[alphaman]

My velour pads on the dt880 have gone ratty (flat, gooey with skin/hair oils ...ugh!!) so I want a better pad solution. I've heard a few note that the clear gels were the best (not a unanimous bias), but those are now very hard to come by (= no longer made??? even for Manufaktur line??).
 
Beyerdynamic seems to still make/offer a "softskin" variety for about $29 USD...


 
 
So what's your impression of (or experience with) these guys?
How do they sound, seal, feel (comfort, sweat, heat dissipation, etc.) ... and how durable are they?
 
Thx!!
 
BTW: The high-rated gels, if you're curious  ...

 
======EDIT 2012-12-29=======
Okay...the softskins just came in so I can comment a bit...they are made by beyerdynamic (in Germany) and are an OEM. I think they are a fairly new offering from beyer -- not a third-party offering (that said, whether BD outsourced this project -- ala Microsoft style -- is anyone's guess).  Other than the pads (cushions) themselves, the foam filter is different from that that came with my velour pads (and those are originals since when 880s were purch'd, July 2006). Specifically, the new filters seem to be a two-layer design (gray side on transducer, black on out side). The filter material has a diff. textural look and feel than the orig.
Comfortwise, they are very comfortable as are the velours. The skin-feel is just fine, and does not seem to "overheat" -- they did not make the contact area sweat or create a hotspot (ala AKG headband!). 
Soundwise, the bass is a tad bit tighter over the velours, but the treble seems to have softened a bit (is that due to the new filter ??)
Isolationwise: Nothing notable.
Durability: watch this space!

 

[audiosampling]

Pay attention, I was very surprised when I found out that the sound of headphones can change a big time, when fitting different earpads.
 
It happened when I exchanged the pads between a Beyerdynamic DT-880 (I like the soft pads, but I didn't like how the headphone sounds) and a cheap Superlux HD-660 (a clone of the DT-880) which I thought was sounding great, but got fitted with horrible pads.
 
As I swapped the pads, the sound of the headphones changed as well: the DT-880 sounded much better (but became uncomfortable to wear) and I wasn't impressed with the HD-660 anymore (although comfortable to wear). And I am speaking about obvious sonic differences here... (not placebo).

 

[alphaman]

After a few mos. use, I can easily say that -- WRT sound quality -- the velours are significantly superior to the newer sofkskin OEM pads. The most dramatic diff. is a "dulling" of orig., detailed dt880 treble -- the softskins make it seem like one has stuffed cotton in one's ears. Also (and perhaps due to loss of treble),  soundstage focus is reduced. Not sure about bass -- it may be v. slightly better with softskin. But no way enough to make up for drawbacks.
Being similar in texture and porosity to softskin, I'm not sure why aftermarket leather and gel pads get good reviews?
Note that while the softskin pads may be an "aftermarket accessory", they are not third-party. They are a genuine OEM part from bd.
It would be interesting to have someone with dummy head and/or test gear to compare various pads. In the meantime ... 
Bottom line: I'm going back to velours which, unsurprisingly, beyer has chosen as their default pad/cushion material for decades. All the R&D and tweaking by the beyer team probab. went into their velour-based model.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Which pads do you find to be more comfortable?

 

[alphaman]

Quote:

Which pads do you find to be more comfortable?

Hmmm ... probably velour when they are new + clean. But as they age with sweat and skin oils and other yuckies, they begin to feel v. nasty against bare skin. I suspect that leather/plastic are better in this respect as they stay cleaner (and are easier to clean). 

 

[Tsujigiri]

Thanks for the impressions, I'll probably stick with the velours in that case, too.

 

[alphaman]

Just wanted to add... I have a some older bd velour pads from early 1990s model DT911 that fit 880s. Tho' there are minor diffs in material and design, they sound similar to modern velour pads. 

 

[haineux]

Really curious if these are the right size/shape for DT770 -- Can anybody tell me?
 
http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/edt-800-ls.html
 
 

Ohrpolstersatz EDT 800 LB Echtleder schwarz mit viskoelastische Spezialfüllung Standard bei HS 400 und HS 800 DANR optional für alle anderen Aviation Headsets. Inklusive Schaumstoffscheiben zur Abdeckung der Systeme

 
Translation:

Ear pads EDT 800 LB Real black leather with special filling viscoelastic standard for HS 400 and HS 800 DANR optional for all other aviation headsets. Includes foam pads to cover the systems

 


$99 plus ship.

 

[leg-ranger]

I just swapped out my dt880 pads with my extra set of Hifiman He 500 velours and 'Im blown away.  Perfect fit and the bass has improved 10 fold. 

 

[haineux]

Here is what I heard back from BD marketing:
 

 The EDT 800 LB ear pads will fit the DT 770 headphone.
 The EDT 800 LB are full leather and partially filled with gel and foam.
 These ear pads will give the DT 770 more isolation.
 
Best Regards,
Peter Carini, Sales Manager
Consumer and Aviation

 
Note these are $100.
 
Looks like I'm getting a birthday present.

 

[Oregonian]

Here is what I heard back from BD marketing:
 

Note these are $100.

Looks like I'm getting a birthday present.

Update? Interested in these as a possible option for my Q-40's.

 

[Koolpep]

Quote:

I just swapped out my dt880 pads with my extra set of Hifiman He 500 velours and 'Im blown away.  Perfect fit and the bass has improved 10 fold. 

 
Just based on this I have ordered the velours pads.
 
After changing the pads on the Shure SRH 440 to 840 pads and seeing a huge improvement, I am a fan of pad-modding  
 
Many thanks for the idea.
 
Will report back in a week or two when they arrive.

 

[Koolpep]

Quote:

I just swapped out my dt880 pads with my extra set of Hifiman He 500 velours and 'Im blown away.  Perfect fit and the bass has improved 10 fold. 

 
The earpads arrived and I have to admit, The bass indeed improved 10 fold. I nearly feel it's actually a bit too much, I have to see if I get used to that.
 
But it's again impressive how mcuh change an Earpad can make.
 
Will report back after listening a bit more!!

 

[Wildewinds]

So, are they more comfortable? I HATE the pad material in my DT770.

 

[Kodhifi]

Beyerdynamic velours are all WASHABLE. If you aren't washing these things with about every 60 hours of use you are a disgusting pig and don't deserve velour.
 
I can confirm that a stock pair will survive multiple washings returning them to almost as good as new. In the end the one thing washing can't fix is the foam's tendancy to change shape and lose resilience which results in losing some of their volume and cushion.
 
As someone who guys new pads twice a year I'm speaking from experience. I try to wash my pads about as often as I do my bedsheets and for the same reason. Then again I use my headphones 10 hours a day every day.
 
 
To wash:
 
1. Use hot but not scalding hot water. Most hot water facets will be fine.
2. Use liquid hand soap (dish soap is too harsh) and use it sparingly.
3. Use either an old toothbrush, or the other ear pad and rub it all over the velour so it gets abraded and scrubbed clean. This can take a few minutes to get everywhere. You want a good lather building up.
4. Rinse repeatedly with cool water, wringing them out in between rinses until the water comes out soap free.
5. Wring them out gently by hand and then place on a dry towl, fold the towel over and compress them to squeeze the last water out.
6. Dry them next to a fan for several hours.
 
Why not take a moment to clean the inner foam over the speaker, and pluck out any hairs? I usually go over the inner foam with a lint roller and pull out any stubborn hairs with tweezers. Every few months when white scum starts to build up I will remove the locking ring and wash the foam with the earpads.