• An easy way to prevent pain from wearing glasses with over-ear headphones?

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  • I really like over-ear headphones because they are generally more comfortable, they aren't blasting music straight in to my drums and tend to last longer. However, I like to wear glasses with thick rims and after a while I get a lot of discomfort around my temples from the headphones pressing the arms of the glasses against my head. Has anybody found any easy ways to get around this? Or is this just not going to work with my choice of thick glasses + headphones?

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    Question by diurnalist
    07/15/2011

I use drummer's headphones because they tend to have the best sound isolation (blocking outside noises). They also tend to be on the uncomfortable side, stiffer materials I think. My glasses rims are thin but still I don't like wearing the headphones for more than an hour. Fortunately I don't find myself needing to wear the headphones for too long. I do remember back in the day when I would wear them all day I'd have to take them off from time to time to relieve the uncomfortableness. So I guess I don't have anything to offer except sympathy. I find the more comfortable headphones tend to also let in more outside noise; they are not pressing hard on your head they let in more noise; they have softer pads and a more flexable headband. I guess that's my tip: look for a pair with a looser headband and more cushy pads. Hopefully you don't need to wear these while jogging.

Answer by kc2dpt
07/19/2011

I have since found one pair of headphones (my co-workers) that seem like they would solve this problem. They're by Sennheiser, the HD 515s. I don't know much about Sennheiser as a brand, or if there are other models that are more appropriate, but these are really comfy. You hardly feel any pressure on the sides of your head, and the ear cushions are very soft, light foam - it wouldn't seem like they would insulate sound very well but I was surprised with the quality of audio. I guess they're marketed towards audiophiles. I'm definitely not an audiophile but these are pretty cheap as far as headphones go and if you have problem with thick-rimmed glasses pressing against your temples I'd suggest trying these guys out.

On Amazon, $70 at time of writing: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD515-Dynamic-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B0001FTVDG

Hope that helps!

Answer by diurnalist
11/15/2011

I wear thinner, wire frame glasses but I have also had a problem with wearing over the ear headphones. Two solutions I have found: 1. Wear a hat, particularly a baseball cap. Doesn't work for all situations, but I had to do this for a situation where I had to wear company provided headphones for multiple hours at a time. Aside from getting some snide comments about my choice of hat (Detroit Red Wings), this worked great for preventing headaches. 2. Wear headphones that hook on the ear. These do not provide as much sound isolation as full ear muff style headphones, but I find them very comfortable.

Answer by gt0163c
11/28/2011
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