[PTheD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YngwieJMalmsteen It's all well and good to discuss this (no headphone could ever feel like not having headphones on) however, IMO it would be really stupid to choose higher-end headphones based on comfortability. I still have yet to hear of a pair of nice circumaurals that are uncomfortable. Feel free to enlighten me if one exists, until then I'll be choosing on sound. If you want more comfortability listen to them in a La-Z-Boy or something. Also, I'm a big fan of single-sided cording, (which is basically a comfortability issue) I wish all brands could offer it as an option. Still, I wouldn't avoid the better sounding phones just to get single-sided ones.

You are correct that sound quality is the default performance feature that headphones are judged and purchased on, its their job to reproduce sound, not give you a back rub. Many people do care, alot, about comfert though. I doubt that people that wear headphones for hours and hours at a time would say that comfert is a completely useless feature. For people that wear headphones a very long time or people that for one reason or another desire comfortable cans it is undeniable that comfert is a big part of their headphones' performance chracteristics. One persons great sounding headphones that clamp a little too hard but get the job done brilliantly are another persons junk heap headphones that give them a migraine after a half an hour and that do sound good but are worse than spinach and mother telling you to clean your room!

 

[Snake]

The Stax Lambda-class chassis seems to "hang" on the head rather than "grip" it. Add in big pads and you can fall asleep with them on (as I can do all too often...). Very comfy.

I just had a thought, "Why not velour?". Maybe it is because velour does not seal well; the leather / pleather almost seals like a suction cup sometimes.

 

[auroraeyre]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd Parker Sorry, but I didn't find the Sennheiser PX100's very comfortable at all. My PX200's are less tight (but sound more shrill). The PX100 felt like a vice grip on my head, and I don't have a particularly large head either. I immediately sold them on eBay because comfort is very important to me. Right now I'm wearing a pair of modded Koss UR-40's with velour pads I took off an old pair of Logitech cans.

are you sure you're not mixing them up? the px200 would have the tighter fit because it is supposed to be a "closed can" whereas the px100 wouldn't need that vice grip because it is open. right?

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snake The Stax Lambda-class chassis seems to "hang" on the head rather than "grip" it. Add in big pads and you can fall asleep with them on (as I can do all too often...). Very comfy.

And that plastic headband still intact after you went to bed with it ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snake I just had a thought, "Why not velour?". Maybe it is because velour does not seal well; the leather / pleather almost seals like a suction cup sometimes.

I thought velour would've had negative effect on seal, which apparently hd25 relies to - however, the 25 fared real well using velour pads. I agree that stax relies even more on good seal though.

Btw on this sizzling hot area of planet, even at night, all year long, I tremble at the thought of pleather pads. I need 280 to listen to music when it rains hard outside and consequently not that hot inside.

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nak Man And that plastic headband still intact after you went to bed with it ?

It's a common misconception that Stax are fragile, due to the "plastic". The "plastic" Stax uses is actually a fiber impregnated polymer. These things aren't fragile in the least, at least as strong as other well made cans. They look delicate but yet...aren't. I'd call that - "well designed".

Yup, they didn't have a problem with me falling asleep. I've done it often - I'm a rotten sleeper (that, having a habit of burning the candle at both ends with sometimes 20 hour days and being a bit nocturnal by nature but having to live during the early day) and any extra I can get my body seems to grab (hey, I am writing this at 1:27 A.M.)

Quote:

I thought velour would've had negative effect on seal, which apparently hd25 relies to - however, the 25 fared real well using velour pads. I agree that stax relies even more on good seal though.

Yeah, you "break" that seal and it does sound a bit different.

Quote:

Btw on this sizzling hot area of planet, even at night, all year long, I tremble at the thought of pleather pads. I need 280 to listen to music when it rains hard outside and consequently not that hot inside.

I'm a reptile. I am currently lying in a bed heated to 95 degrees F with 2 blankets on top. You mammals always seem to have that problem

 

[kramer5150]

Maxell HP2000... Super comfey and cheap too. Got em for $7 shipped on ebay.

Garrett

 

[PITTM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eight08 hmm, comfort was at the top of my list of requirements when choosing a set of cans for work. it would be pointless to have a great sounding pair if they werent comfy enough to wear them (plus i work 10 hour days). started with mdrv6 (didnt like the sound), then on to hd280 (perfect example.. while they sounded decent enough, i had a hard time wearing them because of the clamping force and pad density), which i finally said - i'll even sacrifice sound quality for an ultra comfy pair. which lead me to my a700.

i think the whole point was that probably 30-40% of top range headphones are featherlight and have a lot of velour padding going on which makes them extremely comfortable. So you pick this bracket and find the BEST in terms of sound quality and price. It seems like pretty much ALL of the top of the line sennheisers and beyers are velour and as a result very comfortable. If you want comfortability take a look at all of the comfortable headphones and decide which is best. For me I can quickly eliminate any non-circumaural headphone and then you see about 60-70% of the headphones left are comfortable and then it is a matter of comparing the performance to cost ratio of the remaining field. So while i can see comfort being an issue i think it would be INSANE to walk into an audio store and try on headphones and just take the most comfortable one, because once you narrow the field a bit you will find that the difference in comfort in one pair of cans to another is much much less than the difference in performance of the same cans. I rambled quite a bit, but i hope this helps. Plus you cant avoid having three Santa Cruz posters on one page.

rj

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 Maxell HP2000... Super comfey and cheap too. Got em for $7 shipped on ebay. Garrett

Brain fart... I actually paid $12 shipped.

Heres a pic of my headband mod....

Heres the plastic OEM headband...

Even without the headband mod they are still very comfey.

Garrett

 

[PTheD]

Kramer5150 - What did you use for the headband mod on the HP2000? It looks like a handle off of a laptop carycase.

 

[MJK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpo245 dt531s. most definitely. nothing beats the dt531s. i'd suggest anyone who thinks otherwise, and has not yet tried the dt531, get a pair of 531s.

It's a darn shame they are pretty hard to find now - I hear many great things about them.

 

[TonyTripleA]

Sony MDR SA5000 are still comfy after three hours sessions.... at that point I need a break from my MS-pros. Head "clamp" pressure is okay after a little stretch and the pads are super comfy. Unlike the Beyer DT531, the pads spread the force evenly so there is no pressure in one spot (the Beyers felt like there was too much pressure under my ears but it was a short audition so maybe this improves as you become used to it).

The only thing more comfortable for me is Sharp MD33 or Sony EX71 which I think are so comfortable I forget I have them in.... if only the SQ was as good as the Sony's!!!

TonyAAA

 

[Enverxis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenny12 hd555 feels like a rock compared to the hd590 most confortable phones ever! now only if they didn't sound like curd

someone should put the 580 drivers in them or something.