[OldDude04]

  Blue is my favorite color, so there ya go!! 

 
Yup, mine too. I think they look great.

 

[Ophaq]

Hey all, I got my new ATH M50x today and I quite like it except for the grip of a macho wrestler strangling the sides of my head (even with band pulling). So, I opted for these cups after a lot of internal debate and research. I listen to a wide variety of music so I don't want too much bass loss and I have no experience with velour. Hence, I ordered the classy pleather dark red versions because they seem 'jazzy' with the contrast of my black M50x. My ears are fairly large and fit snugly inside the OEM cups with the padding barely pressing against my ears' sides. The worst part is the pressure on my jaw, which is why I opted for these HM5 pads.
 
I like to eat while wearing my headphones, so having the vice grip on my head makes it feel kind of awkward to chew. The airtight seal these OEM pads give my ear canal not much room to breath so I can feel a good bit of pressure in them. There seems to be more space in the HM5 which will hopefully alleviate that slightly.
 
This thread was one of many that helped me make my decision and for that, I thank you. I'm not sure how these new pads will turn out, but I may make a comparison when I get them on 9/02/16. I've read that they make the music sound more 'roomier' as well as toning down the bass a bit (especially the velour ones). If they do, I may have to end up turning up my volume even more. On my older $40 headphones that I had for 6 years, I've always kept my volume at 5. Now with these M50x I have to turn up the volume for some things and lower it for others to hear either more detail of a song because it just sounds way better that way, or to make up for the headphones causing the audio to sound more distant and slightly muddy due to the audio being poor and/or me not being used to them.
 

 
Wish me luck with these HM5 pads. If anyone else has opinions on these in regards to comfort and sound differences, I'd love to read them.

 

[OldDude04]

Good luck with the M50x/HM5 combo, let us know how it works out and post a pic or two. As for sound difference and bass loss, I didn't notice any loss of bass on my JVC HA-SZ2000, just an opening of the sound stage due to distance. That might just be because the JVC hit like a Mack truck and a little less bass wasn't noticeable. On my Ultrasone HFI-580 though, there was just a small bit less bass, easily EQ'ed it right back. The comfort of the HM5 pads were worth it in both cases for me.

 

[Ophaq]

I just got the HM5 pads today and I'm having a really hard time deciding  between the OEM and HM5. There literally is not much of a difference in comfort to me except the HM5 won't hurt my left ear after 4 hours or so. I used an "A State of Trance" mix on YouTube for sound testing because the quality is grand and there's lot of variations in highs to mids + bass with trance and psychedelic trance music. I also did some tests with smooth jazz.
 
I've only done a little testing from that music between the two pads but these are my notes.
 
M50 OEM -
- closer more toned bass
- sharp highs as usual
- comfort is normal and compression is fine (I got used to it)
- soundstage is more enclosed compared to HM5 but that's not a negative to me
- I can hear the TV in the living room slightly less than hm5

HM5 -
- bass is a bit less toned and sounds more distant. I am a bit of a bass head and I liked the OEM pads more in this regard.
- feels wider around ears and doesn't hurt them
- slightly lower compression but same around jaw as OEM. Do they flatten out over time? That would alleviate some discomfort.
- soundstage is a bit roomier than m50 but only slightly.
- highs are still sharp like OEM but maybe sharper
- comfort is about the same as OEM pads but the OEM were closer and I liked that a bit more. Maybe I just need to get used to these. They're definitely fluffier than the OEM pads.
- I can hear the tv somewhat more clearer than the OEM but maybe I'm just imagining it because the sound isolation is hardly any different than the OEM.
 
I had to turn up the volume a bit more on my computer to get a better feel of the bass. It did make a difference but seeing as how I had to turn up my volume for the HM5s, I'm not completely sure if I want to stick with them and compromise my hearing more so than I would with the OEM pads. This may change as I get used to the pads and so will my opinion of them.
 
So, final conclusion:
 
I really have no idea which to pick between these two pads. They feel pretty much the same to me, except the HM5s might be a bit more comfortable and roomier so they won't hurt my ears. The OEM pads just barely wrapped around them but would hurt an ear after long periods.
 
Sound-wise they are pretty much the same except for the trade off of a slightly bigger soundstage for bass. The trade off isn't too large but it can be noticeable on songs that already have a weak bass to begin with. I honestly like my bass more than soundstage but the bass can most likely be corrected by a DAC in the future if I choose to get one. And it's not like you can get a bigger soundstage with a DAC. So in the long term it might be smarter to just use the HM5s just so that I don't feel like I wasted my money. They look nice too so there's that but I never leave my house with headphones anyway (yet).
 
My opinion may be subject to change. I will try swapping back and forth between pads some time and might update this review. I don't own a cellphone or camera so I can't take pictures. Just imagine an m50x with dark red pleather pads and there you go. There's a picture somewhere on google I bet.
 
Since I've only owned these headphones for a few days and I'm still getting used to their sound signature, changing ear pads early might be the best for me as it won't create as big of an impact like changing from my 6 year old headphones to these new m50x. I still miss those headphones, we went through a lot of music together.
 
----
TL;DR - My current opinion on M50x OEM vs HM5 pads = Meh, not much of a difference (opinion subject to change).

 

[leeperry]

Originally Posted by Ophaq /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
bass is a bit less toned and sounds more distant. I am a bit of a bass head and I liked the OEM pads more in this regard.

 
you want the real non-memory foam HM5's, they don't kill bass coz they're not as thick: http://www.head-fi.org/t/741698/brainwavz-hm5-pads-different-colours-velour-leather/180#post_11929146

 

[Ophaq]

I read that the velour ones don't have as much sound isolation (which I like) and actually tone the bass down even more.

 

[Mad Max]

It occurred to me that I didn't specify how to place the earpads on.
You shouldn't be getting stronger treble, I was thinking.  Well, here's why you probably are:
 

 
I used the pads fitted the way you see on the right side, and I'm guessing you fitted them like on the left.  Yes, it does make a small difference in sound.  Also, the earpads will conform to your head and flatten a little over time.

 

[dbaker1981]

Will these attach to the nvx clones? Or would i have to modify them? Thanks.

 

[Salsera]

Will these attach to the nvx clones? Or would i have to modify them? Thanks.

 
Think they will fit: measurements
 
You may have to stretch the Earpads a bit to fit your headphones. You can follow the steps below to safely attempt to fit the earpads.

1. Remove the old earpad from your headphones exposing the Earpad bracket

2. Place the the new earpad onto the Bracket as much as you comfortably can under the earpad bracket lining. You should be able to fit 20-30 percent under the lining. I usually fit the bracket placing the top of the "0" under first and get as much of the sides in.

IMPORTANT: When Stretching the lining of the earpad, always place the pressure/your fingers above where the Earpads stitching meets the replacement pad bracket holder lining. If the pressure is placed on the actual earpad, it is likely to tear the lining or the stitching of the earpad or even damage the earpad.

3. Reach into the earpad and pull/stretch the only the lining above the earpad to lining stitching, to fit over as much of both of the sides. At this point you would cover 60 to 75% of the Bracket if not more.

4. Finally stretch the lining (still from inside the earpad above the stitching to the bracket lining) to cover the rest of the bracket at the bottom of the "0" Bracket.

Good luck! 

 

 

[Happytalk]

I would totally be up for the circular ~90mm outer-diameter version as well.  It would rock on K545, K845, Creative Aurvana Live! 2, SRH750DJ, and more.  Full-sized audio-technica ADxxx and Axxx headphones use 90mm or 105mm pads depending on the model, but angled and the thicker side has to have a wider flap than other pads as well.  I would love an angled set for my A2000X.

The smaller, version1 regular HM5 pads are better on my 7506 than the thicker, newer version or the even thicker memory foam pads.  The latter two make the headphone shrill and very fatiguing, the thinner v1 are just right.  I scored some more v1s from another head-fier recently,  yay!

Any chance you could tell me where to get these smaller version 1 pads? I am having trouble navigating brainwavs pads. Seems the regular pleather HM5's aren't available any more either? I just inadvertently fixed my mdrv6's that I got in 1991. One of the screws came out (in 1998!) and got stuck in one of the holes of the speaker and had slightly dislodged the diaphragm. Didn't know until yesterday! Can't believe it, but they are back in action. Pretty cool. They actually have an inherently warmer sound than my later mdr7506's. The pads are long destroyed, so I'd like to try some brainwavs. The version 1 seems the way to go. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Mad Max]

This might be it.  No guarantees.
http://www.nvx.com/xre100s-comfortmax-standard-cushions/

 

[gangstaprad]

So, my Sennheiser 202ii ear pads gets warm and need a better one immediately. According to this link of the replacement of same ones http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-Ear-pads-Cushions-SENNHEISER-HD202-HD212-HD497-eH150-eH250-Foam-Earpad-/190694030487, "The Ear pads are Oval with dimensions 90mm X 68mm (3.5" X 2.7")" Therefore can someone send me link of similar size ones, preferably Velvet materiel or really soft leather, thank you!

 

[Zack W]

I was thinking about trying different pads for my HifiMan HE-5LE. I started looking at Hifiman's own pads, but people seem to like these HM5 pads better. I think I would prefer the velour or hybrid for comfort, rather than the straight pleather. What differences in sound do you guys think I should expect with either one? As it is, I think the stock 5LE feel and sound very good. I wouldn't mind if the sound stage opened up a little, but I wouldn't like to loose any bass, for example. I assume I might try the hybrids first since they're more likely to make a difference one way or the other?

 

[mikp]

sale on https://www.brainwavzaudio.com
 
of course just after ordering another pair from mp4nation, but got some more.

 

[Zack W]

Yah, I just ordered some from amazon the other day for $29 with free 2-day shipping. The next day they were $26.50. Typical. Oh well, whatever. I decided to try the angled hybrid pads and they should arrive later today, so I'm exited to try something different. Lucky me, I had just put on my new velour pad, which is what got me thinking about pads again and I didn't throw out the old ones, so I can just steal the rings off them. I did notice that the sound opened up a little just from putting on the new pads because they are firmer than the worn out ones.