Assessment of pressure discomfort for over-ear wearables and the relationships with objective metrics

The objective of this study is to develop an enhanced methodology for analysing individuals' perceptions of discomfort due to the pressure exerted by over-ear headphones. Using principal component analysis and K-means clustering, we categorise 602 samples into six clusters and create representative Chinese head-and-ear models. A pressure tester was then developed to quantify the pressure exerted on head and ear regions by the headphone cushions. Thirty participants representing the proportional distribution of each cluster, were selected to evaluate subjective sensations through a long-term wearing test. The findings indicate a strong correlation between the pressure measurements obtained from the tester and the subjective assessments. Statistically significant differences were noted across various head models and clusters for both pressure-related parameters and subjective evaluations (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Additionally, women had higher pressure discomfort values than men in the ear-related regions. Finally, a regression model was developed to estimate overall pressure discomfort based on pressure-related parameters.