). However, comfort is key for this selection since she basically wears them all day at work (office/desk-job). She usually listens to her music at low volumes, so the headphones don't need to be closed/noise-cancelling and she also wants to be able to easily hear if someone starts talking to her, so they should actually be open/semi-open.
 
Unfortunately, she is also rather picky about the look of her headphones (or anything she wears, really ). I know this is hard for you guys to factor in because you obviously don't know her taste, but she likes some of the House of Marley designs (e.g. House of Marley EM-FH023-HA Redemption Song or the EM-JH063-BD Rise Up Blue Denim) and she would probably always lean towards more retro/old-fashioned headphone designs.
 
The budget for this is around 60€ - I can also go to something like 70 or 75, but sadly I really can't afford much more than that. Thanks for any help you can give me with this!

 

[KG Jag]

Your priorities are two of the most subjective you could have picked in the world of headphones.  Long term comfort from lower end cans is quite a challenge.  Aesthetics are almost 100% personal and subjective.  Unfortunately such a limited budget only adds to the difficulty.
 
Headphone comfort is a very individual thing.  Sizing and sensitivities are unique to each person.  We can point you to headphones that are generally considered to be comfortable and mention others that have garnered complaints for being uncomfortable.  However, the only way to know for sure is to wear them yourself for a time equivalent to your longest listening session.
 
We haven't even addressed her preferred sound signature.
 
You really need to take her on a shopping trip, so she can pick them.

 

[kelnoky]

Yeah, I realize that this isn't easy. Just forget about the aesthetics part.
 
And of course comfort is subjective as well, but I thought that would be a bit easier since most reviews comment on that part. Naturally not everyone has the same head/ear-shape or tolerance for discomfort, but she doesn't really need anything that falls out of the norm since her ears are pretty much average-sized, considering her gender I guess that compares to small ears for most male reviewers.