I agree completely that the HM5 pads don't work, at least for me. Took 2 people to get them on the white plastic mounting ring, one to hold progress and the other to keep sliding the lip of the fabric over the mounting ring. After that listening... Boy are they comfy! The pressure point that's been bothering me was gone completely, but so was the sound quality. Lost the compelling bass, the midrange became more recessed and highs were truncated. That was a waste of $20+ bucks!
Just for giggles, I tried the lambskin pads from my LCD-2's. Bass was a lot better than the HM5's but the treble became shout-y and pianos got tinny.
Back to the stock pads and Ahhhh! the great sound is back. I'd like to try the Alpha pads, but it's not worth the risk of $60 for me, so it's stock all the way. Hope this helps someone else save their money.