Okay, after listening to the unmodded HD414 pads on my MS-1's for a couple of days, here are my impressions: Basically, a bit more treble, detail and a little more impact. But, the music has lost its "colour" and warmth. With the comfy pads, the sound puts a picture in my head of colourful music on a black background. With the stock HD414 pads, the sound is more cold and colourless. (I am aware that this could be a psychological thing, due to the ugly yellow colour of the pads!)
So, I prefer the stock comfy pads over the stock HD414 pads. I will try hole-moding as well as reversing them, since the sound with the comfy pads, while very much to my liking, is missing a bit of something in the upper frequencies. A while ago I tried the Sennheiser HD-25 and was blown away by how much more detail and soundstage and upper-frequency-X-factor they had, while still sounding colourful. But, I did find them a bit harsh and sibilant.
Thanks to those who replied, but I'm still not quite sure how big a hole to make. I get the impression most people make a quarter-sized one. So, how wide is a quarter?
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