= HE-560 Enhancement Mod (v1.5) =

[Amleth]

Thanks. I did try eBay as well but didn't find anything searching "Focuspad". I was hoping it was like most things, where direct from the manufacturer tends to be the most expensive way to buy something, since they have to sell at full RRP or nobody else would want to retail it. But I guess nobody else sells them at all?
 
They're for HE500s though, so I assume the HE560 fit issue doesn't affect me?

 

[ThurstonX]

  Thanks. I did try eBay as well but didn't find anything searching "Focuspad". I was hoping it was like most things, where direct from the manufacturer tends to be the most expensive way to buy something, since they have to sell at full RRP or nobody else would want to retail it. But I guess nobody else sells them at all?
 
They're for HE500s though, so I assume the HE560 fit issue doesn't affect me?

 
Yeah, you can get away with more with the HE-500.  I got the Audeze Vegans for $62 from B&H Photo for my HE-500, and I won't look back.  Easily the most comfortable I've tried, out of 10 or so, and they sound great.
 
Here are the knockoff HiFiMAN pads I got on eBay.  I took a chance they might fit the HE-560, but I wasn't surprised when they didn't.  Not up to the quality of the real deal, either.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252098733120
 
Maybe from that you can work out how search for others.  They're a good seller, and I've had luck with other pads from them in the past.

 

[Amleth]

Hrm. Those are just slightly thicker pads, but with no tilt. Here's the Focuspads from the same seller, but only barely cheaper than from HFM direct, and with no branding marked it's hard to tell if they're real or not. Also, no Focuspad-A on offer, which is what I wanted to try.
 
There's a lot of pics, though, showing packaging details too. To the folks who've bought Focuspads before, do those look legit? Did they come in an unlabelled bag in a plain, brown cardboard box, etc?
 
Edit: Weirdly, this seller sells the standard HE series earpads for a bit _more_ than HiFiMan (US$14.80 vs $10), but the Focuspads for cheaper (US$35 vs $40). The fact that the listings don't mention the word "HiFiMan" anywhere, but do list all the model names does suggest it's probably not legit. Then again, a lot of Chinese "knock offs" are actually just extra production from the same factories making the real thing. Sometimes they might be made with cheaper materials, but are often just exactly the same except with no or different branding printed on it, so who knows what we're looking at here?

 

[JoeDoe]

Let's get this thread up and running people!
 
Second time HE400i owner here. First set came already regrilled, sealed, and dampened. This pair was LNIB and I've just finished a 'diet' version of Jerg's mods.
 

1. Removed the outer dust cover, but kept the stock grills.
2. Cut out the pads inner dust cover.
3. Filled in the four cutouts in the mounting rings with adhesive felt.

 
Next I think I'll try a non-glue treatment to improve the bass seal. I saw headwhacker's electrical tape solution and I think I might give that one a go.
 
After owning the original HE400, HE500 (twice), and now the 400i, I think these just hit the sweet spot for me. Never heard the 560, but based on it's description and my preferences, I think that the 400i is gonna fit my preferences better. 

 

[uzi2]

  Let's get this thread up and running people!
 
Second time HE400i owner here. First set came already regrilled, sealed, and dampened. This pair was LNIB and I've just finished a 'diet' version of Jerg's mods.
 

1. Removed the outer dust cover, but kept the stock grills.
2. Cut out the pads inner dust cover.
3. Filled in the four cutouts in the mounting rings with adhesive felt.

 
Next I think I'll try a non-glue treatment to improve the bass seal. I saw headwhacker's electrical tape solution and I think I might give that one a go.
 
After owning the original HE400, HE500 (twice), and now the 400i, I think these just hit the sweet spot for me. Never heard the 560, but based on it's description and my preferences, I think that the 400i is gonna fit my preferences better. 

So...has the mod changed the sound in a similar way to the way it changes the 560s?

 

[Sound Eq]

which pads can i buy to give most bass and add some warmth without doing all the mods, just a simple pad swap

 

[ThurstonX]

  which pads can i buy to give most bass and add some warmth without doing all the mods, just a simple pad swap

 
tl;dr - try the Audeze Vegan pads or HM5 sheepskin leather (angled or not; yr call), but remember that the two materials will affect the sound differently.
 
 
For the HE-560?  You can just about squeeze the Audeze Vegan pads onto the cups with just enough clearance under the yokes for free movement, but you have to pull the stiff internal ring out from the pads.  These rings give the pads their circular shape.  I'm using those on my HE-560 now.  Another option are the HM5 sheepskin leather pads, which are smaller (esp. in outer circumference), so they should fit under the yokes.  I have those on my HE-5LE, but that's the old headband, so, more clearance.
 
I had to offset the Vegan pads from centered such that they are mounted a little lower.  I used tape to fix mine to the cups, but it might be possible to tape the HiFiMAN mounting rings to the pads.  Not sure what benefit that would bring, since the HE-560 cups are designed to prohibit free turning.  IIRC there's a way around even that, probably in this thread.
 
FWIW, different pad materials will affect the sound differently.

 

[Sound Eq]

   
tl;dr - try the Audeze Vegan pads or HM5 sheepskin leather (angled or not; yr call), but remember that the two materials will affect the sound differently.
 
 
For the HE-560?  You can just about squeeze the Audeze Vegan pads onto the cups with just enough clearance under the yokes for free movement, but you have to pull the stiff internal ring out from the pads.  These rings give the pads their circular shape.  I'm using those on my HE-560 now.  Another option are the HM5 sheepskin leather pads, which are smaller (esp. in outer circumference), so they should fit under the yokes.  I have those on my HE-5LE, but that's the old headband, so, more clearance.
 
I had to offset the Vegan pads from centered such that they are mounted a little lower.  I used tape to fix mine to the cups, but it might be possible to tape the HiFiMAN mounting rings to the pads.  Not sure what benefit that would bring, since the HE-560 cups are designed to prohibit free turning.  IIRC there's a way around even that, probably in this thread.
 
FWIW, different pad materials will affect the sound differently.

can i see some pics how the audeze pads mod is done
 
also the one i have the damping material thar is on the drivers has been removed can anyone tell me if i can buy that damping material as i want to bring mine back to stock except to change the pads

 

[ThurstonX]

  can i see some pics how the audeze pads mod is done
 
also the one i have the damping material thar is on the drivers has been removed can anyone tell me if i can buy that damping material as i want to bring mine back to stock except to change the pads

 
I'll try to take some meaningful pix, but I'm not disassembling them.  It'd be too much of a PITA to put it all back together.
 
What damping material do the HE-560 have in stock form?  The HE-5LE, for example, have that nasty felt on both sides of the drivers.  Admittedly, I modded my HE-560 long ago, so I don't remember their stock form that well.  I ask, because jerg's mods in this thread specifically add damping in the form of the shelf liner.  Do you have pix of this damping material?
 

---

 
If Moderators feel obliged, you can move this discussion here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/572327/mission-replace-the-hifiman-ear-pads-with-other-brand-ear-pads
 
as it's the more appropriate thread.  Or not

 

[Sound Eq]

   
I'll try to take some meaningful pix, but I'm not disassembling them.  It'd be too much of a PITA to put it all back together.
 
What damping material do the HE-560 have in stock form?  The HE-5LE, for example, have that nasty felt on both sides of the drivers.  Admittedly, I modded my HE-560 long ago, so I don't remember their stock form that well.  I ask, because jerg's mods in this thread specifically add damping in the form of the shelf liner.  Do you have pix of this damping material?

maybe what i meant is the shelf liner that covers the driver from inside, as the person who previously modded mine cut it off
 
i do not know what the is called so i am assuming the shelf liner and not damping material

 

[ThurstonX]

  maybe what i meant is the shelf liner that covers the driver from inside, as the person who previously modded mine cut it off
 
i do not know what the is called so i am assuming the shelf liner and not damping material

 
Nah, the shelf liner is a mod, not something stock.  Check the first post or two in this thread.  So, removing the shelf liner gets the HE-560 back (closer) to stock (depending on other mods).

 

[Sound Eq]

   
Nah, the shelf liner is a mod, not something stock.  Check the first post or two in this thread.  So, removing the shelf liner gets the HE-560 back (closer) to stock (depending on other mods).

so is there no material covering the drivers, i will post pics tomorrow
 
but us there no guide at all installing audeze pads

 

[ThurstonX]

  can i see some pics how the audeze pads mod is done
 
also the one i have the damping material thar is on the drivers has been removed can anyone tell me if i can buy that damping material as i want to bring mine back to stock except to change the pads

 
Here ya go.  Pretty quick and dirty.  The first one hopefully shows the pads extended beyond the lower rims of the cups.  The second one should show my attempt to get the tops of the pads flush with the tops of the cup rims.  The blue painters tape is my attempt to get the pads to move a little more freely under the yokes.  I don't give a rat's *** about aesthetics.  NB: the electrician's tape is just an attempt to get a better seal... and make it all that much more fubugly.  The third one just shows the interior, complete with infamous shelf liner
 
Fit wise, these are not the ideal pads.  Sound and comfort-wise, I'm done rolling pads on these damn cans.  YMMV, of course.
 
 
 

 

 

 

[ThurstonX]

  so is there no material covering the drivers, i will post pics tomorrow
 
but us there no guide at all installing audeze pads

 
There's some flimsy yellowish(?) material that I guess is for dust protection.  If someone removed that, just forget about it.  Gonna be way more trouble than it's worth trying to get it back on, IMO.
 
Guide?  Nah, other than removing the rings from the bottom of the pads.  If you don't remove them, there's just no way you're going to get those pads to fit on the HE-560, et al., style HiFiMAN cans.  I'd given up on those pads for the HE-560 until I discovered the rings could be removed.  After that, it was trial and error until I got a working solution.  It wan't rocket science, so I'll forego submitting my discovery to the Nobel committee
 
Good luck.

 

[Sound Eq]

   
There's some flimsy yellowish(?) material that I guess is for dust protection.  If someone removed that, just forget about it.  Gonna be way more trouble than it's worth trying to get it back on, IMO.
 
Guide?  Nah, other than removing the rings from the bottom of the pads.  If you don't remove them, there's just no way you're going to get those pads to fit on the HE-560, et al., style HiFiMAN cans.  I'd given up on those pads for the HE-560 until I discovered the rings could be removed.  After that, it was trial and error until I got a working solution.  It wan't rocket science, so I'll forego submitting my discovery to the Nobel committee
 
Good luck.

so besides improving bass did anything else change in sound signature