Not a big fan of how headphones feel

[Pancreas]

I have Sennheiser HD598 which are considered to be one of the most comfortable over ear headphones.

I've had them for years. I rarely use them. They sound okay, but I hate the feeling of having something on top of my head like that. My ears and head get hot. They're "comfortable", but after having them on for 20 minutes, I just take them off. I don't know if is because I have a big head, wide cheekbones, and big ears (though the pads don't touch my ears) or maybe is because I'm on the spectrum and more sensitive to sensory stuff.

I thought about buying the HD6XX since they're $200 only plus $10 coupon, but I'd probably not use them that much tbh

Even when I only had a cheap soundbar from Taotronics, I would just use that rather than my headphones.

Now that I have Genelec 8030c as desktop speakers, I almost never use my headphones.

In my case, is not so much the sound, but a matter of comfort. It's just not comfortable.

It's nice to have them, in case I need privacy or want to hear something "better" or closer to my ears, but I see no other reason to use them. If I'm alone in my room, why should I use my headphones when the Genelec provides a better sound experience without causing me comfort issues?

Since I have sensory sensitivities, headphones are more of a privacy gadget than anything else. If I don't need privacy, then I see no point in sacrificing comfort.

 

[iGude]

Concerning hot ears:
There are circumaural headphones that avoid this problem, for example HD800(S), HD8xx and SR1A/B. Not sure if they fit to the budget though.

Concerning headphones vs speakers for producing /mixing music:
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...ers-producing-mixing-music.44049/post-1567290

 

[Blumlein 88]

I don't like headphones either. I only use them when I need to hear something privately or when I do recording and monitor the feeds. I can tolerate some on ear or barely in ear phones. Not Etymotic type ear insertion type phones. So for me they are a sometimes needed tool, and not something I use for pleasure. I know probably most music is heard over earbuds these days I don't see how people keep those stuck in their ear that much. Drives me crazy.

 

[Digby]

The open headphones (like Sennheiser HD25) are better, can't stand the closed cup (substitute vice for you head) designs. Earphones are usually OK by me.

 

[fpitas]

I use them at work, or (more often) as sanity checks on the home speakers. I'd certainly rather listen to the speakers.

 

[Pancreas]

Concerning hot ears:
There are circumaural headphones that avoid this problem, for example HD800(S), HD8xx and SR1A/B. Not sure if they fit to the budget though.

Concerning headphones vs speakers for producing /mixing music:
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...ers-producing-mixing-music.44049/post-1567290

Hd598 are also circumaural

They dont touch my ear

It has nothing to do with touching ears

Of course headphones that touch ears would 10 times worse

 

[AnalogSteph]

Compared to the poor / poorly to impossibly placed speakers I used to have, having some decent headphones (my trusty HD590s, displaced only quite recently after 20+ years of faithful service and several sets of pads and cables) was an absolute godsend. I used to be a major headphone person as a result. (These HD590s are also super comfortable - well, unless you've got a big head, their adjustment range isn't all that great.) Acquired a modest collection, including some used HD580s that have now been pawned off on my parents and refurbed with new pads. Not to mention the various IEMs I've had for portable use over the years... ER3 something or other which ultimately fell apart, Shure SE420 where ultimately one side failed, SoundMagic E10 (a cheap but decent dynamic driver affair that I used to DIY tips for all the time), and most recently KZ ZSX. Thankfully the days of having to contend with buses full of noisy kids are generally over for me, so half-decent isolation will do nowadays.

Now several years after getting some half-decent monitors on closeout (Tascam VL-X5s) and making some desktop stands, I noticed that I was preferring my speakers for convenience even if objectively they were not all that good (notably, barely anything below 100 Hz and high levels of H3, possibly due to a known issue with unreliable relays). So I eventually got some legit ones (K+H O110s), fortunately still before that whole pandemic business. And some acoustic treatment. PC listening has been basically speaker-only since.

I'm still using headphones for some in-bed listening (now HD600s driven by an Atom Amp+ from the modest onboard audio of a Dell Latitude E6330, I've been meaning to sort out the DAC situation as having to upsample everything to 192k for best results is a bit annoying).

 

[Sputnik]

I have the same issue with headphones and in-ears, I have a few pairs of headphones, several good iem's, true wireless, qudelix,... And I still get tempted by deals for Sennheiser HD6..'s.

Try to resist, it's not worth it if you don't use them, enjoy the Genelecs instead, and maybe spend the money on a sub.

The only things I can wear for hours are the Samsung beans. Not the best sound quality, not great ANC, not 'audiophile', but so much more comfortable than anything in or over my ears. Maybe worth a try if your 'condition' is anything like mine, they're cheap as chips these days, I picked mine up for €30 on some Black Friday type deal, and they are the best way for me to enjoy music when I can't use speakers.

 

[iGude]

Hd598 are also circumaural

Correct, but they don’t allow the air to flow around the ears like the headphone models I have mentioned. Circumaural is not enough, you need either large windows in the earcup (HD800/S/8XX) or no earcups at all (SR1A/B).

 

[Pancreas]

Correct, but they don’t allow the air to flow around the ears like the headphone models I have mentioned. Circumaural is not enough, you need either large windows in the earcup (HD800/S/8XX) or no earcups at all (SR1A/B).

Too expensive

Lol

Ill stick to my speakers

 

[delta76]

I have Sennheiser HD598 which are considered to be one of the most comfortable over ear headphones.

I've had them for years. I rarely use them. They sound okay, but I hate the feeling of having something on top of my head like that. My ears and head get hot. They're "comfortable", but after having them on for 20 minutes, I just take them off. I don't know if is because I have a big head, wide cheekbones, and big ears (though the pads don't touch my ears) or maybe is because I'm on the spectrum and more sensitive to sensory stuff.

I thought about buying the HD6XX since they're $200 only plus $10 coupon, but I'd probably not use them that much tbh

Even when I only had a cheap soundbar from Taotronics, I would just use that rather than my headphones.

Now that I have Genelec 8030c as desktop speakers, I almost never use my headphones.

In my case, is not so much the sound, but a matter of comfort. It's just not comfortable.

It's nice to have them, in case I need privacy or want to hear something "better" or closer to my ears, but I see no other reason to use them. If I'm alone in my room, why should I use my headphones when the Genelec provides a better sound experience without causing me comfort issues?

Since I have sensory sensitivities, headphones are more of a privacy gadget than anything else. If I don't need privacy, then I see no point in sacrificing comfort.

Not sure what points you are trying to make. If you prefer your Genelecs, use it. Headphones, like most things in life, are not for everyone. Even the most comfortable headphones will be uncomfortable to some and that is normal

 

[Snoopy]

Too expensive

Lol

Ill stick to my speakers

I sometimes wear both my aeon noire and meze Liric for hours nonstop. Super comfortable

 

[Moderate Dionysianism]

open headphones (like Sennheiser HD25)

Those are closed back on-ear headphones.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Those are closed back on-ear headphones.

The mortal enemy of glasses-wearing people all over the world!

I have never met any of the peculiar human subspecies called the Roundears that quite a number of headphones seem to be built for either.

 

[iGude]

I have never met any of the peculiar human subspecies called the Roundears

I guess they live where the Flatears live, the peculiar human subspecies that cannot be bothered about on-ear headphones pushing their pinnae flat.

 

[Moderate Dionysianism]

The mortal enemy of glasses-wearing people all over the world!

I have never met any of the peculiar human subspecies called the Roundears that quite a number of headphones seem to be built for either.

I actually have a pair and use them quite often (when not wearing glasses ofc). IME it's quite easy to position them just right, and then they offer a level of isolation that no circumaural headphone can match.

 

[Digby]

Those are closed back on-ear headphones.

Right you are, but they are very soft (pressure wise) closed headphones, none of that head in a vice feel common to many.

 

[iconoclast]

I have Sennheiser HD598 which are considered to be one of the most comfortable over ear headphones.

I've had them for years. I rarely use them. They sound okay, but I hate the feeling of having something on top of my head like that. My ears and head get hot. They're "comfortable", but after having them on for 20 minutes, I just take them off. I don't know if is because I have a big head, wide cheekbones, and big ears (though the pads don't touch my ears) or maybe is because I'm on the spectrum and more sensitive to sensory stuff.

I thought about buying the HD6XX since they're $200 only plus $10 coupon, but I'd probably not use them that much tbh

Even when I only had a cheap soundbar from Taotronics, I would just use that rather than my headphones.

Now that I have Genelec 8030c as desktop speakers, I almost never use my headphones.

In my case, is not so much the sound, but a matter of comfort. It's just not comfortable.

It's nice to have them, in case I need privacy or want to hear something "better" or closer to my ears, but I see no other reason to use them. If I'm alone in my room, why should I use my headphones when the Genelec provides a better sound experience without causing me comfort issues?

Since I have sensory sensitivities, headphones are more of a privacy gadget than anything else. If I don't need privacy, then I see no point in sacrificing comfort.

Is there a question there somewhere?

 

[Leporello]

If I only could keep one pair of transducers in my system I would choose my HD600 over my 8030s. Ymmv.

 

[Palladium]

YMMV, but I never heard an IEM or headphone that sounded as good as budget pro monitors.