HugoFreire
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2004
- Posts
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Hi guys,
Some of you may know that I've tried to organize a group buy for leather ear pads and headphone pads for the HE90s in the past. Why? Well, the original ones are made with low quality pleather that flakes when they age. Sennheiser sells spare parts which are expensive (and going up in price), and AFAIK they are running out of stock very soon (if they didn't already). But unfortunately the group buy manufacturer had outsourcing problems and we had to abandon the project.
Last year, me and my wife decided to make some DIY leather pads. I made an extensive research on materials and manufacturing processes, and ripped some original Sennheiser pads to measure and examine their inside. We went through many months of testing and prototyping and finally found the best materials, machinery and assembly techniques. I am pretty happy with the final results, and I would like to share some technical details and a few pictures below.
A big THANKS to Gary, who supported me through the whole process: he gave me some of his old pads (as I said before, I had to destroy some) and helped me a lot with the outsourcing. Thanks a lot, buddy!!!
Foams:
- Open-cell polyurethane;
- High resilience (2.7 lbs/ft³), for increased longevity (will last for decades with no degradation/deformation);
- Soft and comfortable (24 ILD);
- Precisely die cut.
Leather:
- Finest italian lambskin;
- Silky smooth;
- Thin (0.8mm) and lightweight;
- Full-grain (strong and durable);
- Black tanned;
- Chrome-tan (doesn't discolor or lose shape);
- Semi-aniline (top coat added to protect from wear and staining).
Internal earpad rings (for assembly):
- Polyamide (Nylon);
- Strong and flexible (will not break on assembly);
- Precisely 3D-print (dimensions are identical to the original Sennheiser's rings).
Die-cut foam model
3D-print internal ring model
Sewing and assembly
Prototypes
Final product
I'm thinking of making a few more sets by the end of this year, so I'd like to check how many of you have interest in these. Please reply to this thread if you do!
Thanks for viewing =)
Some of you may know that I've tried to organize a group buy for leather ear pads and headphone pads for the HE90s in the past. Why? Well, the original ones are made with low quality pleather that flakes when they age. Sennheiser sells spare parts which are expensive (and going up in price), and AFAIK they are running out of stock very soon (if they didn't already). But unfortunately the group buy manufacturer had outsourcing problems and we had to abandon the project.
Last year, me and my wife decided to make some DIY leather pads. I made an extensive research on materials and manufacturing processes, and ripped some original Sennheiser pads to measure and examine their inside. We went through many months of testing and prototyping and finally found the best materials, machinery and assembly techniques. I am pretty happy with the final results, and I would like to share some technical details and a few pictures below.
A big THANKS to Gary, who supported me through the whole process: he gave me some of his old pads (as I said before, I had to destroy some) and helped me a lot with the outsourcing. Thanks a lot, buddy!!!
Foams:
- Open-cell polyurethane;
- High resilience (2.7 lbs/ft³), for increased longevity (will last for decades with no degradation/deformation);
- Soft and comfortable (24 ILD);
- Precisely die cut.
Leather:
- Finest italian lambskin;
- Silky smooth;
- Thin (0.8mm) and lightweight;
- Full-grain (strong and durable);
- Black tanned;
- Chrome-tan (doesn't discolor or lose shape);
- Semi-aniline (top coat added to protect from wear and staining).
Internal earpad rings (for assembly):
- Polyamide (Nylon);
- Strong and flexible (will not break on assembly);
- Precisely 3D-print (dimensions are identical to the original Sennheiser's rings).
Die-cut foam model
3D-print internal ring model
Sewing and assembly
Prototypes
Final product
I'm thinking of making a few more sets by the end of this year, so I'd like to check how many of you have interest in these. Please reply to this thread if you do!
Thanks for viewing =)
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