Changing ear-pads will change the sound?
Mar 13, 2008 at 10:55 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19
Lunatique

Lunatique

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I'd like to change the ear-pads on some of my sealed cans to make them more comfortable (who the hell actually likes pleather anyway? Velour is so much more comfortable). Would changing them from pleather to velour change the sound or mess up the seal so they leak more?

The ones I'd like to change:
Audio-Technica ATH-M50
Equation RP21
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 1:32 AM Post #2 of 19
From my limited experience with switching pads on closed cans I've found that leather/pleather pads add bass but velour pads give a cleaner bass. I've only done this with Beyers and have no experience with AT. I don't think there's much difference in how much sound is leaked.

I recommend trying it.
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 1:56 AM Post #3 of 19
they might change the sound signature slightly nothing u can notice
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 2:04 AM Post #4 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by XaNE /img/forum/go_quote.gif
they might change the sound signature slightly nothing u can notice


From my experience they do and it's not slight.
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 2:22 AM Post #5 of 19
Depends.
In general pads from different manufacturers esp. from different phone designs (open/closed) yield horrible results.
Beyer velour pads on K271S produce absolutely bassless, thin sound. On the other hand AKG velour pads designed for this specific phones do not change sound at all and in fact add some bass comparing to pleather because of the better seal.
So as a rule stay with pads designed for specific phones. The only exception I know of is Beyer manufacture leather pads, from my experience those were quite bad on DT880.
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 3:13 AM Post #6 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Depends.
In general pads from different manufacturers esp. from different phone designs (open/closed) yield horrible results.
Beyer velour pads on K271S produce absolutely bassless, thin sound. On the other hand AKG velour pads designed for this specific phones do not change sound at all and in fact add some bass comparing to pleather because of the better seal.
So as a rule stay with pads designed for specific phones. The only exception I know of is Beyer manufacture leather pads, from my experience those were quite bad on DT880.


confused.gif
Why would the manufacturer of the pad make any difference? Imo, there are many pad properties which could theoretically affect the sound.

- Fit both from the pad to the headphone and the pad to the ear/head (varies seal and bass leakage)
- The distance the pad puts between the drivers and your ear (varies the physical volume of air the driver has to play with and interact with your ear)
- The type of fabric used to make the pad (different fabrics can lend to different sound reflection/absorption properties)
- The physical pliability the fabric has (varies seal and bass leakage)
- The compression characteristics of what's inside the pad (varies seal and bass leakage, possibly distance from driver)

I feel there are logical explanations as to why different pads yield different results. The people who made them isn't a logical explanation for sonic variance between pads, in my mind. And if I were to guess, K271 pads have a vinyl inner lining and lip (more sound reflection, less bass absorption, better seal around the outer plastic baffle) so in this way, sonically, they might react similar to a (p)leather pad, preserving bass. Whereas Beyer's are all velour if I'm not mistaken and might leak and absorb more bass. K271 pads are also rather thin whereas Beyer velour's are a bit thicker, yet squishier. This might have an impact on driver distance and if I were to guess again, the Beyer's would set your ears slightly further away, increasing physical ear chamber volume, decreasing bass punch.

These are only my thoughts, however, not facts. I'm just spewing out what goes through my mind whenever I listen to music.
tongue.gif



Quote:

Originally Posted by XaNE /img/forum/go_quote.gif
they might change the sound signature slightly nothing u can notice


If you agree that pads change sound signature slightly, what makes you the expert on Lunatique's ears? How would you know whether they could/couldn't hear a difference?
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 3:54 AM Post #7 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by khbaur330162 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
confused.gif
Why would the manufacturer of the pad make any difference? Imo, there are many pad properties which could theoretically affect the sound.

- Fit both from the pad to the headphone and the pad to the ear/head (varies seal and bass leakage)
- The distance the pad puts between the drivers and your ear (varies the physical volume of air the driver has to play with and interact with your ear)
- The type of fabric used to make the pad (different fabrics can lend to different sound reflection/absorption properties)
- The physical pliability the fabric has (varies seal and bass leakage)
- The compression characteristics of what's inside the pad (varies seal and bass leakage, possibly distance from driver)

I feel there are logical explanations as to why different pads yield different results. The people who made them isn't a logical explanation for sonic variance between pads, in my mind. And if I were to guess, K271 pads have a vinyl inner lining and lip (more sound reflection, less bass absorption, better seal around the outer plastic baffle) so in this way, sonically, they might react similar to a (p)leather pad, preserving bass. Whereas Beyer's are all velour if I'm not mistaken and might leak and absorb more bass. K271 pads are also rather thin whereas Beyer velour's are a bit thicker, yet squishier. This might have an impact on driver distance and if I were to guess again, the Beyer's would set your ears slightly further away, increasing physical ear chamber volume, decreasing bass punch.

These are only my thoughts, however, not facts. I'm just spewing out what goes through my mind whenever I listen to music.
tongue.gif



If you agree that pads change sound signature slightly, what makes you the expert on Lunatique's ears? How would you know whether they could/couldn't hear a difference?


Beyers are not all velour and have virtually identical to AKG construction except of holes in the back. Theoretically you are right, manufacturer doesn't matter IF material, reflection characteristic, distance pads put driver away from ear, etc. work for specific phones. But how to find this perfect combination if not going for pads designed by the original manufacturer of the headphones?
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 5:29 AM Post #9 of 19
On my K701, I reserved the thin foam pads and made a variety of my own pads. I varied the size of the sound hole, as well as its placement and even the use of "punched" holes in my self-made ear pads. Of course, I never experimented on my actual foam pads, which I kept in a special place.

I'd love to be able to announce a blockbuster mod using different pads, but almost uniformly, the stock ear pads sounded more balanced. Messing with the ear pads came up with any number of failed experiments - most with sound too fuzzy, some too sharp-sounding. I realized that, at least with the K701, the ear pad acts to soften the sound while sustaining realism. Of course, your make may vary - but that shouldn't stop you from ordering a sheet of foam from McMaster-Carr and finding out for yourself.
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 5:52 AM Post #10 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Beyers are not all velour and have virtually identical to AKG construction except of holes in the back. Theoretically you are right, manufacturer doesn't matter IF material, reflection characteristic, distance pads put driver away from ear, etc. work for specific phones. But how to find this perfect combination if not going for pads designed by the original manufacturer of the headphones?


True, pads are inherently designed to fit the headphone they're made for. However, in some cases, you can get great performance from pads not specifically designed for your headphone. All I'm saying is you just need to be smart in how you implement that pad. I've used K271 velour pads on a vintage Sony ECR-500 and, imo, they were pretty much perfect. I preferred sound to stock. If you can find a pad that fits your application well, I don't see why not. And, as others have done and the OP has alluded to, making your own pads is a thought.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunatique /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What if you simply lined the pleather pad with a thin sheet of another fabric so what's touching your face is more comfortable and not so sweaty?


I did the exact same thing with my old CD3000's to see what effect, if any, this would have on the sound. The change was still quite dramatic. Of course you should try for your own anyway. Whether or not you can hear a change and whether that change is good or bad, only you can decide for yourself. I say experiment. Find your niche. It's cheap and easy to do. Also, if you know a seamstress or can sew yourself this simplifies things quite a bit.
cool.gif
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 2:49 PM Post #11 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by XaNE /img/forum/go_quote.gif
they might change the sound signature slightly nothing u can notice


I've tried the gel and leather pads on my DT880s/990s and the difference was huge. Judging by listening alone they could have been a different headphone. I personally like the velour the best out of the 3 as they sound airier and don't add any reverb or unnatural sounding bass. I like the Gels the best with the DT880s, but the pad itsself is somewhat uncomfortable so I'm back to the velour.

If you're moving from pleather to velour, you'll likely notice a more airey sound with notably less bass. I'd imagine a little more sound would leak, but I've never tested that theory.
 
Mar 14, 2008 at 4:44 PM Post #12 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunatique /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What if you simply lined the pleather pad with a thin sheet of another fabric so what's touching your face is more comfortable and not so sweaty?


You could try it, though I'd test it in a reversible way first by just setting the material between your ear and the pad. Maybe try two or three fabrics, nothing too plush that will fail to seal. Also, keep the stuff only against you ear and not inside the all-important air chamber between the baffle and your ear, where it would have a greater effect on the sound. With any luck, you'll improve comfort and won't really be able to hear the difference-- just don't glue/stitch the fabric down until you're sure.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 7:16 PM Post #13 of 19
Hey Luna - I bought the M50's yesterday and your review was a factor in the purchase as well all the other rave reviews. I am very happy with them.

I think the pleather pads have a sealing effect by being able to get so close to the skin. When you push the ear peice in gentally you can feel the air pressure change. So maybe their sound signature is driven by this?

However, I can imagine these getting sweaty as the weather gets hotter. So it could be a tradeoff between comfort and sound quality. Let me know how you get on.
 
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