[arielext]

What do people consider are the best pads for the sextett? I've got a LP and tried a few pads and liking the new style Dekoni for beyerdynamic pads best so far

 

[larcenasb]

What do people consider are the best pads for the sextett? I've got a LP and tried a few pads and liking the new style Dekoni for beyerdynamic pads best so far

Hey there, here are some basic impressions with what I've tried so far:

- stock (a bit bass light, but great timbre, ears touch inner earcup and gets uncomfortable after 30 mins)
- stock w/ rolled up fabric--I use pima cotton--stuffed under the back lip of each earpad to angle the drivers and so your ears don't touch the inner earcups (a touch more bass presence, more spaciousness, way more comfortable)
- Beyerdynamic EDT990VB (very bright sounding, little bass)
- Brainwavs oval pleather (too much bass, muddies the midrange, pleather peels off after several months)
- Brainwavz oval hybrid (very balanced sound, non-fatiguing)
- Brainwavz oval hybrid angled (similar to the oval hybrid, but has more exciting treble, my favorites)
- Brainwavz Kraken hybrid (similar to the oval hybrid, non-fatiguing, slightly larger diameter so easier to install)

In my opinion, the Brainwavz oval hybrid angled pads are the best that I've tried so far. The sound is balanced and smooth overall. And the excitement in the treble gives me chills and goosebumps during crescendoes. Other earpads don't reach me in the same way--they don't let me feel the music as much. Hope this helps and enjoy the music!

EDIT: I have the Sextett MP. Rest of my audio chain is in my sig.

EDIT 2: After trying the stock pads with the stuffing under the back lip of the earpads, I'm now going back and forth deciding which I like best, this or the Brainwavz oval hybrid. The timbre is definitely more natural with the stock pads but the Brainwavz has a little more drive in the mids and treble that's really exciting to hear.

 

[dstarr3]

Can also vouch for the Brainwavz hybrids. I use the rounds. I feel like the change might have made them just a touch brighter, but the change is subtle enough that I'm not sure if it's real or if I'm imagining it. I would A/B them if it wasn't such a pain to A/B earpads. But suffice it to say, they didn't have any obvious impact on the sound.

But yes, much more comfortable, no doubt. I put them on and I don't see a reason to remove them.

 

[arielext]

cool thx for the info!
got some geekria pads incoming to test as well, will keep you posted
referring to these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0744D5BXT

 

[arielext]

cool thx for the info!
got some geekria pads incoming to test as well, will keep you posted
referring to these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0744D5BXT

These pads though decent add nothing to what I already have. The new style Dekoni pads for beyerdynamic are a better fit in terms of fit and comfort.
I dug in my ol' pile of pads and found some pads that are close to those used for the T5p 1gen: Beyerdynamic style pads made from real leather. Those are just perfect for the job! non-tapered (tapered increases the treble quite a bit imo) not to thick (thicker pads increase clamp) and non-pleather (sweaty ears ). The Dekoni pads for beyerdynamic come in 2nd by a tiny margin.

 

[DeweyCH]

What do people consider are the best pads for the sextett? I've got a LP and tried a few pads and liking the new style Dekoni for beyerdynamic pads best so far

I'm using ZMF perforated suede Auteur pads and they're fantastic.

 

[MtnMan307]

I use the ZMF Verite pads and quite good with this headphone.

 

[larcenasb]

I just started using the default pads again...but with soft pima cotton rolled up and stuffed under the back lip of each earpad (photo below). This angles the drivers and creates enough space that my ears don't touch the inner earcup.

Spaciousness increased. And the timbre is definitely more lifelike than with my previous favorites, the Brainwavz oval hybrid angled earpads, but the Brainwavz add more excitement to the mids and treble that I do like. Going back-and-forth, it's clear the Brainwavz are less accurate and not as smooth. There is just enough bite with the stock pads that I'm starting to prefer them now to the Brainwavz. However, comfort and breathability are still much better with the Brainwavz. I updated my earlier post comparing different earpads to add this configuration. I'll keep listening but this timbre man...that's why I love vintage AKGs in the first place. Since this is a free and easy mod, give it a try! Cheers

 

[arielext]

I got a 2nd sextett incoming in the form of the k242. Once here I will check to see I think they are worthy of a proper mod to accept dual 3.5mm cables and the usual replacement tweaks like pads, foam and elastics

 

[arielext]

I just started using the default pads again...but with soft pima cotton rolled up and stuffed under the back lip of each earpad (photo below). This angles the drivers and creates enough space that my ears don't touch the inner earcup.

Spaciousness increased. And the timbre is definitely more lifelike than with my previous favorites, the Brainwavz oval hybrid angled earpads, but the Brainwavz add more excitement to the mids and treble that I do like. Going back-and-forth, it's clear the Brainwavz are less accurate and not as smooth. There is just enough bite with the stock pads that I'm starting to prefer them now to the Brainwavz. However, comfort and breathability are still much better with the Brainwavz. I updated my earlier post comparing different earpads to add this configuration. I'll keep listening but this timbre man...that's why I love vintage AKGs in the first place. Since this is a free and easy mod, give it a try! Cheers

The stock pads are good except for the sweaty part.

 

[arielext]

Today I've tried black beyerdynamic velour pads that are made for the DT770. They work quite well. They don't block/absorb as much of the treble energy as the full leather pads do. A bit more focus on the high-mids makes voices wonderful.
Pad rolling this headphone is so much fun

 

[arielext]

The K242 came in the mail today and directly compared to the K240 sextett LP they sound a bit more mellow, less aggressive (using the exact same stock pads).
They came with a pair of K240 velour pads, new in plastic. It evens out the sound a bit and increases the stage since these pads are very stiff and firm. The velour feeling is nice though but the seam on the inside is ... well cheap to say the least. Mixed feelings about these pads. The K242 seems to be in good condition and I'll open them up in the weekend to clean and mod them.

 

[dstarr3]

I was having a look at my Sextett the other day, and I noticed that the single cable coming from the left cup was composed of 4 individual wires, and that made me wonder if the drivers were wired balanced from the factory. So I unscrewed the little plastic cap off of the 1/4" connector to take a look at what's going on in there and indeed, the two separate ground wires are just shorted together to the same pole of the 1/4" connector. So it turns out if you want to do a balanced mod for your Sextett, it's as easy as just desoldering the factory 1/4" connector, soldering on a 4-pin XLR connector in its place, and you're ready to rock.

I'd been considering doing a balanced mod for a while, and after discovering it would be this easy, I bought a Neutrik connector, did the connector swap real quick, and yeah, they sound great. Much fuller sound compared to the SE connector, at least on my amp (Singxer SA-1).

I'm going to pick up a little XLR-to-1/4" adapter so I can quickly A/B it between balanced and SE outputs on my amp, but on first listen it's clear that this mod is certainly worth the little effort it takes.

 

[arielext]

Cleaned the K242 and replaced the stock cable by 2x 3.5mm plugs. Unfortunately I only had golden ones laying around but it does the trick. I'm not fully content with the finished product. My Dremel has been lost for ages so instead I had to melt the plastic away to get enough room for the plugs. I replaced the foam ring by small patches of memory foam I had from a pair of pads I no longer use. As for the sound quality? The legend of the sextett is strong in this one

 

[arielext]

I was having a look at my Sextett the other day, and I noticed that the single cable coming from the left cup was composed of 4 individual wires, and that made me wonder if the drivers were wired balanced from the factory. So I unscrewed the little plastic cap off of the 1/4" connector to take a look at what's going on in there and indeed, the two separate ground wires are just shorted together to the same pole of the 1/4" connector. So it turns out if you want to do a balanced mod for your Sextett, it's as easy as just desoldering the factory 1/4" connector, soldering on a 4-pin XLR connector in its place, and you're ready to rock.

I'd been considering doing a balanced mod for a while, and after discovering it would be this easy, I bought a Neutrik connector, did the connector swap real quick, and yeah, they sound great. Much fuller sound compared to the SE connector, at least on my amp (Singxer SA-1).

I'm going to pick up a little XLR-to-1/4" adapter so I can quickly A/B it between balanced and SE outputs on my amp, but on first listen it's clear that this mod is certainly worth the little effort it takes.

I can confirm that the K242 is exactly the same in this regard (of course). The easiest way to get these balanced is by replacing the fixed 6.35mm plug by something with 4 channels ands you are good to go. As for the colours? Smartest thing here to do is to measure. Remove the name plate and then the screw and you can easily measure everything with a multi-meter.