[thebkt]

Received perforated Ori pads from Massdrop today. Once I try them out tonight I'll report back on how they compare to the HM5 pads I currently have fitted.

 

[mandrake50]

I ordered the perforated lambskin Ori and the perforated Eikon lambskin. Supposedly to ship around now. No shipping notification yet.
I will be interested in what you hear.

 

[George Taylor]

I ordered the perforated lambskin Ori and the perforated Eikon lambskin. Supposedly to ship around now. No shipping notification yet.
I will be interested in what you hear.

Waiting for a notification here too. Planning on putting mine on my Kennerton Vali.

 

[mandrake50]

Very nice looking headphones... Would love to know how they sound... Unfortunately, OT for here.

 

[thebkt]

Just got them fitted. Fist impression is great! My big ears fit into the recess more easily than the HM5's, though the foam feels a little firmer/thinner in diameter, so I can feel slightly more pressure around my ears. I'm sure the foam will soften up in time, so no big deal. I don't have the most educated ears, but the sound is arguably improved! I don't notice any particular loss in bass, though it does seem a bit tighter (yay!). Cymbals and other highs also seem a touch more concise too. I imagine this is due to the perforations allowing for less bouncing within the headphone, great!

The stitching on the pads is a little inconsistent, but after evening out the direction the inner seam sits against the pad it looks alright to me. Though the main seam on the inside wall of the earpad is noticeably tighter on one side. I had to do some more fiddling once they were fitted to the plastic ring (RIP 400S velour pads). At first the seam on the inner (thin) side pulled the ring out of shape. On the bright side, they were much, much easier to fit to the rings than the HM5's... obviously.

Tinkering done, pads attached, I'm immediately happy! I've been holding out giving the headband a stretch since ordering these, but I can finally release some clamp knowing I won't be getting any thinner pads!

I'll give them some head time before switching back to the HM5's to see if I can notice much change going the other way.

Edit: It's def too early to tell, as I'm only a few songs in, but I'm quite positive I'm hearing some extra little details. Nothing drastic, but very subtle details are coming through a little more. I'm guessing this could also be down to cleaner soundwaves in the cup. Fascinating stuff so far!

 

[thebkt]

A few images of the pads attached. Note some lumpy looking seams, which I wasn't able to smooth out by rolling the seam inside. Not an issue though, as it doesn't seem to affect the sound and I'm guessing it'll loosen up as the leather softens up over time.

 

[jaxz]

Looks nice. What pads are those?

 

[thebkt]

Looks nice. What pads are those?

Perforated Ori Pads.

 

[jaxz]

Perforated Ori Pads.

Thanks. $59.99 seems to be a fair price. Any comment on sound changes (if any). Maybe they level down the treble energy a bit just like Focus Pads-A?

 

[thebkt]

Thanks. $59.99 seems to be a fair price. Any comment on sound changes (if any). Maybe they level down the treble energy a bit just like Focus Pads-A?

I've only used the stock focus pads and hm5 angled pleather prior to the ori's. I wasn't able to give them much of a listen tonight, but if I had to sum up the difference between Ori and hm5 it would be that the Ori's are more comfortable for my big ears and sound cleaner. As I mentioned above, it seems to simply clean up the signal, across the spectrum it would seem (to my beginner ears).

 

[involuntarysoul]

A few images of the pads attached. Note some lumpy looking seams, which I wasn't able to smooth out by rolling the seam inside. Not an issue though, as it doesn't seem to affect the sound and I'm guessing it'll loosen up as the leather softens up over time.

the stitching are terrible, can't believe they charge $60 for that, Chinese copies has better stitching https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...32831654654.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.k0FiZN

 

[thebkt]

the stitching are terrible, can't believe they charge $60 for that, Chinese copies has better stitching https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...32831654654.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.k0FiZN

*shrug* As I mentioned above, the leather's stiff right now and reverts to it's current shape even if I adjust the way the stitching sits. I'm not concerned, as the leather will soften up over time and become more pliable. Though the stitching along the seam on the left pad (pictured below) is noticeably tighter than that of the right pad. Again, once the leather loosens up I'm sure I'll be able to make adjustments. Also as I mentioned above, the sound -- which matters most to me -- is great, so whatever. I paid $50USD for these (incl. delivery to Canada), so given they're thicker than the ones linked above, some stiff leather and stitch tweaks are a small price to pay for a noticeable upgrade in SQ, for me.

 

[phthora]

I don't think I've ever seen a leather pad that had perfect stitching. Given that they will be smushed into the side of your head, imperfect stitching is inconsequential to the sound anyway.

 

[thebkt]

Worth noting though, at first glance I was put off by the stitching (far more so in the left pad than the fine looking right pad), but after feeling around I realized it is mostly how the seam on the inside is sitting against the foam. I had a crash course in this recently after purchasing a pair of Aeons which had the foam flop around within the pleather during transport (or something). After tweaking the way the seam sits inside, the appearance was improved drastically. This was easier with the Aeons as the pleather is much more pliable out of the box, but yeah, not a big deal in the end.

 

[Brahmsian]

Ithe Ori's are more comfortable

I'm considering these Ori pads not because of sound but for comfort compared to the stock pads. Can you say a few more words about this? Although the he560 is considered over ear, it actually feels more like on-ears to me. Cups are way too small, and they squash my ears/make them sore.

Are they relatively easy to put on? ZMF website says they fit Hifiman headphones.

As for the sonics, my initial impression of these headphones has only deepened. They are better than the 400i but also share the 400i's sibilance problem with pop and rock music. On both headphones, classical music sounds excellent with not a trace of sibilance that I can hear. I wonder if anybody can account for why pop and rock sounds sibilant on the he560 and 400i and why this problem doesn't affect classical music.