[gsferrari]

updated the review

 

[BowerR64]

do you think the material used in the pads change the sound or is it the distance they are from the ear? The bowls do sound brighter then the flats but i wonder if its the distance from the ear or the style of foam dampens the sound or somthing?

What are those yellow pads? where did they come from? You have 2 different color of the vwap pads.

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowerR64 What are those yellow pads? where did they come from? You have 2 different color of the vwap pads.

Vwaps start out as innocent yellow Senn replacement pads. The yellows are the raw material...the black versions are the same slitted and dyed.

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowerR64 do you think the material used in the pads change the sound or is it the distance they are from the ear? The bowls do sound brighter then the flats but i wonder if its the distance from the ear or the style of foam dampens the sound or somthing? What are those yellow pads? where did they come from? You have 2 different color of the vwap pads.

I think distance plays the major role here. The materials appear to be similar, if not the same. (I have both pads as well)

 

[gsferrari]

My take :-

Factors affecting pad performance :-

* Distance of driver from ear
* Porosity of the pads (permeability to certain frequencies)
* Reflectivity

The vwap pads are the most porous and they are also the least reflective therefore I suppose they are as close to tonal "neutrality" as possible (ideal would be without a pad which also sounds good by the way - but is uber painful

)

The bowl pads place the ears really far from the driver - lowers bass. They are made with hard reflective material and are less porous therefore secondary/tertiary reflections can take place inside between the driver and the ear.

Todd Flats place drivers close to the ear. Unlike vwap pads the todd flats have hard reflective material and therefore the scope for internal reflections is more.

I am not an acoustic engineer - is anybody an acoustinc engineer here?

 

[BowerR64]

One thing i notice with the bowls is the shape is like a cone, i have seen older speakers from car stereos that use a cone shape that sticks up from the center of the speaker that gives the speaker a brighter sound. I wonder if this cone shape in the pad gives a bright sound?

 

[gsferrari]

Do any of you feel this review is worth making a sticky on the headphone section?

Cheers!

 

[r3cc0s]

can we still buy pads from vwap?
I haven't been able to find a thread

 

[mxs1030]

Quote:

Originally Posted by r3cc0s can we still buy pads from vwap? I haven't been able to find a thread

The vwap pads ARE the HD414 replacement earpads, you can get them direct from the sennheiserusa.com site for about $7 shipped. I believe they were named after him because he originally thought of using the HD414 pads on the grados.

edit: just noticed you are in canada, sennheiser.ca site then I guess.

 

[r3cc0s]

i thought he carved them out, and dyed them
cause I can't stand the ugly yellow

 

[Mr.Radar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by r3cc0s i thought he carved them out, and dyed them cause I can't stand the ugly yellow

Yes. The VWap pads are also cut to have a hole in the middle like the original flats did and dyed black to match the color of their. Their also suppost to be slightly more comfortable than the Todd Flats because the VWaps/Senns use a softer foam.

 

[r3cc0s]

so where can I buy em?

 

[Mr.Radar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by r3cc0s so where can I buy em?

I'm pretty sure VWap doesn't make them anymore so either used here on Head-Fi or make them yourself are your only options.

 

[jacdan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Do any of you feel this review is worth making a sticky on the headphone section?

Yes! It's too useful to just fade into oblivion.

 

[hazmat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by r3cc0s so where can I buy em?

Here.