[Alu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus Alu, just curious, but what is your head size? Is your head especially wide? The reason I ask is that I've got a pretty big head myself and don't find the K701's to be uncomfortable. But then again, I tend not to listen to any headphones for more than one CD at a time, so I can't really say what the K701's would feel like after several hours of continious use. The HD650's (in my experience) have a lot more clamping force, and thus to me, would be less comfortable than the K701's. I have to kind of stretch the HD650's out befroe putting them on.

I don't have a very large head I think, it's pretty normal. I guess I'm looking for something unusual when looking for a headphone which can keep my happy for various hours, but it's something I'd really like to find. The top of the head is no problem here for me, it's more the underside of the pads that kind of annoy me. I'm pretty sure that I'm not wearing them wrongly, and I've tried moving them around a bit, but I guess I can't really help it here.

It's not that the clamping pressure is too strong at first. But with the contact it makes to different spots on my head it may be that this level of "pain" only shows over time.

I guess I could try and stretch them, but I wouldn't want to break them. They don't seem to be that sturdy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio That seems about right! The only thing I'd mark higher than the DT880 would be the GS1000.

Interesting. I guess I'll have to wait a bit for GS1000 to happen though. Considering the feedback I could try the DT880.

 

[Asr]

The center "pad" on the headband is the one source of discomfort for me with the K701. I can't wear them longer than an hour without having to re-shuffle the positioning.

The earpads, however, are completely circumaural for me and exert very little sideways pressure. For larger heads I'd imagine there could be some bothersome sideways pressure.

 

[OliT]

I've worn my K601 and K701 (one at a time though) for 6-8 hours without any discomfort what so ever, they are without a doubt the most comfortable cans I've ever tried, with reservation for the fact that beyerdynamic isn't in that group. I have a fairly large head, 7 3/4 or above that (62 cm).

 

[Jam_Master_J]

DT880 are very comfy. The clamp pressure is very light and the ear pads are soft.

 

[darkninja67]

My DT880s are more comfortable than the K701s. The AKGs are up there in comfort though. Maybe a slightly lower than the A900s though.

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jam_Master_J DT880 are very comfy. The clamp pressure is very light and the ear pads are soft.

I wore DT770s around all winter, and I often forgot they were on my head due to the lightness and comfort. I'd see someone looking at me funny, and it would take me a moment to figure it out...

 

[Beauregard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alu ... It's not that the clamping pressure is too strong at first. But with the contact it makes to different spots on my head it may be that this level of "pain" only shows over time. ...

There's the rub... so to speak. For whatever reason, no matter head size, etc., everyone has different areas of sensitivity where phones impinge on the head. There's really no predicting how a particular individual is going to react.

The K701s have very low pressure; if they're causing discomfort I doubt that any loosening is going to help much. If changing position doesn't help, then you're pretty much left with trying other phones until you find a set that works for you. It's entirely possible that phones with greater clamping pressure might actually be more comfortable - if they manage to avoid the "hotspots" where you're sensitive.

If it makes you feel any better, I had the same problem with the K1000s last year. They felt just fine when I put them on but after 15 minutes or so the temple pads caused an ache to start - no matter how I adjusted them. Contrast with cosmopragma's experience...

Good luck! Unfortunately, you're not the first person who might have to pass on a particular model of headphone because of the darned comfort issue.

Best,
Beau

 

[Alu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beauregard There's the rub... so to speak. For whatever reason, no matter head size, etc., everyone has different areas of sensitivity where phones impinge on the head. There's really no predicting how a particular individual is going to react. The K701s have very low pressure; if they're causing discomfort I doubt that any loosening is going to help much. If changing position doesn't help, then you're pretty much left with trying other phones until you find a set that works for you. It's entirely possible that phones with greater clamping pressure might actually be more comfortable - if they manage to avoid the "hotspots" where you're sensitive. If it makes you feel any better, I had the same problem with the K1000s last year. They felt just fine when I put them on but after 15 minutes or so the temple pads caused an ache to start - no matter how I adjusted them. Contrast with cosmopragma's experience... Good luck! Unfortunately, you're not the first person who might have to pass on a particular model of headphone because of the darned comfort issue. Best, Beau

Of course it doesn't make me feel any better to see another head-fier suffering!

Thanks for your explanation. I might give the HD650 a shot after all, unless I find something else of course, and unless the CD3k give me everything I need in a headphone.
I'll keep the K701 in order to compare the sound and comfort of it to some different cans at least in the beginning.

 

[Nick63]

I have the K-701 & the HD650. The HD650 is perfect for comfort for me. It was a little snug when new, but after brief use they loosened up to feel great. I love the fit. I just got the K701 yesterday and my only concern is the way the head band contacts the top of my head. If it had a softer pad I think the contact would be fine, but the pad on the band is a little firm and I notice the pressure making it distracting. I think I can accept the K701's fit, but I am not sure. Maybe they will feel better with time.

 

[brn80]

I've never had issues with my K701's. I find the clamping to be just right to hold them in place not too tight. I had the DT770 before these, and I found those to have a death vice grip. Mind you I have a rather large head. Not sure how different the DT880 is but I'd gather it was similar. The 701 pads are just the right big roomy size and I've never had issues with the headband. In fact I downright don't feel them there. But I noticed some people have issues with them, my gf actually pointed that out right away when I let her try them out. She has a smaller head.

As far as comfort level, in descending order of comfort, rankings of the phones I've owned:

Audio Technica AD900 (current)
Sony MDR-F1 (current)
Sennheiser HD590 (currrent)
AKG K701 (current)
Beyerdynamic DT770 (owned)
Goldring DR150 (owned)

The 590's are lighter, but only reason I rated them lower, is for some reason the pads on them are like ear muffs, my ears get warm rather soon compared to the AD's. I think the AD's just let in more air.

 

[sgrossklass]

Yes, this comfort issue is very subjective. For example, I find pressure on top of my head to be somewhat irritating, while clamping force tends to be less of an issue. This way, I actually consider cans with wider headband paddings and possibly slightly more clamping (HD540: quite a bit of clamp, little top pressure, HD590: well balanced) to be more comfortable than ones with narrow headband pads (e.g. HD535, the old HD5x5 series is fairly loose and puts most of the pressure onto the top of the head while employing a relatively narrow headband pad); a well-used, pretty loose HD580 with flattened headband padding unsurprisingly is the worst of the bunch.

 

[kurumaya]

I would not describe my 701s as comfortable. They did improve some when I stretched them out overnight on one of my speakers - but now they clamp a little too loose, and fall down over time, so be careful with this.

The HD590 is enormously comfortable, and lightweight, the most comfortable can I have ever worn. The 701 sometimes finds a spot on the top of my head and slowly becomes intolerable. The sound makes it worth the occasional readjustment IMO...

 

[Alu]

I tried them again for one hour, I think I really want to keep them because of the sound, and sell/trade them because when I'm removing them from my head I have this liberating feeling, while it should be the usage of the headphones that should give me that. But I guess that's the fun thing about this hobby, well...except for the pain thing...

 

[threEchelon]

Would beyer pads fit on the 701's?

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by threEchelon Would beyer pads fit on the 701's?

Have you seen the pictures of them? They essentially HAVE Beyer pads. The main difference is that the foam on the K701 pad is a little harder, but I'd imagine it'd pack down with time, wouldn't it?