[ThurstonX]

StanD
Well, i try again to equalize. But it doesn't makes me feel happy. Some sord of cheating or dark magic, that breaks the natural way of sound.

Hansotek
I got my eyes on fuzzor, but realy don't want to put my arms on cans to prolong their happy lifetime, without pain and suffering

casper3127
Thanks. Somtimes that little "just a bit", can change a lot of things.

 
I understand your hesitation/trepidation re: the Fuzzor mod, but if you're careful, it's harmless and totally reversible, though I can't recall reading about anyone reversing it.  All you need is the adhesive felt.
 
FWIW, I did a cable test with the HE-500s and four or five different cables, including the stock HE-500 and HE-560 cables.  I picked a couple songs that exhibit pronounced sibilants and/or glaring upper-mids.  The stock HE-500 cable was the worst, and the stock HE-560 cable tamed them the most.  I prefer my DIY cables (one uses Mogami, the other some crazy 100/46 Litz wire I got at a good price here in the US), and not just cuz I made 'em 

  The sibilants were always present, but where they were annoying with the stock HE-500 cable, they are just part of the recordings with the other cables.  I ran through the songs multiple times on all cables, taking breaks in-between, just to be sure of what I was hearing.   YMMV, of course.

 

[Rockcoon]

FWIW, I did a cable test with the HE-500s and four or five different cables, including the stock HE-500 and HE-560 cables. I picked a couple songs that exhibit pronounced sibilants and/or glaring upper-mids. The stock HE-500 cable was the worst, and the stock HE-560 cable tamed them the most. I prefer my DIY cables (one uses Mogami, the other some crazy 100/46 Litz wire I got at a good price here in the US), and not just cuz I made 'em The sibilants were always present, but where they were annoying with the stock HE-500 cable, they are just part of the recordings with the other cables. I ran through the songs multiple times on all cables, taking breaks in-between, just to be sure of what I was hearing. YMMV, of course.

Thanks, another score for. And i made my decision

 

[RiddleyWalker]

I'm incredibly late to the party, but I just picked up a used pair of these from the Classifieds!  I'm very excited, as the ZMF Blackwood is the only other planar magnetic headphone I own.
 
I know pad-rolling is a big topic with these headphones, so I'm hoping somebody can help.  I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I'm looking for pads that will have a big and impactful bass response, and smooth treble.  Which ones should I go with?  I plan on also doing the fuzzor and grill mods.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I'm incredibly late to the party, but I just picked up a used pair of these from the Classifieds!  I'm very excited, as the ZMF Blackwood is the only other planar magnetic headphone I own.

I know pad-rolling is a big topic with these headphones, so I'm hoping somebody can help.  I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I'm looking for pads that will have a big and impactful bass response, and smooth treble.  Which ones should I go with?  I plan on also doing the fuzzor and grill mods.

Welcome to the party. Given your very specific and helpful goals, I would go for Focus Pad-A, which are available here http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=203

You need the A variant of the focus for your stated aims.

Thurstonx is the unofficial professor of pad-rolling on this thread and he is currently saying great things about the AKG pads made by Chinese distributors on ebay. I have yet to try these but I am interested because velour has a certain signature amenable to my taste for air, soundstage, and clarity. He does not like the Focus-A.

I do, though, and I think they meet your criteria for bass and treble perfectly. Also, I find them very comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Hansotek]

 

I'm incredibly late to the party, but I just picked up a used pair of these from the Classifieds!  I'm very excited, as the ZMF Blackwood is the only other planar magnetic headphone I own.

I know pad-rolling is a big topic with these headphones, so I'm hoping somebody can help.  I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I'm looking for pads that will have a big and impactful bass response, and smooth treble.  Which ones should I go with?  I plan on also doing the fuzzor and grill mods.

Welcome to the party. Given your very specific and helpful goals, I would go for Focus Pad-A, which are available here http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=203

You need the A variant of the focus for your stated aims.

Thurstonx is the unofficial professor of pad-rolling on this thread and he is currently saying great things about the AKG pads made by Chinese distributors on ebay. I have yet to try these but I am interested because velour has a certain signature amenable to my taste for air, soundstage, and clarity. He does not like the Focus-A.

I do, though, and I think they meet your criteria for bass and treble perfectly. Also, I find them very comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

 
+1 on FocusPad-A.
 
I also posted a pretty simple mod for FocusPad-A a while back that further enhances the bass and soundstage a little bit. It's worth a try if you have a couple foam spacers from the stock leathers lying around. I know it's been my endgame pad. (Unfortunately, I posted this at the exact same time as the HE-1000 announcement, so I'm pretty sure nobody else has tried this wonderful and easy mod :/ )
 

 

[Viktor S]

My cable arrived today. <3

 

[Liu Junyuan]

+1 on FocusPad-A.

I also posted a pretty simple mod for FocusPad-A a while back that further enhances the bass and soundstage a little bit. It's worth a try if you have a couple foam spacers from the stock leathers lying around. I know it's been my endgame pad. (Unfortunately, I posted this at the exact same time as the HE-1000 announcement, so I'm pretty sure nobody else has tried this wonderful and easy mod :/ )

 

I still need to try this too.

 

[RiddleyWalker]

Welcome to the party. Given your very specific and helpful goals, I would go for Focus Pad-A, which are available here http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=203

You need the A variant of the focus for your stated aims.

Thurstonx is the unofficial professor of pad-rolling on this thread and he is currently saying great things about the AKG pads made by Chinese distributors on ebay. I have yet to try these but I am interested because velour has a certain signature amenable to my taste for air, soundstage, and clarity. He does not like the Focus-A.

I do, though, and I think they meet your criteria for bass and treble perfectly. Also, I find them very comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks for the helpful advice!  Quick question - are the ear openings larger than the stock pads, or pretty much the same?  I have big ears and anything smaller than Alpha Pads can cause discomfort.

 

[daerron]

The Charleston cable company pure copper cable helped a lot to tame a bit of sibilance and brittle sound that I always experienced with the stock cable. Also improved the bass. Subtle difference, but certainly worthwhile.

 

[casper3127]

My cable arrived today. <3

What type of cable is it Viktor? It looks amazing!!

 

[Viktor S]

What type of cable is it Viktor? It looks amazing!!

Forza Audioworks Noir HPC Mk2.

 

[Aerocraft67]

The Alpha pads look tempting based on the last week or two of the thread. I'm keen to make the HE-500 more comfortable without altering the headphones and sound too much. If I had to choose between conflicting parameters, I'd say comfort is the priority. ​I tried the Alpha Dog at a show and really liked the fit. I liked the HE-560's fit, too, but not sure that had much to do with the pads as weight/clamping compared with HE-500. I do like that Focus/A are HFM OEM. I guess I could try my stock pleather pads again but they made me sweat a bit when I tried them initially. 
 
Are Alphas the best comfort bet with the least modification? Do the Focus pads improve comfort much? Any simpler comfort adjustments to consider?

 

[Hansotek]

 

Welcome to the party. Given your very specific and helpful goals, I would go for Focus Pad-A, which are available here http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=203

You need the A variant of the focus for your stated aims.

Thurstonx is the unofficial professor of pad-rolling on this thread and he is currently saying great things about the AKG pads made by Chinese distributors on ebay. I have yet to try these but I am interested because velour has a certain signature amenable to my taste for air, soundstage, and clarity. He does not like the Focus-A.

I do, though, and I think they meet your criteria for bass and treble perfectly. Also, I find them very comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

Thanks for the helpful advice!  Quick question - are the ear openings larger than the stock pads, or pretty much the same?  I have big ears and anything smaller than Alpha Pads can cause discomfort.

 
That might be an issue for you. FocusPad-A opening is only 5.5cm. The stock pads are 6cm. Not sure what the Alpha Pad opening measurement is... I have them at home, so I could measure, but it sounds to me like you probably have a pair already.
 
I know ThurstonX has larger ears and finds Focus-A a bit uncomfortable, so you might want to ask him. HM5 pads or Alpha Pads might be the best fit for your comfort needs and sound needs at the end of the day.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Thanks for the helpful advice!  Quick question - are the ear openings larger than the stock pads, or pretty much the same?  I have big ears and anything smaller than Alpha Pads can cause discomfort.

I will have to check, but I do not think they are any larger than stock. This is where the AKG would take the lead for big ears.

I personally do not have any problems with the openings. I find the pads supremely comfortable. If you already have Alpha Pads, you may be already set.

 

[ThurstonX]

  That might be an issue for you. FocusPad-A opening is only 5.5cm. The stock pads are 6cm. Not sure what the Alpha Pad opening measurement is... I have them at home, so I could measure, but it sounds to me like you probably have a pair already.
 
I know ThurstonX has larger ears and finds Focus-A a bit uncomfortable, so you might want to ask him. HM5 pads or Alpha Pads might be the best fit for your comfort needs and sound needs at the end of the day.

 
Stop spying on me!  They're normal for my height (6' 4" or 5"), but nowhere near Prince Charles-size ears 

 
As noted, the smaller openings of either type of FocusPads make them a no-go for me, and the 'A's are far too shallow.  The AKG pads are definitely bigger, but maybe not much more than the stock pads.  The knockoff AKGs are much more comfortable.
 
I made a couple pairs, one using the foam from one of the stock pairs (probably velours, though I think they're the same), the other the foam from real Q701 pads.  On both I widened the opening a couple three millimeters.  I use the pair made from the stock pad foam (a full piece, plus a thinner, tapered crescent piece to create an angle) on my HE-560s, and they are the best pads I've had on those cans.  The microsuede covering helps a lot.  Those aren't going anywhere.  The other pair (from the Q701 foam) I had on the HE-500s, and while the sound was good, they were missing that sublime comfort factor I was after, so I kept rolling until I landed on the knockoff AKGs.  I modded them with thin, red adhesive foam rings to increase the depth to the right amount and give them a bit of pizzazz 

 
The HM5 pads are crazy comfortable, but I didn't like the sound as much as my DIYs, real AKGs and the winner.