# Really comfy headphones for mainly composing / working late < $200



## Paul Jelfs (Sep 6, 2021)

Hey there, 

I am looking for a pair of extremely comfortable, and therefore probably light weight headphones, that I can wear for a few hours at night time, when noise is an issue, that won't tire me physically or lead to audio fatigue. 

Unlike many others that have asked the question, I am not too bothered about being able to mix well with them (That would be bonus), comfort and a good enough sound are my main concerns. 

I have a pair of Seinheisser HD 280 Pro already, but find for music making in the evening they make my ears really warm, and are not comfortable for composing and just working with midi etc. 

Yeh so answers on a postcard please, 

Really comfortable, lightweight and decent sound


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## Trash Panda (Sep 6, 2021)

Beyerdynamic DT 770s if closed back is a must for noise containment. DT990s or 880s if open backed or semi opened back is ok.

They sound fantastic and are so comfortable they can be worn for hours on end because they seem to “disappear” once you put them on.


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## Simeon (Sep 6, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> Beyerdynamic DT 770s if closed back is a must for noise containment. DT990s or 880s if open backed or semi opened back is ok.
> 
> They sound fantastic and are so comfortable they can be worn for hours on end because they seem to “disappear” once you put them on.


I have the DT880 Pros and absolutely love them, they are very comfortable and as you say, do not feel fatiguing if worn for long periods of time.


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## SlHarder (Sep 6, 2021)

I can wear my Sennheiser HD560S for long sessions, very comfortable pads, don't build up heat, but they are open back.


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## mybadmemory (Sep 6, 2021)

Akg k240s. Open back. Extremely light. Extremely comfy. Tried lots but can’t use any others.


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## CeDur (Sep 6, 2021)

For comfort probably some open-backs are the way to go. Sennheiser HD600/650/800 are among the most comfortable I've tried. If you live in US you can buy here for just a bit above 200$ https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx
While I love Beyerdynamics and often recommend DT770/990Pro, I wouldn't say they are the most comfortable around. The plushy pads are great, but clamping force is not something I would like to deal with for a few hours straight.

If you want to have some isolation and decide to go for closed-backs, nothing beats Takstar Pro82 comfort-wise. They are so light and I literally don't feel them on my head. Sound is also very good, although a bit on a brighter side.


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## tc9000 (Sep 6, 2021)

I have had AKG K701's for a while, they are great for me: they are comfortable for long periods and the sound seems pretty neutral. I haven't tried the competition, though.

PS - Please look after your ears. If you are using headphones for long periods, take regular breaks, reset your ears regularly, and keep levels low.


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## Soundbed (Sep 6, 2021)

CeDur said:


> For comfort probably some open-backs are the way to go. Sennheiser HD600/650/800 are among the most comfortable I've tried. If you live in US you can buy here for just a bit above 200$ https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx


Another vote for these.


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## Bman70 (Sep 6, 2021)

I have the DT770 Pro and the extremely comfortable padded earpieces do tend to feel warm. Love them for mixing though, very flat compared to the scoopy sounding AKG K240s I was using before. But the AKG feel lighter and cooler.


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## Pincel (Sep 6, 2021)

Lately I've been using AKG K702 headphones, and find them very comfortable and great sounding, budget friendly too. They are open-back though. I find the DT770s great too on a similar price-point, but personally I find them pretty tiring and warm if I use them for more than 30 minutes at a time, so wouldn't recommend them for that effect.


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## Fidelity (Sep 6, 2021)

I love my Hifiman Devas. I found the 4xx's uncomfortable (too heavy, too much clamping force), but these are just perfect and super comfortable - more so than even HD650s. I used to have DT880s years ago but they would become uncomfortable during extended use and the soldered in cable eventually failed on one side.

The devas are a bit spendier than you're looking for with the Bluetooth adapter (which is well worth it if you need a headset), but you can usually buy them wired without it and I've heard the HE560s are similar at just over your price point (see https://www.adorama.com/hmhe560v4.html?sdtid=15260920&emailprice=t).

If you aren't willing to spend a few extra bucks, avoid the HE4xx and get the 650s / 6xx from massdrop. You won't be disappointed (I only sold mine because I thought I didn't need nice headphones at the time).


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## thorwald (Sep 7, 2021)

I'm using an Audio-Technica ATH-M50x for a few years now and they are very light, well-built and, after replacing the pads with Wicked Cushions ones, they are very comfortable to wear for hours as well.

The cable is proprietary, but it is detachable, which was one of the requirements for me, as a speaker always used to stop working eventually, even though the headphones were handled with care. Ironically, now that the cable is detachable, I never had to replace the cable for years (knock on wood).

Soundwise they are mostly neutral, the mids are slightly boosted, but you don't have to compensate for this when using them to mix music.


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## from_theashes (Sep 7, 2021)

+1 for Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro. They are great, super comfy, flat sounding and I can wear them for hours. I record and mix on them exclusively.


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## MartinH. (Sep 7, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> mix on them exclusively.



How do you solve the lack of bass in those headphones? I find it impossible to mix e.g. kick and bass in a metal track with these. Or super low synth stuff. They just don't replicate those frequencies well enough.


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## ReelToLogic (Sep 7, 2021)

Simeon said:


> I have the DT880 Pros and absolutely love them, they are very comfortable and as you say, do not feel fatiguing if worn for long periods of time.


I have some DT880 pros and agree that they are extremely comfortable, however even though they are described as semi-openbacked, I find they don't seem to block out external sounds at all so if that's important to you consider fully closed-back headphones.


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## Jdiggity1 (Sep 7, 2021)

My vote's for DT880 Premium (less clamping force than pro).
Aka the "snoozerphones"

This opinion comes after having owned AKG K240 mkii, AKG Q701, AKG K702, Beyer DT990, DT880 Premium (3 pairs), and Sennheiser HD800S.
Though I've also worn some KRK headphones and found them to be like wearing a cloud. Less warm and cozy than beyer's, but lighter and closer to wearing nothing at all.


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## Brasart (Sep 7, 2021)

Another vote for the beyerdynamic DTs, 770 if there's noise outside or if you need to make absolutely no sound, 880 and 990 otherwise! They are so comfy I could wear them all day long


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## SupremeFist (Sep 7, 2021)

"most comfortable" is not really an objective criterion as we all have differently shaped heads and ears, but personally I've never worn headphones as comfortable for me as my AKG K701s, which are excellent value these days.


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## from_theashes (Sep 7, 2021)

MartinH. said:


> How do you solve the lack of bass in those headphones? I find it impossible to mix e.g. kick and bass in a metal track with these. Or super low synth stuff. They just don't replicate those frequencies well enough.


I listen to everything on them and know them very well. I have no problems hearing bass, synths or 808s on them.


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## Ivan M. (Sep 7, 2021)

Make sure to try them on, before buying, if you can. For example, although some people swear by Beyers, I tried one, and they clamp like crazy! 
I got myself AKG K701, and they are comfortable, also nice sound stage and detail, but needs eq correction. Thinking about upgrading from them also to some better AKGs, same design, but hopefully better.

Also, visit the rtings website and pay attention to the temperature! Some HPs might have comfy ear pads / cushions, but they are HOT! 
Good ventilation comes with open backs. And they don't really leak that much, you couldn't hear what I'm listening to standing next to me. That's assuming reasonable levels, just don't crank them too loud, at which point annoying others is less of a problem than hearing loss.

I decided on those specific AKGs after a LOT of research, with comfort (soft clamping, low temp) being one of the most important. The compromise is I need to EQ them to flatten the freq response, they are too strong in the mids.
I also thought about HD600 but can't try them on anywhere, and rtings says they have some clamp so didn't want to risk the money. However, they have excellent freq response! Not as much soundstage as AKGs (by measurements), and I don't know about the detail, never heard them. But they do tempt me.

Again, if you have a store in town where you can try different HPs out, that would be best.


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## Loïc D (Sep 7, 2021)

Another vote for DT-880.
They are so comfy I can wear them for hours without any earpain or neckpain.
And I wear glasses.


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## MartinH. (Sep 7, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> I listen to everything on them and know them very well. I have no problems hearing bass, synths or 808s on them.



What about the ~41hz synth inbetween the kicks in this example? The 770s are the only pair of my 3 headphones that doesn't get remotely close to what it sounds like on my 2.1 speakers. I have loaded this file into my DAW and when I blind A/B test between a 50hz 24db/oct highpass filter on and off, I can barely tell the difference on the 770. Can you confirm this to be the case or are my headphones defective? On my speakers I can clearly tell whether the highpass is on or not. 

I'll be keeping my dt 770 pros because they isolate very well and that is nice for tracking guitars, but I thought the consensus on the other thread was that you can't really mix certain genres on them because of the lacking lowend. And this is something I can't imagine being fixable with neither EQ nor experience because they simply don't reproduce those low frequencies well enough. Unless of course my pair is just broken and I'm not getting the full picture...


I wouldn't neccessarily calll them "uncomfortable" in an absolute sense, but they are too warm and too clampy for me. I certainly can't believe those to be the most comfortable headphones on the market. At least for my head. +1 for the "try them on if you can" recommendation.


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## Paul Jelfs (Sep 7, 2021)

Wow some good responses. I am not too bothered about noise cancelling, as it is pretty quiet, it is more comfort so I can continue composing / music at night time. 

It looks to be between the 880s and the AKG K701s 

I am going to use amazon links, just as it is an easy comparison, As I want to be making sure i get the right ones. 

I will be using them with an Apollo X6 or RME AIO PRo. 





Its actually pretty confusing as there are many version of the same model, and my knowledge of headphones is pretty low ! 

Are these the "Premium ones" you mention, that "Clamp" less on the head ? 



Can't really get to a city to try them, as they only stock a few brands anyway. 

Can Always send them back. 

I have quite a big head, if that makes a difference - Literally I mean !!!


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## Paul Jelfs (Sep 7, 2021)

Ok my links failed badly !! 

Do you mind linking to the exact ones to make sure we are on the same page .


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## Paul Jelfs (Sep 7, 2021)

The 990s are on sale for a good price near me and look pretty comfy. Are they similar to the 880s ?

Thanks for your help.


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## Heinigoldstein (Sep 7, 2021)

Paul Jelfs said:


> The 990s are on sale for a good price near me and look pretty comfy. Are they similar to the 880s ?
> 
> Thanks for your help.


Another vote for AKG here. I tested Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and AKG. The later are the most comfortable by far, the second sounded (a little) better and the first, well, just not my cup of tea. But you should try a few yourself in direct comparison. That‘s the only way to decide


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## Loerpert (Sep 7, 2021)

I have the Beyerdynamic DT770, 990 and 1990. Couldn't go without them. If I had to pick one it would be the 990. If you make EDM maybe the 770 would be better for you.


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## Ivan M. (Sep 7, 2021)

Paul Jelfs said:


> Are these the "Premium ones" you mention, that "Clamp" less on the head ?


Depends, you have to try. It's the force the headphones apply to your head. Some clamp hard, some don't.



Paul Jelfs said:


> I have quite a big head, if that makes a difference - Literally I mean !!!


In that case, beyers might squeeze too hard. I did try some beyers on and they clamp like crazy but I don't think they were 880. So it's up to you, maybe test your luck, and return if necessary.
Good luck!


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## Paul Jelfs (Sep 7, 2021)

And please can someone explain how the ohms , and thus resistance effects the listening experience - Is it to do with Volume, or is there more to say 80 vs 250 than that ?


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## CeDur (Sep 7, 2021)

Paul Jelfs said:


> And please can someone explain how the ohms , and thus resistance effects the listening experience - Is it to do with Volume, or is there more to say 80 vs 250 than that ?


A bit of simplification, but still it gives some idea: the higher headphone sensitivity and the lower impedance, the easier they are to drive (need less power from headphone amp to make it loud and control the driver).

Example 1 - AKG K371 - super easy to drive:





Example 2 - Beyerdynamic DT880 600Ohm - very hard to drive:





In general, the higher the headphone impedance, the more power they require. The benefit of it is that it's easier to control the driver, so theoretically the sound should be more, hmm, precise.

The metaphore: Let's say you have 2, exactly the same trolley on wheels. You load 100kg to the first and 10kg to the second. It will be easier for you to make 2nd one moving, but with first it's easier to have micro control over its speed. In this example the weight is equivalent of headphone impedance.


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## quickbrownf0x (Sep 7, 2021)

CeDur said:


> For comfort probably some open-backs are the way to go. Sennheiser HD600/650/800 are among the most comfortable I've tried. If you live in US you can buy here for just a bit above 200$ https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx
> While I love Beyerdynamics and often recommend DT770/990Pro, I wouldn't say they are the most comfortable around. The plushy pads are great, but clamping force is not something I would like to deal with for a few hours straight.
> 
> If you want to have some isolation and decide to go for closed-backs, nothing beats Takstar Pro82 comfort-wise. They are so light and I literally don't feel them on my head. Sound is also very good, although a bit on a brighter side.


So this, really.


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## BassClef (Sep 7, 2021)

The Beyerdynamic DT880Pro is extremely comfortable and on sale now at drop.com for $199 US... usually $250!


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