Comfortable over the ear headphones for ~100$

Sep 3, 2016819 VIEWS

Hello all,
I'm looking for a headphones for my commute (listening to podcast, not music) and for making calls. The main requirement is comfort. My ears get really hot and uncomfortable with most headphones. The other requirements are a flat profile and an inline mic. It's quite hard finding headphones to try around where I am so I hope I can get some feedback from the community on which headphones are really comfortable.
Cheers!

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guiniol

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guiniol

Sep 4, 2017

If anyone is still reading, I'm looking for headphones again ^^ I still want something comfy, but I have a bit more budget now (<200$). Also, open back are now a possibility. I started looking at the K550 which lead me to the B&O H6. Is the H6 worth it compared to the K550? Concerning open backs, where should I start? Also, I use the headphones to not bother my wife with the noise or if she is too noisy. How much noise will go out/come in open back headphones?
Cheers !

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guiniol

Dec 3, 2017

Thanks. I'll try to find a store where I can try those out (I just moved to a new city^^).

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phoenixsong

1053

Dec 3, 2017

guiniolHahaha, I'm afraid you can't! They are all Massdrop exclusive. However, they are cheaper, near-identical models of the Hifiman HE-400i, Sennheiser HD650 and AKG K712pro, so you can try those instead to have a taste of how they sound :D

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guiniol

Sep 4, 2017

If anyone is still watching, I'm starting to look at headphones again. I can't stand my current ones, I have to change. Good news is, I have a little more money, so I'm looking at the AKG K550 MKII or the B&O H6 2nd Gen. They both have an inline mic, and they're supposed to be comfortable. I saw a few reviews saying the B&O is a little better. Can anyone comment on the comfort of either of those headphones? Also, I'm not looking for headphones for the commute, so I was thinking open back could be better than closed back. Where would I start for comfy open back headphones?

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BattlestarSC2

Jan 6, 2017

Pick up the soon-ending drop for the AKG K553 for good value! ! $120 but so worth it

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guiniol

Jan 6, 2017

BattlestarSC2Thanks for the tip. However, since I'm not in the US, they're going to be quite a bit above my budget, sadly...

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guiniol

Jan 4, 2017

So... I didn't forget about this thread, but I never found any of these headphones to try out, so I didn't buy any...

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DrCraig

Jan 4, 2017

guiniolHave you considered the antlion modmic? I don't have one but I've been personally looking into it to make headphones into a headset. I know you were looking for an inline mic.

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guiniol

Jan 4, 2017

DrCraigI was actually looking at replacement cables with inline mics. Especially since I don't really want a huge mike ^^

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cowbotblob

Sep 25, 2016

audio technica ath m40x. better than the m50s, cheaper, and fairly comfortable.

guiniol

Sep 26, 2016

cowbotblobYes, I think they are my best bet. I'm currently trying to find somewhere I can test them before buying. The brainwavz HM5 are supposed to be more comfortable, but I can't find a replacement cable with an inline mic (and I don't think I can find somewhere to test them before buying).

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cossan512

Sep 22, 2016

I would say Sennheiser PX100 II. Those are EXCELLENT headphones at any price, but they sit light on your ears and won't get hot, also will let you hear your surroundings. I think you will love them. Not aware of many over the ear phones in that price range. Also headphones big enough to go over your ears may draw unwanted attention from cops if there are laws against driving with headphones in your area. The P100 IIs fold up and go in a little bag. Killer set of headphones. Can't go wrong with those.

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cossan512

Sep 26, 2016

The 1540s are closed back. Ah, I forgot about the Sennheiser HD380pro! They are circumaural, close back, and they kick ass. Highly recommended. I switched over to M50x for tracking, because I like the sound a little better. But the HD380 has more bass, and is more comfortable. Excellent headphones. $150, but worth every penny.
-edit- Anything you can afford here: https://en-us.sennheiser.com/over-ear-headphones

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guiniol

Sep 30, 2016

cossan512Thanks for that. I'll check out the sennheiser HD line when I find it (most shops I've been to only have one or two headphones below 200...)

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guiniol

Sep 22, 2016

So, I've been told to try the NVX XPT100 but they are not available where I live. The Brainwavz HM5 is supposed to be almost as comfortable. So now I'm looking for somewhere I can try them out ^^ My only problem is that I can't seem to find replacement cables with an inline mic, because the cable plugs into both ears. I was also told that the ath-m40x and the shure 440 are pretty good, but then I saw a review of the shure 440 which said they were not comfortable at all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I did get to try an ath-msr7 and a bose qc25, and they do not even begin to compare with my current headphones, so if HM5 or even the ath-m40x or the shure (which I think I have more chance to try) are close to that level, then I should be fine.

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Airstuff17

Sep 11, 2016

Probably Hyperx clouds or cloud 2's. The hyperx clouds are very comfortable. I wear them with glasses. It comes with a detachable mic. They are 80 bucks. And it sounds very good. The 2nd ones are 90 bucks and are 7.1 surround sound coming with a mic being comfortable like the first and having the same mic. I don't have them but I can only assume that they are better than the first. The hyper x revovlers I would assume are very comfortable being that they came out after two very comfortable headphones. It is 107 dollars and the mic is much much better than the clouds. Plus they look really cool. I'm not sure how they sound though.

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guiniol

Sep 12, 2016

Airstuff17Thanks. I'll look into them. I actually found a shop specialising in headphones not too far from me, hopefully I'll find something there. ^^

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Heefty

1387

Sep 9, 2016

Based on what you're saying, your requirements can't really be met. If you have hot ears, you're not going to be happy with over ears, but in particular sealed ones. Open cans might work but they would not work well for commuting since they leak sound. Furthermore most won't have a mic (I can't think of any that have one off hand, but I don't want to rule out that they exist). It sounds to me like you would be happier with a set of decent IEMs.
I never thought I'd find myself recommending IEMs over circumaural cans, but here we are. There's many good ones at around your price point. I like my MEE A151P (which are actually quite a bit less than $100 on amazon right now) but there are many other highly regarded IEMs in that price range. For example HiFiMan HE-400 ($80~100) or RHA MA-750 (~$120) are highly recommendable at around your price point.

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Heefty

1387

Sep 12, 2016

Make sure you let us know which way you end up going. This is an interesting set of requirements for sure.

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guiniol

Sep 12, 2016

HeeftySure. It might take a while. And I understand I don't have the same priority as other people. By the way, I saw z-reviews review on the ATH M40X (

), and that got me thinking. Maybe I should get something a bit less expensive and then get replacement pads. Does anyone have the M40x? Would adding velour pads or something like that be enough for me? So many questions ^^

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pjetore

Sep 4, 2016

maybe try the beyerdynamic DT 770-pro. those are the closed back ones.

also, if you get the 80 or 32 ohms version you will also be able to power it by laptop and smartphone.

guiniol

Sep 4, 2016

pjetoreThanks. The review is glowing. I'll definitely add them to my list. No mic though ^^

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