[bavinck]

There is a gap between the wood cups and the frame. Seal it up by making a foam ring or tape it up, and your isolation will increase by a lot.

Wouldnt that kill the bass?

 

[Astral Abyss]

I'm going to out on a limb here and say that the stock pads weren't meant to seal. It seems to be a bass reflex style enclosure (think ported subwoofer box) and doesn't need a seal to create it's bass. Hey I could be wrong but I notice no difference in bass with my glasses on or off and the pads aren't flexible or made to form fit your head.

 

[TMRaven]

I definitely notice a difference in sound when I lift the pads a cm or two off my ears.  This is unlike the Hifiman planars I've used, which really don't care about having a perfect ear-side seal or not.

 

[Whitigir]

Wouldnt that kill the bass?

Lol I was only replying to someone who cares about isolation. But the design of the headphones is semi-closed....it won't have good isolation. Try z7, it is also semi-oclosed, but the isolation is good

 

[tomb]

 

My stock pads are getting quite comfortable, they were a little stiff out of the box.... agree on the rotation/position being quite important.

These pads were made for the thX00. Clearly, it is going to be difficult to replace them as they were created to get the sound just as it is. I think people should really give them a chance. They really are not as bad as people are saying, I'm surprised by it frankly as I like them.


They remind me very much of the denon pads and people didn't seem to be complaining much about those.

 
^ This.
 
Actually, I have very few complaints.  Yes, it's not a linear sound, but it's a great alternative to many of the headphones that I have.  It will be interesting to see some tests from Tyll.  My ears tell me - despite the U-response - that the distortion is very low, which means very comfortable listening.  I'm not sure yet whether they're as good as the D2000 I heard years ago, though.  Certainly, the wood cups are unbelievable at this price.
 
As for the pads, I've found that as long as you tuck the back of your ear inside the pad opening, the muddiness goes away and the headphone really shines.  This is not as difficult as it sounds.  Simply move the headphone back a bit further than you're used to, making sure the back of your ears get captured by the pad opening.  Then you can push them forward for a comfortable fit.  Just putting them on your head without attention to the fit leads to an on-ear condition with a bunch of that wide portion of the pad out in the air behind your ears.  I don't think the pads were designed to fit that way. 
 
I agree with the others about the low-listening levels.  Hearing that much bass at low-levels is intoxicating.
 
P.S. I got mine a few days ago and I thought I came in under the 250 when purchasing.  Yet, the serial number is 01751.  Anyone have a reference for the serial numbers, yet?  Is this good or bad? (Like I really care - but I'm still curious.)

 

[Hi-Fi EDU]

 
As for the pads, I've found that as long as you tuck the back of your ear inside the pad opening, the muddiness goes away and the headphone really shines.  This is not as difficult as it sounds.  Simply move the headphone back a bit further than you're used to, making sure the back of your ears get captured by the pad opening.  Then you can push them forward for a comfortable fit.  Just putting them on your head without attention to the fit leads to an on-ear condition with a bunch of that wide portion of the pad out in the air behind your ears.  I don't think the pads were designed to fit that way.

 
That's very interesting. Maybe the pads were indeed designed to be worn exactly that way. If I had one of these, I'd definitely test that out. Then again my ears might be small enough to avoid on-ear scenarios entirely.

 

[linkbane]

This is awkward. I don't have a 6.3mm jack, only a 3.5mm, so I guess I'll be heading off to the electronics store tomorrow.

 

[Peapod]

  This is awkward. I don't have a 6.3mm jack, only a 3.5mm, so I guess I'll be heading off to the electronics store tomorrow.

 
There should be a Monoprice adapter in the Massdrop (not the Fostex) box loose in a small bag.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

It's a bad adapter, i recommend even a radioshack brand. Or better yet a custom one with a short cable.

 

[Billheiser]

It's a bad adapter, i recommend even a radioshack brand. Or better yet a custom one with a short cable.

I don't know if it's a bad adapter, but physically it's awkward. I'm using a sennheiser adapter that has a short cable between the 1/8 and 1/4 ends. Flexible and practical. About $15

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Adapter-Female-6-3mm-3-5mm/dp/B008JGWY2Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449891130&sr=8-2&keywords=sennheiser+adapter

 

[linkbane]

   
There should be a Monoprice adapter in the Massdrop (not the Fostex) box loose in a small bag.

 
Thanks for that, I'll go take a look!

It's a bad adapter, i recommend even a radioshack brand. Or better yet a custom one with a short cable.

If that's so, I guess I'll still being going out. Thanks to you both! 

 

[elvergun]

There is a gap between the wood cups and the frame. Seal it up by making a foam ring or tape it up, and your isolation will increase by a lot.

 
Nah...these (and the D2000) are bass heavy headphones.   I've got other models (and IEMs) for when I need isolation. 

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

The length and girth of the MonoP is odd and in some devices it doesn't securely fit with one channel cutting (because the adapter slides out).

I too use the Sennheiser adapter, highly recommend for $15.

I don't know if it's a bad adapter, but physically it's awkward. I'm using a sennheiser adapter that has a short cable between the 1/8 and 1/4 ends. Flexible and practical. About $15

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Adapter-Female-6-3mm-3-5mm/dp/B008JGWY2Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449891130&sr=8-2&keywords=sennheiser+adapter

Thanks for that, I'll go take a look!
If that's so, I guess I'll still being going out. Thanks to you both! 

 

[moedawg140]

I don't know if it's a bad adapter, but physically it's awkward. I'm using a sennheiser adapter that has a short cable between the 1/8 and 1/4 ends. Flexible and practical. About $15

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Adapter-Female-6-3mm-3-5mm/dp/B008JGWY2Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449891130&sr=8-2&keywords=sennheiser+adapter

That's the same one that I use - shown in the review. I picked one up in London, New Malden, at CustomCable earlier this year. It's my favorite 1/4 in to 1/8 in adapter. Thanks, PhilW!

 

[iBrian]

I am using the grado mini adaptor and I think it's better than the sennheiser. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001DK1ZVO/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1