Most comfortable headphones under $1000

Headphones Headphone Discussion / Help
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I am looking to purchase a new Open Back headphone under $1000. I just sold my Sennheiser HD 6XX because the clamp force gave me a headache.

I want a headphone I can wear comfortably for 8+ hours during work. Also, I have the JDS Atom stack if that helps with recommendations.

Thank you!

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Dan Clark audio aeon rt or aeon 2 comes to mind.

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Perhaps not the most outstanding headphone sound-wise, Sennheiser’s good ol’ HD598. This is a model from the era when Sennheiser still manufactured high-quality headphones. I also own the HD6XX, and it is completely different from the HD598.

I feel like I could wear that headphone for a whole month. It is super light, super cozy, and also quite high-quality.

Regardless of which headphones you choose, I think you should go for light velour pads (like the ones on the HD598).

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When I had the Aeon 2’s here they were indeed very, very comfortable…

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Have you considered an IEM instead of a headphone?

I used a Beyerdynamic (DT990Pro) for a long time and found them to be by far the most comfortable headphone I have tried (the T1 was a little bit more comfortable, but not by much - basically the same build). However even with those, after a few hours, the ever so slight pressure against the stem of my glasses started to hurt.

With IEMs, I can wear them basically 24/7 without any issues (and I often do wear them for 8+ hours at a time). Also they don’t mess up your hair.

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…Did you try bending the metal arms?
I would have only taken $300 for that advice, you could keep the other $700.

Any other headphone experience? Assuming light-weight will also be important, maybe suspension strap not critical. Beyer (non-pro) models are pretty comfy for me, but they aren’t the largest pads you’ll find. My SHP9500 and 5xx have virtually zero clamp, light, with big pads — your larger budget allows for better headphones than these though. Harmonicdyne Zeus pretty easy too. The “winged” open-back models from AudioTechnica are interesting from a fit perspective, though certainly not universally loved. They are perfect for some. Very light in weight also.

Sound signature/application wise is there any element that is important?

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Think the Dan Clark/ mr. Speakers line of HP are universally described as one of the most comfortable ( especially the aeon RT & 2 hp

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Try the ATH r70x really comfortable with a sound signature similar to 6xx but imo a little better more extended in bass and treble more neutral and and a slightly larger stage with awesome imaging.

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Also did you have any other requirements? What kind of sound signature do you want and what is your use case?

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I will, oh I will… Doing an HD660 swap for 'em, even tho I really like the 660 still.

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I tried the 660s and honestly find the ATH r70x much better.

Coming from my hd 600 to hd 660s I noticed I was turning volume up and up trying to recover the missing treble, while with the ATH i simply found it an improvement over my HD600 in every aspect.

Happy listening!

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Simply the Dan Clark Audio lineup. Aeons are 330g planar that have superb comfort. Can’t speak to Ethers, however they are incredibly light for a full size planar at 290g

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Agree with all of the Dan Clark Audio Line up suggestions. Also Sennheiser HD560S is very comfortable

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Thank you all for your suggestions. I finally decided on purchasing Drops Aeon Open X headphones after watching some reviews.

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I keep two headphones out at my desk, and one is always the Philips SHP9500. I keep the rest in a book case in another room.

I typically go open back for headphones, but when I really want comfort, I wear IEMs, which are my workday solution these days. I tend to think of IEMs as my closed backs going forward.

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