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I used to get away with using desktop speakers and mic for my work, but they started generating lots of feedback and echo, sir I got some really decent Sennheiser cordless headphones. Good for work and for rare travel occasions.
However -- they are really sore on my ears after a while, despite playing with positions - the piece is not that big, clamps on my ears (didn't think they were that big) and after an hour or two become really sore.
Am I just wearing them, wrong, or would headphones with a larger area be better ? Difficult to tell what they're like in shop, let alone online. I recall previous headphones would be like this too, after a while.
Or just use little ear pod things and be OK, I guess. Good sound is worth it though, if I'm then listening to music or radio.
The most comfortable headphones bar none are the Bose QC35II's or QC45's. I would go for the 35's as they are very nearly as good and cheaper.
Bear in mind the QC stands for Quiet Comfort and they are. You can wear them for 10's of hours and barely notice them. Superb things...
The only ones I've tried are Bose QC25, but they are very comfy and the noise cancelling was invaluable for office & commuting life (but less relevant WFH).
dont know if it work for your use case, but the Aftershox bone conduction ones are fantastic from a comfort point of view. Lightweight and totally unobtrusive. Ive put them on in the morning and forgotten they are there all day. ive left the house and only remembered they were there when they beep as the bluetooth disconnects from my PC.
Call audio is fine.
Having said that they would do nothing at all (obviously) for shutting out outside noise, and the quality of good music is poor. Not unlistenable, fine once you get into it and adjust, but dont expect driving beats or good fidelity.
equatable to having a radio on in the background (that no one else has to listen to)
Jabra 65 has a flat surface so allows air around your ears. They're very comfortable for me - more so than my BOSE QC25s which are a bit hot after a while. Good call quality and battery life but little noise isolation.
I've some top of the line wireless Sony £300 jobbies (came free with a phone). The headphones are generally excellent and quite comfortable for sub 1htlr periods, but I do find extended +1hr use does my left ear drum in.
I find my Anker Soundcore very comfortable, I can wear them for extended periods without any discomfort whatsoever. The only downsides are that they can move a bit during physical activity (not an issue at a desk) and because they are the in ear type I find it very weird to use them to speak when you can't properly hear yourself talking (I probably just need to get used to it).
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/takstar-pro-82.22388/
I use the modern V2 recent version of these with a Fiio BTR3k Bluetooth device if I'm moving around, otherwise wired. Affordable, 70+hrs burn-in time. Can wear for many, many hours. Very soft pads. Had some Hifiman headphones last, but found them tight and painful on the ears. Before that I used to use Sony, but the audio seemed to get worse with them over time so relying on the Head-Fi forums for accurate reviews of gear seems sensible.
I switch between
1; some standard on-ear headphones that have a mic, used for calls (AKG K451) - after an hour or so they get uncomfortable. They seem fairly crappy build quality but are generally ok. Work provides Jabra headsets which are ok for said purpose too, although even less comfy.
and
2; some fancy-dandy (big) over-ear Sennheisers (HD 600) for music; the pad is so large they miss the ear entirely and rest on my skull, I can wear these all day. Mega money, but have lasted 20 years.
cheers all, I'll look into some of those mentioned - my Sennheisers are great on the sound and n/c front, but the pad is very much on the ear, rather than around it, I think they're HD450s or similar.
I got a pair of top of the line Bose noise reduction Bluetooth ones (model 700) free with my pixel 6 preorder. Was going to sell them unopened but everyone else was doing the same so prices were really low on eBay for BNIB ones.
Thought stuff it so decided to try them out. So good I decided to keep them.
Will currently be many new pairs going cheap on eBay. Best headphones I've ever had
If sound leakage to the room isn't a problem, I'd recommend the Philips Fidelio X2HR open-back headphones. Big 50mm drivers, great sound quality and immensely comfortable. I can have them on all day and not get sore or warm.
I have the Bose 700s, love them, the new qc45s sit below the 700s in the range. Shame there were some good bf deals last week. Don't pay list just keep an eye on offers, I got mine for sub 200 quid.
I reckon I spent 200 quid on cheap tat headphones before,
Do you wear glasses?
As a wearer of specs, I find that the larger ear pads press on the ends of my glasses.
Marshall use small cups for some of their headphones.
They must be good, because they’re designs are copied so much!
Try both the bose QCs and Sony XM range - the bose are "on ear" and the sonys are "over ear"
For me, I found the Sonys way more comfortable, so I bought them but I know others prefer the bose.
I have bose QC35IIs (noise cancelling) which I use in our open-plan office, and work-issued Jabra 65s whcih I used at home. The Jabra 65s I find are more comfortable for long periods of time - they don't fully enclose the ear and don't squash my head as much. The microphone is also really directional so doesn't pickup lots of background noise.
The Bose win out for the office although the microphone picks up more background noise, the full over-ear design blocks out a lot more noise from the office, and the noise cancelling gets rid of the background hum of the air-handling system which has been wound up for improved ventilation.
Taotronics SoundSurge ’phones, or the Anker SoundCore equivalent, which are cheap versions of the highly recommended Sony noise-cancelling headphones, the WH-1000XM4, are pretty good. All have a facility that the really whizzy Apple AirPods, or whatever they’re called, lack, in that they will work with a cable connection if the battery goes flat. I got a 3.5mm to Lightning cable for my ‘phones, cost about £7.
I’ve got a pair of the Taotronics, which I prefer to the Anker ‘phones, after getting both and doing a direct comparison. Both are around £55. I’d love a pair of the Sonys, but I don’t have £250-odd to spare at the moment.
I tend to wear wired IEM’s most of the time, but they’re not for everyone; the large ear-cups of the headphones I’ve mentioned fit right over the ear, so the contact area is a lot larger.
Different jobs. Different headphones.
For work I now use Jabra evolve 65/E370. Comfy. Slides off due to little/no hair if I tip my head too much.
For music either Beats Studio 3s for quick listening at home or when folks need to see I can hear them even less than usual. These don’t seem to get on with Teams, but that might be Bluetooth restrictions on my work machine. Or my 64Ears IEMs plugged into a 2G iPod or a FiiO BTR3.
My Apple Airpod Pro's (obv I am a iPhone user) and my work Chromebook is life changing for me. Not joking, work calls are technical bliss now.
Be careful of using bigger headphones for long work days/calls. My wife had all sorts of neck issues with some very expensive Logitec ones
+1 for Aftershox bone conduction headphones for home working. So comfortable and the sound quality is good enough for calls.
The most comfortable headphones bar none are the Bose QC35II’s or QC45’s. I would go for the 35’s as they are very nearly as good and cheaper.
+1
+2 for Aftershox - all day comfort. Sound is fine.
I'm sorry, but while I really enjoyed the Bose sound in speakers at friends' houses and in headphones when I've tested them, the headphones are not great quality in terms of build. Though many friends who used to fly very frequently swore by them I'm not a fan. Lots of plastic, old-style drivers, and a fairly high price. Given the option I'd go for Sony, Beats & B&W over Bose. Some of the 'off-brand' brands suggested look good too: Tao-tronics, Anker - good stuff. Given the technology, it's fairly hard to go wrong with headphones. Isn't it?
So you don’t own Bose headphones, but have determined that they have bad build quality? Okay. I’ve owned several sets of Bose headphones as well as several other sets of relatively high end sets by Sony, BNW, Apple, etc. I also have Aftershokz.
If you want over ear. I’d echo the above and get either some QC35s or for a bit more money, Sony WH-1000XM4s. I have the in ear Sony WF-1000XM4s which having replaced the foam tips for silicone ones are now also comfortable for all day use.
I have 4 sets of Bose earphones from the original QCs through QC20i to QC35 II. The oldest are almost 10 years old, have been through several jobs, multiple countries and 2 kids and still work perfectly. The sound quality is still great, but noise cancelling has improved on the newer sets.
I’ve had 3 pairs of noise cancelling bose headphones.
QC15, bought used, comfy and worked well.
QC25, bought used, as an upgrade, comfy and worked well. Both sold for the same price I paid for them.
QC35, bought new, comfy and work well.
Haven’t had any problems with build quality at all.
35s are the only ones out of the 3 to be wireless though.
With earbuds, I find it’s a very personal thing, what one person finds comfy, another may not.