[BeatsWork]

  Budget is $400, maybe $450, but I can't afford any more than that, and it'll be a year or so before I'm ready for another big purchase. So would the pad upgrade help sound or just comfort, because you seem to believe it just affects comfort. Also, you say that the cable included is uber-crap, but looking at the selection of others for HiFiman, they range from $60 to upwards of $200, which I absolutely cannot afford. I hear differing arguments between those who think cables have absolutely no impact, to those who think that a high quality cable can make cans sound hundreds of bucks more than they cost. I'm gonna stay neutral on it for now, since I've never heard anything other than the cables included on the headphones I've got, but would you say there is a fairly noticeable difference between the stock, and maybe a $60 upgrade?

 
If on a tight budget I would spend every penny on best amp & DAC you can afford and worry about cable later.   MODI is excellent for price.  No personal experience but search forums for people using Emotiva speaker amp https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/mini-x-100   Requires speaker tap but that can be had for ~$30.  Comfort wise I highly recommend Brainwavz for $22. Again just search forums for plenty of reviews/opinions on these pads.
 
The included cable is "uber-crap" primarily for mechanics* - it's stiff, it kinks, poorly braided, SMC connectors prone to breakage.  You can see my review of a "reasonably priced" cable here.
 
* Someone will have to explain to me why silver coated copper is a good idea.  I make no claim to being knowledgeable on signal transfer but coating one wire with a different metal with different electrical properties just seems like a recipe for weird things to happen.....  

 

[Pirakaphile]

   
If on a tight budget I would spend every penny on best amp & DAC you can afford and worry about cable later.   MODI is excellent for price.  No personal experience but search forums for people using Emotiva speaker amp https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/mini-x-100   Requires speaker tap but that can be had for ~$30.  Comfort wise I highly recommend Brainwavz for $22. Again just search forums for plenty of reviews/opinions on these pads.
 
The included cable is "uber-crap" primarily for mechanics* - it's stiff, it kinks, poorly braided, SMC connectors prone to breakage.  You can see my review of a "reasonably priced" cable here.
 
* Someone will have to explain to me why silver coated copper is a good idea.  I make no claim to being knowledgeable on signal transfer but coating one wire with a different metal with different electrical properties just seems like a recipe for weird things to happen.....  

I've got the Magni/Modi stack and I'm not going to buy a new amp for quite a while, since the headphone is the most important part of the sound reproduction when you already have a good source and sufficient power. I'll get into the whole solid state/tube debate someday in the future, and maybe invest in something even more substantial than what I've got right now, but for my budget, I don't think I could've done any better than the Schiit stack.
 
The cables you list start at $100 when I roughly toss shipping and tax in there, and that's a major purchase for me, so I guess I'll have to live with the stock cables for a year or more. Good thing I haven't heard anything better, so I'll think it's amazing anyway.

 

[JoeDoe]

You'll be fine. 
 
After you spend some time with them, look over some of the HE500 mod threads to see some easy DIY ways to improve on an already excellent headphone.

 

[Anda]

I would recommend the new "Memory Foam Velours":
http://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Velor-Memory-Replacements-Earpads/dp/B00MFDX4YO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417643079&sr=8-1&keywords=B00MFDX4YO
 
More space for the ears, the foam keeps the shape longer and I think they sound nicer

 

[Pirakaphile]

  You'll be fine. 
 
After you spend some time with them, look over some of the HE500 mod threads to see some easy DIY ways to improve on an already excellent headphone.

Before I do any DIYing on em I'll have to get better at not destroying electronics. I used to disassemble old computers and things that I thought noone needed anymore (oops), often destroying things that took more than two minutes to remove. I don't trust myself with any kind of modification until I've spent a long long time watching tutorials, looking at pictures, and practicing yoga.
But yeah, I'll probably try and do some modding on my Grados first, since they aren't absurdly expensive.

 

[BeatsWork]

  The cables you list start at $100 when I roughly toss shipping and tax in there, and that's a major purchase for me, so I guess I'll have to live with the stock cables for a year or more.

 
And that qualifies for "reasonably priced" round these parts 

  That's why I'd spend the money on amp/DAC - don't want to 

 of cables but it's definitely not where you want start your investment for best "bang for the buck".  I'm quite happy with my current stack so it was worthwhile for me (but I said all that in the review ...) 

 

[BeatsWork]

  Before I do any DIYing on em I'll have to get better at not destroying electronics. I used to disassemble old computers and things that I thought noone needed anymore (oops), often destroying things that took more than two minutes to remove. I don't trust myself with any kind of modification until I've spent a long long time watching tutorials, looking at pictures, and practicing yoga.
But yeah, I'll probably try and do some modding on my Grados first, since they aren't absurdly expensive.

 
Search for "Fuzzor" and "Grill" mods.  Can do both for less than $10 in materials and pretty hard (not impossible) to screw up your cans and both easily reversible.

 

[Ron12]

Could anybody recommend me some good velour pads for HE-500s?
 
I am currently using modulor's jerg pads which I prefer over:
 
 - Focuspad and focuspad-A (too shallow, too small inner diameter, some overheating, somewhat uncomfortable velour top, some lack of openness in its sound)
 - Hifiman old and new velour pads (not as good match tonally but old hifiman velour pads come quite close),
 - Hifiman pleathers (not as good match tonally + some resonances and slightly too shallow, pleather material)
 - Beyer 990 pads (not as good match tonally + slightly too shallow)
 - K712 Pro pads (not as good match tonally)
 - Alpha pads (a bit too small inner diameter, not as good in bass department, HQ leather but I suspect problems during summer)
 
I've seen people to recommend HM5 velour pads I believe? Is there anyone who compared jerg pads to these pads? Or maybe jergpads with Audeze vegan pads?

 

[hifimanrookie]

Could anybody recommend me some good velour pads for HE-500s?

I am currently using modulor's jerg pads which I prefer over:

 - Focuspad and focuspad-A (too shallow, too small inner diameter, some overheating, somewhat uncomfortable velour top, some lack of openness in its sound)
 - Hifiman old and new velour pads (not as good match tonally but old hifiman velour pads come quite close),
 - Hifiman pleathers (not as good match tonally + some resonances and slightly too shallow, pleather material)
 - Beyer 990 pads (not as good match tonally + slightly too shallow)
 - K712 Pro pads (not as good match tonally)
 - Alpha pads (a bit too small inner diameter, not as good in bass department, HQ leather but I suspect problems during summer)

I've seen people to recommend HM5 velour pads I believe? Is there anyone who compared jerg pads to these pads? Or maybe jergpads with Audeze vegan pads?

Ask modulor....he made some wonderful jergpads extremes...excellent workmanship...as if they were made by the brand itself...for me those pads were good and to many the best for the he500...

 

[Ron12]

Ask modulor....he made some wonderful jergpads extremes...excellent workmanship...as if they were made by the brand itself...for me those pads were good and to many the best for the he500...

 
What do you mean by "jergpads extremes"? What is the difference between these and the normal modulor's jerg pads?

 

[hifimanrookie]

What do you mean by "jergpads extremes"? What is the difference between these and the normal modulor's jerg pads?

Lolz..with jergpad extremes i meant the modulor pads...as in the way they are made..compared to the diy jergpads...perfect workmanship...

 

[Ron12]

Lolz..with jergpad extremes i meant the modulor pads...as in the way they are made..compared to the diy jergpads...perfect workmanship...

 
Ah, I see... Well, I have one pair made by modulor as well as one DIY pair... And yeah, the one made by modulor himself is better, more tonally balanced while the DIY pair is leaning more towards stock Hifiman velour pads in tonality (current velour, not the old one).
 
Still, would be nice to know how HM5 velour and Audeze vegan pads stand against them... Both types of pads mentioned look really good.

 

[JoeDoe]

For those of you who like me, are still embarking on the ultimate HE500 pad journey, here are my thoughts on the HM5 velours:
 

1. Aaaaaaaahhh... The Focus pads are pretty comfortable but because the HM5 is a little deeper, the ear doesn't touch the inside. Also, the internal foam seems to be softer so they compress a touch more against the head. 
2. The only sonic changes I've found are that the velours may give up a little bass impact to the Focus pads since the Focuses have a leather wall. However, I think the difference is minimal and the improvement in comfort is worth it for a gentleman with larger ears like myself. 

 
PS. Anyone out there rockin' the Audeze micro-suedes on their HE500s?

 

[borrego]

I have Audeze Vegan pads on my HE-500. At $80 they are expensive but they are indeed the ultimate pads for comfort and neutral sound. http://www.head-fi.org/t/551345/hifiman-he-500-he-as-in-high-end-proving-to-be-an-enjoyable-experience-in-listening/15090#post_11027058

 

[julzd]

Just chiming in here, I personally found the headband rather than the pads to be the area responsible for the majority of comfort. To that end I modded mine by thickening out the padding (and using a nicer material) to give it a better hold on my head. Once this was done the pads became secondary as the weight they were bearing was evened out nicely.