How to clean Headphones Velours

Sep 7, 2012 at 6:11 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 74

bluedolphin

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I live in a heavy poluted area where dust enter house easy daily
This is how Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO now look after 1 year of use
they became hard and unclean
Normal or Not?
 
How to clean them, or should i Just change them
How much will new velours cost me and are they easy to change?
 
Any better Velours (leather?) that can stay cleaner longer?
 
 

 
Sep 7, 2012 at 6:26 AM Post #2 of 74
You don't clean them. You throw them away and buy new velour pads. It's 1 year old and it is pretty safe to say they reached the end of their lifespan.
 
 
Pads are not designed to last forever, it will be degraded after many wearings and must be replaced with new ones for both sound and sanitation.
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 7:43 AM Post #3 of 74
I don't know how long lifespan on velour are but I trust you that is 1 year then
and yea seem they had reach the end by now
 
How easy it is to change them?
i realy dont want to send them in only to have the velour changed
 
Is only flip off and on?
 
What about are the price of Dt770 Velour (in europe) now?
Any Leather velour avaible that last longer?
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 7:50 AM Post #4 of 74
Quote:
I don't know how long lifespan on velour are but I trust you that is 1 year then
and yea seem they had reach the end by now
 
How easy it is to change them?
i realy dont want to send them in only to have the velour changed
 
Is only flip off and on?
 
What about are the price of Dt770 Velour (in europe) now?
Any Leather velour avaible that last longer?

 
Velour is rather fragile material (it's trade-off for being such comfortable). You can easily change pads by just using hands (no special tools required), it may be a bit stiff to put new pads on it, but you will be used to it when you put the pad on the other side. Yes, flip off and on basically.
 
 
Not sure about euro price, you may want to look it for yourself.
 
 
Also, very be careful when you buy beyer pads. There are two kinds of pads for velour-type. One is for DT770, and the other one is DT880/990. While both of them look same, the inside materials are vastly different that will drastically change the sound.
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 7:56 AM Post #5 of 74
Before tossing money around, I'd recommend just cleaning them with laundry detergent.
 
I've owned a few pairs of headphones that use velour pads, and cleaning them was simple:
Get a small dish with hot water in it.
Add some laundry detergent.
Mix it up.
Smoosh the pads in the water/detergent solution, letting it suck up and push out the solution.
After doing that a few times, do the same thing in clean water.
Squeeze all the excess water out.
Set them on a towel or something to air dry them.
 
They come out good as new!
 
To remove the ear pads from the DT770's, just pull on them. They have a little lip that goes around the outside of the cup, and that's what holds them on. (When you take the pads off, you'll see.)
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 8:10 AM Post #6 of 74
Quote:
Before tossing money around, I'd recommend just cleaning them with laundry detergent.
 
I've owned a few pairs of headphones that use velour pads, and cleaning them was simple:
Get a small dish with hot water in it.
Add some laundry detergent.
Mix it up.
Smoosh the pads in the water/detergent solution, letting it suck up and push out the solution.
After doing that a few times, do the same thing in clean water.
Squeeze all the excess water out.
Set them on a towel or something to air dry them.
 
They come out good as new!
 
To remove the ear pads from the DT770's, just pull on them. They have a little lip that goes around the outside of the cup, and that's what holds them on. (When you take the pads off, you'll see.)

 
It is not that easy as 'cleaning' them.
The real problem, after prolonged use, is that inside damping material will (not might) degrade no matter how you treat well, causing sound alternation and sometimes comfort problem. It is a simple physics problem caused by applied force between your head and headband. Also surface of velour suffers by skin oil and other chemicals that permanently change velour. It may be clean after laundry, but the surface itself is already damaged. And it would be severe if it is already more than a year old.
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 8:27 AM Post #7 of 74
i remember a sennheiser staff stating that we should only use a clean damp cloth to clean them, my friend hand washes his srh940 pads with detergant though
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 8:37 AM Post #9 of 74
Quote:
 
It is not that easy as 'cleaning' them.
The real problem, after prolonged use, is that inside damping material will (not might) degrade no matter how you treat well, causing sound alternation and sometimes comfort problem. It is a simple physics problem caused by applied force between your head and headband. Also surface of velour suffers by skin oil and other chemicals that permanently change velour. It may be clean after laundry, but the surface itself is already damaged. And it would be severe if it is already more than a year old.

 
I can't say it's ever changed sound in a meaningful way for me.
 
Sometimes a little work beats tossing cash at a problem to solve it. It's absolutely absurd to recommend buying new pads every year when washing works just fine.
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 8:39 AM Post #10 of 74
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thoth /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
What about are the price of Dt770 Velour (in europe) now?
Any Leather velour avaible that last longer?

 
It would cost 23.5 €, but the price varies depending on where you buy the pads. Search for "EDT 770 V". It is also available in black color (EDT 770 VB), which is less widely available and often slightly more expensive. A pleather version (EDT 770 S) does exist as well, but it is intended for use with the DT 770M, and would probably change the sound.
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 8:39 AM Post #11 of 74
is cyberclean a good way to remove dust from the valour pads?
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 8:54 AM Post #12 of 74
Quote:
Before tossing money around, I'd recommend just cleaning them with laundry detergent.
 
I've owned a few pairs of headphones that use velour pads, and cleaning them was simple:
Get a small dish with hot water in it.
Add some laundry detergent.
Mix it up.
Smoosh the pads in the water/detergent solution, letting it suck up and push out the solution.
After doing that a few times, do the same thing in clean water.
Squeeze all the excess water out.
Set them on a towel or something to air dry them.
 
They come out good as new!
 
To remove the ear pads from the DT770's, just pull on them. They have a little lip that goes around the outside of the cup, and that's what holds them on. (When you take the pads off, you'll see.)

x2
This is how I clean the SRH940 pads on my T50RPs.
 
In between monthly soaks, I just brush them with a semi-hard clothes brush.
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 9:23 AM Post #13 of 74
Quote:
 
I can't say it's ever changed sound in a meaningful way for me.
 
Sometimes a little work beats tossing cash at a problem to solve it. It's absolutely absurd to recommend buying new pads every year when washing works just fine.

 
I guess this is one of the reasons when I buy used headphones, most of the times the pads are in such dismal state....
 
Pads' integrity varies depending on the materials it is used. Grado flat ones and expensive p/leather with good damping materials may last several years (like many of Japanese ones), but cheap vinyl pads and those German velour pads with weaker damping material, in general, are not designed in that way.
 
It also varies that the condition the pads are being used. OP may used the headphones all the time, or maybe he is not. Also the chemicals naturally applied (i.e skin oil) are the factors. Force applied by headband also varies depending on individual's head size. The fact is, however, velour used for those pads is not known for its durability.
 
My experience with all of these Sennheiser pads and Beyer pads on headphones I frequently use; even with routine washing, velour pads are eventually worn out; not just only surface, but the damping materials themselves also collapse inside, making the pads 'thinner'. Same goes for my friends' ones. I haven't seen any velour pads last longer than 2 years for regularly used headphones. Most of time, if they use headphones regularly, those pads are crushed inside and become nearly-non-functional at a year or a year and half.
 
I can't tell detail because OP's picture camera angle is rather bad to decide things, but my guess is damping materials are pretty damaged and surface color is changed a lot. It does not just mean the pads are dirty; there has been chemical processes already being done on the pads; washing will make those pads 'white' it won't be even close to the original state. OP may get satisfying result only if damping materials are somewhat still strong enough, otherwise replacing pads is usually recommended to do so.
 
 
And no, it is not absurd at all. 23.5 EURO for entire year is nothing.  If you can't save 0.06 Euro per day for pads, and If you are in such poverty, it's better to sell off the headphones and use the money for better purpose.
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 9:41 AM Post #14 of 74
Quote:
I haven't seen any velour pads last longer than 2 years for regularly used headphones. Most of time, if they use headphones regularly, those pads are crushed inside and become nearly-non-functional at a year or a year and half.

Mine is almost 2 years and it's getting thinner. The construction inside is completely different/destroyed and no longer comfortable to wear. I've washed them a couple of times before and it seems to worsen. I use my DT880 almost everyday.
 
Just ordered some new earpads, about time too. :p
 
Sep 7, 2012 at 10:39 AM Post #15 of 74
Quote:
And no, it is not absurd at all. 23.5 EURO for entire year is nothing.  If you can't save 0.06 Euro per day for pads, and If you are in such poverty, it's better to sell off the headphones and use the money for better purpose.

 
To just de-emphasize the age of the pads and take the question at face value , make the assumption the velours are brand new and have been dropped in a big oul pile of dust. 
 
If they gather hairs first remove the hairs with a clothes roller, or some other sticky tape if necessary. Then take the velours and put them into a bowl of hot water with maybe 1 teaspoon of detergent, maybe less, then wash them thoroughly with your hands, leave them out to dry for a few hours and voila! Pads are as good as new. 
 

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