I think comfort is the most important part of choosing a set of 'phones.
Say you needed to wear them for 8 hours in a contest. Heating of the ears is a big problem for some people and you may need your cans to breath a little. Also, not all ears are the same. A set that completely covers your ears might be fine for you but my lugs just won't fit inside them comfortably. I find the older Kenwood/Yaesu 1970's style big cans type are quite comfortable to wear for extended periods. The Altronics Dave Clark look alikes are expensive but are comfortable for me.
If you are not comfortable then not even the most expensive 'phones in the world will be any good for you.
I find it hard to justify in my mind the several hundred dollar asking price for some ham radio headsets so I've been on the lookout for some cheap gaming headsets as I think gamers spent many hours stuck to their keyboards just like hams and their rigs.
One other thing to look for is the length and quality of the lead. The cables on some 'phones conduct vibrations into the cans and tapping the lead with a pencil can be heard quite distinctly by the wearer. You might say "who cares", but I find it disturbing when listening for tiny signals.
The other thing is cable length. My shack chair is on wheels and I tend to move around a lot. A 1.5m cable may sound like it's long enough but I find myself getting snagged at times. Some gamer style headsets have long > 2m leads made of really flexible material that are covered with a woven cloth outer sheath. Stretchy curly cords are another good thing.
Who would have thought there could be so many considerations for something so simple?
Say you needed to wear them for 8 hours in a contest. Heating of the ears is a big problem for some people and you may need your cans to breath a little. Also, not all ears are the same. A set that completely covers your ears might be fine for you but my lugs just won't fit inside them comfortably. I find the older Kenwood/Yaesu 1970's style big cans type are quite comfortable to wear for extended periods. The Altronics Dave Clark look alikes are expensive but are comfortable for me.
If you are not comfortable then not even the most expensive 'phones in the world will be any good for you.
I find it hard to justify in my mind the several hundred dollar asking price for some ham radio headsets so I've been on the lookout for some cheap gaming headsets as I think gamers spent many hours stuck to their keyboards just like hams and their rigs.
One other thing to look for is the length and quality of the lead. The cables on some 'phones conduct vibrations into the cans and tapping the lead with a pencil can be heard quite distinctly by the wearer. You might say "who cares", but I find it disturbing when listening for tiny signals.
The other thing is cable length. My shack chair is on wheels and I tend to move around a lot. A 1.5m cable may sound like it's long enough but I find myself getting snagged at times. Some gamer style headsets have long > 2m leads made of really flexible material that are covered with a woven cloth outer sheath. Stretchy curly cords are another good thing.
Who would have thought there could be so many considerations for something so simple?