[Sourcesys]

I ordered a second pair of this: https://de.aliexpress.com/item/LEOR...acement-Earphone-Accessories/32830193307.html

The best pads I had for the HE-500, slightly better than the HM5 angled pleather pads.

 

[rwpritchett]

Anyone have a good source for SMC Hifiman connectors?

I ordered some from eBay coming from China like most here seem to do, but it's been three weeks since they shipped and I might just ask for a refund.

Hifiman doesn't seem to sell them anymore. Moon-Audio sells them by the pair but for $12 + $9 s&h.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Anyone have a good source for SMC Hifiman connectors?

I ordered some from eBay coming from China like most here seem to do, but it's been three weeks since they shipped and I might just ask for a refund.

Hifiman doesn't seem to sell them anymore. Moon-Audio sells them by the pair but for $12 + $9 s&h.

Wait for the china ones, its what I do

 

[bracko]

Thanks for that. Thought it would only be minor anyway. I'm actually using the velour pads that come with the 400S right now on the he500. Really liking this combo so far.

Interesting. What are the properties of the sound with VelPads compared to the stock pads?

 

[Cloud6]

Yeah, can't say, sorry. Never heard them with stock pads. They came with FocusPads. I'd imagine the stock pads sound very similar to this. FWIW, when I put the VelPads on the 400i, it made the 400i sound very very close to the 400S. So close that I couldn't discern any real differences.

 

[gug42]

Hello guys,

Is there any one who tested the Zmf Ori/Omni Fenestred pads ? Any comparaison with the non-fenestred ?

Thanks !

 

[ostewart]

Little write up on the Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads for the Fostex THXXX headphones.

This is purely subjective and I have no measurements.

First off I enjoy the HE-500 with Velour pads, but the comfort is sub-par with them and I have been searching for alternatives for a while that don't dull the treble like the Brainwavz angled pleather pads do. I tried the Mr Speakers Ether Flow pads, and they were my favourite but out of my price range.

I would like to thank Mark at Electromod for sending me these new pads to try out.

These pads are super comfortable and don't heat up as quickly as fully sealed pads. These are also slightly angled and provide plenty of space inside for your ears.

The first thing you notice about these pads is the way they retain all the bass impact of leather style pads but without bloat or masking of other frequencies. The lows are still tight and very precise in delivery and attack, a real selling point of the HE-500. The lows are a little fuller than the velour pads, but not as full as fully sealed pads, I believe the inner fenestraded parts are absorbing some of the reflections keeping the bass nice and clean.
The midrange is just as good as always on the HE-500, being incredibly open and detailed, you loose nothing in this area, there is no extra body added to the lower midrange, and the upper midrange to treble transition is smooth.
The treble isn't quite as up front in presentation as with the slightly leaner sounding velour pads, but the thing I didn't like about the Brainwavz pads is solved. The highs are still well present and extend effortlessly, I just think these is a small dip in the presence range that makes these sound a little less aggressive but without taking away the detail, air and extension. The treble presentation seems a little more linear with these pads.

The Brainwavz pads sound congested and thick in comparison to these, these offer a much more airy presentation and more linear sound in my opinion.

The soundstage is still nice and wide, this is not great affected by these pads.

Overall these don't drastically change the sound, they offer a little more body over the velour pads with excellent midrange and a little more linear treble. The comfort is well worth the upgrade and I can wear my HE-500 comfortably now.

These headphones, with the new style headband, and these pads still easily rival anything sub $800 in my opinion, and the comfort is much better than stock.

 

[gug42]

Thank you for report !

The treble isn't quite as up front in presentation as with the slightly leaner sounding velour pads, but the thing I didn't like about the Brainwavz pads is solved. The highs are still well present and extend effortlessly, I just think these is a small dip in the presence range that makes these sound a little less aggressive but without taking away the detail, air and extension. The treble presentation seems a little more linear with these pads.

Exactly what I'm looking for !
Well have to wait for a drop from massdrop, I suppose.

 

[trellus]

Little write up on the Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads for the Fostex THXXX headphones.

.
.
These headphones, with the new style headband, and these pads still easily rival anything sub $800 in my opinion, and the comfort is much better than stock.

How did you get this headband on there? I'm wondering if someone out there does this as I'm certain I would break them if I attempted to do it.

 

[ostewart]

How did you get this headband on there? I'm wondering if someone out there does this as I'm certain I would break them if I attempted to do it.

Its easy, one you get hold of a new style headband, remove the drivers, knock out the brass inserts that the screws on the old headband screw in to (with a hammer and screwdriver).

Then take a dremmel to the holes and widen until the knobs of the new headband slot in.

There's a thread in the DIY section showing you what to do.

I sold my old pair of HE-500 due to the comfort. But bought another pair and now with the headband mod and earpads they are incredibly comfortable and sound amazing.

 

[bracko]

These headphones, with the new style headband, and these pads still easily rival anything sub $800 in my opinion, and the comfort is much better than stock.

Thanks for the writeup. Which one of your amps do you use to drive your HE500?

 

[ostewart]

Thanks for the writeup. Which one of your amps do you use to drive your HE500?

Keces S3 in balanced mode, lovely pairing. So natural and effortless

 

[InsanityOne]

I just wanted to jump in here and drop a very interesting (and somewhat surprising) observation I recently made. A few weeks ago I was able to grab a pair of lightly used HE-500 in fantastic condition for only $400. I am using them with ZMF Ori pads in perforated leather and a ZMF pilot pad. So far the comfort doesn't really bother me at all, except that I feel like the gimbals don't extend far enough down to fit my long ears / head. I am driving them with a Schiit Jotunheim (normal gain) via. the balanced output. But that stuff isn't what I came to talk about, what I came to talk about was the HE-500 versus my Mr. Speakers Ether C V1.1's.

What is blowing my mind right now is that I have always stuck to closed-back headphones because I am a self-diagnosed bass head. The Ether C's have a pretty nominal amount of bass, but not as much as say the Sony MDR-Z1R or the Fostex TH-900. But, the HE-500's actually have way MORE bass (in both body and slam) than my Ether C's, which is really throwing me for a loop right now. How can an such an open headphone have such great bass response? I think I am actually enjoying the sound signature of the HE-500's more than my Ether C's which is just... I'm not sure how to feel about it.

On one hand, my Ether C's are quite a bit more resolving across the board, are way easier to drive, and have the ultimate level of comfort. Plus, I really appreciate their sealed, closed-back design, because that helps block out a lot of sound in my sometimes noisy listening environment. But the Ether C's "reference" sound signature just doesn't get me dancing to the music as much as these HE-500's do. I notice that whenever I put on the HE-500's I can't help but tap my foot or bob my head, whereas when I'm listening to the Ether C's, I just sort of drift away and get lost in the details and effortless (sometimes uninspiring) sound.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what can I do (or what headphones can I buy) to pursue the level of bass that the HE-500's are giving me, but maybe in a closed-back design? Also, are there any other mods that I should be looking at to further increase the performance of my HE-500's besides just a simple pad swap?

 

[K1030]

I just wanted to jump in here and drop a very interesting (and somewhat surprising) observation I recently made. A few weeks ago I was able to grab a pair of lightly used HE-500 in fantastic condition for only $400. I am using them with ZMF Ori pads in perforated leather and a ZMF pilot pad. So far the comfort doesn't really bother me at all, except that I feel like the gimbals don't extend far enough down to fit my long ears / head. I am driving them with a Schiit Jotunheim (normal gain) via. the balanced output. But that stuff isn't what I came to talk about, what I came to talk about was the HE-500 versus my Mr. Speakers Ether C V1.1's.

What is blowing my mind right now is that I have always stuck to closed-back headphones because I am a self-diagnosed bass head. The Ether C's have a pretty nominal amount of bass, but not as much as say the Sony MDR-Z1R or the Fostex TH-900. But, the HE-500's actually have way MORE bass (in both body and slam) than my Ether C's, which is really throwing me for a loop right now. How can an such an open headphone have such great bass response? I think I am actually enjoying the sound signature of the HE-500's more than my Ether C's which is just... I'm not sure how to feel about it.

On one hand, my Ether C's are quite a bit more resolving across the board, are way easier to drive, and have the ultimate level of comfort. Plus, I really appreciate their sealed, closed-back design, because that helps block out a lot of sound in my sometimes noisy listening environment. But the Ether C's "reference" sound signature just doesn't get me dancing to the music as much as these HE-500's do. I notice that whenever I put on the HE-500's I can't help but tap my foot or bob my head, whereas when I'm listening to the Ether C's, I just sort of drift away and get lost in the details and effortless (sometimes uninspiring) sound.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what can I do (or what headphones can I buy) to pursue the level of bass that the HE-500's are giving me, but maybe in a closed-back design? Also, are there any other mods that I should be looking at to further increase the performance of my HE-500's besides just a simple pad swap?

My main lineup for home use is the HE-500 w/ angled ether C pads, Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany, and Mayflower T50RP V1s. I'm in a similar quest looking for a closed can with proper bass akin to the lush HE-500. I also have a set of Audio Technica A990Zs that come close to that tight and lush bass response but a bit too veiled in the upper frequencies to appease my liking for detail retrival. I want to pull the trigger on a set of DT1770s but they may be too similar to the X00 so I'm thinking I'll try the A1000Z and see what's good.

 

[arteom]

The JVC DX1000 might be what you are looking for @InsanityOne