Maybe look into the Koss KSC75? They’re cheap as well but they can definitely compete with much more expensive headphones.

They’re not a looker but they’re probably one of the better alternative routes you can take here and have quite a dedicated following.

There are a lot of comments that have great suggestions. My personal favorite are the K702 / K712 suggestions. They’re massive and the suspension headbands I find are quite comfortable.

However, since you need to use those things for hours on end, have you given iems a chance? It’s a different rabbit hole to go down but you can’t really go wrong with any popular option nowadays. They’re much cheaper than headphones as well.

Headphones mess with my hair and I’ve always been a little worried that leaving them on too long could damage hair and stuff but never looked into it because iems were just much more suited for me.

Im sure almost everyone has these but the airpods pro 2 are so musical. Huge bass response and the freedom of no wires just does so much for enjoyment.

Anything on my desktop is usually a little bit more analytical.

Just bought some Blessing 3 and S12 and I still think the IE800 / IE800S is an underrated gem.

I picked it up for $150~ used, if you can get it from a reliable seller. Such a fun sound signature, comfortable, and way more airy than most IEMs I’ve tried.

Some people in this community exaggerated when they told me that IEMs like the Wan’er and Chu outclassed it at this point.

Ill be honest, my IE800s crapped out on me so I’ve been on the market for iems for the first time in a while and these 11.11 deals aren’t anything too crazy (there are maybe one or two that are solid). Hopefully I just get something good and settle for a few years here.

They’re smaller than a lot of highly recommended chi-fi earphones on the market and have batteries among a list of other electronics they need to do fancy things like transparency and anc.

Naturally, even if the space wasn’t going to be used for much else, it will affect the sound.

It’s like comparing an EV to anything gas powered. Don’t expect anything mind boggling from any bluetooth iems or headphones for that matter, they all have the same short-comings.

Just keep in mind that realistically, the anc could probably improve your experience. I’d much rather be able to hear music from medicore speakers without distractions rather than vice versa. Same goes for transparency, simulating open backs with the touch of a button is convenient.