[Marquis]

I have small ears, or so I'm told. It's hard to know for sure.

I used to use the stock bowls on my Grado SR-80s, but with my ears resting right against the drivers, they began to ache very quickly. I swapped them for some vwap, modded Senn414 pads, but seem to be experiencing some of the same thing - part of my ear touches the driver, and it really begins to hurt as the minutes go by.

I had scoured Head-Fi before getting the vwaps, wondering if this might be a problem, but found no one else complaining. Am I the only small-eared person here? Do I just need to let my ears "get accustomed" (ouch!) to the hurt? Should I buy a pair of Senn414 pads and simply cut a smaller hole?

So - small ears, unite! What are your tips, tricks, and horrific experiences in the world of headphones?

 

[blessingx]

My ears are pretty small. Sometimes I've wondered if that is part of the problem with certain phones (PX200's never sounded right to me, etc.).

I think it just takes getting use to the vwap/senn pads. I find them comfortable. Funny thing I find broken in (or possibly old since they're from a used pair of 225's) bowl pads more comfortable than the senns. My ears fit completely inside them. However maybe my ears are smaller than yours.

. The senns though sound better, so worth getting use to.

Besides it's not the size, but how sensitive yours are! Ladies?

 

[Cap'n Dan]

Same here. Headphones that are supposed to be supra-aural wind up going completely around me ears! My ears don't seem get sore anymore with my SR-225s, but they did in the beginning. I'm not sure what I want to do about pads. I like the sound, so I'm reluctant to change it. Perhaps having my ears nearer to the drivers is good.

 

[MERTON]

are ya'll saying your ears don't go past the diver circumference on the grado's? my ears are average but the grado bowls still just barely cover them up.

 

[Cap'n Dan]

Hmm...

<shrugs>

 

[Marquis]

Bump for this ancient thread.

I've been using unmodified SEnn414 comfies on my SR80s for a couple of years, but I recently got my HF-1s in the mail with bowls. I put them on and it was again the same problem -- the pads are completely circumaural, and basically my little ears just press up against the plastic and petal of the driver. It hurts. (The pads effectively have no effect.)

I went back to the senns but everything is crazy boomy. I figure I should cut some holes in the centre, but I'm really nervous about making the holes too big - I don't want to be stuck with the same problem all over again. I'd just experiment only way over here in Scotland, it's rather more expensive to get replacement pads if something goes wrong.

Anyone with small ears have experience/tips for this? Help me make my grados comfortable!

 

[plainsong]

Bowl pads fit me like circumaural pads, but the driver doesn't actually touch my ear. At any rate, it doesn't tend to sound too nice, so I go with the flat pads from Todd.

 

[htbyron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plainsong Bowl pads fit me like circumaural pads, but the driver doesn't actually touch my ear. At any rate, it doesn't tend to sound too nice, so I go with the flat pads from Todd.

Plainsong: Are the holes in the flats smaller than those on the bowls? I have this small-ear problem too & find my grados unwearable with the stock bowls as they are circumaural & the driver rests on my ear. I'm happy with my modded Senn 414 pads with a nickel-sized hole (sorry I don't know the euro equivalent), but wonder if I should try the famed flats when I order HF-1s?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Marquis]

Thanks htbyron -- I'm from Canada so the nickel-sized-hole makes perfect sense. Maybe I'll try that.

I experimented with flats before Todd made them officially available - my experience is with the vwap pads which were supposed to emulate (the unavailable) Grado flats, and I sold them because the same problems persisted. In other words, they were indeed essentially circumaural - the hole is huge.

 

[plainsong]

Well I guess my ears aren't that small because the the flats seem to do the job. Yeah, I guess just try using the 414 pads and cut a smaller hole.

 

[Lisa]

Do you still have the other Senn 414 pads with the holes in them. Try them reversed on the HF-1. The holes are smaller than the bowl pads and with a bit of luck it won't be circumaural on your ears. The plus side is that the drivers are further away from your ears and the bass will be toned down.

 

[htbyron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa Do you still have the other Senn 414 pads with the holes in them. Try them reversed on the HF-1. The holes are smaller than the bowl pads and with a bit of luck it won't be circumaural on your ears. The plus side is that the drivers are further away from your ears and the bass will be toned down.

I haven't tried it, but I'm having trouble visualizing how to reverse the Senn 414 pads. Does anyone have pics of this? (I've reversed the stock bowls, but it didn't solve my small-ears problem.)

Tom

 

[Lisa]

there must be some pics around, a lot of people use it on their grados.

to get an idea, just take the sen414 pads of you sr80s. wait till the foam is it's original size again because it's streched now, and see if the holes on the backside that usually go around your headphones are small enough for your ears to be supra aural.

come to think of it, someone posted a pic in a recent grado thread of this. probably an HF-1 thread.

 

[Lisa]

first search I did and bingo, found you a pic and explaintion.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showp...92&postcount=4

 

[htbyron]

Thanks, Lisa. I hadn't come across that suggestion before. I'll have to take a look at it tonight & see if the holes I cut are big enough to fit around the drivers.