Looking for comfortable headphones, any recommendations?

iB CoMpL3XiTy

iB CoMpL3XiTy

iB CoMpL3XiTy

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Hi all,

I'm currently using a pair of AKG550's, but unfortunately my ears touch the drivers(?) and after about an hour they're uncomfortable to wear and I have to take them off for awhile.
Also the bass is lacking for me so I'm looking to switch to something else.
My headphones are connected to a Creative sound blaster external sound card.

Anybody had any experience of the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pros?

Also been looking at the Sennheiser HD650s, although they're twice the price of the DT990s from what I can tell.

I would like to stay below £200, though would consider more expensive headphones if they're worth it.

Thanks. :)
 
Get the HD650. It doesn't really have an upgrade path apart from better amps and it is leaps and bounds above anything below its price or equivalent.
 
iB CoMpL3XiTy said:
Do you think the HD650s are better than the Philips X2 Fidelio?

The X2 is £20 less at the moment.
Click to expand...

No contest. HD650 has lower distortion, smoother response, better imaging, deeper more realistic mids and is overall more natural. X2 has a bit better bass extension.

The only way the X2 wins is of you play them from basic equipment.
 
I find HD600s and HD650s have a relatively high clamping force that makes them uncomfortable for long periods. I have a big head though.
 
Last edited:
My X2s are great, until I sat on them and snapped the band :(

Waiting on some superglue to see if I can fix them.
 
Begbie said:
My X2s are great, until I sat on them and snapped the band :(

Waiting on some superglue to see if I can fix them.
Click to expand...

I don't know whether to laugh or give sympathy. I'll do both Haha. I remember when I sat on my Hifiman HE-500's. I jumped up at the speed of light dreading what I've done. Luckily they survived.

I sat on my DT770 more than once, they also fell from my 8ft cabinet. Bent them back into place, couldn't break those if I tried. My Nighthawk and HD650 get treated like baby's.
 
Uriel said:
I find HD600s and HD650s have a relatively high clamping force that makes them uncomfortable for long periods. I have a big head though.
Click to expand...

You can easily reduce the clamping force by cups outwards as long as you are very careful not to put any stress on the plastic headband as that will just shatter.

The clamping pressure on my HD650s has reduced over time and they are uber comfortable for 5 or 6 hour sessions but then again I do wear them a hell of a lot.
 
OP should be aware that he will need something better than his current Creative USB card to power the HD650's well. HD650's will be a good investment though, if he wants to get a maybe a Xonar Essence STX/II or a good external DAC/amp at a later date.

If he just wants headphones to use with his current card and has no plan to upgrade that, then something which doesn't need a decent headphone amp might be a better choice.
 
^+1

While they are not quite as bad to drive as the AKG 700 series they still need a fairly powerful amp just to get the volume levels up high enough.
 
Like most PC related things there usually a market for modding and headphones are no different so have a search for an alternative pair of ear pads e.g. my Fostex phones have either Sharp pads or even better a custom set of super soft pads fitted.

The original also let the drivers touch your ears plus the custom also improve the bass response.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys.

I don't really have the budget to get a more powerful amp and headphones so perhaps the X2's are a better match for me.

@bimbleuk, thanks for the suggestion, if I can get some more comfortable replacement ear pads then that would be great (a lot cheaper no doubt).
 
Ryanr1987 said:
I don't know whether to laugh or give sympathy. I'll do both Haha. I remember when I sat on my Hifiman HE-500's. I jumped up at the speed of light dreading what I've done. Luckily they survived.

I sat on my DT770 more than once, they also fell from my 8ft cabinet. Bent them back into place, couldn't break those if I tried. My Nighthawk and HD650 get treated like baby's.
Click to expand...

I'm still gutted, my DT990 were treated like crap too. Always thrown in my bag and went everywhere with me. Survived everything and always reliable until a driver went. My X2s I treated a lot nicer, and stupidly placed on my chair whilst I got food :(
 
Most sound improvements come from the headphones, so I'd go with the X2, which is a far better headphone than the DT990
 
Yep, rids57 is spot on. Better to spend more money on a headphone that doesn't really need extra amplification, than it is to spend less on a headphone that needs more amplification to get the best from it
 
Marsman said:
Yep, rids57 is spot on. Better to spend more money on a headphone that doesn't really need extra amplification, than it is to spend less on a headphone that needs more amplification to get the best from it
Click to expand...

Well that also depends on how far into the future your looking . those headphones could last a good 4 or 5 years. If your talking "maybe" a new amp in the future , go for the best now . They will be run in just great then :)
 
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