[LunyAlex]

So I recently picked up my first pair of more "serious" headphones. 
AKG K550s to be exact.

I really enjoy their sound, yet I find myself pestered by a very odd issue. It goes like this.

Put headphones on.
Wait for it.
Wait for it.

Wait fo... Aaaaaaand I'm falling asleep.
 
We're not talking mild drowsiness induced by a sense of comfort and pleasing music. We're talking Fighting for Dear Life trying to not crash on my desk.
It doesn't happen every time I use the headphones, but when it does, it usually occurs within 30 minutes. 
 
After I take them off I'm still quite drowsy, but I freshen up within about 10 minutes. 
I'm assuming this is what one would call an extreme case of listener's fatigue?
 
A few days ago I had a headache shortly after putting them on, but I thought it was nothing. Starting to reconsider that viewpoint. 
 
It also seems to happen more towards the evening, but I've experienced this in the morning as well.  
 
I've tried:

- Crossfeed plugin 
- Reducing the bass (to an extreme extent, for testing purposes)
- Reducing Treble (to an extreme extent, for testing purposes)
- Repositioning Headphones on Head

No luck. 
 
Tightness is also something I've considered (Though the 550s are know for being notoriously low in the clamp force department). While they're not uncomfortable when on my head, I can definitely feel something like a light pressure "aftermath" on my temples when taking them off. 
 
Admittedly my previous headphones had 0 clamp force to speak off and almost no bass response. Both of these notions are new to me, hah. Could this be an adaptation issue...
 
...or some weird head circulation problem?
Anyone else ever heard about something of the sort? 
 
I'll have to send them back if I can't find a solution unfortunately, as falling asleep every time I decide to write some music proves very counter-productive. 
Would appreciate any insight!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Put headphones on.
Wait for it.
Wait for it.

Wait fo... Aaaaaaand I'm falling asleep.
 
We're not talking mild drowsiness induced by a sense of comfort and pleasing music. We're talking Fighting for Dear Life trying to not crash on my desk.
------------
I'm assuming this is what one would call an extreme case of listener's fatigue?

 

Actually in the case of "listener's fatigue" when it comes to sound it's not about being tired or having zero energy. Listener's fatigue typically refers to getting worn out by the sound that comes with mild discomfort, not simply getting lulled to sleep by it (whether by what feels like a lullabye or a sleeper choke hold). It happens for example when there is too much of the upper midrange to treble, resulting in a lot of the aural equivalent of "glare," and fatigue is a lot closer to how your eyes start to sting from getting too dried out staring at a screen without enough blinking or tears (or eye drops).
 

 
It doesn't happen every time I use the headphones, but when it does, it usually occurs within 30 minutes. 

 

If it doesn't happen every time you use the headphones, then what are the other factors that are unique to when it does happen vs when it doesn't? If you use them at the end of the day then it's likely that you are fatigued (as in tired, not the ear equivalent for "I need some VIsine") from work and hte headphones don't have the kind of "exciting" sound that will wake you up, like for example a Grado. Note though that the "glare" I described above is something that some dislike Grados for (especially if they wear them with the drivers smack over their ear canals).
 

 
After I take them off I'm still quite drowsy, but I freshen up within about 10 minutes. 
 
A few days ago I had a headache shortly after putting them on, but I thought it was nothing. Starting to reconsider that viewpoint. 
 
It also seems to happen more towards the evening, but I've experienced this in the morning as well.  

 

Nowadays, do your old headphones still do not have such effects? Try them on at the same times you're likely to use the K550. If it happens, even if less severe, have your BP and blood sugar levels checked.