[TyrelHun]

Any updates so far?

Sorry, I got quite busy in the past few days, so I didn't go into extensive testing yet.

I kind of got used to how it sounds with the new pads and was too lazy to find a new EQ setting. I still think the bass improved and some of the mid-high range got weaker, but it's not vastly different and didn't yet bother me enough to tune it.
What is different however is, that with the Brainwavz pads the drivers got further away from my ears, and that does reduce the surround sound quality. It's not straight up bad, but it is worse than with the factory pads. Playing games my ??spatial awareness?? did get a hit; with the changed geometry it is harder to find where sounds around you originate from.

On the other hand, these pads indeed are super comfy. I wore the headphones for many hours during the weekend (often not even listening to anything, just being too lazy to remove them), and no ear pain at all.
For me it was really worth it.

 

[Chrotesque]

Sorry, I got quite busy in the past few days, so I didn't go into extensive testing yet.

I kind of got used to how it sounds with the new pads and was too lazy to find a new EQ setting. I still think the bass improved and some of the mid-high range got weaker, but it's not vastly different and didn't yet bother me enough to tune it.
What is different however is, that with the Brainwavz pads the drivers got further away from my ears, and that does reduce the surround sound quality. It's not straight up bad, but it is worse than with the factory pads. Playing games my ??spatial awareness?? did get a hit; with the changed geometry it is harder to find where sounds around you originate from.

On the other hand, these pads indeed are super comfy. I wore the headphones for many hours during the weekend (often not even listening to anything, just being too lazy to remove them), and no ear pain at all.
For me it was really worth it.

Cheers for that, I'll give them a go as well then - each and every evening I have to put down the headphones after 1-2 hours at the most already, as my ears start hurting and that's just a shame really.

 

[TyrelHun]

Yeah, it really is a shame... I mean, my DT 990 Pro is still only the entry-level of the hi-fi category, and among enthusiasts it's probably considered cheap and mediocre at best... But I'm from a relatively poor country, and here even the DT 990 Pro is considered quite pricey, costing a lot more than what your "average Joe" would spend on headphones. With that in mind I was quite surprised how uncomfortable it can become... I mean, I was ?rightfully? expecting a premium product to have more attention to detail in every aspect of the design, not just sound quality.

I'm still very happy with the crappy-cheap-chinese Defean Brainwavz HM5 pads that I linked above. It honestly feels like these headphones should have been equipped with some similar pads as stock, instead of the ones it came with. The sponge/foam in them gave up quite fast, flattening out, the shape wasn't right, the material started to show signs of wear sooner than expected as well... But all that is gone now.

I've gotten around testing it some more, and I still think that the surround sound is a bit worse, which is probably a natural consequence of them changing the headphones' geometry by being thicker, and moving the drivers further away from your ears. I'm guessing it would happen with all other thicker pads too?...

You have to know I'm really far from a hi-fi enthusiast level, I don't have much listening experience with premium level headphones and I use mine with a computer, not just for hi-fi / lossless music, but for everything. Driving it with a Creative BlasterX G5 (yeah I know, could be better too, but I had many reasons for picking this one (beyond a discount price)), I've finally ended up with this EQ setting:

Spoiler: EQ

I'm not saying that with this EQ it sounds very clear and natural and flat and true and all that, it probably doesn't... but regardless of that I quite like how it sounds. I'm mainly listening to metal, pop, "ambient", and classical music, as well as movies and games, and I find this setup a good generic solution for all. What I'm trying to say is that yes, the Brainwavz HM5 pads do change how the DT 990 Pro sounds, but they only make it different, not worse. You can simply EQ it back the way you like it, thus you won't lose a thing in terms of enjoyment, but will gain quite a bit of comfort.

 

[Chrotesque]

You have to know I'm really far from a hi-fi enthusiast level, I don't have much listening experience with premium level headphones and I use mine with a computer, not just for hi-fi / lossless music, but for everything. Driving it with a Creative BlasterX G5 (yeah I know, could be better too, but I had many reasons for picking this one (beyond a discount price)), I've finally ended up with this EQ setting:

I'm a pleb compared to you, once I received the DT 990 I was amazed - I can't even grasp how higher priced headphones sound better in any conceivable way GIVEN the fact, that the sources I listen to are not lossless either, I make sure my MP3 are high quality but at the end of the day, its still not lossless.

But be honest, I ordered the same - actually I ordered 2 of the ones you linked, the velour and fakeleather ones since both should have a different sound profile and I want to come as close to the sound profile that my headphones have as of right now.

Also I have never used an EQ profile to begin with, I might have to start then.

Yeah, it really is a shame... I mean, my DT 990 Pro is still only the entry-level of the hi-fi category, and among enthusiasts it's probably considered cheap and mediocre at best... But I'm from a relatively poor country, and here even the DT 990 Pro is considered quite pricey, costing a lot more than what your "average Joe" would spend on headphones. With that in mind I was quite surprised how uncomfortable it can become... I mean, I was ?rightfully? expecting a premium product to have more attention to detail in every aspect of the design, not just sound quality.

Even here in France most people I know don't spend more than 50-80 EUR on headphones and even 150 was quite a sum, I've never purchased higher priced ones.

 

[Chrotesque]

I just received my two sets that I purchased and tested them out already. Excuse my french but what a bitch to put on, if you never did that before, especially since they were not made for the headphones in the first place. I'm a bit sad about the loss of the high but you sure were right, the shape is amazing - so far I've been using them for about 3-4 hours and while I would have had the issue with the pain already on the old pads, nothing yet. So that was a full success.
Also if somebody else is considering the purchase, I'd highly recommend the black PU velour ones - the sound is as close to the original pads as it can be, I've also ordered the khaki (fake leather?) ones and the sound is much more muffled and the bass is even stronger, without much definition I'd say.

Thank you TyrelHun!

 

[TyrelHun]

I just received my two sets that I purchased and tested them out already.

Yeah, fitting them is a bitch at first, but once you get the hang of it and realize that the fitting lips (?) are a lot more rubbery / elastic than they are on the factory pads, it's not so impossibly hard anymore.

I'm glad they worked out well for you too!