Are those XM6 headphones making your ears sore? Try this...

So, I bought the XM6s last week and the biggest issue I have (barring the price) is that they hurt like hell in an hour or two (if that), and given that I need them for extended periods (I'm taking 8+ hours) I needed a fix...

I watched a video comparing the clamp force of varying headsets (I lost the link, sorry) and the results were that the XM6 really don't have that much pressure compared to most other headsets — the problem lies in the lack of padding to keep the hardware at bay, but you already knew that.

I was wondering if there was a way to extend the padding without compromising the features of the headset itself, and I think I've found a temporary solution; until someone starts throwing those custom cusions around at least.

I had a piece of 6mm/¼" paracord hanging around so I tried that*, cut it into two lengths of 22.5cm/8½", and pushed them inside each of the cushions (so they extended the cushions further, basically), and so far I've had no pain at all for the last six or so hours I've had them on.

Cord already inserted into the left ear cushion; cut piece ready to go into the right.

*I expect any cord of a similar thickness will do the job equally well — even mains cable should do the job if you've not stocked up on glow-in-the-dark (other colours are available) paracord, just be careful to trim (or remove) the inside wires to avoid any damage to the cushions!