Audio Answers:

Headphones for Big Ears?

Question: “What are the best headphones for big ears? I have larger sized ears and am looking for headphones that will stay comfortable on my ears for at least several hours at a time.”

Headphones for Big Ears

There are two things you’ll want to keep in mind if you’re looking for comfortable headphones for big ears. First, you’ll want to make sure that the pair you purchase isn’t too tight on your ears. Tighter headphones are especially prevalent when it comes to headphones that have extra focus on noise-isolation. Be wary of headphones that prioritize their noise isolation properties.

Drummer isolation headphones such as those made by Vic Firth would be an extreme example and studio headphones such as Sennheiser’s HD280 PRO. These headphones fit tightly against your ears to block out ambient noise and will tend to be uncomfortable if you have big ears.

While you may not want to completely rule out a headphone that strongly markets its level of noise-isolation, you’ll want to be extra cautious, as the headphones that offer the best isolation are usually not as comfortable, especially as headphones for big ears.

Over-the-Ear Headphones Are King

The second thing you’ll want to consider is the type of headphone fit on your ears. There are essentially three types of headphone fits: in-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, and over-the-ear headphones.

In-ear headphones are typically earbuds and in-ear monitors that fit snuggly in your ear canal. On-ear headphones are typically cheaper than over-the-ear headphones and are headphones with ear-cups that sit on and against your ear rather than around your ear.

On-ear headphones are obviously going to be less comfortable headphones for big ears. Over-the-ear headphones, which are also known as full-size or around-the-ear headphones have larger ear cups that sit around your outer ear rather than directly on top of your ears.

If you’re looking for headphones for big ears, over-the-ear headphones are what you’re going to want. There is going to be less pressure put on your ears and overall and they’re usually much more comfortable, completely covering your ears. That’s also not the only advantage of over-the-ear headphones.

Over-the-ear headphones typically deliver the best bass response of the above fits and because they cover the ears completely, you’ll usually hear less outside ambient noise while you enjoy your music. As for what specific model is the best headphones for big ears, it will depend on your budget.

Here are our headphones for big ears recommendations:

Most Comfortable Budget Headphones for Big Ears

AKG K240STUDIO Studio Headphones

The AKG K240STUDIO headphones are a great choice if you’re on a budget and are looking for headphones that will offer both comfort and value at a low price.

AKG has designed these headphones with their classic flexible self-adjusting headband which ensures optimal fit for any sized head. This also allows the earcups to adjust to the size and shape of your ears with minimal discomfort. The earpads are a soft over-the-ear design, perfect for big ears, which ensures fatigue-free listening even after long hours of wear.

The AKG K240STUDIO headphones deliver great sound for their price and are semi-open back, creating for a wider and more detailed soundstage than most budget headphones offer. If you’re looking for headphones for big ears that deliver quality sound and comfort without breaking the bank, the AKG K240STUDIO headphones have our highest recommendation.

Most Comfortable Closed-Back Headphones

Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO Headphones

Beyerdynamic has developed a strong reputation for designing comfortable headphones with quality sound. The DT770 PRO are closed-back, over-the-ear headphones with some of the most comfortable earpads you’ll ever wear. The velour earpads are not only incredibly comfortable but make the DT770 a great option when it comes to headphones for big ears.

Their closed-back design makes them a great option if your goal is to keep out the noise of your surroundings and enjoy your music without disturbance. Beyerdynamic’s closed-back design is also great in the studio for monitoring and for tracking vocals with minimal bleed, so the sound you’re hearing doesn’t escape and disturb your recordings.

Multiple Options

Beyerdynamic offers four different variations of the DT770: a 32 Ohms, 80 Ohms monitor, 80 Ohms studio, and 250 Ohms model. In layman’s terms, the 32 Ohms model is your best bet for casual listening and will give you the best sound with just about any device including your phone or laptop.

As you increase in Ohms, your monitors demand a higher degree of amplification in order to hear the full benefit of their sound. The studio variation is great for general studio application such as music production and mixing, and the monitor variation is ideal for situations where you need noise isolation especially in louder environments, perfect for studio percussionists and recording engineers.

Something to Consider

Our only criticism is that the headphone band is a little stiff. It has a traditional headband which you manually adjust, which we must say is inferior to AKG’s studio headphones, including the AKG K702 which we’ll discuss next. While the DT770 PRO may be incredibly comfortable for big ears, if you have a particularly wide head this may be something you want to take note of.

The Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO may be the most comfortable closed-back headphones on the market and if you’re looking for headphones for big ears and don’t want to compromise in the studio recording environment, these headphones are a perfect choice.

Most Comfortable Headphones with Extra-Large Earpads

AKG K702 Studio Headphones

AKG’s studio headphones are all designed very similarly in terms of build. Why is this? It’s because the design is spot-on. You see many other headphone manufacturers try to mimic the AKG design which may be the most comfortable design on the market. Like the AKG K240STUDIO headphones that we mentioned above, these headphones share a similar, but improved flexible self-adjusting genuine leather headband which smoothly adjusts to the size of your head ensuring the perfect fit.

Where these headphones really shine in terms of comfort is the size of their earpads. These headphones are truly a beast and have the largest earpads we’ve ever seen. The thick 3d-foam over-the-ear soft pads stay comfortable on your ears even after long working hours. It truly feels like you’ve got soft pillows on your ears.

Despite the large earpads, the AKG K702 headphones still manage to remain stylish with minimal bulkiness. In terms of sound, these headphones are open-back and offer a highly detailed and open soundstage. To our surprise, the AKG 702 also give the Sennheiser HD600, which are frequently praised for their flat and neutral sound, a run for their money.

These headphones are great for mixing and mastering, but maybe not so great for keeping its sound to itself. If you want headphones that won’t disturb those around you and will serve great purpose in recording and monitoring situations, these are not the best option for you.

But, if your main goal is instead, the most comfortable headphones for big ears, that also sound great, and not so much keeping your sound isolated, then these headphones are an excellent option.

Most Comfortable Headphones for Casual Listening

Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Headphones

Now for something a little different. Most of the headphones we covered are designed as studio headphones. Perhaps, you don’t care about all that. Maybe your concern isn’t how neutral the frequency response is, maybe you don’t even know what that is and don’t care whether or not they’re great for monitoring and mixing.

If you’re just looking for enjoyable and comfortable headphones, particularly headphones for big ears without all the studio mumbo jumbo, the Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones are for you.

Bose has always been about designing comfortable and high-quality headphones for casual listening. The QuietComfort 35 Series II, couldn’t be better named, what it says is what you get, quiet comfort. Bose’s QuietComfort 35 is equipped with an active and adjustable noise canceling system that continuously measures noise from your environment and cancels it out using a reactive signal that is opposite from your environment’s signal.

That covers the quiet part. As for comfort, these headphones are lightweight and stay comfortable with over-the-ear plush ear pads. The ear cups are also quite sizable as compared to other headphones designed for casual listening. Along with the lightweight flexible headband, the QuietComfort 35 ensures a fatigue-free listening experience even after many hours.

They’re also our top choice here for travel and convenience. They have Google Assistant built-in which is voice-command ready to receive texts, play music, and receive answers, along with 20 hours of battery life and wireless Bluetooth connectivity and NFC pairing.

As for sound, these headphones have a solid bass and are highly detailed. Keep in mind, they’re not going to be as balanced and revealing as studio headphones, but with their noise-canceling system and volume-optimized EQ, you can expect an enjoyable listening experience.

If you’re not looking for studio headphones, but still want high-quality headphones for big ears, the Bose QuietComfort 35 series II is a great choice.

Best Open-Back Comfort Headphones Under $200

Sennheiser HD598 Headphones

These headphones are one of my personal favorites. Sennheiser’s HD598 is clearly designed to appeal to the casual listener, but have less coloration as most headphones do which are designed for casual listening.

They’re actually pretty flat, and although they’re not necessarily marketed as studio headphones, Sennheiser can’t seem to resist designing headphones with well-balanced and tamed sound, absent of the theatrics and boosts that other headphones often have, *cough* Beats by Dre *cough*.

Sennheiser’s Hd598’s are available in both closed-back and open-back models. With the exception of this, both share the same very durable and solid design. They have highly comfortable and spacious velour covered ear pads and a leatherette padded headband which is easy on the ears and head.

If you’re looking for headphones for big ears and want an option that is great for casual listening but still works as a valuable in-studio tool and mix reference, we recommend the Sennheiser HD598.

Best Overall Studio Headphones For Big Ears

Sennheiser HD600 Open-Back Headphones

Last, but not least, if your main goal is to have a pair of headphones that do an excellent job at mixing and mastering, but are still easy on the ears, the HD600 should be at the top of your list.

Over the years, the Sennheiser HD600 (see our full review) has gained a very strong reputation in the music production community. They’re renowned for their natural flat response, revealing sound quality, and detailed soundstage. Luckily, they’re also very comfortable, especially if you’ve got those larger-than-average ears.

These open-back headphones have very large around-the-ear ear-pads, soft, yet thick. Much like the AKG 702, it feels like you’ve got pillows around your ears, with plenty of space to keep uncomfortable pressure off of your ears.

The headband is also highly padded and sits comfortably on top of your head. Out-of-the-box, however, the metal band inside of the headband, that dictates the width of the headband did cause the headphones to be tighter around the head than desired. This is an inconvenience, which is solved by gently bending the band outward, to your desired width.

Despite this one criticism, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones for big ears, and a pair that will be great for mixing and mastering, we say go with the Sennheiser HD600.

Bone Conduction Headphones?

If you’re still having trouble finding the right pair of headphones for big ears and everything seems to be uncomfortable, then there is one more type of headphone to consider. Bone conduction headphones are a new technology recently developed in the last few years.

AfterShokz Trekz Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones

Bone conduction technology transmits sound through the vibration of your jaw and cheekbones and bypasses the outer and middle ear, allowing sound to travel directly to your inner ear. You’ll see that bone conduction headphones rest on the outer upper-cheek rather than directly on your ears.

Keep in mind, bone conduction still uses a headband that goes behind the top of the ear which may be uncomfortable for some types of ears, particularly if you have pointy ears. And while this is still a new technology that has yet to match the sound quality of high-end headphones, they may a good alternative pair of headphones worth trying if you have big ears and simply cannot find a comfortable solution.

It’s important to note that one of the greatest benefits of bone conduction headphones (or drawbacks depending on your goal) is that, because the sound basically skips the outer and middle ear, you’ll still be able to hear everything around you while you listen to audio.

Worth a Try?

Don’t expect the most intimate listening experience with bone conduction headphones if you’re out and about. However, the first time you give them a try, you’ll realize you’ve never heard anything quite like them before. With virtually no isolation, bone conduction headphones can be great for work environments or for going out for a run – environments where you want to be able to listen to audio while still being fully alert of your surroundings.

While they still have a long way to go, in terms of the technology and sound quality advancing, they’re worth a try if you’ve got big ears and no headphones seem to do the job for you.

Wrapping up

We’ve covered some of the most comfortable headphones for big ears. We know it can be a challenge finding the right headphones. Even if you have a normal sized head and ears, many headphones still become very uncomfortable after a couple hours. It should not have to be a struggle to enjoy your music. We hope that our above recommendations are useful to you if you’re searching for the perfect pair of headphones for big ears. Your listening experience should be an enjoyable one.

Have a question you want answered? Ask us! Or join the Live Music Producer’s chat!

Have your own recommendations? Feel free to let us know in a comment below or reach us on our Twitter or our Instagram.