[Kalius]

Specifically for the hybrids, the bass quantity difference is negligible, treble is the same also. The most obvious for me is the mids is a bit recessed, and added soundstage.

 
Good to know Are these by any chance?:
https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Velor-Memory-Replacements-Earpads/dp/B00MFDX4YO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475144148&sr=8-1&keywords=HM5
 
or the foam ones?
https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Replacement-Memory-Foam-Earpads/dp/B00MFDT894/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475144148&sr=8-2&keywords=HM5

 

[Sp12er3]

https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Hybrid-Memory-Foam-Earpad/dp/B00ZGGG3KY this one

 

[left13]

Hello,
 
I have been asking everywhere but didn't get any answer at all.
 
When i hard pan 100% on any side there is a small ammount of leakage at the opposite. it works great at 95%(or 96% or 98% - depending the output device). Is this normal ?
 
Tried mono and stereo source, and both cables.
 
Tried also a beyer dynamic one from a friend and there was this weird leakage too..
 
Some cheap one works great without leakage.
 
Thanks,
Lef

 

[Mad Max]

Damn good question.  Too bad I no longer have an M40x to check.  Could be a design flaw, or a flaw in yours.

 

[Kalius]

https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Hybrid-Memory-Foam-Earpad/dp/B00ZGGG3KY this one

Thanks
 
Is there anyone who has tried the ZMF Pads?:
http://www.zmfheadphones.com/order-the-zmf/zmfpads
 
I heard they are quite comfortable, but I am not sure about the sound loss in this case. I am very tempted to get the ATH-M40x, but I definitely do not want to spend more money if I am going to hinder the sound a bit. I'd rather stick with the stock pads.

 

[Sp12er3]

I think Zeos (Zeos Reviews on YouTube) use that one on his. You can check his review and then ask him directly in his Reddit for more specific questions about pad change (he has all of HM5 and ZMF models, all for review purposes)

 

[Kalius]

I think Zeos (Zeos Reviews on YouTube) use that one on his. You can check his review and then ask him directly in his Reddit for more specific questions about pad change (he has all of HM5 and ZMF models, all for review purposes)

Yep, I had seen his reviews before, that why I chose these. I will give it a try, thank you
 
They're still quite expensive, and I really would like a huge improvement over the stock pads rather than spending the bucks unnecessarily.

 

[Sp12er3]

He has different priorities for headphones than I do, what he considers "overall upgrade" seems to leave out the mids presentation, which for me is a tradeoff.
Changing pads really do help a lot for comfort in these though.. The stock ones is just small, thin and stiff.

 

[Kalius]

He has different priorities for headphones than I do, what he considers "overall upgrade" seems to leave out the mids presentation, which for me is a tradeoff.
Changing pads really do help a lot for comfort in these though.. The stock ones is just small, thin and stiff.

Indeed, everybody has their personal perferences, I do not plan to spend quite a huge amount of money unless it's worthwhile.
 
By the way, do the hybrid bw pads isolate better than the stock pads?

 

[Sp12er3]

Kinda same amount, maybe a tiny bit better as my ear fit inside better than stock that barely fit, thus promoting lack of seal during head movement. The lack of isolation M40X has i think is more from the material of the driver enclorure (plastic) and the small(ish) port it has. ie M70x that has denser material (metal) isolate better, despite looser clamping force.

 

[Mad Max]

Kinda same amount, maybe a tiny bit better as my ear fit inside better than stock that barely fit, thus promoting lack of seal during head movement. The lack of isolation M40X has i think is more from the material of the driver enclorure (plastic) and the small(ish) port it has. ie M70x that has denser material (metal) isolate better, despite looser clamping force.

 
Isolation comes from the design rather than whether they are metal or not.  HD280pro and HD25 isolate best passively, and they're all plastic.  HD8 DJ also isolates very well, almost as good as HD280 and HD25.  DT770 is another good one, despite using velour pads and being almost all plastic.  M-audio's HDH50 and the California Silverado are made with a lot of metal, but they doen't isolate as well as the previously mentioned.

 

[Sp12er3]

I'm comparing the M40X to M70X as both are structurally (at least on the outside) similar.

Granted there're more change inside that may contribute, but other than the driver enclosure, absence of ports, denser material used on the baffle, and the pads I can't see any more obvious differences between the two.

Just saying it'd be hard to find a pad change that will improve on "slightly better than average" isolation of the M40X.

 

[Li Ching Yuen]

Brainwavz HM5 vs. Audio Technica M40x's? How do they compare sonically and which do you prefer if you've heard them?
 
Not interested in build and comfort for this comparison.
 
Thanks.

 

[Madhur Shankar]

If anyone's interested, I've achieved a more neutral sound (subjectively, mind you) via the following reversible mods using the stock pads:

Fixing the hot treble:
Since I don't have a source for the 2mm thick felt that Solderdude used in his guide, I fell back to another of the tried and true treble remedies: blocking the centermost area in front of the driver (the MDR-V6 does this, so do the newer Mad Dog and Alpha Dog via the 'BMD', and probably others); I cut a circle out of paxmate and stuck it blocking the innermost two circular rows of the driver, leaving only the outermost circular row of perforations free. This reduced the treble to an acceptable level for me without interfering with the mids too much. I reckon you could use other materials like foamie, variable layers of micropore, or even electrical tape.

Reducing the bass hump:
First, remove the grey foam padding under the earpads, this helps fill the dip around 450 Hz. The cups can be opened by removing the 4 screws visible once the pad is removed; remove the screws and gently separate the baffle from the cup, now inspect the driver assembly and note that one of the venting holes in the periphery of the driver has no paper in it. You can either block it for maximum bass reduction, or dampen the vent with some breathable material to adjust the magnitude of the hump; I used 3M micropore tape with good results. Clarification: This will NOT kill the bass, even blocking the vent completely leads to a slightly boosted bass response, try it for yourself 

The results were 'verified' via sine sweeps and other test signals, then with music. I have no test equipment to show you the changes to the FR, so naturally take these results with a grain of salt. I've gone back and forth with these and other mods and settled with these two, sadly I haven't found a way to mechanically fix the dip around 4-6 KHz or reduce the hump at 1.5 KHz so I use EQ to alleviate it some.

 

Thank you very much.  I was suffering from treble peaks in my 40x HP. I initially tried only the hot treble fix, but after that my headphone sounded muddy. I then removed the grey foam as you mentioned for Bass hump fix and I started getting lively sound now. Was the purpose of removing grey foam is only for bass hump fix or for opening up the highs as well? Anyways, I followed your technique and it worked very well for me. Many thanks for your suggestion.
 
Edit: Added the quote

 

[HubaDavid]

Hey Guys,
 
I read the thread, but I have a very specific question. I will start my audio setup: AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-AX3IS, with Fiio 11k portable amp. I use them with myphone or my laptop. Those cant drivethe AX3IS alone. I use mostly premium spotify, so good MP3 format, no loseless. I am satisfied with the sound those 2 can achieve. 
 
BUT I have the budget now, to upgrade to the M40X (I'll keep the Fiio). Is it worth it? Will the sound be so much better to buy those?
 
I'm not white eared but I do care and hear things when listening.
 
THX for ur advices in advance,
 
Huba