Choosing Comfortable Headphones
The design’s physical properties and ergonomics are crucial in choosing headphones. Having amazing-sounding headphones is excellent, but how they fit into your head shape is extremely important. It significantly affects how often and long you want to use them. There are so many headphones on the market today that this can be daunting. For many people purchasing a new set of headphones is a reasonably large purchase, so you must get the most from it.
The biggest problem we had is the move from retail to online. Few stores have physical sets of headphones that you can try on and examine yourself in person. When shopping online, you don’t have the advantage of trying multiple sets of headphones, searching for the one that fits you best.
For this reason, we suggest you purchase from companies with good return policies if you find the headphones you bought uncomfortably and don’t think you will get along with them long-term.
Lightweight headphones are usually the most comfortable!
Generally speaking, lighter headphones are more comfortable than heavy ones. A more lightweight headphone will cause less strain on your muscles in supporting their weight. Even something as insignificant as a few grams can make a difference in fatigue to the neck muscles and support posts of the head.
It’s not often thought about, but if you look at it logically, you add a ballast that shifts weight distribution on top of your neck. While you might not notice any difference over an hour or so over longer listening periods, this cumulative effect adds up. It can cause soreness, headaches, and even permanent postural imbalances.
In terms of earphones, weight plays a different factor in discomfort. They tug on the earbuds making them more apparent to your subconscious of them being in your ears. A heavy set of earbuds has more potential to shift in the canal and fall out.
Clamping Pressure can have a dramatic effect on long-term discomfort.
This applies only to over-ear headphones but is a significant factor in your headphones’ comfort. Clamping pressure is the force with which the headband pushes against your head. You want enough clamping force to make a seal and reduce external noise, but you don’t want so much that it becomes fatiguing over time. DJ headphones such as Sennheiser’s HD-25 are notoriously hard clampers by design, making them perfect for use in a club or studio but not for casual, relaxed listening.
Jason Lim of Washinton State has conducted studies into the optimum design for headphone headbands to find the optimum level of performance. This paper showed that companies have to walk a fine line in balancing a sturdy and robust headphone design against a user’s comfort within a set parameter of costs.
There will be trade-offs you have to make in this area in terms of durability and comfort.
Earpads, Ear-Tips & Headband – The Points of Contact
These are the contact points of the headphone and one area that can make all the difference. Earpads should be comfortable in padding and breathable enough to prevent the build-up of “hot spots.”
Eartips are crucial to forming a seal in the ear canal, and luckily most earphones come with plenty of options for you to achieve an optimum fit. Should you not get to grips with any of the included ear tips, then you can start tip rolling, a process of trying different aftermarket tips, to find the perfect set for you. We recommend these Comply and Spinfit models. Both make excellent tips with unique design features that can improve comfort.
The headband is the point that joins the two earcups, and in the case of most headphones, it sits directly in contact with the top of the head. Some companies increase comfort by adding extra padding; some use an elastically suspended leather bridge. Some companies do a great job, but others can cause real pain if your head is in the wrong shape.
Sonically Comfortable Headphones – Tuning and Tone
What is sonic comfort? Honestly, it’s a term I just made up, but I think it fits the bill for what I am about to discuss.
Without getting too in-depth on the properties of sound and the effects of different frequencies on your long-term listening pleasure, I think it’s pretty essential.
Some frequencies, when listened to over long periods, become fatiguing. One of the most common ways a headphone becomes “Sonically Uncomfortable” is if it displays sibilance. To many, excessively pushed treble is like nails on a chalkboard and can only be tolerated in short bursts.
Excessive and loose bass can also significantly affect how long you can listen, as, over time, it feels like your head is being jackhammered.
So then, when choosing a set of headphones based on comfort, we want to have a relatively inoffensive, with a smooth presentation and sound. Thankfully more and more headphones have this, and all the headphones listed below have very pleasant sound signatures.
What is better for comfort? In-Ear Headphones (Earbuds/Earphones) versus over-ear headphones
Take your pick on how you want to use your headphones. Address functionality first and then decide on comfort, as there are many great options in each category. Over-ear and in-ear headphones can be incredibly comfortable, and some are better suited to certain situations than others.
I use full-size over-ear headphones at the office or when traveling, and then I use earphones or earbuds when working out or riding a motorcycle. It’s up to you to decide how they will be used first and then consider whether a particular set will be comfortable using them in such scenarios.
A couple of notes about this list of the most comfortable headphones.
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This list is in no particular order as so many factors are user-dependent. It’s hard to recommend an all-encompassing solution.
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All price points have been considered, but we have attempted to throw an option for every budget.
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We are open to recommendations. If you think a particular set of headphones is incredibly comfortable, comment below. Other readers may thank you.
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