[POLL] HD25-1 ii's : Which ear pads are you using?

By "shiny", you mean the pleather ones right?

Ah no worries. Most of these words are new to everyone when they start out anyway.

I'm currently using the pleathers, but I haven't really bothered to try switching them. I switched them once, then switched it back, and didn't remember how much different it sounded :). I really should probably use the velours as I love how they feel, but I do like more isolation. So I'm not going to vote until I try it later :). Also find it annoying to switch it cause for me, it's a pain putting on the pads, and it feels like I'm going to rip it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by halpsb 

I actually have a great tip for putting the pads on. It's very easy. 

If you first invert the sides of the pads, it's much easier. You then place the ear-pads on the headphones, and invert them again to "attach" them.

It's hard to explain, but easy to do really.

Hope this helps

 

Ps: Does the type of pads have a consequence on the sound? I didn't know that. Which ones would then be better sound-wise? 

Oh alright. Thanks for that. Just thought it'd like stretch the pad attaching thing a ton so I never bothered to try it.

And all I've heard is that switching from pleathers to velours mainly slightly decreases the bass, and it also decreases the isolation. But in exchange you get comfort. All I remember, not sure if there's more to it.

^Good tip on pad-swapping there. I don't know if anyone attempts to replace pads by stretching them out, but that's a bad idea; the "inverted edges" approach is much better.

In general, the type of pads (and for in-ears, the type of tips) are thought to affect the sound. There's good reason to think so: with speakers, the materials in a room can affect the sound you hear, because the sound has to bounce off those materials before it reaches your ears. Headphones aren't too different--the space between the driver and your ears can be thought of as a 'room', and the sound must bounce off the earpads before it gets to your eardrums. 

This is why people sometimes say closed headphones sound "plastic-y", since the sound must bounce off the plastic earcups before reaching you. Not all closed headphones are as badly affected though, and in my mind, the HD 25-1 does a very good job of not sounding plastic-y.

Between the HD 25-1's two earpad types, the biggest potential difference could be in how much they isolate, which is directly related to how bassy they can sound. More isolation, more bass, yes? Having said that, I don't recall there being a huge difference in sound between the two earpads,so I stuck with the more comfortable one.

I don't find the pleather pads to be uncomfortable, so I am saving my spare velour pads for a rainy day...

I use the pleather pads. It's a shame nobody has made some real leather pads for the HD25. I'd definitely buy a set.

IMO pleather pads provide a more balanced sound on the HD25 than the velour pads with richer bass and mids, so I vote pleather.

My first message to head-fi forums..

Voted for velour, even though I'm still not sure which ones I prefer. Just got these phones yesterday and used few hours with pleather and then changed into velour ones. Pleather didn't feel bad, but velour feels better. Remains to be seen, sound isolation is quite big thing for me now.

-- 

Henry

Velour pads are much more comfortable but pleather(which I use) give better isolation and better lows & mids

Velour = more comfort, less bass and isolation.  I don't change them all that frequently, perhaps three times a year just for fun and a slightly different sound.  Really prefer the pleather overall.

I'm probably in the minority that likes the pleather/vinyl pads more than the velour for comfort reasons. I'm the type that finds most types of velours (notable exception being my DT770 pads) somehow irritating on my ears and I feel that the vinyl/pleath pads have more "give" in them that gives them more of a cushion feel... I personally find the HD25 velour pads a tad too hard.