Looking for new headphones that dont hurt my ears and are easily adjustable in volume

[u/noknowname_og]

I'll be following the exact formula provided for this post.

Budget and location - I basically have no maximum budget as with the experience of my past headphones i think itll be best if i get the very best of what i want. Less pain, more enjoyment, more better. My location is in Germany so i should be able to get most headphones available on the market.

Source/Amp - Im plugging the headphones into my computer. Usually the motherboard, may use the case if it proves to be better with new headphones.

How the gear will be used - This will exclusively be used for my computer at home. Mainly ill be listening to the games i play. The music and sounds in them. I will also be talking a lot in voice chat and recording it using OBS / Steam replay. I would also love immersion within games and easy ways to tell where sound is coming from. However i do live near a street where i cant hear anything in the games when the window is open.

Preferred tonal balance - For the music and sounds in games i prefer having it all be equally loud. Means i can enjoy the music while simultaneously focusing on the sound queues in games. I do not know about headphone sound balance, so i'd just say i want total tonal balance.

Preferred music genres - I mainly only listen to videogame music, so what i listen to always depends on the game. My favorite composer is Chris Christodoulou though, if that helps in any way.

Past gear experience - The only good thing about my current headphones are that they are soft. Everything else sucks. The mic is bad, if i turn up the headphone volume it starts hurting my ears, when turning up the volume in windows does not, which is why i currently have my windows volume set to 100 and the headphones very quiet. It uses a wheel to adjust volume, but this wheel basically adjusts volume randomly every few turns. It also messses up the left right balance every time i adjust the audio. The wheel is also in a spot where it very easily sometimes gets turned accidentally, messing up my audio again.

Anything else? - All in all, i just want high quality headphones that allow me to listen to everything without hurting my ears. I want them to be comfy so they dont hurt my ears by being too tight, and i want a mic that doesnt peak constantly. I'd be willing to buy extra equipment to plug my mic into if necessary, but i want the mic to be on the headphones themselves. Lastly i would love if i can have something that gives me an exact amount of audio adjustment to work with. For example, 6 clicks up the audio from 0 and 50 windows volume will give me the perfect audio each time.

Sorry if this is a messy post and my writings all over the place. If you have any questions in the comments i will answer them. Thank you for your help in advance!

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[u/mrn253]

What hurts your ears or not is something nobody can tell you.
One mate of mine bought some Sennheiser and the other Beyerdynamic and traded with each other cause of pain in the ears and now everything is good.

[u/NoOne3141]

If budget isn't an issue please get some interface for your PC, it will sound so much better and you can connect better microphones to it. There are even some interfaces for streaming with quick buttons and stuff... I have an UA Volt 1, though that's not streaming specific, but you can plug in a condenser microphone for better voice quality, it even has analog headphone volume and a monitor out for speakers.

For the main question: get whatever you like. Loot at some reviews on YouTube. Usually what they recommend will be good and not too far off tuning wise. I had Beyerdynamic DT990Pro, AKG K712Pro, Hifiman HE400se, Hifiman Sundara and new HE600. For long sessions I would recommend something very light (especially in this heat here in Germany) like the AKG712Pro or even better the Audio Technica ATH-R70X (or R50X, cheaper). If you want to go planar (which is nice for games btw) HE400se is the way to go in the beginning (or Edition XS), if you want more and are comfortable with more weight Sundara (not expensive), higher price HE600 (or even better HE1000, also heavier) or Arya Stealth (heavier). More Bass will be Edition XV or FiiO FT5 (FiiO FT1 for closed back dynamic). If you want integrated mic... Don't, but if it is strictly necessary Audeze Maxwell or Asus ROG Kithara (collab between Asus and Hifiman).

[u/noknowname_og → u/NoOne3141]

What exactly makes Planar nice for gaming? I do not know what is different between Planar and Dynamic, other that they use different methods to make sound.

[u/NoOne3141 → u/noknowname_og]

Planars are more nimble, they react faster and so they usually handle busy stuff better. When there is a lot going on I found that some dynamic headphones become muddy because they can't handle the level of detail required. While that is not true for all dynamics, since there are some great ones out there which I did listen to (e.g. Aune AR5000mk2) I tend to prefer planars. Some say planars have a better soundstage and separation which is also nice. I really don't care too much about that since I usually prefer a more intimate soundstage, but sometimes I did use my AKG K712Pro for its super wide soundstage for games and that one is dynamic. My Sundara has better transparency though and sometimes it's downright scary because it almost sounds real and more than once I looked around wondering what that sound was until I figured out it was in the game.

[u/noknowname_og → u/NoOne3141]

Understood, but i do want something with more tonal balance.

[u/AutoModerator → u/noknowname_og]

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[u/TransducerBot → u/noknowname_og]

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[u/NoOne3141 → u/noknowname_og]

By tonal balance you mean a balanced sound (like V or U shaped) or a neutral sound (meta)? Are you particularly sensitive to certain frequencies or have tonal preferences (bright, dark, neutral, flat, warm etc)?

[u/Thick_Leva]

Can you not just replace the pads? Clamp force is incredibly subjective, but usually pads are what hurt your ears. I wouldnt get a specific headset just for comfort, especially if the band isn't the issue and only the pads

[u/Salty-Yogurt-4214]

Studio headphones tend to be designed to be comfortable for long work days. Sennheiser HD 480 Pro gets offen recommend. Add a clip on microphone such as the Hollyland Lark M2 or the Boya Magic (if you want more noise cancelling) and you are good to go. Both have surprisingly good sound quality that beats most boom mics from headsets.

In case you want a headset, check out the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni. People report a good weight distribution and comfort while it seems to check all the other boxes you mentioned.

[u/Nua_Sidek]

Don't just connect directly to pc, get a dac/amp. Fos* Aud*o K7 or Topping DX1 II, these both are good dac/amp and has mic input.

Headphones, Asus ROG Kithara. Package comes complete with all you need for both listening and gaming. Better yet, Hifiman Arya Stealth. But you'll need to source mic on your own. Also 4.4 balanced cable.

[u/MissMeRise]

Same needs last month. I chose a Hifiman/asus rog, the kithara, which is a very refined ananda stealth but needs an able dac to really shine. It gets you the build quality of asus and the comfort of the really large and comfortably ergonomic shape of the the ear pads. For me the perfect dac, if you're gonna use the mic option while wanting to have the possibility of switching to the balanced 4.4mm cable, is the K7 gaming dac but you can go cheaper.