[sebna]

Is the older famed AH-D7000 much better then the D7200 and D7100 etc?.

Never heard D7000 so cannot comment directly but D1001 are from same gen as D7000 and they are the most balanced HPs I have heard (however quite unrefined). D7100 had very similar sound signature as D1001 but like on steroids so more of everything. They were very good and more refined but had their own different problems but they were very good.

D7200 are not evolution but revolution. Totally different sound sig.

IMHO they were made to work with poor quality gear. Most of truly high end gear require not only at least good quality but also complementing high end gear to sound good, otherwise you will get rattling bag of nails type of experience. D7200 were made to work with anything which means they impose their own signature on everything and cut-off (filter out) level of detail which otherwise would become straining on low quality gear.

Just my opinion.

Cheers

 

[zolkis]

It seems to me that loss of brightness is somewhat confused with loss of resolution - there is a certain correlation (like details drowning into the noise floor with DACs), but it's also subjective, bound to personal perception.

I tested the D7200 against the best e-stats and IMHO they are not masking anything, it's just lower level and differently placed in the sound stage and perhaps sounding slightly differently with some equipment. Depending on ancillary equipment that lower level may mean loss of resolution as well, since now some of the details got drowned into the limits of the system as a whole. When that happens, there will be a change in how we hear a certain aspect of the music in space, time and harmonic content (like a background noise, a reverb, a decay, the body and colors of the instrument sound etc). When the change is big enough, we may perceive it as losing that aspect, even though it's still there, one can hear it, but it's not quite the same. I am not sure I could explain well what I mean. When you put ice into water, it disappears, even though you may make its form out under water when it's moving.

IMHO it is the pads that make the D7200 sound more dull or more constrained (even constricted) than it could. It's not bad pads at all, it's just too thick, too hard and has too much damping mass in that small acoustic space.
Those bloody pads matter as much as crossovers, internal damping and room interactions matter (all together) with speakers.

The D7200 drivers are as resolving to my ears as any other Fostex or better headphone. Not as resolving as e-stats, but not far either.
The D9200 drivers are brighter but also resolve better, still with nice harmonic structure.
The D7200 drivers are far more neutral and linear than the D7000, D9200, Fostex TH900, TH600 and many other drivers. It's state of the art that it's not as bright as the TH900 and D9200 drivers. Therefore IMHO has the best possibility to sound with realistic tonality without artificial enhancements.

Many aftermarket pads can make the D7200 sound more direct, but IMHO most of them will sound even worse than the stock pads. I tried more than a dozen pads with the D7200, not counting mods.

So far I found 3 ways out of this:
1. Sell the D7200 and get the D9200. A bit on the brighter side now, but reference level, especially in closed headphones. Don't touch it, pair with warm equipment, enjoy.
2. Get replacement pads for the D7200 and modify them (remove about 30% of the internal foam thickness). More open, better kick, better treble, bigger sound stage. Your ears have to be compatible with this change (thinner pads).
3. Get Stax SR-009 pads and modify them by removing the white ring from the internal foam (reversible and much easier to do than #2, but much more expensive). More resolution, much bigger sound stage, very natural. More open and bigger sounding than #2. Comparable to #1 but with no treble issues. Today this is my preference but I keep #2. around.

[4. It is possible that changing the cups would help as well, but there is no aftermarket for this. Unless one can obtain D9200 replacement cups and mount them on the D7200 (they seem to be the same size and design, same CNC process). Why would someone do that? Because it's IMHO easier to correct the D7200 lack of treble level than the D9200's enhanced treble.]

In all cases the apparent resolving power is increased together with openness and treble level. Interestingly also the bass extension, transparency, definition and sound stage improve. All by changing pads. (Of course you can change cables as well .

To fix honkiness in some D7200 samples, you need to use extra padding in the cups (e.g. a thin layer of Creatology foam pad that covers the internal back of the cups).
Interestingly enough, this problem disappeared for me in about 2 years time (verified by measurements). Similar effect happened with my Fostex headphones. The wood seems to get better with time.
So I have removed all cups damping from all these, that made the sound much more defined.

If one is not into mods, again I recommend getting the stock D9200.

Of course the D9200 will benefit from mods as well , but IMHO it's not worth the hassle, since its treble will become a hard-to-fix issue, unlike with the D7200, which is near-perfect after the mods. Cymbals, timpani, saxophone, wind instruments have so nice definition, natural clarity and body resonance, without any glare or treble haze. All other closed headphones seem to be colored or thin or thick in comparison. It's a joy to listen to them. The modded TH900 are even better in some respects, but much more colored, suiting more to jazz and electronica than to classical and chamber music - side by side I prefer the natural neutrality of the D7200, since it's closer to the e-stat tonality.

 

[wadec22]

It seems to me that loss of brightness is somewhat confused with loss of resolution - there is a certain correlation (like details drowning into the noise floor with DACs), but it's also subjective, bound to personal perception.

preach brotha

 

[TreeOfLiberty]

It seems to me that loss of brightness is somewhat confused with loss of resolution - there is a certain correlation (like details drowning into the noise floor with DACs), but it's also subjective, bound to personal perception.

I tested the D7200 against the best e-stats and IMHO they are not masking anything, it's just lower level and differently placed in the sound stage and perhaps sounding slightly differently with some equipment. Depending on ancillary equipment that lower level may mean loss of resolution as well, since now some of the details got drowned into the limits of the system as a whole. When that happens, there will be a change in how we hear a certain aspect of the music in space, time and harmonic content (like a background noise, a reverb, a decay, the body and colors of the instrument sound etc). When the change is big enough, we may perceive it as losing that aspect, even though it's still there, one can hear it, but it's not quite the same. I am not sure I could explain well what I mean. When you put ice into water, it disappears, even though you may make its form out under water when it's moving.

IMHO it is the pads that make the D7200 sound more dull or more constrained (even constricted) than it could. It's not bad pads at all, it's just too thick, too hard and has too much damping mass in that small acoustic space.
Those bloody pads matter as much as crossovers, internal damping and room interactions matter (all together) with speakers.

The D7200 drivers are as resolving to my ears as any other Fostex or better headphone. Not as resolving as e-stats, but not far either.
The D9200 drivers are brighter but also resolve better, still with nice harmonic structure.
The D7200 drivers are far more neutral and linear than the D7000, D9200, Fostex TH900, TH600 and many other drivers. It's state of the art that it's not as bright as the TH900 and D9200 drivers. Therefore IMHO has the best possibility to sound with realistic tonality without artificial enhancements.

Many aftermarket pads can make the D7200 sound more direct, but IMHO most of them will sound even worse than the stock pads. I tried more than a dozen pads with the D7200, not counting mods.

So far I found 3 ways out of this:
1. Sell the D7200 and get the D9200. A bit on the brighter side now, but reference level, especially in closed headphones. Don't touch it, pair with warm equipment, enjoy.
2. Get replacement pads for the D7200 and modify them (remove about 30% of the internal foam thickness). More open, better kick, better treble, bigger sound stage. Your ears have to be compatible with this change (thinner pads).
3. Get Stax SR-009 pads and modify them by removing the white ring from the internal foam (reversible and much easier to do than #2, but much more expensive). More resolution, much bigger sound stage, very natural. More open and bigger sounding than #2. Comparable to #1 but with no treble issues. Today this is my preference but I keep #2. around.

[4. It is possible that changing the cups would help as well, but there is no aftermarket for this. Unless one can obtain D9200 replacement cups and mount them on the D7200 (they seem to be the same size and design, same CNC process). Why would someone do that? Because it's IMHO easier to correct the D7200 lack of treble level than the D9200's enhanced treble.]

In all cases the apparent resolving power is increased together with openness and treble level. Interestingly also the bass extension, transparency, definition and sound stage improve. All by changing pads. (Of course you can change cables as well .

To fix honkiness in some D7200 samples, you need to use extra padding in the cups (e.g. a thin layer of Creatology foam pad that covers the internal back of the cups).
Interestingly enough, this problem disappeared for me in about 2 years time (verified by measurements). Similar effect happened with my Fostex headphones. The wood seems to get better with time.
So I have removed all cups damping from all these, that made the sound much more defined.

If one is not into mods, again I recommend getting the stock D9200.

Of course the D9200 will benefit from mods as well , but IMHO it's not worth the hassle, since its treble will become a hard-to-fix issue, unlike with the D7200, which is near-perfect after the mods. Cymbals, timpani, saxophone, wind instruments have so nice definition, natural clarity and body resonance, without any glare or treble haze. All other closed headphones seem to be colored or thin or thick in comparison. It's a joy to listen to them. The modded TH900 are even better in some respects, but much more colored, suiting more to jazz and electronica than to classical and chamber music - side by side I prefer the natural neutrality of the D7200, since it's closer to the e-stat tonality.

Thanks for all the info man. So do you think the D7200 has better sound then the D7000, if yes, why? . Also, have you ever tried the D5000 and how do you Think they compare?.

 

[sebna]

It seems to me that loss of brightness is somewhat confused with loss of resolution - there is a certain correlation (like details drowning into the noise floor with DACs), but it's also subjective, bound to personal perception.

I tested the D7200 against the best e-stats and IMHO they are not masking anything, it's just lower level and differently placed in the sound stage and perhaps sounding slightly differently with some equipment. Depending on ancillary equipment that lower level may mean loss of resolution as well, since now some of the details got drowned into the limits of the system as a whole. When that happens, there will be a change in how we hear a certain aspect of the music in space, time and harmonic content (like a background noise, a reverb, a decay, the body and colors of the instrument sound etc). When the change is big enough, we may perceive it as losing that aspect, even though it's still there, one can hear it, but it's not quite the same. I am not sure I could explain well what I mean. When you put ice into water, it disappears, even though you may make its form out under water when it's moving.

IMHO it is the pads that make the D7200 sound more dull or more constrained (even constricted) than it could. It's not bad pads at all, it's just too thick, too hard and has too much damping mass in that small acoustic space.
Those bloody pads matter as much as crossovers, internal damping and room interactions matter (all together) with speakers.

The D7200 drivers are as resolving to my ears as any other Fostex or better headphone. Not as resolving as e-stats, but not far either.
The D9200 drivers are brighter but also resolve better, still with nice harmonic structure.
The D7200 drivers are far more neutral and linear than the D7000, D9200, Fostex TH900, TH600 and many other drivers. It's state of the art that it's not as bright as the TH900 and D9200 drivers. Therefore IMHO has the best possibility to sound with realistic tonality without artificial enhancements.

Many aftermarket pads can make the D7200 sound more direct, but IMHO most of them will sound even worse than the stock pads. I tried more than a dozen pads with the D7200, not counting mods.

So far I found 3 ways out of this:
1. Sell the D7200 and get the D9200. A bit on the brighter side now, but reference level, especially in closed headphones. Don't touch it, pair with warm equipment, enjoy.
2. Get replacement pads for the D7200 and modify them (remove about 30% of the internal foam thickness). More open, better kick, better treble, bigger sound stage. Your ears have to be compatible with this change (thinner pads).
3. Get Stax SR-009 pads and modify them by removing the white ring from the internal foam (reversible and much easier to do than #2, but much more expensive). More resolution, much bigger sound stage, very natural. More open and bigger sounding than #2. Comparable to #1 but with no treble issues. Today this is my preference but I keep #2. around.

[4. It is possible that changing the cups would help as well, but there is no aftermarket for this. Unless one can obtain D9200 replacement cups and mount them on the D7200 (they seem to be the same size and design, same CNC process). Why would someone do that? Because it's IMHO easier to correct the D7200 lack of treble level than the D9200's enhanced treble.]

In all cases the apparent resolving power is increased together with openness and treble level. Interestingly also the bass extension, transparency, definition and sound stage improve. All by changing pads. (Of course you can change cables as well .

To fix honkiness in some D7200 samples, you need to use extra padding in the cups (e.g. a thin layer of Creatology foam pad that covers the internal back of the cups).
Interestingly enough, this problem disappeared for me in about 2 years time (verified by measurements). Similar effect happened with my Fostex headphones. The wood seems to get better with time.
So I have removed all cups damping from all these, that made the sound much more defined.

If one is not into mods, again I recommend getting the stock D9200.

Of course the D9200 will benefit from mods as well , but IMHO it's not worth the hassle, since its treble will become a hard-to-fix issue, unlike with the D7200, which is near-perfect after the mods. Cymbals, timpani, saxophone, wind instruments have so nice definition, natural clarity and body resonance, without any glare or treble haze. All other closed headphones seem to be colored or thin or thick in comparison. It's a joy to listen to them. The modded TH900 are even better in some respects, but much more colored, suiting more to jazz and electronica than to classical and chamber music - side by side I prefer the natural neutrality of the D7200, since it's closer to the e-stat tonality.

Ahh yeah, the amount of HF and resolution perception. I was wondering when somebody will bring this argument.

I am compering HPs to my reference point, which is my speaker system. My speaker system is not bright (it is less bright then D7200 but much more extended in HF range - it offers balanced spectrum). I am very sensitive to HF. It is actually quite funny how much information is lost on D7200 in compare. It is like 30% low level detail is lost. T1.2 black is like 25%, T1.2 silver is 23% etc. I am not talking timbre etc just pure resolution. D7200 is like using paint with all the tools set to 8 thickness of brush. You can paint what ever you want but fine details will never be seen due to thickness of strokes.

Cheers

 

[TreeOfLiberty]

I read some positive things about the Fostex TH-X00 headphones, im not sure yet if i will go for a fostex or denon headphone, anyone here who has tried both the TH-X00 and the D7200, D7000 that can tell me what you Think about what headphone got the the best all-around sound?, i can get the TH-X00 for a better price then the denons right now also.

I really like my current D2000 headphones, how would these compare to the TH-X00?

 

[xinghui0711]

I read some positive things about the Fostex TH-X00 headphones, im not sure yet if i will go for a fostex or denon headphone, anyone here who has tried both the TH-X00 and the D7200, D7000 that can tell me what you Think about what headphone got the the best all-around sound?, i can get the TH-X00 for a better price then the denons right now also.

I used to own both then sold X00 later on. X00 is a good headphone but D7200 sounds slightly better to my ears in terms of bass response. YMMV

 

[SpudHarris]

Well, this thread has come to life this evening for sure...

The D7200 for me is my go to phone since about a month of use. I don't find it lacking anywhere. I own the D7000 (modded with TH900 drivers) and yes, they are more detailed/revealing but not necessarily in a good way. If I have a new album I want to critically listen to, I would turn to the D7000 just to tag favourite tracks etc... If I just wanted a listen and chill to my favourite tunes/playlists I would always choose the D7200 no contest. I think I could quite happily retire my journey for the Holy Grail of phones with the D7200. Of course if I could afford the D9200 that might be different.

Just for reference I have D7000, HD800, HD800S, AKG702, Hifiman HE-4 (but have owned many, many others) at present, and if it were not for this damn obsession that "maybe" something might sound a little better with one of them, I think I could probably sell them all...and settle down with the D7200 for life.

 

[FiGuY1017]

Mine to! I’m content to say my one two punch will be my endgame for along time. Hd800 and 7200 my others are for the occasional change of pace that’s it. These 7200 are special imo.

 

[HungryPanda]

The three headphones that sit on my desk are the Denon AH7200, Fostex T60 and AKG 712 Pro. Love them all

 

[TreeOfLiberty]

The D7200 i can get right now is a bit expensive, so i might go for the Little brother D5000, has anyone here ever compared the D7200 with the D5000?, i read that some people like the sound of the D5000 more. Also, how do the D5000 compare to the D5200? witch one should i go with if i wanna go with the 5000?.

 

[zolkis]

Thanks for all the info man. So do you think the D7200 has better sound then the D7000, if yes, why? . Also, have you ever tried the D5000 and how do you Think they compare?.

I read some positive things about the Fostex TH-X00 headphones, im not sure yet if i will go for a fostex or denon headphone, anyone here who has tried both the TH-X00 and the D7200, D7000 that can tell me what you Think about what headphone got the the best all-around sound?, i can get the TH-X00 for a better price then the denons right now also.

I really like my current D2000 headphones, how would these compare to the TH-X00?

I have had all these. Don't rely on others' opinions too much, since you don't know the all different biases people have. I have personally found the D5000 too dark & boomy though smooth, the D7000 too dark-velvety (though very smooth). It will depend on your preferred genres and personal taste. I can understand why people love the D7000. You need to figure this out for yourself and there is no better way than trying them, either in shops or by owning them - long-term experiences being the best: that's the price to get to know yourself and the headphones in question. If you can't do that, enjoy what you have and spend time listening to music rather than contemplating alternatives.

On first hearing, I thought the TX00 (ebony) were better than the D7200 and the TH900 better yet.
I can imagine either the TH900 or D7000 would be top choice for people with similar preference.
After spending some time I started to appreciate the D7200 more, and also discover the annoying parts more.
If I didn't have modding experience I would have sold them and would have never unlocked the potential they have.
I like when instruments sound with natural tonality and adapt other genres to this priority. So I will always have a bias towards the modded D7200 and the stock D9200.
Other people are suckers for sheer physical bass impact with spacious sound (partially me too) and would prefer the (modded) TH900.
As for resolving fine details, nothing can remotely touch my e-stats (though I can hear all details with the D7200, just not as nicely integrating in the music as I know would be possible).
Nevertheless, for what I care in music listening, the D7200 doesn't lose much because it gets the harmonic structure right and therefore sounds natural.

My ranking would be something like this (instrumental + classical + most other genres):
modded D7200 > D9200 > modded TH900 > HD820 > Z1R > TH900 > D7200 > TX00 > D7000 > D5000 > D2000.

If I put on a different hat (reggae/electronica/metal/synth + some weight for sound stage), the ranking would be like this:
modded TH900 > modded D7200 > D9200 > HD820 > TH900 > Z1R > TX00 > D7200 > D7000 > D5000 > D2000.

With another different hat (most weight on sound stage but my other priorities stay) I would say:
HD820 > Z1R > modded D7200 >= modded TH900 > D9200 > D7000 > TX00 > D7200 > D5000 > D2000.

You see the variance and invariance: that is totally subjective and related to my preferences which may have nothing in common with yours.
Out of this, one could deduce that either the modded D7200 or the stock D9200 are my recommendations for the general public; the modded TH900 and HD820 (and Z1R) would get some people crazy and would not please others.

When you take price into account, from all these closed-headphone options I (must stress that it's personal) don't see much reason to pour money in anything else than a D7200 and a pair of Stax 009 pads (or replacement D7200 pads), doing some trivial mods and by this covering nearly all bases. Otherwise wait 2 years and get a used D9200.
I know people who drew that line at the D5200 and are happy (less problems than with the stock D7200, but less potential as well IMHO).

 

[batfier]

I have had all these. Don't rely on others' opinions too much, since you don't know the all different biases people have. I have personally found the D5000 too dark & boomy though smooth, the D7000 too dark-velvety (though very smooth). It will depend on your preferred genres and personal taste. I can understand why people love the D7000. You need to figure this out for yourself and there is no better way than trying them, either in shops or by owning them - long-term experiences being the best: that's the price to get to know yourself and the headphones in question. If you can't do that, enjoy what you have and spend time listening to music rather than contemplating alternatives.

On first hearing, I thought the TX00 (ebony) were better than the D7200 and the TH900 better yet.
I can imagine either the TH900 or D7000 would be top choice for people with similar preference.
After spending some time I started to appreciate the D7200 more, and also discover the annoying parts more.
If I didn't have modding experience I would have sold them and would have never unlocked the potential they have.
I like when instruments sound with natural tonality and adapt other genres to this priority. So I will always have a bias towards the modded D7200 and the stock D9200.
Other people are suckers for sheer physical bass impact with spacious sound (partially me too) and would prefer the (modded) TH900.
As for resolving fine details, nothing can remotely touch my e-stats (though I can hear all details with the D7200, just not as nicely integrating in the music as I know would be possible).
Nevertheless, for what I care in music listening, the D7200 doesn't lose much because it gets the harmonic structure right and therefore sounds natural.

My ranking would be something like this (instrumental + classical + most other genres):
modded D7200 > D9200 > modded TH900 > HD820 > Z1R > TH900 > D7200 > TX00 > D7000 > D5000 > D2000.

If I put on a different hat (reggae/electronica/metal/synth + some weight for sound stage), the ranking would be like this:
modded TH900 > modded D7200 > D9200 > HD820 > TH900 > Z1R > TX00 > D7200 > D7000 > D5000 > D2000.

With another different hat (most weight on sound stage but my other priorities stay) I would say:
HD820 > Z1R > modded D7200 >= modded TH900 > D9200 > D7000 > TX00 > D7200 > D5000 > D2000.

You see the variance and invariance: that is totally subjective and related to my preferences which may have nothing in common with yours.
Out of this, one could deduce that either the modded D7200 or the stock D9200 are my recommendations for the general public; the modded TH900 and HD820 (and Z1R) would get some people crazy and would not please others.

When you take price into account, from all these closed-headphone options I (must stress that it's personal) don't see much reason to pour money in anything else than a D7200 and a pair of Stax 009 pads (or replacement D7200 pads), doing some trivial mods and by this covering nearly all bases. Otherwise wait 2 years and get a used D9200.
I know people who drew that line at the D5200 and are happy (less problems than with the stock D7200, but less potential as well IMHO).

Thanks for the hint.

Will the stax 009 pad mode "destroy" the pads?

Meaning can I use the one from my 009 to just try it out and if I dont like it, put them back on the 009?

 

[TreeOfLiberty]

I have had all these. Don't rely on others' opinions too much, since you don't know the all different biases people have. I have personally found the D5000 too dark & boomy though smooth, the D7000 too dark-velvety (though very smooth). It will depend on your preferred genres and personal taste. I can understand why people love the D7000. You need to figure this out for yourself and there is no better way than trying them, either in shops or by owning them - long-term experiences being the best: that's the price to get to know yourself and the headphones in question. If you can't do that, enjoy what you have and spend time listening to music rather than contemplating alternatives.

On first hearing, I thought the TX00 (ebony) were better than the D7200 and the TH900 better yet.
I can imagine either the TH900 or D7000 would be top choice for people with similar preference.
After spending some time I started to appreciate the D7200 more, and also discover the annoying parts more.
If I didn't have modding experience I would have sold them and would have never unlocked the potential they have.
I like when instruments sound with natural tonality and adapt other genres to this priority. So I will always have a bias towards the modded D7200 and the stock D9200.
Other people are suckers for sheer physical bass impact with spacious sound (partially me too) and would prefer the (modded) TH900.
As for resolving fine details, nothing can remotely touch my e-stats (though I can hear all details with the D7200, just not as nicely integrating in the music as I know would be possible).
Nevertheless, for what I care in music listening, the D7200 doesn't lose much because it gets the harmonic structure right and therefore sounds natural.

My ranking would be something like this (instrumental + classical + most other genres):
modded D7200 > D9200 > modded TH900 > HD820 > Z1R > TH900 > D7200 > TX00 > D7000 > D5000 > D2000.

If I put on a different hat (reggae/electronica/metal/synth + some weight for sound stage), the ranking would be like this:
modded TH900 > modded D7200 > D9200 > HD820 > TH900 > Z1R > TX00 > D7200 > D7000 > D5000 > D2000.

With another different hat (most weight on sound stage but my other priorities stay) I would say:
HD820 > Z1R > modded D7200 >= modded TH900 > D9200 > D7000 > TX00 > D7200 > D5000 > D2000.

You see the variance and invariance: that is totally subjective and related to my preferences which may have nothing in common with yours.
Out of this, one could deduce that either the modded D7200 or the stock D9200 are my recommendations for the general public; the modded TH900 and HD820 (and Z1R) would get some people crazy and would not please others.

When you take price into account, from all these closed-headphone options I (must stress that it's personal) don't see much reason to pour money in anything else than a D7200 and a pair of Stax 009 pads (or replacement D7200 pads), doing some trivial mods and by this covering nearly all bases. Otherwise wait 2 years and get a used D9200.
I know people who drew that line at the D5200 and are happy (less problems than with the stock D7200, but less potential as well IMHO).

Sorry i dont fully understand all the technical stuff , when you say modded D7200 you mean a D7200 with new and better ear pads?, do you mean these Stax 009 pads from this link? https://staxaudio.com/earpad/stax-sr-009-earpad they are expensive, you say that replacement D7200 pads also works good? where can i buy these?. You rank TX00 higher then not modded D7200 and D5000 (better then D5200 also?), so i guess they are pretty good headphones, i can get them for a good price. I listen to all kind of Music but not classical, so i need a good headphone that is all-around good with many genres.

Maybe you can tell me this also, will this pretty old M-Stage headphone amplifier in this link https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/1670977_thumb.jpg work well with the TX00 or do i need Another and better amp for the TX00 headphones?.

 

[zolkis]

Thanks for the hint.
Will the stax 009 pad mode "destroy" the pads?
Meaning can I use the one from my 009 to just try it out and if I dont like it, put them back on the 009?

See the 009 inner foam on the left side:

What you do is take off the lower white ring, carefully, e.g. with the help of a sharp blade, I used a ceramic knife. I managed to do it so cleanly that the adhesive on the white ring was still sticky, so yes, it was reversible.

However, once you hear your 009 sound with these modded pads, you might actually prefer them without the white ring also on the 009.
These same modded 009 pads sound great (among the best) also on the TH900 and TX00.
It's far better sounding and far more durable than any other pads I tried so far: it might outlast other pads 4 times. The price is not so high if you take that into account, and also the versatility: it's easy to change the inner foam and experiment with other foam type, achieving tuning after your own taste.