Comfortable headphones
 

I started looking at Alessandro MS1's and reading up on how uncomfortable they are. Then i started to look at the distancer mod, G-cush, J-money headbands, punch-hole mod....

... and i realized it'll probably cost twice as much as the original pair so why not just suck it up and get a better pair that's more comfortable to begin with. Comfort's a big deal to me because I need to wear them for more than 3 hours at a time. Of course, sound quality too, but i lean towards bass more (tight, accurate ...). I tried a pair of MDRSA3000 and they were really comfy and I liked the sound, but that's out of my price range. I also tried on the B&W at the apple store and they were really comfortable as well, but the sound was really lacking.

Budget is around $200... I realized there are numerous headphone threads but none focused on comfort.

TIA

Obvious answer is: Go try out a few pairs for yourself, we all have different heads. Commercial Electronics on Burrard and Drake has a great selection of headphones and the staff is friendly. The staffer in the headphone section was awesome. I spent 2+ hours in there just sitting and listening to different pairs and I didn't even buy anything from the store.

That being said, IME the most comfy headphones I've worn are (no particular order, all are extremely comfy):

Sennheiser HD555/595 - friend has the 555s, demoed both sets at Tom Lee. Bass isn't super loud, but I haven't spent too much time on them outside a loud store environment, so I can't speak too much about the SQ.
Sennheiser HD650 - spent an 1hr+ sesh with these at Commercial Electronics; It's my dream headphone but it costs $400+ :(
Beyerdynamic DT440/770/880/990 - I currently own the DT990s and have spent many consecutive hours on them. Bought for $240 online, so maybe a bit out of your price range. The 440/770/880 have the same shape/earpads. 880 has the least bass of all three, 770 the most bass, 990 has a lot of bass but has increased clarity (can be sibilant, though), 440 is cheaper than the other three, had a lot of bass, but was definitely less "clear" than the higher models.

I'm pretty sure none of the sets I listed sound anything like Alessandros/Grados, though. From the headphones I've listened to, based on your budget and criteria, I will suggest you give the DT440 a listen. And from what I've read, I think you should also give the Creative Aurvana Live!/Denon D1001 (they are the same headphone, rebranded) a try.

i just picked the alessandro's b/c it seems like a good set for the price, but after much research i'm completely turned off by the lack of comfort; i have no idea how they sound like.

is the treble on the 990's too much for you? or can i turn it down with EQ afterwards... i guess the 770/990 come in different versions pro/consumer and different impedances... that means if i want to listen to them on an ipod/computer jack and on an amp i'm should still get the lower ohms? can i get away with a cheap headphone amp?

have you tried looking at ones from Audio Technica?

nope... which ones should I try at the store? the A500? A900?

Glad you mentioned amps. If you are getting into better quality headphones, no matter the ohms, you will enjoy a greater clarity and wider sound stage with a headphone amp.

Things can get expensive very quickly, but there are budget options.
Nuforce and FiiO make a few entry level headphone amps that support analog and digital sources. You will get what you pay for, don't expect too much from a small $100-$250 headphone amp.


If you are looking for bass I would stay away from Grado's and other open air design headphones. I've had some time with SR225i's and the bass isn't something I would write home about.


Finally if you want to enjoy a good pair of headphones I do not recommend using an Apple device as a source. All their products are sub par in the audio department.
If you do want to use an iPod/iPad/iPhone, since everyone does have one, it's best to make use of the dock connector as the audio out. The sound quality is a lot better from there.

I use the ATH Pro700's.

Either burn-in works, or I've been had by the placebo effect, but the treble is definitely not as crazy as it was out of the box (burn-in consisted of 4 days of my music library on shuffle). I love the treble. Makes the hi-hats and other cymbals pop.

I have the 250ohm version of the DT990 '05 (Premium) and I usally run it off a Nuforce uDac2 from my computer. Doesn't sound anywhere near as great as when it is plugged into my dad's preamp. It's still good off the DAC, but I know it can be better. So I think a good amp really matters with these headphones.

For iPod/unamped use, I think you should get a set a less resistive/more sensitive setup.

I have one also, not bad for the price. Although not very comfortable for me after extended use since I have dumbo ears :(

thnx for all the suggestions, i'm gonna try the following at a store if they stock it locally:

Beyer DT990 pro
Beyer DT770 pro
A-T ATH-A700
AKG K701/2

The uDac2 seems affordable as well. I rarely use it on an ipod since the ipod stays in the car most of the time. I just want the flexibility should I ever do use it on a trip ... it seems the uDac2 only draws from USB so if i get something with high impedance I'll have to invest in a more portable amp. Unless someone has an idea of how to power the uDac2 on the go.

I dunno if anyone in Vancouver has the ATH-Pro700's. If there are any, they should be selling them out for the slightly updated model, which should be out in a month's time. No real difference between the new ones and the current model. If you can find the all white Japan only ones or the all gold limited edition ones, that would be pretty trippy.

I grabbed the Denon D2000's.

still deciding on the amp:
1) Headstage Arrow 12HE 2G
2) iBasso Audio D4 Mamba
3) Practical Devices XM5