[n00b2]

  Hey all, I'm in the market right now for some new Bluetooth headphones and I've recently bought two from variously reading around the Head-Fi forums, the Parrot Zik 2.0 and the Plantronics Backbeat Pro (as recommended in this thread). However, I've unfortunately ended up sending both back because after a relatively short time I've ended up feeling uncomfortable wearing both. Mostly, I think, due to my rather large ears.
 
I'm looking for a pair of Bluetooth, preferably closed back headphones for use in a relatively noisy office environment. If anyone here has any suggestions as to a pair of comfortable headphones I'd enormously appreciate it! For reference I use a pair of Sennheiser HD 555's at home, which I find very comfortable over long periods of listening but which unfortunately aren't appropriate for either the commute or use at the office. Thanks!

 
if you have large ear you really have to choose between comfort and practicality. Something like the Definitive Technology Symphony 1 is very comfortable for large ears and also sound great and have noise cancelling but they are huge and difficult to take travelling every day. The ear cup mods suggested earlier in this thread for the ATH WS99BT are a good option if you are willing to put in the effort. The headphone is not that comfortable out of the box but you can pick different sizes to find the best balance. The Sennheiser Momentum Wireless is very similar to the Symphony 1 is also pretty comfortable if you don't have abnormally large ears but it's hard to recommend that right now given that it has basically been recalled for bluetooth issues. How large are your ears? Might be easier to gauge what would be comfortable that way.

 

[brad1600]

if you have large ear you really have to choose between comfort and practicality. Something like the Definitive Technology Symphony 1 is very comfortable for large ears and also sound great and have noise cancelling but they are huge and difficult to take travelling every day. The ear cup mods suggested earlier in this thread for the ATH WS99BT are a good option if you are willing to put in the effort. The headphone is not that comfortable out of the box but you can pick different sizes to find the best balance. The Sennheiser Momentum Wireless is very similar to the Symphony 1 is also pretty comfortable if you don't have abnormally large ears but it's hard to recommend that right now given that it has basically been recalled for bluetooth issues. How large are your ears? Might be easier to gauge what would be comfortable that way.

I saw the ATH WS99BT mods earlier on but was wondering about whether or not they'd fit even modified. I'm perfectly willing to modify the ear pads to get a great pair of headphones but was also a little worried about the sound isolation with the semi-closed design. In any case, if it helps with your recommendations my ears are approx 7.1cm x 3.5cm. Thanks a lot for your help so far.

 

[n00b2]

I saw the ATH WS99BT mods earlier on but was wondering about whether or not they'd fit even modified. I'm perfectly willing to modify the ear pads to get a great pair of headphones but was also a little worried about the sound isolation with the semi-closed design. In any case, if it helps with your recommendations my ears are approx 7.1cm x 3.5cm. Thanks a lot for your help so far.

 
Thats about the same as my ears. You will struggle to find any bluetooth headphones that will fit properly around those ears. The only ones would be the Symphony 1 and the ATH with the HM5 ear pads. The Symphony 1 ear cups are about 7cmx5cm and there is a fair bit of room inside to breathe so they will be the closest without mods. I have a pair and my ears do fit inside quite well once i wiggle them (mine are about 7cmx4cm). A little bit of touching the tips of the ears but no clamping pressure to cause discomfort. They do cause discomfort on the headband though and I had to modify mine with more padding to fix that. The headband is also slightly on the small side so if you have a big head it might be a bit difficult to put it on properly at first. They are extremely bulky though and the carry case will not fit in anything smaller than a backpack. It does come with a smaller cloth case though which does help portability if needed.
 
I haven't tried the ATH but there are photos a few pages back which show what what it looks like with the HM5 pads (the biggest one). Some will consider it too large to be out in the open with but they should be comfortable. Giogio should be able to explain better just how comfortable it is. They aren't semi closed, they are properly closed like all the others. Giogio adjusted his comments after trying them out longer. The only other options would be if you can tolerate on ear headphones you could get something like the Fidelio M2BT. A few on ears have been reviewed in this thread. Otherwise its just a compromise between comfort and size and see what is the smallest size you can tolerate. Maybe something that covers the ears but clamps the ear lobes if you can put up with that.

 

[brad1600]

Thats about the same as my ears. You will struggle to find any bluetooth headphones that will fit properly around those ears. The only ones would be the Symphony 1 and the ATH with the HM5 ear pads. The Symphony 1 ear cups are about 7cmx5cm and there is a fair bit of room inside to breathe so they will be the closest without mods. I have a pair and my ears do fit inside quite well once i wiggle them (mine are about 7cmx4cm). A little bit of touching the tips of the ears but no clamping pressure to cause discomfort. They do cause discomfort on the headband though and I had to modify mine with more padding to fix that. The headband is also slightly on the small side so if you have a big head it might be a bit difficult to put it on properly at first. They are extremely bulky though and the carry case will not fit in anything smaller than a backpack. It does come with a smaller cloth case though which does help portability if needed.

I haven't tried the ATH but there are photos a few pages back which show what what it looks like with the HM5 pads (the biggest one). Some will consider it too large to be out in the open with but they should be comfortable. Giogio should be able to explain better just how comfortable it is. They aren't semi closed, they are properly closed like all the others. Giogio adjusted his comments after trying them out longer. The only other options would be if you can tolerate on ear headphones you could get something like the Fidelio M2BT. A few on ears have been reviewed in this thread. Otherwise its just a compromise between comfort and size and see what is the smallest size you can tolerate. Maybe something that covers the ears but clamps the ear lobes if you can put up with that.

I think I'd probably prefer a circumaural pair of headphones, I don't find on ears very comfortable unfortunately.

I didn't notice Giogio's amendment to his semi-closed comment, thanks. Still, from the comments back on the previous page it sounds like the ATH WS99BT even modified with the HM5 cups might still be a bit small compared to the Symphony 1. I think I'll probably end up going for the Symphony 1. Do you reckon the Symphony 1's wired are also probably a worthwhile replacement to my home set of headphones? The aforementioned HD 555s.

 

[n00b2]

I think I'd probably prefer a circumaural pair of headphones, I don't find on ears very comfortable unfortunately.

I didn't notice Giogio's amendment to his semi-closed comment, thanks. Still, from the comments back on the previous page it sounds like the ATH WS99BT even modified with the HM5 cups might still be a bit small compared to the Symphony 1. I think I'll probably end up going for the Symphony 1. Do you reckon the Symphony 1's wired are also probably a worthwhile replacement to my home set of headphones? The aforementioned HD 555s.

 
One thing I'll say about their sound signature is that they are a very balanced sounding pair and not very bassy. For me they sound great bassheads will find that they lack bass. Given you use the HD 555 I suspect you are not a basshead so in that sense the sound signature should be fine. As for replacing the HD 555 wired yes but only if you use it powered wired. Unpowered they sounded thin and weak, probably needed a good amp to drive it. Powered though when wired and especially over USB sound amazing. Soundstage is the best I have heard for a closed back headphone and the sound quality is superior to many more expensive headphones I have tried. Using them powered though means you will have to charge it when the battery runs out, or just have the USB charging cable conencted all the time (and hence have 2 cables connected to the headphones or just 1 if listening through USB).
 
If you use an amp at home that might change things though. I haven't tried any of the HD 5xx series or Symphony 1 with an amp so wouldn't know how they respond to amps. That you could probably test yourself though if you do use an amp. The Symphony 1 amped could well sound better than the HD 555 amped if it responds as well to an external amp as it does to its internal DAC.
 
Be advised though the aux cable that comes with the headphones is very short, only about 1m and is not a standard cable. It has a 2.5mm connector on one end that plugs into the headphones. Getting a longer cable is not that difficult if you look online but its not as easy as for standard cables.

 

[brad1600]

One thing I'll say about their sound signature is that they are a very balanced sounding pair and not very bassy. For me they sound great bassheads will find that they lack bass. Given you use the HD 555 I suspect you are not a basshead so in that sense the sound signature should be fine. As for replacing the HD 555 wired yes but only if you use it powered wired. Unpowered they sounded thin and weak, probably needed a good amp to drive it. Powered though when wired and especially over USB sound amazing. Soundstage is the best I have heard for a closed back headphone and the sound quality is superior to many more expensive headphones I have tried. Using them powered though means you will have to charge it when the battery runs out, or just have the USB charging cable conencted all the time (and hence have 2 cables connected to the headphones or just 1 if listening through USB).

If you use an amp at home that might change things though. I haven't tried any of the HD 5xx series or Symphony 1 with an amp so wouldn't know how they respond to amps. That you could probably test yourself though if you do use an amp. The Symphony 1 amped could well sound better than the HD 555 amped if it responds as well to an external amp as it does to its internal DAC.

Be advised though the aux cable that comes with the headphones is very short, only about 1m and is not a standard cable. It has a 2.5mm connector on one end that plugs into the headphones. Getting a longer cable is not that difficult if you look online but its not as easy as for standard cables.

Okay. It sounds like the Symphony 1's are definitely the right set of headphones for me. Thank you very much for all your helpful advice, it's enormously appreciated. Now I just need to decide where best to order them to the UK!

 

[n00b2]

Okay. It sounds like the Symphony 1's are definitely the right set of headphones for me. Thank you very much for all your helpful advice, it's enormously appreciated. Now I just need to decide where best to order them to the UK!

 
There was a poster here a couple of months ago looking to get them in the UK as well. I think he only found one local importer who was bringing it in and they were overcharging like crazy (around 400GBP IIRC). Not sure if things have changed much since then regarding price and availibility. Amazon US does ship it overseas last I checked, and the shipping charge was reasonable.

 

[brad1600]

There was a poster here a couple of months ago looking to get them in the UK as well. I think he only found one local importer who was bringing it in and they were overcharging like crazy (around 400GBP IIRC). Not sure if things have changed much since then regarding price and availibility. Amazon US does ship it overseas last I checked, and the shipping charge was reasonable.

I just ordered from Amazon US a moment ago. The price took a small hike because of UK import fees but it still worked out below the amount you quoted, besides I've had very good experiences with Amazon US delivering to the UK and seemingly no other seller will sell these headphones to the UK. Should be seeing them in two weeks now. Thanks once again.

 

[n00b2]

I just ordered from Amazon US a moment ago. The price took a small hike because of UK import fees but it still worked out below the amount you quoted, besides I've had very good experiences with Amazon US delivering to the UK and seemingly no other seller will sell these headphones to the UK. Should be seeing them in two weeks now. Thanks once again.

 
Nws. Let us know how it goes once it arrives! Just a heads up if you find the headband uncomfortable like I did its pretty easy to mod. I just bought one of these and stuffed it with some foam. Fixed the problem for me and its easy enough to remove for when putting the headphones back into their hard case..

 

[brad1600]

Nws. Let us know how it goes once it arrives! Just a heads up if you find the headband uncomfortable like I did its pretty easy to mod. I just bought one of these and stuffed it with some foam. Fixed the problem for me and its easy enough to remove for when putting the headphones back into their hard case..

I was actually just coming back here to ask how you'd dealt with the headband. Thanks a lot. I'll be sure to report back when the headphones arrive.

 

[lestercity]

First of all great thread, i am in the market for a Bluetooth On or Over Ear Headphone, rather the latter. At first I was heading towards one of the Sony bluetooth headphones or the Beats Studio Wireless. But after some research and reading the forums, especially this one I am 99% sure it will be Audio Technica. My only question is, I saw a much cheaper Audio Technica bluetooth headphone on Amazon with very good reviews, the ATH S700BT. The looks of the more expensive ATH WS99BT attracks me more but is it worth the price difference? Do you have any opinion on the ATH S700BT? Thanks.

 

[goody]

I have sent my fidelio M2BT back and i will order the ATHW99BT from japan hopefully it will sound very good

 

[mmille24]

Would the ATH-WS99BT work on an airplane or do they leak too much sound?

 

[phchin]

I have ath ws99bt. Did not find sound leaking when my wife was listening to it.Passive noise cancelling is not too good though. Not suggest to use on planes. Audio uality is superior but sometimes too good. So detailed that I get tired wearing too long.

 

[goody]

I have ath ws99bt. Did not find sound leaking when my wife was listening to it.Passive noise cancelling is not too good though. Not suggest to use on planes. Audio uality is superior but sometimes too good. So detailed that I get tired wearing too long.

What do you mean too detailed is the treble too harsh?