Mission: Replace the HiFiMAN ear pads with other brand ear pads - Page 13

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerg 

So has there been any consensus on any angled earpads that work well with Hifimans so far? Relative to stock velour pads I mean. I'm pretty sure that angled pads will increase comfort for me, as the front/back swivel adjustment is insufficient to compensate for my head's curvature it seems.

Well the LCD-3 pads make my HE-6 beyond comfy  I'm sure vegans may be a good option.

But the sound... it's a bit of a drawback to me

Quote:

Originally Posted by dleblanc343 

Well the LCD-3 pads make my HE-6 beyond comfy  I'm sure vegans may be a good option.

 

But the sound... it's a bit of a drawback to me

If anything, the material (fabric/velour/leather/pleather etc) of earpads has the most impact on sound. So if LCD3 leather pads sound one way, the Audeze vegan pads might be way better- or way worse-sounding. If only someone has these that I can just switch on my HE500s to test out lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DougofTheAbaci 

I’m a bit surprised this thread hasn’t gotten more love. The default pads for the HE-500 are, well, crap. My significantly cheaper Denons had more comfortable pads.

i agree..am interested in this also..but somehow its a bit dead

I can still answer questions if you guys have any. :)

So are the J$ or the MarkL angled pads a no go?

I just some J$ on my HE-6s - sound s pretty good so far.  Maybe a bit to far away though.

I was able to get the J$ Denon pads installed on my HifiMAN HE-400s a few days back.  I can't comment too far on the positive effects quite yet, as I'd like to have a bit more time with them and various music.  However, there are no major draw-backs to speak of, either.  Here are a few pics.

Wayne,

I was thinking about putting the regular Denon pads on the HE-6 and put the J$s on the Denon.  The J$s are a bit to thick.  IMO

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 

I was able to get the J$ Denon pads installed on my HifiMAN HE-400s a few days back.  I can't comment too far on the positive effects quite yet, as I'd like to have a bit more time with them and various music.  However, there are no major draw-backs to speak of, either.  Here are a few pics.

 

 

 

Does the angling of the pads create a more "wall of sound" effect?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DougofTheAbaci 


In short, what would be the best pad to get in order to replace the stock velours? Something that will not harm the sound stage or change the signature too much.
Bonus points for being easy to install. In fact, a step-by-step guide would be handy. For some of us, like myself, this might be our first true modification to our headphones and its little surprise that we'd be nervous.

I find the Lawton Audio Denon leather pads to provide the greatest comfort. They also fit the HE-6's dimension perfectly. However, not everyone thinks they affect the SQ positively (I do). To keep the closest sound to the one you have presently, your best best would be the Beyerdynamic velour pads. They are slightly smaller than HiFiMAN and require more work to get the plastic rings inside the lip on the back, but it can be done.

JMoney is also selling the last leather Beyerdynamic pads for charity, at 50% off. It's the last occasion to purchase a pair before they're discontinued.

I encourage you to get a set of leather and a set of velour pads and see which you prefer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by preproman 

Wayne,

 

I was thinking about putting the regular Denon pads on the HE-6 and put the J$s on the Denon.  The J$s are a bit to thick.  IMO

Fortunately, the regular Denon pads are only $35.00 from Lawton Audio.  I caught another thread a few weeks back, and noticed that they had a link to the Denon pads when buying them as a replacement via a vendor and the price was $90.00.  According to the Lawton site, the Denon pads might have some "slight use" on them.  I'm assuming that they are probably removing the pads from the mods that they perform, then sell the original Denon pads.  I think for the price, it is worth a try, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerg 

Does the angling of the pads create a more "wall of sound" effect?

I'm a bit hesitant to comment too much at this point.  I had been working with the EQ settings for the female vocals, so I don't want to push out an opinion just yet in the event I may have overlooked something.  But, they don't detract from the sound - from what I can tell, and they're really comfortable. Just like clouds on the ears.  Darryl might be onto something regarding the standard Denon pads, though.  Also, the J$ Beyer pads are the the same circumference as the Denon pads, according to Mr. J$.  Also, he was selling off his remaining stock of BeyerDynamic leather pads for half price - $32.50 a pair, plus shipping ($9.00) from Toronto.  $5.00 of each pair sold was going to be donated to Head-Fi since J$ had quite a successful operation in the past.  J$ had some Beyer pads left as of a week and a half ago, but he indicated he was heading out of town for a few weeks.  Probably, the least one could do is just ask if the Beyer pads are still available.  His Denon pads, were also in stock, but were not being sold at half price. They were at $75.00 a pair, or the normal price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 

 

Fortunately, the regular Denon pads are only $35.00 from Lawton Audio.  I caught another thread a few weeks back, and noticed that they had a link to the Denon pads when buying them as a replacement via a vendor and the price was $90.00.  According to the Lawton site, the Denon pads might have some "slight use" on them.  I'm assuming that they are probably removing the pads from the mods that they perform, then sell the original Denon pads.  I think for the price, it is worth a try, though.

Luckily I have all 3 Denons here with me.  So I'm doing it right now..