Dekoni Audio Elite Replacement Ear Pads for Fostex TH and Denon AH Series Headphones
The Fostex TH-900 are one of the most sought after closed-back audiophile headphones, revolutionizing the game after the Denon AH-D7000 headphones were discontinued.
Dekoni pads offer improved comfort while preserving the angle and round opening of the stock pad, allowing you to keep enjoying that pristine sound.
Dekoni Elite Fostex TH900 Pads: Hedonistic Refresh That Works!
Pros: -Upscaled listening experience with cozy isolation.
-No alarming changes to stock signature sound.
-Good stocking stuffer for your audiophile friend to replace cheap stock pads on their favourite headphones.
Cons: -Might not be available locally and need to be imported leading to increased cost. Check your local audio dealers.
Hope you find the following review of Dekoni Elite Fostex pads used with my Fostex TH900ii Red headphones useful!
TH900ii are world-famous headphones with top of the line bass and treble extension represented over a massive stage. They’re dynamic energy monsters that flamboyantly electrify any sound put through them. Mids and vocals are forward, they’re not recessed like might be the case with headphones focused on bass and treble. I don’t have issues mids on TH900ii, they’re very good just not as dramatic as low and high ends.
These pads are compatible with Fostex TH and Denon AH series of headphones. Considering their size, they should fit a variety of other headphones as well. In overview comments for this item, users have commented about ability to use these pads with iBasso SR2 and Phonon SMB-01L models as well. Please add a comment below if you have successfully tried these pads with other headphone models not mentioned.
I tested Dekoni Fostex TH pads through my desktop stack of Topping D90SE to Cavalli Liquid Platinum. Shout out to Dekoni to sending these pads for testing, an opportunity which was made available to other head-fi’ers as well. I was not compensated, asked for anything or provided with a deadline, thank you.
Workin’ Steamin’ Replacin’
Stock pads are easy to remove from white plastic rings. Putting on replacement pads is a little tedious and frustrating at the beginning as the foresaid rings are very closely attached to the respective headphone side. It’s suggested to gently stick a finger between the ring and the headphone to create separation that makes it easier to feed the pads lip in-between. Once a bit of the lip is securely in, it creates separation on its own and makes it fairly easy to put the whole lip on. It’s also possible to fully remove the plastic pad mounting rings from headphones completely and re-attached the pads on them before mounting back, however these rings appear quite flimsy so I didn’t take this route in order to lessen chances of breakage.
You can also watch this video made by Dekoni if you’re a visual learner and might be having trouble replacing the pads on your own:
Pantheon of Pads
Stock pads, like the stock cable, are nothing to write home about. They’re usable but feel cheap. Dekoni pads use better materials and are angled same as with stock Fostex pads. The ear opening is smaller in side vs stock, which is great. With stock pads, I never got a feel of a proper hug. Padding inside Dekoni pads is thicker as well which is a contributing factor to a good hug. These Dekoni pads are made from quality materials that feel pleasant on skin contact. They are thicker, plushier, and provide a much nicer tactile feel than stock ones.
Regarding the following sound impressions, more/less etc means a very small change as in whole the sound is not changed very much between each pad. I’m also sharing official Dekoni measurements if you would like to review how the various pads objectively impact the frequency range response.
Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin.
There’s less sub bass, but more mid bass, less upper treble giving an impressions of less air/smaller stage. Get these if you want even harder bass punch while controlling treble extension.
Elite Sheepskin.
These are most similar to stock pads in terms of sound and in terms of visual aesthetics. Get these if you’re happy with stock sound but not stock comfort.
Elite Hybrid.
Bass is softer, upper mids stand out more leading to slightly brighter profile. Get these if you want the highest level of comfort along with leaner sound.
Elite Velour.
These pads change the sound up the most, by de-emphasizing bass and treble. I guess they make TH900ii Red sound a little more similar to mid-focused TH909. They’re almost as comfy to wear as Elite Hybrid, but don’t have same premium tactile feel.
To conclude, Dekoni Elite Fostex TH900 pads are strongly suggested. They could surely take your listening experience up a notch due to improved isolation and comfort levels. At the same time, my testing showed they’re unlikely to dramatically change the sound signature of your favourite headphones. Thanks for taking the time to read my review!
@up late good to know you think highly of stock pads. Elite Sheepskin Dekonis that I tested for this review are made for TH900 specifically. They're angled the same as stock pads. Out of the four sets, Sheepskin sounded closest to stock. There are various versions of Elite Sheepskin available for different headphones that could fit TH900 but might not sound the same considering the angle and other differences in style and size.
they were the dekoni audio elite sheepskin ear pads for the th900. i confirmed that with the dealer at the time who sells them. if they had not made the th900 sound brighter then i would have bought a pair as i'd rather have leather ear pads.
I covered them in my iBasso SR2 review, and they work very well with them. I am currently using them on my Phonon SMB-01L's, and they take comfort to the next level. While they're on your head, you literally don't want to take them off.
I covered them in my iBasso SR2 review, and they work very well with them. I am currently using them on my Phonon SMB-01L's, and they take comfort to the next level. While they're on your head, you literally don't want to take them off.
Whenever you have a circular headphone with a fairly normal pad system, it's compatible with a lot of pads. And I gotta say, it's fun swapping.
And that's the thing, sometimes it's not about sound performance, you just want your headphones to have better isolation and comfort. This is the case with my SMB-01L, I didn't bother to listen how the sound performance differs from the stock pads.
Whenever you have a circular headphone with a fairly normal pad system, it's compatible with a lot of pads. And I gotta say, it's fun swapping.
And that's the thing, sometimes it's not about sound performance, you just want your headphones to have better isolation and comfort. This is the case with my SMB-01L, I didn't bother to listen how the sound performance differs from the stock pads.
Good to know. I agree, pad swapping is definitely not just about sound. It's laughable how cheap are some stock pads on expensive headphones, especially from traditional manufacturers. Having comfy pads with good seal takes the whole experience up a notch.
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