[danielbaars]

I have decided it is finally time to replace my Bose QC-3 with something (hopefully a lot) better. I don't need active noise-cancellation (on a plane I can still use the QC-3) but I would like to use it out and about with an iPhone, or while working in different locations with a MacBook Pro.
 
My taste in music ranges from Ella Fitzgerald to Bob Dylan to Coldplay to Justin Timberlake but the main focus is on '60's / '70's singer/songwriters (Dylan, Neil Young, Lou Reed), Pop/Rock (U2, The Police, The Smiths) & Americana/Alt. Country (Wilco, Emmylou Harris).
 
Just from reading reviews I gathered that the Sennheiser Momentum was a strong candidate. A few days ago I finally found a (small) store where I could listen to them for a decent amount of time and compare them not only to my own QC-3's but also to the B&W P5's, which are in the same price range as the Momentums.
 
To my ears, it was no contest. Although the P5 sounded impressive compared to the QC-3, the Momentum was the clear winner.
 
The only reason I did not buy them is that I found them quite uncomfortable to wear. I don't really understand why (they did fit around my ears) but I was glad to take them off each time and the difference, comfort-wise, to the other headphones was very clear. In theory, I do not like on-ear headphones but the P5's were much more comfortable than the over-ear Momentums.
 
So this is a very long intro to get to my question: do the Momentums get more comfortable after using them for a while? In my country (The Netherlands) there's no 30 day return policy so if I buy them I'm stuck with them.
 
And if the answer is no: what other headphones should I consider?

 

[deticxe]

Quote:

do the Momentums get more comfortable after using them for a while?

 
Yes and no.  I had them for a fortnight before returning last week due to comfort issues.  I have slightly smaller than average ears so they fit inside 'snugly' as described by many reviews.
 
I found comfort depended on how you wore them.  When worn with the headband very far back on my head, I could wear them for typically 2~3 hours before the soreness set in.
 
The earcups are actually on ball socket joints (though with only ~20 degrees freedom of movement).  Despite this, they tended to want to revert to their default resting position where the earcups were aligned vertically with the headband arms. For me, the solution was to leave the adjustment alone and wear the headband towards the back of my head, which tilted the earcups backwards to be more inline with my ears. 
 
Another tip I picked up was to squash and wiggle them into your head when first putting them on, to force your ears to slip into the gap.  The material really is incredibly soft and squishy - I couldn't think of a nicer design to have the tips of my ears squashed into.   Unfortunately, cartilage just doesn't like to be squished.
 
The discomfort wasn't too bad, and it was a difficult decision to return them.  For some perspective, I was wearing these at home and in the office for ~5 to ~8 hours a day 2 or 3 hours at a time.  Small breaks of 15 minutes helped, and it was only towards the end of the day that comfort became an issue.
 
These are actually the first full sized headphones I've owned, so perhaps when comparing with other closed back portables this is a good performance.  There was no problem with heaviness or sweaty earpads, for example.

 

[GREQ]

If your ears are 65mm tall or less and don't stick out much, they should be fantastic.
Also if you don't like the pressure on your skull you can just bend out the headband a little at a time until you're satisfied with the comfort.

 

[deticxe]

Just remeasured my ears and they're 77m tall and 19mm sticking out, so that would make sense. The headband is indeed very easy to bend (both tighter and looser), that can definitely help with fit.