Recommendations for Comfy Headphones

[rawbertson.]

Looking for headphone recommendations for over the ear (willing to entertain earbuds if they were comfortable)
I have glasses which makes a lot of the over the ear ones uncomfortable
Hoping to not spend over $100 but might be willing to spend $200~ if I knew they would last a long time + were extremely comfy
More interested in comfort than sounding absolutely amazing but i also dont want them to sound like ass either

[manysnakes]

I went through an embarrassing number of cheap (sub-$100) headphones before buying some Sennheiser Momentums which I have used literally daily now since early 2020. I don't remember what I paid, and I bought them refurbished on eBay, but they were not cheap. However, there is absolutely no question in my mind that it was money well spent and that I have would sent another ~five pairs of headphones to the landfill in that time.

[grimcity]

I had a set of Sony MDR 7506's that were fantastic (I wear glasses too). You can get 'em for under a hundred, and they're pretty much the goto headphones used by podcasters, and I thought they were great for audio editing (I do less music and more voiceover). Only reason I don't have 'em now is because when my cat was a wee one he chewed through the cord while I was out.

Now I'm using some WH-1000XM4's, and though they're priced a little higher, I can't go back. They're wireless with no noticeable lag (though you can hook 'em up via aux) and they have the most insane noise cancelling I've ever heard. If you can find a deal on those, I recommend the hell out of em.

[somethingmustbreaknow]

"plug skullcandy" ?

[parasocial skater]

Koss porta pro

[rawbertson.]

thanks guys these are great suggestions!
The Sennheisers are lasting really long? the ear part doesnt get torn up?
that is one of my biggest problems from leaving them in my backpack

[rocklobster]

Jabra and JBL for earbuds, I wear the JBL for hours on end for work calls and I only start feeling them after hour 4. Absurdly long battery life too.

For headphones the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless, currently XM5, have excellent noise cancelling, comfort and battery life. You're not getting much of a performance bump going from the XM4 to XM5, so I'd look out for the XM4 for Black Friday or clearance.

[Sila]

What are you using them for? Are they just for home use or will you be traveling with them etc?

[manysnakes]

thanks guys these are great suggestions!
The Sennheisers are lasting really long? the ear part doesnt get torn up?
that is one of my biggest problems from leaving them in my backpack

No, mine have been great. The earpiece is a genuine, high grade leather, and it has not shown any signs of deterioration through daily wear.

[L33Tg33k]

How do you guys feel about Raycon? I’m a baller on a budget and they seem legit for my usage.

[GS77]

How do you guys feel about Raycon? I’m a baller on a budget and they seem legit for my usage.

He probably knows about as much about audio as I do about making love to KK.

BTW—you should also use trusted names like JBL, Sony, beats, etc. before trusting a guy like Ray J to source good quality audio from China.

Check out reviews from CNET and PC Magazine. There are plenty of budget headphones out there.

I buy corded because it’s cheaper. Right now I have earbuds from V Moda that are really nice an inexpensive compared to their original price.

https://www.v-moda.com/us/en/collections/headphones

[Huell Howser]

Currently using Audio technica ATH-m50 blue tooth 2. Picked em up after going thru a good amount of reviews. Had them for just about under a year and have loved em. My first pair of “nice” headphones and I use them everyday so I feel like they have been well worth the money. I think I paid around $160 on sale but I see them for around $175-$200 rn

I use them for music, work, and gaming so I was looking for something pretty well rounded. feel like they’ve done a great job with each of those

[layzieyez]

I sleep with a set of these in ear monitors every night playing Frasier at low volume.

https://www.amazon.com/KS1-Headphones-Resolution-Detachable-Auriculares/dp/B08TWQ3TR7/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1X248VYTZ6GB5&keywords=iem&qid=1694962004&sprefix=iem%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-8&th=1

Sound is pretty good over all, but not very bass heavy

When I want better sound, I put on these. There's more bass but not artificially inflated. Three drivers instead of the one in the budget set. Also, I run a headphone amp into them although completely unnecessary tbh.

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-FH3-Earphones-Resolution-Smartphones/dp/B08DHTM4N5/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2DFJZX9MNED1D&keywords=fiio+iem&qid=1694963620&sprefix=fiio+iem%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

Just make sure you experiment with the sizes of the included ear pads to find the best fit to provide you with the isolation otherwise, you will think it's just tinny with complete lack of bass no matter which IEM you buy.

One more thing to note, pay close attention to the instruction when you put the IEM together with the cable. It's not difficult to assemble, but it can be confusing the first time.

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

How do you guys feel about Raycon? I’m a baller on a budget and they seem legit for my usage.

[close]

He probably knows about as much about audio as I do about making love to KK.

BTW—you should also use trusted names like JBL, Sony, beats, etc. before trusting a guy like Ray J to source good quality audio from China.

Check out reviews from CNET and PC Magazine. There are plenty of budget headphones out there.

I buy corded because it’s cheaper. Right now I have earbuds from V Moda that are really nice an inexpensive compared to their original price.

https://www.v-moda.com/us/en/collections/headphones

Same sentiments on Raycons, every major brand has a budget / mid / high / premium range and you're better off sourcing from there than Raycon or random China headphones from Amazon. Quality of life stuff like a quality case that stays shut in pockets, balanced sound quality, no annoying voice instructions and battery life, conformable ear tips in a variety of sizes - that's what you're paying for with the major brands.

[burm]

Expand Quote

thanks guys these are great suggestions!
The Sennheisers are lasting really long? the ear part doesnt get torn up?
that is one of my biggest problems from leaving them in my backpack

[close]

No, mine have been great. The earpiece is a genuine, high grade leather, and it has not shown any signs of deterioration through daily wear.

My previous employer bought everyone sennheiser momentum over ears, wireless noise-cancelling, I’m not sure if they have different models. This was like 7 years ago.

The audiophiles said that the sound was not great but they sounded fine to me. I really grew to hate them though. Worst thing was that the noise-cancelling would make low pops and cracks when travelling on a bus due to the noise and vibration so I couldn’t use them on commutes. Both the seller and the importer claimed this is normal and cant be fixed. Couldn’t shut off the noise-cancelling either.

The bluetooth connection was not great and got a lot of interference walking around town for instance. Couldn’t be connected to 2 devices simultaneously so changing from laptop to phone was a bit of hassle occasionally. The one button that you flick up and down to skip tracks also started bugging out after a few years.

When I got Airpods Pro I didn’t look back, just so much more convenient to use. I started using the Sennheisers plugged in to my PC at home cause it didn’t have bluetooth and for that they are ok (although no noise-cancelling when plugged in) but after an hour or two the headband feels uncomfortable and I have to keep adjusting them. Thinking of getting one of those gamer headsets with the elasticated headband so it wouldn’t be digging in to my bald head.

Earpads also deteriorated eventually, even though they had leather on the face, there was still pleather on the inside which means plastic confetti covering your ears.

I hope they have gotten better in subsequent versions, but I wouldn’t buy them with my own money.

[burm]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

thanks guys these are great suggestions!
The Sennheisers are lasting really long? the ear part doesnt get torn up?
that is one of my biggest problems from leaving them in my backpack

[close]

No, mine have been great. The earpiece is a genuine, high grade leather, and it has not shown any signs of deterioration through daily wear.

[close]

My previous employer bought everyone sennheiser momentum over ears, wireless noise-cancelling, I’m not sure if they have different models. This was like 7 years ago.

The audiophiles said that the sound was not great but they sounded fine to me. I really grew to hate them though. Worst thing was that the noise-cancelling would make low pops and cracks when travelling on a bus due to the noise and vibration so I couldn’t use them on commutes. Both the seller and the importer claimed this is normal and cant be fixed. Couldn’t shut off the noise-cancelling either.

The bluetooth connection was not great and got a lot of interference walking around town for instance. Couldn’t be connected to 2 devices simultaneously so changing from laptop to phone was a bit of hassle occasionally. The one button that you flick up and down to skip tracks also started bugging out after a few years.

When I got Airpods Pro I didn’t look back, just so much more convenient to use. I started using the Sennheisers plugged in to my PC at home cause it didn’t have bluetooth and for that they are ok (although no noise-cancelling when plugged in) but after an hour or two the headband feels uncomfortable and I have to keep adjusting them. Thinking of getting one of those gamer headsets with the elasticated headband so it wouldn’t be digging in to my bald head.

Earpads also deteriorated eventually, even though they had leather on the face, there was still pleather on the inside which means black confetti covering your ears.

I hope they have gotten better in subsequent versions, but I wouldn’t buy them with my own money.

[EdLawndale]

I always found the Bose Soundsport ear buds to be both comfortable and high quality sound. Skate in them often. Always paid about $140.

[GS77]

In the past few weeks I noticed a slight ringing in my ears after listening to music and podcasts on my earbuds. I have tried to limit use of earbuds to conference calls and podcasts. No music. The wringing has lessened but in a silent room I hear slight interference like the sound of a cassette tape before the music comes on.

I am beginning to think earbuds are more dangerous than over ear headphones. Here is an article about how to select safer headphones. My advice is spend the extra money to protect your hearing.

https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/electronics/headphones-hearing-loss-headaches-1131746/amp/