[Stall]

Hello all. My 4 year old pair of Audiotechnica ATH-PRO5MS has finally started to wear out; the padding on the left ear piece is almost entirely gone, and the hard foam has started to dig into my ear. They've been a decent and faithful pair of headphones for what I paid for them (about $55), and were my first 'real' pair of cans. Anyways, seeing as this is Christmas time, I figure that this is a good excuse to get an upgrade. As the title suggests, I am looking for the most comfortable pair of cans in the $75-150 bracket. I tend to wear my headphones for 4+ hours a day, so as naive as this sounds, comfort is more important than sound quality at this point. I know comfort is subjective, but could anyone perhaps suggest some headphones that are considered to be especially comfortable? There are no stores around me that sell headphones (besides crap like Bose), so I don't have the luxury of trying on pairs.

 

[Kukuk]

The Sony MDR-XB700's are the most comfortable pair of headphones I've ever had the pleasure of wearing. They sound pretty good too.

 

[Anjexu]

Well, I'm a fan of the HD555's.  Of course, that goes without saying since I use them almost daily.
 
I haven't had any comfort issues with them, and neither have I read about any.

 

[MESFAR]

Audio Technica AD700

 

[Aizura]

I don't think it's possible to make a more comfortable headphone than the HD555. It's just perfect imo, pity the sound isn't.

 

[JFroese]

Quote:

Well, I'm a fan of the HD555's.  Of course, that goes without saying since I use them almost daily.
 
I haven't had any comfort issues with them, and neither have I read about any.

+1
 
They're probably the most comfortable headphones I have as well.

 

[tdockweiler]

The most comfortable pair of headphones I've had are these:
 
1) KRK KNS-8400  (Comfort is a 9/10. Most comfortable headphone I've had that's portable. Feels as if the pads are made of memory foam.)
2) AKG k240 Studio - Zero clamping force, light weight and very comfortable. Even more comfortable than my old HD-555.
3) Maxell DHP-II (great for $30, but poor build quality to some)

 

[Ouspensky]

HD555 takes the cake in the confort area, but if you are looking for closed phones then a V6 with dt-250 velour pads, you can wear them all day, and it will be less than a $100

 

[shnitz]

I disagree with everyone saying HD555.  Obviously you guys have never tried AKG K240 Studio or ATH-AD700, with the floating headbands, have the HD555 beat.  You can always buy a spare set of the velour pads that come with the other versions of the AKG headphones if you want to increase the comfort level even more (the k240 MKii is the same headphone, except for the color, plus it comes with multiple cables, and with both pleather and velour pads).
 
http://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD700-Open-air-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B000CMS0XU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1292177655&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Acoustics-K-240-Studio-Headphones/dp/B0001ARCFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1292177541&sr=1-1

 

[Stall]

So far it seems the most common suggestions are the HD555s or the KD240s. Thanks for all the help... I think I can do the research from here to figure out which to get specificy.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

The audio technica ad700's are the most comfortable pair of cans possible in my opinion.  Many people complain they don't fit tight enough, but there is an easy solution.  You just need to use a rubberband to hook the wing system together.  

 

[2enty3]

i've had the A700's and I admit they are Extremely comfortable, though they do feel slightly heavy, it barely feels like your wearing them.
But i think we're forgetting sound quality here guys.... I've heard some bad stuff about the AD700's... just sayin'.
Personally, I didn't like my A700's sound that much either.

 

[JFroese]

Quote:

I disagree with everyone saying HD555.  Obviously you guys have never tried AKG K240 Studio or ATH-AD700, with the floating headbands, have the HD555 beat.  You can always buy a spare set of the velour pads that come with the other versions of the AKG headphones if you want to increase the comfort level even more (the k240 MKii is the same headphone, except for the color, plus it comes with multiple cables, and with both pleather and velour pads).
 
http://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD700-Open-air-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B000CMS0XU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1292177655&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Acoustics-K-240-Studio-Headphones/dp/B0001ARCFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1292177541&sr=1-1

Never tried the AKG K240, but I used to have a pair of the AD700s and I never found them to be exceedingly comfortable. I always liked my HD-555 more, but that's just me.