We Review The Best Earpad Headphones
Go straight to recommended products.
Properly called supra-aural headphones, earpad headphones have ear pieces, or ear pads, that rest on your ear. Some literally have foam pads that rest on your ear, while others have ear cups that look almost like full size headphones but still rest on the outer part of the earlobes. Generally, earpad headphones tend to be lower in cost, but they appear in all price ranges and often can sound as good as full size headphones at the same price.
Earpad headphones are available in open, closed, and noise-cancelling types; they usually have a normal headband (some fold for more compact transport or storage), but earpad headphones can also be behind the neck or clip-on (or 'ear-clip') types as well. Closed back, or sealed, earpad headphones do isolate you from some outside noise, but typically not quite as well as full size closed headphones due to their smaller earcup sizing.
A Selection Of Low-Cost Earpad Headphones
Clip-on and behind the neck earpad headphones are great for active uses, and appear throughout this category. The Sony MDR-G75LW sounds terrific, looks terrific, and has a nifty retractable/adjustable cord that gets out of the way for storage or transport. The Koss KSC75 has long been a staple clip-on model with a very decent sound and lifetime warranty. The more expensive Yuin G2A clip-on and the neckband design of the Sennheiser PMX 100 bring a warmer and slightly more refined overall sound to this category.
Compact earpad headphones with a traditional headband are plentiful here; the venerable Koss Porta-Pro still sounds terrific while the Sennheiser HD218 sounds mildly better and is closed for some noise isolation ability. There are larger headphones in this category as well. Sennheiser makes two very good larger-sized sealed earpad headphones in the HD 203 and the HD 212Pro; both are punchy and tonally balanced, with very good price/performance ratios. Bass heads will enjoy the Sony MDR-XB300, which tastefully exaggerates the bass, and looks and feels absolutely terrific.
Our Favorite Mid-Cost Earpad Headphones
This category is crowded and we'll mention some good earpad headphones here, but there are many other good ones--please explore our earpad headphone product listing with an eye on their ratings to search more broadly.
Present in every category with quality products, Sennheiser makes three exceptionally good compact headphones: the open and slightly better sounding Sennheiser PX 100-II and sealed Sennheiser PX 200-II which provide some isolation. both are very small headphones that fold up like sunglasses and store in about as much space. The other compact can is the Sennheiser HD 238 which sounds terrific, and is a particularly handy headphone in an office working environment. The Audio-Technica FC700 comes in an array of cool color flakes and is totally style-friendly while not skimping on audio performance. The all-black Beyerdynamic DT235 is built tough, sounds especially clean in the mids/highs, and provides decent but not total ambient noise isolation. Offering better isolation and a warm punchy sound is the AKG K81DJ--great for urban music and starter DJs. A mid-price headphone for big, tight bass is the Sony MDR-XB500; not too wooly, bloated, or murky, Sony has done an outstanding job of pumping up the jams without destroying sonic balance. HIGHLY recommended for big bass fans, or anyone just looking for a fun cool headphone.
We Review A Selection Of Higher-End Earpad Headphones
Earpad-size headphones start to disappear into the higher price ranges, but there a few good ones. The Denon AH-D1001S is an outstanding closed earpad headphone with a LOT going for it: very well balanced sound, light and comfortable, stylish looking and well built. It's a great all-around headphone. A sweet little earpad headphone for the audio-afficianado, the Audio Technica ATH-ESW9 is as lovely to listen to as it is to look at. Wood earpieces and leather earpads and headband are elegantly brought together in an audiophile treat for the senses. Brooklyn's Grado Labs has long been a leader in this category with a solid line of all open-back earpad cans with that signature Grado sound--immediate, intimate, and so present you'll think you're onstage with the players. We particularly like the SR 225i and the RS 2i mdels as real bang-for-the-buck audio performers.
We've listed our top picks below but you can click here to see all earpad headphones.
