maybe this is just me, but after wearing the full heaphones for awhile, I will start sweating around the ears, forcing me to either stop or shift to IEM’s. Usually this happens when I’m gaming, but in the heat of the summer it can happen after a very short time of just listening to music. Logically the easy answer would be to take a break but often logic doesn’t apply so…
if anyone else has run into this, what are you doing to help with the issue?? Even directing a fan doesn’t help. I’m hoping someone can share similar experiences and how they dealt with it. Thanks.
I sometimes have this happen when I am using headphones for extended periods of time, when it is hot. I am curious, what headphones are you using?
For me, when I am using headphones with ear pads made of leather or non breathable material, it causes me to sweat. The original ATH-M50X earpads are faux leather and caused me to sweat while wearing them, same with the thinksound ON2. I was able to get around this by switching the ear pads to velour which is a bit more breathable. Cotton or polyester will work as well. A lot of gaming headphones use these instead of leather.
I’m sure you might be able to find replacement ear pads for your headphones. It is a relatively cheap option ($10-20) that will enhance your comfort while listening.
once again…not giving enough initial info…sorry about that.
Primary units are Beyer Dynamic DT880’s, with a pair of Sony over the ear as secondary. Etymotic’s are my in-ear units.
I’ve experimented with different types of pads, from cloth to poly to faux leather…still sweat. It doesn’t help that i’m one of those people who love winter and the cold, which makes summer time not fun for me. lol I’ve even tried using a bandana over my ears to try and absorb some of the sweat.
According to prominent physicists, heat lost from part of a body equals heat lost from the entire body. As you are listening to music, placement of a fan or air conditioner will cause unacceptable noise. You really need a quiet solution,.
One could attempt to make earpads filled with the gel used in ice-substitutes, but not only would that be messy, I would suspect that the amount of frozen gel you would get in earpads would only cool you for an hour or so.
Must think of something else. Freezer packs strapped to your body. Yes, that’s the ticket. Let me know how it works.
You know Pennstac, you might have something. I also work on computers and heat is a major issue there as well. Some of the cooling systems developed for cpu’s might have application on headphones. A “radiator” grid in the pads that would circulate cooling material would help transfer heat away, without additional noise. It might just be possible. Thin lines running from each pad, going to a unit placed on a desk or table. Weight wouldn’t be significant and you could overlay the transfer lines with the headphone cable. Damn…this could work. https://www.quietpc.com/cnps20lq This is a basic idea and would have to be modified…but it could work
I have the same problem. My headphones are Sennheiser HD600. Literally,I have to take them off because the pads induce perspiration.Unfortunately,taking them off is the only solution.
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If anyone considers headphone heat to be a big enough issue that they’re looking for a new pair of headphones I can recommend the nuraphones. They sound comparable to other cans in their price range (mid-fi $200-400) and they have an active cooling system which prevents heat build-up/sweat (I have used them for 4+ hours at a time with no issues).
This is an issue for me too with over ear headphones. In my experience real leather is the warmest earpad material, sometimes protein leather is more tolerable, but for me velour is the most comfortable. The type of foam in the pads a factor too. For many people, in ears are probably a good option during the summer, I can’t stand having things in my ears though.
Although I try to be funny about it, yes I get the headphone heat problem. Of my over the ear phones, the Sennheisers are the warmest. The HiFiMan - I haven’t had in hot weather yet, but the velour isn’t bad. And my old STAX SR-5N are pretty forgiving. Maybe it’s the open back earspeaker design. It sure can’t be power consumption…
Headphones schmedphones. If you want sweaty skull issues, try playing a vigorous VR game on a summer’s day. Your open-backed Sennheisers will feel like a breezy spring forest compared to a face-mounted sweat sponge.
I have covers over the foam on my Vive now, which helps a lot, mind. Less of an option in headphones, where pad surface absolutely does affect performance.
I have found that my old faithful HD800 tend to come out of their box on hot days, though, as they seem to be less stifling than some of the other options- leaving lots of space around the ears, and a nice slim contact area, compared to (say) HD650.
I have found that closed-backed cans that completely cover the ear are the worst of all. My gaming headset (closed to keep the yelling and explosions in a little better than the Stax) get sweaty very fast on how summer days. The solution is generally to stand up, go get a glad of water, and wipe them/me off with a cloth- low tech, I know.
