> Large over-ear headphones exert NO pressure on any part of the ear. They are basically inverted cups that go over and around your ear and insulate.

You don't say.

> Are you saying those don't work for you?

Yes, it's not a question of pressure on the external ear or I'd have said "my ears are too large" and wouldn't have mentioned the middle ear.

> Unless you're talking about the volume of music making your ears hurt

No, it's not a question of volume.

> I didn't say anything about listening to anything on those headphones.

Neither did I, though

> Just having them on provides enough insulation that you don't need to pipe in any additional sound

Hardly, even with high-quality closed 'phones.

So then what are you saying? Wearing comfortable large headphones with quiet ambient noise and active noise cancellation causes you pain in your inner ear?

Middle ear, and no active noise cancellation is even needed.