The Most Comfortable Headphones
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Anyone who spends time traveling, commuting, or sharing any kind of living space with another human being needs a pair of headphones — and, crucially, ones that stay comfortable for hours on end.
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Aside from the most serious audiophiles, people who don’t work with sound are often just muddling through the world of headphones. What they put on their ears might be more tied to a status symbol (looking at you, Airpods Max guys on the subway) or simple utility (looking at you, out-of-the-box wired iPhone headphones guys) than actual comfort. But, fortunately, there’s an entire world of comfort-first headphones out there for discerning consumers. Below we’ve rounded up the most comfortable headphones for users, but be sure to also check out our in depth review of these comfortable Apple AirPods Max Ear Pod Covers here.
What the Experts Say
To figure out which headphones are actually the most comfortable, SPY reached out to a handful of experts: people who spend even more time wearing headphones than the average joe. They include Loren Beri, a singer-songwriter who spends hours in the recording booth; Arielle Sherman, a professional documentary and feature film editor who has to pick out minute changes in sound to make her cuts; Max Fisher, a podcast host who’s ‘phoned up and behind a mic every single day; and Patrick Southern, a production sound mixer who has to find headphones that will stay on and stay comfortable through long days of maneuvering boom mics on set and in the field.
The experts’ recommendations differ in price and utility. There are some on this list that come in under $100, but for something one wears for days of cumulative time, a three-figure price tag really isn’t something at which to bat an eye.
“I’m very particular about my headphones,” says Sherman, noting that she needs a pair that’s big and powerful enough to hear minute differences in clipping audio, yet also light and loose enough that she can wear them for 12 hours at a time without her head getting sore.
Southern also has to have headphones with certain key features, like cloth padding, that are also durable enough for him to wear in various conditions, including the outdoors.
With that, let’s jump into the most comfortable headphones, hand-picked by SPY’s sound experts.
BEST OVERALL
Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Headphones
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Sherman, the film editor, has settled on this favorite pair after years of trials with other brands. The comfort is due to one feature, Sherman says: “The DT 770s have much more padding for around the ear,” she says. “And they don’t use pressure to stay on your head, so I can use them for 12 hours straight without headaches.”
That lack of pressure is key when putting in serious hours behind a desk. It does mean, of course, that they’re not going to be very applicable for other uses, like travel or exercising, as they could fall off (and they don’t fold up for easy transport). These are headphones built for stationary work or serious leisure, as they’re a prosumer grade that allows for making out the finest distinctions in sound with a high isolation metric.
RUNNER UP
Audio Technica ATH-M30x
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Made For: Audiophiles on a budget. These are Sherman’s second pick and were her go-toss for many years before switching to the Beyerdynamics. They’re much more affordable, at only $69 a pair, but don’t give you quite as luxe of an experience.
ROI: This is professional-grade gear built for performance and comfort, and checks a lot of the boxes Sherman says she needs.
MOST COMFORTABLE FOR MUSIC
Sennjeiser 599
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Made For: Musicians and music lovers. Beri loves demoing songs using Sennheiser’s HD 599 headphones. They’re superior to other options within their price range, according to him, but are equally as high-quality as more expensive pairs.
Coolest Feature: Weight and style. The faux-leather band is a nice touch and the ivory and earth tone color scheme is a nice change from black, black, and more black.
MOST COMFORTABLE FOR GAMING
Razer Blackshark V2 Pro
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Made For: Gamers, aspiring gamers, and cyberpunk aesthetes. “The bulky design makes them a bit much for flights and downright weird for, say, work calls,” says Fisher, an avid gamer when he’s not podcasting. “So does the somewhat over-the-top ‘gamer boy’ branding. But honestly, they really do sound great.”
Coolest Feature: “The microphone is removable, thank god, so maybe I can pretend, albeit not very convincingly, that they’re normie over-ears,” Fisher says. (Be advised, though, that the mic picks up sound only from certain areas. Please don’t chew directly into it — everyone in the voice channel can hear the crunch of the afternoon chips.)
BEST ACCESSORY
Garfield Headphone Softie Earpad Covers (Black, Pair)
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Value Add: “If you are wearing headphones all day, especially outside in either warm or cold weather, a thin layer of cloth protection over the headphones is crucial,” says Southern. “They soak up sweat, offer a bit more comfort and warmth, and most crucially, they protect the often fragile interior pads of the headphones, which have a tendency to flake off.”
Get Real: Sadly, Garfield is just the brand — they don’t have pictures of the cartoon cat on them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Comfortable Headphones
What about earbuds?
Earbuds aren’t comfortable — at least not for long periods of time. If you must, Fisher recommends the Jabra Elite series. We focused this list on products that are built for comfort, not portability or size, but we’ve tackled the most comfortable earbuds in other articles.
Do I have to be an audiophile to invest in headphones?
Absolutely not — any desk job or workspace will benefit from good sound quality and a comfortable fit. The cost per wear of headphones used on a daily basis plummets fairly quickly, even if one isn’t picking out every note in a Hendrix guitar solo.
What about airpods max?
Sure, they’re comfy. They’re also close to $500, and no one needs to shell out that much for a similarly comfortable wired hookup.
Will comfortable headphones make work calls bearable?
They’re likely to be just as cringe with even clearer audio. The good news is you’re unlikely to be the coworker with the distracting background noise or audio dropping in and out mid-presentation.
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