[happybuyer]

'the cup size is too snug my ear and I almost feel my ears touching the inner membrane. So it's hard to go more than 15 minutes without taking them off or readjusting them."

I have some of the same trouble. It's unfortunate.
 
The most comfortable headphones I own are JVC-1000s. Make you look like Princess Leia, but the bass is excellent, and you can wear them all day. They're closed-back, and I use them at work. They're thick enough they work about as well as noise-cancelling headphones in creating your own sonic environment free from barking dogs, ringing phones, etc.

 

[Thrang]

I have some of the same trouble. It's unfortunate.

The most comfortable headphones I own are JVC-1000s. Make you look like Princess Leia, but the bass is excellent, and you can wear them all day. They're closed-back, and I use them at work. They're thick enough they work about as well as noise-cancelling headphones in creating your own sonic environment free from barking dogs, ringing phones, etc.

Well for now, I ordered the HD800, HD700, and HE560 from Amazon and will return what I don't like...I'll proably have a day with the PM1 as well, so can compare all four.

 

[Colgin]

Well for now, I ordered the HD800, HD700, and HE560 from Amazon and will return what I don't like...I'll proably have a day with the PM1 as well, so can compare all four.

I am not going to wade into the ethical issue of buying a bunch of stuff knowing you won't keep them all, opening and testing them all and returning the merchandise you don't like. I will, however, apprise you of the fact that Amazon does have a habit of banning people that abuse their generous returns policy. You can search here on Head-Fi or Google more broadly. Given that you are buying three high-end cans at the same time with the intention of returning two of them already opened I thought you might want to be aware of this.

 

[Colgin]

  i had the same issue w/ the PM-1s. note the HE-560 has much deeper slanted earcups that give your ears a lot of room if you are still interested in orthdynamic headphones. more neutral sound signature & less warmth compared to the PM-1s. a bit better sound stage/imaging/detail retrieval as well. build quality is not as nice as the PM1s though.

Headphone comfort is almost the universal YMMV.  For me, the Oppo is the single most comfortable non-portable can I have worn. They are deep enough that they do not touch my ears, but small enough that they do not hit my TMJ causing pain like most other large TOTL headphones. HE-560 is also pretty good. However, my ears actually touch the top and bottom of the pad and sometimes the driver covering which, while not painful, is kind of annoying. One of the reasons (among others) I passed on the HE-560 although I do think it is more reference than the Oppo (I own the PM-2).

 

[money4me247]

Well for now, I ordered the HD800, HD700, and HE560 from Amazon and will return what I don't like...I'll proably have a day with the PM1 as well, so can compare all four.

Niice. Love to hear your thoughts & comparisons between all of those headphones.
 
...lol... considering how expensive these headphones are, I think a trial period is fine. All retailers in the USA have return policies for these types of uber expensive purchases & I don't think it is that unethical especially if you cover return shipping. Amazon gives you these types of perks so you shop from them exclusively. Obviously, abusing the system is wrong, but I think buying a bunch of products to compare isn't that big of a deal especially if you are planning on keeping one.

 

[bfreedma]

  Niice. Love to hear your thoughts & comparisons between all of those headphones.
 
...lol... considering how expensive these headphones are, I think a trial period is fine. All retailers in the USA have return policies for these types of uber expensive purchases & I don't think it is that unethical especially if you cover return shipping. Amazon gives you these types of perks so you shop from them exclusively. Obviously, abusing the system is wrong, but I think buying a bunch of products to compare isn't that big of a deal especially if you are planning on keeping one.

 
The issue, IMO, is that this drives up the cost of headphones for everyone.  They can't be resold as new, so the manufacturer has to add enough cost to the retain price to cover the loss of selling the returns as seconds.
 
There are meets, loaner programs like the Cable Co. and brick and mortar stores where one can listen to and compare headphones without creating the additional overhead of returns. 

 

[money4me247]

   
The issue, IMO, is that this drives up the cost of headphones for everyone.  They can't be resold as new, so the manufacturer has to add enough cost to the retain price to cover the loss of selling the returns as seconds.
 
There are loaner programs like the Cable Co. and brick and mortar stores where one can listen to and compare headphones without creating the additional overhead of returns. 

Manufacturers wholesale to retailers at a set price, so returning to retailers does not really drive up the costs for manufacturers or the costs of the headphones. It only hurts the retailer, but even then, the mark-up in headphone pricing is such that even being sold as used, you still generate profit.
 
Headphone pricing is not really related to return volume as the mark-up in price is high enough that it does not make a difference & the volume of inventory sold is enormous. All products get returned. If OP does not buy them all at once & buys each headphone separately, he will still end up returning the ones he does like.
 
Does not really make that big of a difference. If you pay attention to some of the deals that pop up around here or retailers that specialize in discounts, you can see that they are selling headphones at high discounts & still making profit margins. It's more about the volume sold for businesses & headphones on the whole probably have 50+% profit margins per unit for the manufacturer.

 

[bfreedma]

  Manufacturers wholesale to retailers at a set price, so returning to retailers does not really drive up the costs for manufacturers or the costs of the headphones. It only hurts the retailer, but even then, the mark-up in headphone pricing is such that even being sold as used, you still generate profit.
 
Headphone pricing is not really related to return volume as the mark-up in price is high enough that it does not make a difference & the volume of inventory sold is enormous. All products get returned. If OP does not buy them all at once & buys each headphone separately, he will still end up returning the ones he does like.
 
Does not really make that big of a difference. If you pay attention to some of the deals that pop up around here or retailers that specialize in discounts, you can see that they are selling headphones at high discounts & still making profit margins. It's more about the volume sold for businesses & headphones on the whole probably have 50+% profit margins per unit for the manufacturer.

 
When product are returned, someone is going to eat the cost.  And in the long run, that someone is the consumer.  Looking at Amazon, HFM is the retailer for the 560, so they are definitely taking a hit.  I'm sure items have a high markup, but some don't.  You might be surprised how low the retail markups are on Audeze (the only one where I know the cost structure).
 
Anyway, back to headphones.

 

[Thrang]

 
I am not going to wade into the ethical issue of buying a bunch of stuff knowing you won't keep them all, opening and testing them all and returning the merchandise you don't like. I will, however, apprise you of the fact that Amazon does have a habit of banning people that abuse their generous returns policy. You can search here on Head-Fi or Google more broadly. Given that you are buying three high-end cans at the same time with the intention of returning two of them already opened I thought you might want to be aware of this.

Well, the manufacturers almost give no choice...there is no where to hear them near me...how does one evaluate?

 

[bfreedma]

 
Well, the manufacturers almost give no choice...there is no where to hear them near me...how does one evaluate?

 
Meets are a good option
The Cable Company lending library is another

 

[Thrang]

   
Meets are a good option
The Cable Company lending library is another

Potentially, though I don't know much about meets, and I don't think there's one nearby (northwest NJ)
 
Honestly, if there was a legitimate storefront channel, I could easily test. Manufacturers are mostly selling direct, have saved quite a bit or margin doing so, and certainly are building in a higher return ratio expectation since purchasers have no idea if they will like it, if it is comfortable, etc.
 
Easy return policies are common in the digital purchasing age. The process demands it actually.

 

[bfreedma]

  
Meets are a good option
The Cable Company lending library is another

Potentially, though I don't know much about meets, and I don't think there's one nearby (northwest NJ)
 
Honestly, if there was a legitimate storefront channel, I could easily test. Manufacturers are mostly selling direct, have saved quite a bit or margin doing so, and certainly are building in a higher return ratio expectation since purchasers have no idea if they will like it, if it is comfortable, etc.
 
Easy return policies are common in the digital purchasing age. The process demands it actually.

Not sure which would be closer, but Stereo Exchange in NYC and World Wide Stereo just west of Philly both usually have all 3 of your candidates available for testing.

There is also a section on Head-FI where meets are listed. I've seen a few in your general area in the past but don't know what's on the current calendar.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

   
The main pros of the HE-560s (imo) over the PM-1s are comfort and sound. 

Whoa, simply a very big disagree from me here, but, well, that's your "imo"
 

  Could anyone tell me what's the difference between PM1 and PM2? only the accessories?

- Different pad material
- Different housing material (metal vs plastic)
- Different cable 
- Different damping inside the cup

 

[money4me247]

Whoa, simply a very big disagree from me here, but, well, that's your "imo"

Well, I had a chance to direct compare them side by side. The HE560 does feel noticeably lighter on my head due to their suspension design and weight distribution. The HE560 earpads are deeper and gives my ears more clearance.

The Oppo PM1's comfort was fine, but I did notice my ears brushed up against the driver like the above poster was complaining about. The PM1 does feel heavier on your head in comparison, but its weight is fine.

From my direct comparisons, I'd say the HE560 edges out the pm1s in comfort. You can feel free to disagree, but that was my personal experience after using both for long listening sessions over a fee weeks.

 

[Justin_Time]

Well, I had a chance to direct compare them side by side. The HE560 does feel noticeably lighter on my head due to their suspension design and weight distribution. The HE560 earpads are deeper and gives my ears more clearance.

The Oppo PM1's comfort was fine, but I did notice my ears brushed up against the driver like the above poster was complaining about. The PM1 does feel heavier on your head in comparison, but its weight is fine.

From my direct comparisons, I'd say the HE560 edges out the pm1s in comfort. You can feel free to disagree, but that was my personal experience after using both for long listening sessions over a fee weeks.

money4me247,
 
I completely agree with you.  
 
For a wider range of comparison, I bring in the Ultrasone 8 as well, which is closer in shape, size and weight to the Oppo PM-1 than the HE-560. I own all three of these headphones.
 
The Ultrasone is the lightest and smallest of the group and comes closest to being considered "portable."  The earcup and earpads, however, are not big enough to go over the ear completely.  I definitely feel the pressure and the pain of the ear-pads on the ear lobes after more than half an hour or so of use.
 
Though heavier, the Oppo PM-1 have big enough ear-pads to go around the ear lobes "almost" completely.  The operating word here is almost.  The ear-pad openings are not big enough for my ears so they sort of squeeze the earl lobes a little to keep them inside the holes. I definitely feel the discomfort caused by the ear-pads larger pressure (due to larger weight) on the ear lobes after prolonged use.
 
The HE-560 is big and heavy enough to disqualify it from being a portable headphone for me--this is only my opinion, not a general statement; others may find them just fine as portable pair of headphones.  The opening of the HE-560 are big enough to go around my ears ( true circumaural) without pinching any part of the earlobes.  For short-term listening, I find the HE-560 very comfortable.  For more than an hour or so, the weight of the the HE-560 becomes too much for me  for comfort--the weight is much less that that of its preceding siblings, I grant you, but the HE-560 is still a pretty heavy headphone compared to the Oppo PM-1 and Ultrasone 8.
 
So for comfort for extended listening my personal preference is HE-560 > Oppo PM-1 > Ultrasone 8.