[bagwell359]

Just got another pair of the MrSpeakers Flow Angeled for the 500's. The new ones were decidedly better - in particular treble and soundstage. I've had the old ones for about 17-18 months, using them about 13-14 hrs per week. I'll measure the differences and see if I can get the old ones to spruce up. I might try a mod using a tube or cord on the base of the pad, along the outside edge as well (will increase height, and AFAIK will increase bass) every time.

They (old and new) are not glued/taped down to the cups - so the seal is similar to say a foam pad - meaning there is a good amount of bass leakage. With no rear screens that becomes a more important consideration.

 

[dnalekaw]

Excited to join the HE 500 club soon and was wondering if anybody has had the chance to compare the Ether flow angled pads against the Palipads from hifiman?

 

[kid vic]

Excited to join the HE 500 club soon and was wondering if anybody has had the chance to compare the Ether flow angled pads against the Palipads from hifiman?

I don't have the Palipads but I do have the Dekoni TH900 fenestrated pads on my HE-500. I just compared the Ether angled pads (first gen) to the Dekoni pads and I found that Ether pads focused the sound a good amount, made the treble stand out a bit more and made whatever dip in the upper-midrange I had noticed before disappear; the downside was that the Ether pads made the HE-500 brighter and a little sharper. For a vocal focused session I would prefer the Ether pads, for just about everything else I'd prefer the TH900 fenestrated pads. YMMV

Additional note: The ether pads made the HE-500s sound like my LCD-3s but more aggressive and unrefined. I actually quite like the slighlty less refined character of the HE-500 (with all pads I've tried on them) because it kind of reminds me off a dynamic headphone but better.

 

[bagwell359]

I don't have the Palipads but I do have the Dekoni TH900 fenestrated pads on my HE-500. I just compared the Ether angled pads (first gen) to the Dekoni pads and I found that Ether pads focused the sound a good amount, made the treble stand out a bit more and made whatever dip in the upper-midrange I had noticed before disappear; the downside was that the Ether pads made the HE-500 brighter and a little sharper. For a vocal focused session I would prefer the Ether pads, for just about everything else I'd prefer the TH900 fenestrated pads. YMMV

Additional note: The ether pads made the HE-500s sound like my LCD-3s but more aggressive and unrefined. I actually quite like the slighlty less refined character of the HE-500 (with all pads I've tried on them) because it kind of reminds me off a dynamic headphone but better.

What other mods do you have on your HE-500's?

 

[kid vic]

What other mods do you have on your HE-500's?

Screens, nothing else. I'm not huge into modding tbh

 

[bagwell359]

Screens, nothing else. I'm not huge into modding tbh

The screen and the fuzzor together really seem to max out the mrspeakers ether angled.

I'm looking at the old pair vs the new pair. They have changed - sort of compressed. Not sure if I should add padding, tighten up the sewing, or add a slice of material (inside or outside) along the base in the shape of the pad....???

 

[kid vic]

The screen and the fuzzor together really seem to max out the mrspeakers ether angled.

I'm looking at the old pair vs the new pair. They have changed - sort of compressed. Not sure if I should add padding, tighten up the sewing, or add a slice of material (inside or outside) along the base in the shape of the pad....???

The fuzzor mod would probably be great if it did what people say it does (smoothing and focusing the sound). I'd love to compare your modded pair to mine but location is a thing.

I have the pads on my Ether Flow, they are thicker and firmer. The shape is mostly the same but they now seal better and angle a little more.

 

[bagwell359]

The fuzzor mod would probably be great if it did what people say it does (smoothing and focusing the sound). I'd love to compare your modded pair to mine but location is a thing.

I have the pads on my Ether Flow, they are thicker and firmer. The shape is mostly the same but they now seal better and angle a little more.

I can't quite make out if you doubt the fuzzor mod works - or just that you haven't heard it. I think the latter.

My take on the fuzzor mod is that it eats up reflections above about 400 Hz, this means you are getting more direct sound, so some of "romantic warmth" gets pushed down in volume, but, also instruments have less time smear. The overall personality of a speaker like headphones with ample bass, ample mids, ample treble doesn't really change, but losing the random reflections is notable.

In a room with speakers you need a balance of absorption, diffraction (probably the hardest to get), and there is no getting away from some reflection. In a crazy situation you'll have a back wall that's all sliders, no curtains, nothing. Go ahead and put your speakers on your favorite volume and tell me you can hear details, and silences as well vs a normal back wall. No way. This is what the fuzzor mod does, takes you from a metal and glass "room" and go for something more akin to a more neutral "room".

 

[kid vic]

I can't quite make out if you doubt the fuzzor mod works - or just that you haven't heard it. I think the latter.

My take on the fuzzor mod is that it eats up reflections above about 400 Hz, this means you are getting more direct sound, so some of "romantic warmth" gets pushed down in volume, but, also instruments have less time smear. The overall personality of a speaker like headphones with ample bass, ample mids, ample treble doesn't really change, but losing the random reflections is notable.

In a room with speakers you need a balance of absorption, diffraction (probably the hardest to get), and there is no getting away from some reflection. In a crazy situation you'll have a back wall that's all sliders, no curtains, nothing. Go ahead and put your speakers on your favorite volume and tell me you can hear details, and silences as well vs a normal back wall. No way. This is what the fuzzor mod does, takes you from a metal and glass "room" and go for something more akin to a more neutral "room".

Actually, I fully believe it works, I'm just not into modding at all so I just won't try it.

That's a benefit of near field speaker setups though, takes a decent amount of the room smear out of the sound. I've always wanted to treat the space behind my speakers but it never works out in terms of how much space I have and budget.

 

[bagwell359]

Actually, I fully believe it works, I'm just not into modding at all so I just won't try it.

That's a benefit of near field speaker setups though, takes a decent amount of the room smear out of the sound. I've always wanted to treat the space behind my speakers but it never works out in terms of how much space I have and budget.

egg cartons the paper ones in a 50% pattern on plaster, wood, sheet rock is cheap and not bad. For real help, ARC tube traps in the front corners (the big ones - at the bottom), and then 3-6 1/2 rounds between the speakers depending on how much space you have. Frequently seen on the used market, they are not too deadly cost wise, can get by w/ 4 if you have too.

Biggest room issues IMO is wall to wall carpet, big uncovered glass, soggy floors, and soggy walls (sheet rock not nailed down well). Watch out for too much absorption or too much reflection., that's why ASC traps are so great - diffusion, gives the feeling of a larger room, but doesn't eat up the later notes that your ear uses to establish a sense of space.

fuzzor is a piece of cake, dozens of pages back around '11-'12 tell you everything. either way it's cool.

 

[trellus]

fuzzor is a piece of cake, dozens of pages back around '11-'12 tell you everything. either way it's cool.

I know you were responding to @kid vic but just to chime in and speak for myself, I don't do mods like that because while I'm confident they are a "piece of cake" for normal people, normal people greatly underestimate the level of clumsiness I personally represent.

 

[bagwell359]

I know you were responding to @kid vic but just to chime in and speak for myself, I don't do mods like that because while I'm confident they are a "piece of cake" for normal people, normal people greatly underestimate the level of clumsiness I personally represent.

Yeah I actually nailed a can making basic mods fairly recently. I think I can fix it, but, I Just don't want to face it yet... so, Ok to back off on anything that looks tough.

 

[GREQ]

I wouldn't exactly call it "getting by"... personally I think they sound stunning.
Objectively they also measure quite fabulously.
(my HE-500 has a slight driver imbalance, so ignore the 1-2dB variation between L & R channels)


One important thing to note is I'm measuring down to 10hz.
Most other pads I've tested will start rolling off at 25hz.
It's not a huge difference, but for me it's important.
Two other things these pads do is reduce energy around 4kHz a little, and at 9kHz by about 5dB compared to the stock velour pads (and some others).

Other mods include extremely open woven wire mesh grills, fuzzor mod and one layer of Arctic Cotton between the ear pad and the driver to quell treble energy further.

Here you can see the size of the pad in contrast to my HE-400 with some old (and slightly tattered) aftermarket Denon pads (for the old D2000/5000/7000)

To continue and finalize my 'work' on the HE-500, I ordered a set of aftermarket Ori pads from here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32957776585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4d0e4c4d77Aio6

The comfort and fit is perfect - never has my HE-500 looked or felt so good on my head.
I will not however be using these pads with my HE-500.

I prefer the sound of the stupid XL 115mm pads (110mm typo in graph below) - soundstage is larger, bass has more authority and there seems to be more space and air in the sound.
It's a small difference, but at this level, that's all it takes.
These pads are identical to these - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_6,searchweb201603_52

As you can see, it's a VERY close call - and I can totally understand why so many people love Ori pads on HE-500 - it's obviously a clear winner against so so so many others, and for me EASILY the 2nd best around for sound.
I would love to have these 'ori' pads with exactly the same size dimensions, but a slightly bigger inner opening, just like the XL , but in the end, sound is #1



As a disclaimer, I can't fully recommend these 115mm pads for the HE-500 because they're extremely difficult to mount as they keep flopping around and are far too big for the mounting rings.
If you've got the patience and dexterity, then they're worth it, because you can make them fit (eventually).

 

[bagwell359]

@rwpritchett I posted a ton of pads on HE-6. You can extrapolate to see the relative differences and how they might fair on HE-500. I think MrSpeakers Ether C pads and Dekoni DT Series pads would work well.

Audeze Vegan pads (Discontinued) These have very good comfort as they are more like soft pillows than any other pad. They also have an excellent bass to mid response. The upper mids and treble is where I personally find issue. After the dip at 2kHz they start rising up and the treble can get too fatiguing depending on personal preferences and associated gear.

Brainwavz Angled Lamb Skin pads. I like these quite a bit. They are angled so they have better imaging and sound stage depth. Like other pleather or leather pads they have better bass conduction than the velours, even the Audeze Vegan pads. They are relatively well behaved throughout the frequency response. My only gripes are the 1kHz bump and the small 10kHz peak.

Brainwavz Hybrid Memory Foam pads. These are similar to the Vegan pads. They would be my recommendation if you want that sound and can't find the Vegan pads. They do offer a more immediate sound as your ears are closer to the drivers compared to the Vegan pads. They have a fun V shaped sound to them but they aren't natural sounding.

Dekoni DT Series Sheepskin pads. These are one of my top picks. They have a forward mid range and lower treble, great for guitar and a more present vocal presentation. They have a good balance with the bass and treble and are one of the few pads that seem to tame the 10kHz peak. They also present a nice sound stage as the pads have some depth to them but focus the sound well.

Dekoni TH-900 Perforated Sheepskin pads. These are a good alternative if you like the stock velour sound but want less high treble energy. I didn't like the way the perforated material felt on my skin but others might not have an issue. This is a pretty agreeable frequency response but a bit bass light for my tastes.

Dekoni TH-900 Sheepskin pads. These are the same as above without the perforations. They have good bass and a more laid back presence region compared to the stock velours. They are similar to the angled Brainwavz in sound but are a little brighter overall. They have a slight angle to the pads but not to the same degree as the angled Brainwavz.

Hifiman Focus A pads. I'm not a huge fan of either focus pads but these are the better of the two. They have a little more natural presentation with less 4kHz energy. The build quality is atrocious on these, I've had one pair come undone at the mounting ring.

Hifiman Focus pads. These are the more energetic version of the two pads. They are great if you like edgy in your face rock guitars or exciting percussion. They don't have the best bass quantity or quality compared to the other pads.

Hifiman stock pleather pads. These aren't that bad but they don't breathe well and the laid back presence region combined with the 10kHz spike makes almost all other pads an improvement.

Hifiman stock velour pads. I'm one of the few who really like the stock velour pads. I think they get the bass to mid transition perfect and only suffer because of the excess treble energy. Some creative front damping can make these the preferred pad for me and possibly others.

MrSpeakers Ether C pads. These are my top choice for my preferences. They are angled slightly, keep your ears close to the driver for good immediacy of sound, and excellent balance between the bass, mids, and treble.

ZMF Perforated Ori pad. This is actually a pretty good pad. If you like the focus pads but want more bass try these pads. They have good presence but with supporting bass so they don't become overly bright.

ZMF Suede pad. Zach was really curious to see how these compared to the Audeze Vegan pads. They are more similar than not but the Audeze Vegan pads have less energy around 1kHz. This is do to different damping such as material and foam but also their physical size, as they are at least 1.5 times bigger and don't fit as well as the ZMF Suede pads on the HE-6. I personally prefer Leather or pleather pads over Suede and velour pads as the bass is usually better with less treble harshness.

If you have a pad that you want to get measured I would be happy to do so. However, I will not purchase pads just for measurements.

Brought forward - for reference.

It appears from these comparisons in 2018 (by far the largest I've ever seen for the HE-500), that the Ether Angled Closed pads offer the best balance between bass/mids/highs per cskippy. Also the Ethers don't seem as recessed from 1k-5k as the ZMF's, and the ZMF Ori's also add a little more bass, although I don't think they need it. cskippy likes the Ori, altough it's in his 2nd tier. I found the Ori's to have a bit too much bass (although to be fair I hadn't done my dynamat mods yet) and to not have as much depth in the soundstage.

New add: since I wrote this I bought the Ori's and tested them again. I found them to be much worse than in my first review above. Too much bass (mid bass/upper bass annoying). Upper mids suppressed/gauzy, and headstage very narrow compared to Ether Angled.

 

[GREQ]

Brought forward - for reference.

It appears from these comparisons in 2018 (by far the largest I've ever seen for the HE-500), that the Ether Angled Closed pads offer the best balance between bass/mids/highs per cskippy. Also the Ethers don't seem as recessed from 1k-5k as the ZMF's, and the ZMF Ori's also add a little more bass, although I don't think they need it. cskippy likes the Ori, altough it's in his 2nd tier. I found the Ori's to have a bit too much bass (although to be fair I hadn't done my dynamat mods yet) and to not have as much depth in the soundstage.

That's where I would certainly have a problem with the Ether pads.
I already find the 1-5khz a little too strong/forward on the HE-500, so the slight extra bass from the 115mm pads is not just more preferable for my taste, but the whole presentation sounds more coherent and spacious than the 'ori's'.
This is almost certainly just a simple substantial difference in either our audio taste or our ear physiology or both, but good to keep the database increasing for others to extrapolate from.