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Painless Listening

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Grumpysaurus View Drop Down
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    Posted: 15 Jul 2020 at 9:59pm
Dear all.

I have a particular need for a set of headphones beyond the usual sound quality and budget concerns.

I am currently using a set of Sennheiser Momentum over ear headphones which are okay soundwise, at least in my limited experience of headphones. However, my ears, whilst not large, do stick out a fair bit. After an hour or so of use the cartilage starts to hurt and I have to stop listening.

Do you have recommendations for a replacement model that have deep(er) cups to accommodate stick-out ears.

They will also need to be closed back to maintain harmony with Mrs Grumpysaurus whilst she is watching Masterchef, 24 Hours in A&E etc .....

Ideas and thoughts will be gratefully received, not least as a replacement set will help me justify adding a GS headphone amp to my kit Smile


Nigel.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote morris_minor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2020 at 4:58pm
You haven't mentioned a budget Nigel . . . but - I have a pair of MrSpeakers (now Dan Clark) Aeon Flow Open headphones and these perform wonderfully well with the Novo amp I use them most with. There is a closed back version. They're very comfy and are, er, ear-shaped rather than round. 

You may find this interesting.


Bob

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Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ernie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2020 at 8:45pm
Hi Nigel,
Same here. Bought a pair of Sennheiser Ovations back in the 90’s along with a N### headphone amp. Never really struck me as worth bothering with headphones.

I picked up a Bitzy on the bay and I’m still not impressed with the sound, I can only think the phones are the problem here. They sound better if you push on them a bit it’s like the pads hold them 1/4” to far away from your ears. All this stuff about 3D, holographic presentation and sound stage is beyond me. Never heard it with earphones.

So where do you actually start the search? Especially at the moment under current circumstances. I’d also like to avoid buying from the Far East. Apart from Graham nothing seems to come from the western world anymore let alone the UK.

I’ve got HiFi from Yorkshire, shoes from Northampton and a car from the Midlands, struggling for anything else!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2020 at 9:57pm
Originally posted by Ernie Ernie wrote:


So where do you actually start the search? Especially at the moment under current circumstances. I’d also like to avoid buying from the Far East.


AKG K240 STUDIO Professional Semi-Open are worth a punt. Made in China though! But only £52 on the "river".
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ernie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2020 at 11:04pm
Thanks Graham,
Looking at the reviews they are the best thing since sliced bread. Makes you wonder how can pairs costing £1k and above even exist? Paying £100 for headphones seems daft if you can get these for 50 quid. Am I missing something??


Edited by Ernie - 20 Jul 2020 at 11:04pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DT999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2020 at 11:12pm
Originally posted by Grumpysaurus Grumpysaurus wrote:


Do you have recommendations for a replacement model that have deep(er) cups to accommodate stick-out ears.


Hi Nigel

Have you considered changing the pads? I had a similar issue with my headphones and switched the pads to some that are deeper and have a larger internal diameter. 

I used this brand sold on line and am happy with them, but I'm sure there are others.


Maybe an option to consider; but be aware different pads and moving drivers further from the ear can change the sound of the earphones.

Cheers
Derek
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jul 2020 at 9:34am
Only a select few of the very expensive headphones can begin to justify their cost. HD800 didn't justify its £1k in my opinion and the closed-back HD820 is double that price... The AKG K1000 for around £1k+ does justify its price though, if you have speaker amps, as a much more natural listening experience than HD800. The MySphere 3.1 improves on K1000 and takes a huge dump on HD800 but sadly costs £3.7k. So price to performance, K1000 is probably the best value out of what I have mentioned.

Spending a huge amount of money on a headphone design that encloses the ear in a chamber (open or closed) is a complete waste, regardless of the driver principle used. There will be compromises much like loading a speaker driver with a box. Impulse response will suffer.


Edited by Ash - 21 Jul 2020 at 9:43am
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