HeadRoom Reviews The Best Earpad Headphones!
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Properly called 'supra-aural' headphones, earpad headphones are also known as 'on-ear' headphones and have ear pieces, or earpads, that rest on the earlobes. Some have foam cushions that rest directly on your ear, while others have earcups that look almost like full-size headphones but will still rest on the outer part of the earlobes. Generally, earpad or on-ear headphones can 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 ambient noise, but typically not quite as well as full size closed headphones due to their smaller earcup sizing and not quite as thorough ear coverage.
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 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 Beyerdynamic DT235 sounds quite similar and is closed-back for some ambient noise isolation. There are larger headphones in this category as well. Sennheiser makes two very good larger-sized sealed earpad headphones in the HD 205 II and the HD 25-1 II; both are punchy and tonally balanced, with very good price/performance ratios. Bassheads will enjoy the larger-sized on-ear Sony MDR-XB500 which tastefully exaggerates some big bass and looks just 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 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 (but larger) headphone for big, tight bass is the Sony MDR-XB700 which is not too wooly or murky at all, so Sony has done an outstanding job of pumping up the low 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 High-End Earpad 'On-Ear' Headphones
Earpad-size 'on-ear' headphones can start to become thion on the ground once we climb into the higher price ranges, but there a few really good ones. A sweet earpad headphone for the audio afficionado, 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 a portable audiophile treat for the senses. Brooklyn's Grado Labs has long been a leader in the on-ear category with a huge line of 'open-back' earpad cans with that signature Grado tone -- immediate, intimate, and so present you'll think you're onstage with the players. We particularly like the SR 225i and the PS500 models as big 'bang-for-the-buck' audio performers. Perhaps the top portable headphone ever released, the uber-pricey Ultrasone Edition 8 will sonically blow away anything other mobile-oriented on-ear/earpad headphones on the market -- but it may also blow a giant gash in your wallet too.
We've listed our top HeadRoom on-ear/earpad picks below, but you can also click here to see all earpad headphones.
