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Comfort and Quality Upgrade?

desmomusic

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I'm struggling to figure out where to go next and hoping the group can weigh in. I'm a little picky about the comfort of my headphones and I typically engage in extended listening sessions that can get frustrating with an uncomfortable headphone. I do, however, care about sound quality and, although it may be psychological, have a bias toward lower distortion and smooth sound that's drawn me toward planars. I've sorted and looked at the reviews but once you get to the recommended category it's hard to pick.

Price range: Ideally $1000 or less. Could go to $1500 if necessary.
Amp: Drop+THX AAA 789
Will EQ: Yes. Usually with Amir's settings.
Own: Drop HD6XX (I find them comfortable and lightweight. I do like the EQ'd sound- but when I try a planar it always seems a bit better.)
Dan Clark/Mr. Speakers Aether Open (original.) (Like the sound in some ways better but they get uncomfortable faster than the HD6XX.)
Considering: Ether CX, Elex, Ananda, HD800S/8XX? Open to others. I'd like what I get to be an upgrade.

In the past I found both the HE-6 and the LCD2 too heavy/uncomfortable and sold them despite great sound. I'd look at the Ather RT closed if it's a lot better but I'm worried it'll start to get uncomfortable. I wear glasses which I'm sure contributes.

Any ideas?
 

maverickronin

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The HD800 is very comfortable. Used OG versions can be had for less than 1K and new "S"es are now (and seemingly semi-regularly) on sale for 1.4K.

The Aeon are very comfortable for closed headphones due to the light weight and cushy ear shaped pads, but still don't really compare to comfortable open dynamics which breath more.

Also, if you like Amir's Harman target EQs and decide on an Aeon, then you may just want to jump straight to the Noire which follows Harman pretty closely out of the box.
 
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Zensō

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Fit is very personal, but so far among the many I’ve tried, the most comfortable is the HD800(S), by a wide margin. It’s the only headphone I can wear all day while working at the computer. The HD8 series also have the uniquely wide soundstage that so many like.

I’d stay away from the HD8XX due to the changes they made to the FR. It seems Drop really mucked it up: https://crinacle.com/2021/09/03/drop-sennheiser-hd8xx-review-illogical-conclusion/
 
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desmomusic

desmomusic

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Thanks for the feedback. I think I might be brave and try the 800S- it's at the edge of my budget but I'm intrigued.
 

enricoclaudio

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I own HD660S, Sundaras and DCA AEON 2 Noire. The Noire's are by far the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned, even more than the Sundaras.
 

JRS

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I own HD660S, Sundaras and DCA AEON 2 Noire. The Noire's are by far the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned, even more than the Sundaras.
I can't wait to try my Sundara's on--my first set of audiophile HP's less than a day away. Bought sight unseen thanks to Amir and all of you here at ASR. Meanwhile have installed EQ APO and have a handle on it now. Gonna be a fun w/e.
 

someguyontheinternet

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DCA Aeon is very comfortable to me, but I read some reports on them having too much clamp force for some. This will probably depend on the individual head size. Since the headband is made of nitinol (nickel titanium alloy) which exhibits shape memory effects, it will maintain it's shape and permanent deformation may be difficult.

The Meze 99 Classics/Neo/Noir are also really good when it comes to comfort. They need a lot more EQ than the DCA Aeon, but the headband can be adjusted if necessary. The headband system can have some creaky sounds when moving your head a lot though.

Aside from those two the most comfortable I ever had on my head was the Meze Empyrean. That one is 3000$ MSRP though.
 

Firefly00

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I'm struggling to figure out where to go next and hoping the group can weigh in. I'm a little picky about the comfort of my headphones and I typically engage in extended listening sessions that can get frustrating with an uncomfortable headphone. I do, however, care about sound quality and, although it may be psychological, have a bias toward lower distortion and smooth sound that's drawn me toward planars. I've sorted and looked at the reviews but once you get to the recommended category it's hard to pick.

Price range: Ideally $1000 or less. Could go to $1500 if necessary.
Amp: Drop+THX AAA 789
Will EQ: Yes. Usually with Amir's settings.
Own: Drop HD6XX (I find them comfortable and lightweight. I do like the EQ'd sound- but when I try a planar it always seems a bit better.)
Dan Clark/Mr. Speakers Aether Open (original.) (Like the sound in some ways better but they get uncomfortable faster than the HD6XX.)
Considering: Ether CX, Elex, Ananda, HD800S/8XX? Open to others. I'd like what I get to be an upgrade.

In the past I found both the HE-6 and the LCD2 too heavy/uncomfortable and sold them despite great sound. I'd look at the Ather RT closed if it's a lot better but I'm worried it'll start to get uncomfortable. I wear glasses which I'm sure contributes.

Any ideas?
I love my DCA Aeon RT. Excellent soundstage, great out of the box sound, ridiculously comfortable. I love good design, and they are exactly that. They’ve got a very elegant and simple build that feels very high quality.

Also they have very low distortion
 

JJB70

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Fit and comfort are so personal that the only way you can decide is to try headphones and see how they feel. Personally I find the AKG K712 incredibly comfortable with the Beyerdynamic DT880 and T5 similar, but others would disagree.
 

emma798

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I have the HD650, BD DT990, AKG712 Pro, none are comfortable for long mixing hours. Any recommendations, I need comfort while keep in mind quality for mixing music. Thanks..
 

cryptout

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I have the HD650, BD DT990, AKG712 Pro, none are comfortable for long mixing hours. Any recommendations, I need comfort while keep in mind quality for mixing music. Thanks..
It's best to have breaks when working with headphones. Also keep the volume down as much as possible. I can wear my HD600's for hours but I've learned to take breaks at least once every hour.
 

someguyontheinternet

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I don't have a problem wearing the Aeon RT for 10+ hours every day. I usually have them on 8 hours for work and a couple more watching stuff or playing games. The tonality is also good even without EQ.
 

Paperdragons

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The aeon noire would be my go to recommendation. I love my ethers but they are definitely a COLD headphone and the aeon are more comfortable in stock form. Now the ethers in ZMF pads are definitely more comfy. I still think the noire is just a better FR for most people.
 

ADU

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The OP says he leans towards planars with good SQ, so what is the comfort like on some of the newer and recently revised HiFiMan planars?
 

emma798

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I don't have a problem wearing the Aeon RT for 10+ hours every day. I usually have them on 8 hours for work and a couple more watching stuff or playing games. The tonality is also good even without EQ.
Thanks, would my mix translate as good as with a LCD-X? I want comfort first but also LCD-X like quality for my mixes to translate well.
 

Carlo2AC

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Have you reached a decision friend?

I would also suggest the Noire like others, but from those you listed i think a used HD 800 / HD 800 s is a better buy ; it is so light and the size and shape of the cups is amazing for comfort.
 
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