Sony MDR 1R or Akg K551/K550 or Psb M4u2. Which one should i buy/which one is more comfortable for long periods of time?

[Random Guy]

I have tried the PSB M4U2 in a store and noticed slight clamping on my head. How would the AKG K550/551 and the Sony MDR 1Rs comfort compare to the PSBs? Mainly the headband i am worried about are the headbands loser then the PSBs?
 
Also any other that use think is good in this price range please tell me.
 
 
Thanks in advanced for your help  

 

[BillsonChang007]

Hi!

I had the opputunity to audition two of them except the PSB. I tried thw M4U2 instead of M4U1. Not sure if there's any differences between the two but anyway, I would take K551 out of all three of them if bass is not a propriety but if so, M4U2 are good. Simply because, K551 does everything best in the competition except bass SLAM. Bass quality are good just a bit lose. Do note that, K551 will benefit from an amp.

Hope this help!
Billson

 

[Zaroff]

FWIW I had the Focals, and found them very uncomfortable and headache-inducing because of the clamping. I also found they sounded muffled overall and nothing to write home about soundwise, but YMMV.

 

[Random Guy]

@BillsonChang007 thank you for your recommendation. would the K551 be comfortable for hours? i am not a huge bass head so if the k551 is better then the m4u2 in every other way i might go for that one. still deciding i haven't got an amp and will be using them as a desktop setup. Am liking the m4u2 feature that you can plug another pair of headphones in them, but the sound quality is more important. so K551 for sound except base? would is better for comfort?
 
@ kiran123 yes the price range is $400 max and will be using them with my computer at home.
 
@  Zaroff thanks i will knock that out because comfort is important since i will be using them for hours. 

 

[BillsonChang007]

K551 does everything right for you but without an amp, I am not sure how it sound. In fact, my iNano3rd can't play it. For $400, have a look at Sony MDR-1R. Sound pretty good with my iPad2 & it's pretty competitive to K551.

 

[Beagle]

Assuming the K551 is the same as the 550. I'd go with the PSB. Possibly the best combination of virtues I've heard in any headphone.

 

[Random Guy]

I noticed slight clamping on the PSBs. How tight is the headband on the K550/551 and Sony MDR 1R compared to the PSBs?

 

[StudioSound]

Honestly, it's more than just clamping force. Some headphones have a relatively weak clamping force, so they can slip off easily, but the way the pressure is distributed, they can be very uncomfortable to wear.
 
Other headphones have a tighter clamping force, but distribute it well so that you don't notice it.
 
Many people have complained that the AKG K550/551 don't clamp tight enough for them. For me it was a good fit, but the padding on the top of the headband is too thin, and gets to be uncomfortable once it softens up in my experience. I found them to be very comfortable when I first got them.
 
Every single pair of higher-end Sony headphones I've tried has always been very comfortable to wear, whether they're brand new, or once the padding has softened up at bit. I've not had a chance to try on the MDR-1R, but have no reason to doubt that they would be very comfortable too - especially when that's one of the main selling points.

 

[Random Guy]

Quote:

Honestly, it's more than just clamping force. Some headphones have a relatively weak clamping force, so they can slip off easily, but the way the pressure is distributed, they can be very uncomfortable to wear.
 
Other headphones have a tighter clamping force, but distribute it well so that you don't notice it.
 
Many people have complained that the AKG K550/551 don't clamp tight enough for them. For me it was a good fit, but the padding on the top of the headband is too thin, and gets to be uncomfortable once it softens up in my experience. I found them to be very comfortable when I first got them.
 
Every single pair of higher-end Sony headphones I've tried has always been very comfortable to wear, whether they're brand new, or once the padding has softened up at bit. I've not had a chance to try on the MDR-1R, but have no reason to doubt that they would be very comfortable too - especially when that's one of the main selling points.

thanks for your reply. i used to own the sennheiser 215 headphones (product dimensions: 22.9 x 25.4 x 10.2 cm ; 281 g) which i found comfortable. Have you tried these? i might look  up the dimensions of the AKG and MDR-1R to see if there similar (although this isnt really that accurate on how comfortable they are, like you stated). Unless you know them?
 
Edit: The Sony MDR 1R is the most comfortable pair of headphones i have tried. The only reason i wouldn't suggest getting them if you will be using them in loud environments (because the isolation isn't good at all). Thank you everyone that helped me choose the headphones,  i might try the akg k550/551 in the future