[phchin]

Yeah, I am happy to read that!

I love them too
Yes, I have tried two other Earpads already, the ones of the AKG K845BT, which look very ok and improve the comfort and a bit the soundstage but not the bass. And the Brainwavz HM5 which improves the comfort more, and the soundstage more, and the bass more But look huge. So, only for home use.

I have ordered and will receive soon the Brainwavz HM9 and the Kicker Cush earpads.

I hope that one of those will be even better than the HM5 for sound, and for look.

I'll let you know.
@phchin
lately commented that he likes the HM9 more than the HM5 for being more discrete but they do not give the extra bass effect of the HM5 (thanks man for the info, and, yes, I will experiment a good EQ setting for them, although the ATH do not need much EQ for my tastes, just some extra bass with the "non HM5" pads. Eventually some subtractive EQ on the low mids. BTW, you could start using the EQ setting made for the Fidelio, make a copy and in the copy change one thing only for example change the frequency of the bass from 90 to 60 hz, and than switch between the two and see which one offer more bass. Delete the other and make a copy of the winner and change another thing, like the highs from 9000 to 12000 or the upper mids from 6000 to 9000 or to 4500, and so on... Anyway, how do you like the ATH?).

Dear Giogio
I bought the m2bt first and ATH really cannot produce as much solid base as fidelio. I purchase ATH from Japan ebay and found the ATH to offer a better package of sound as a whole. It let me learn to enjoy the other components of music apart from just its bass. However, the control of ATH on the phone is rather primitive in modern standard. I have to feel for the bottons all the time. Small price to pay for awesome sound though. ATH is also big carrying on my neck. Grabbing on my throat. But for portability, one should better use bt in ears.

 

[Giogio]

   
Giogio this constant talking up of the ATH is really tempting me to buy a pair just to try them out and see how they are. What are the inner dimensions of the Brainwavz HM5 pads? I can tell clearly that the stock pads are not going to be remotely comfortable for me. Did using them have any impact on the sound leakag problems you mentioned?

ehehe The HM5 are not for you, they make the bass more intense than you (for what I understood) normally like.
Let me try the HM9 and Cush and I tell you.
Anyway the HM5 are 7cm x 4.5cm inner dimensions. 2.8cm deep.
The sound leakage is not as bad as I thought, I just had no other headphone when I have tested it, so I thought it was too much (I try by putting them around my leg).
But then I tested other headphones and it is the same.
Of course, at max vol you will have leakage because it is ******* loud
But normal vol I said once that my friends in same room 2 mt away could not hear anything.
 

Dear Giogio
I bought the m2bt first and ATH really cannot produce as much solid base as fidelio. I purchase ATH from Japan ebay and found the ATH to offer a better package of sound as a whole. It let me learn to enjoy the other components of music apart from just its bass. However, the control of ATH on the phone is rather primitive in modern standard. I have to feel for the bottons all the time. Small price to pay for awesome sound though. ATH is also big carrying on my neck. Grabbing on my throat. But for portability, one should better use bt in ears.

Hmmm, do you use EQ?
Because, you see, the fact is, the Fidelio are a middle way between Plantronics and ATH, they do not boost the bass as much as the Plantronics but they do boost it, so that without EQ they clearly have more bass than ATH, specially on low volume, and specially for the very low bass (where the ATH miss a bit of body, so that at low vol they are less intense).
But there are two things which the ATH can do much better: they can get much louder than the Fidelio, and they can be EQed without affecting other frequencies much more than the Fidelio.
So, there is a point, when you tweak both, where the ATH start surpassing the Fidelio.
That is why I consider them superior on the bass.
Yeah, the controls are something to get used, but the button with the dot helps as guide.
On the Fidelio that big button for pause music is so idiot, it destroys their portability because when you have them on the bag they would turn on if something presses against.
In case you can't get used to the ATH as portable solution, do like I did, buy a AKG Y45BT for outside.
They are very portable and very cheap and sound quite good, and with a little EQ even more.
But if you have no problems with in ears, and you have a good one, I suppose it would be ok too.

 

[n00b2]

 
ehehe The HM5 are not for you, they make the bass more intense than you (for what I understood) normally like.
Let me try the HM9 and Cush and I tell you.
Anyway the HM5 are 7cm x 4.5cm inner dimensions. 2.8cm deep.
The sound leakage is not as bad as I thought, I just had no other headphone when I have tested it, so I thought it was too much (I try by putting them around my leg).
But then I tested other headphones and it is the same.
Of course, at max vol you will have leakage because it is ******* loud
But normal vol I said once that my friends in same room 2 mt away could not hear anything.

 
I'd definitely be getting the velour pads (or both to try) if I get the HM5. Velour usually reduces bass response and I'm also not against using EQ if it works well. The HM9 seem like they will be a bit small seeing how people are saying they are stylish enough to take outside. Nothing stylish enough to take outside ever fits me. Did you have any other issues with the ATH in terms of comfort like with the headband for example? And how was soundstage with the HM5 compared to say the soundstage of the Momentum Wireless?

 

[Giogio]

@phchin, can you tell us the inner diameter of the HM9?

 

[Giogio]

   
I'd definitely be getting the velour pads (or both to try) if I get the HM5. Velour usually reduces bass response and I'm also not against using EQ if it works well. The HM9 seem like they will be a bit small seeing how people are saying they are stylish enough to take outside. Nothing stylish enough to take outside ever fits me. Did you have any other issues with the ATH in terms of comfort like with the headband for example? And how was soundstage with the HM5 compared to say the soundstage of the Momentum Wireless?

I suggest to get both. THey offer a good return and refund policy, so you can send back the ones you do not like.
I am trying again the velour (not yet sent back), I have the impressions that they make the highs a bit harsher.
While the leatherette make the low end a bit boomier.
The leatherette improve the soundstage more.
You can say anyway that the Senny have a more "native" soundstage. Which must also come from their drivers, although I am now sure that the form and dimensions of their earpads have an influence.
So, Senny still on top for soundstage. But the ATH do quite well with the HM5.
No other discomfort. Headband and the rest, perfect to me.
But you know, nobody can know how something will feel on other heads

 

[n00b2]

  I suggest to get both. THey offer a good return and refund policy, so you can send back the ones you do not like.
I am trying again the velour (not yet sent back), I have the impressions that they make the highs a bit harsher.
While the leatherette make the low end a bit boomier.
The leatherette improve the soundstage more.
You can say anyway that the Senny have a more "native" soundstage. Which must also come from their drivers, although I am now sure that the form and dimensions of their earpads have an influence.
So, Senny still on top for soundstage. But the ATH do quite well with the HM5.
No other discomfort. Headband and the rest, perfect to me.
But you know, nobody can know how something will feel on other heads

 
Yes I will definitely have to try both and maybe some others to see how they go. I will probably wait until I hear some feedback from you about the other ear cups you are trying. How did the AKG ear cups go with the ATH btw? Any improvement in sound or just comfort?

 

[phchin]

Dear Giogio
 
I just measured the inside diameter: 4.5 cm. The height of the cup is also 4.5 cm. BTW, just increase bass by 3 db, and decreased high by 3db. Much better bass. The sound becomes a bit warmer afterwards. I feel like the original sound with HM9 on better.

 

[Giogio]

   
Yes I will definitely have to try both and maybe some others to see how they go. I will probably wait until I hear some feedback from you about the other ear cups you are trying. How did the AKG ear cups go with the ATH btw? Any improvement in sound or just comfort?

The soundstage improved a bit. The bass, I had the impression, was a bit reduced. Unfortunately I do not have them anymore.
I think I have posted already their inner diameter, did I?
 

  Dear Giogio
 
I just measured the inside diameter: 4.5 cm. The height of the cup is also 4.5 cm. BTW, just increase bass by 3 db, and decreased high by 3db. Much better bass. The sound becomes a bit warmer afterwards. I feel like the original sound with HM9 on better.

Oh, only 4.5cm opening for the ears?
wow, what to they have, 2cm border?
But, 4,5 height, measured from where?
Maybe you can do couple of photos with the meter there so we see the numbers?
 
Which bass/highs frequencies exactly did you boost/reduce?
With Neutron?
Can you send screenshot?
I would also propose to try reducing the low mids a bit. I do not know the sound with the HM9 so it may not be needed, but with the HM5 I have felt that a little reduction of 3db from 250 to 500hz in Foobar, or on the 300hz or 400hz in Neutron gives better clarity and improve the unwanted boominess of the HM5.
Maybe also with the HM9 it would give you even more precision in the bass and more separation.

 

[Giogio]

Just received the Earpads of the Kicker Cush as a replacement for the ATH-WS99BT.
The inner diameter is almost 5.5cm, so, an improvement, as also the thickness/depth with 2.5cm is better then the cm of the original ATH pads.
The sound seems also better, a bit more soundstage, a bit less highs which allow you to to use max vol. without harshness.
Maybe a little less transparency, I am not yet sure. But it could be, considering that they have a foam instead of just a cloth to cover the drivers.
The opening on the back anyway (= the inner diameter of the sleeve on the back) is a bit too big and they move a bit, but they do not detach. So, all good.
I will try to see if I can adjust this, but I have no time now.
For the stability of the connection with the headphone I prefer the AKG K845BT earpads, but they are a bit thinner, 23mm instead of 25.
I will try to get a pair and compare.

 

[leddra2k]

Yeah, I am happy to read that!

I love them too
Yes, I have tried two other Earpads already, the ones of the AKG K845BT, which look very ok and improve the comfort and a bit the soundstage but not the bass. And the Brainwavz HM5 which improves the comfort more, and the soundstage more, and the bass more But look huge. So, only for home use.

I have ordered and will receive soon the Brainwavz HM9 and the Kicker Cush earpads.

I hope that one of those will be even better than the HM5 for sound, and for look.

I'll let you know.
@phchin
lately commented that he likes the HM9 more than the HM5 for being more discrete but they do not give the extra bass effect of the HM5 (thanks man for the info, and, yes, I will experiment a good EQ setting for them, although the ATH do not need much EQ for my tastes, just some extra bass with the "non HM5" pads. Eventually some subtractive EQ on the low mids. BTW, you could start using the EQ setting made for the Fidelio, make a copy and in the copy change one thing only for example change the frequency of the bass from 90 to 60 hz, and than switch between the two and see which one offer more bass. Delete the other and make a copy of the winner and change another thing, like the highs from 9000 to 12000 or the upper mids from 6000 to 9000 or to 4500, and so on... Anyway, how do you like the ATH?).

Totally agree the delivery of bass is much stronger with the HM5s and volume is to be increased to bring up the vocals. Trouble is not for the public unless you don't mind how you look. Pics attached.
Would be great to know how the other pads look and sound before purchasing

 

[Giogio]

Would be great to know how the other pads look and sound before purchasing

Yeah! Drop the bass!
Hey, I think that on you the red HM5 look much better than the original ones. Be proud of it

I have EQed the mids and upper mids a bit with the HM5 so to compensate how they absorb the sound.
Personally anyway, at least with dubstep & Co, I do boost the bass also with the HM5, and it is just amazing
 
I am playing around with the Kicker Cush earpads, I have stuffed them with a sort of foam to make them even thicker and a bit harder, and I like them even more now.
I think they could be the perfect solution to go around. But I will tell when I get the HM9 and the AKG (which I had tried while I had those headphones, so now I must buy the earpads to try again, which is ok, a little sacrifice for love to the ATH and curiosity of comparison).
 
For now, here a few pictures of how the ATH looks with the Kicker Cush pads (on the left cup it is stuffed, right it is not).


Stuffed, somehow, becomes also more stable in the connection with the headphone. I have seen that they have a sort of semirigid border on the sleeve, and when the pad is stuffed, you have the exact dimensions to insert the semirigid border, and the pads would not move.
 
Here is with what I have stuffed them.
The white thing is some kind of isolating thing, and the plastic ring I took it from another earpad. The Cush Pads have no ring inside, so by putting at first this ring and then the isolating material between the ring and the leather, from inside (where you have your ears) it works better.

 

 
And here a visual of the HM5, Cush, and ATH earpads. For each one the lower one is stuffed, the upper one is not.
So you can see the difference in thickness too.

 
The difference in each pair, between stuffed and not stuffed, so in this tower is not so clear. But for example if you see the picture above, of the ATH with the Cush pads, it is super clear that the stuffed is bigger.
With the ATH pads the difference is not much, because they have a very soft foam which gets very much compressed when you stuff them, so that finally what you gain stuffing you lose it (in part) with the compression of the original foam.

The biggest problem with the Cush pads is that Kicker is not very friendly. And they do not ship overseas.
But if you are in the US you can try.
 
Anyway, maybe the HM9 are even better, or the AKG (stuffed). I will get them and update the info.

Ah, one last thing. As the HM5 are quite bigger than the drivers of the ATH, the extremities of the longest side tend to flex a lot because they have nothing rigid behing them to support them.
So I had at home a super cheap cutting board (you know, to cut vegetables) of some kind of plastic which was rigid enough for the job (although I will look for something even more rigid). I have cut it oval like the pad and put it on the back. This gives the pads much better support and help avoiding that by flexing too much the ears would get closer to the drivers.
To make it clear where the plastic goes and where the isolating foam goes, I post both pictures.
In the case of the Cush the plastic Ring went on the same side where the foam is, but under the foam. Because on the back it was not possible, too big opening of the sleeve.
 

 

 
 
Now, if you want to know, ATH with HM5 + Rigid plastic on the back + isolating foam on the inside = WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!
The bass and soundstage and sound in general is even more improved than with the HM5 alone.
So, @leddra2k trythat.
And @n00b2 too
You @phchin could see if stuffing the HM9 improves their sound/soundstage/bass even more...

 

[n00b2]

  The soundstage improved a bit. The bass, I had the impression, was a bit reduced. Unfortunately I do not have them anymore.
I think I have posted already their inner diameter, did I?

 
I'm not sure if you did post dimensions but I tried the AKG and remember the size of them. They were round so definitely won't fit around my ears but they were comfortable enough to use for decent periods. Were any of these mods you are doing just simple remove the old ear cups and put in the new ones or did you have to do lots of modifications to get them to fit properly? Not against doing mods though would prefer if I could get something that just clips in straight away for convenience.

 

[Giogio]

  Were any of these mods you are doing just simple remove the old ear cups and put in the new ones or did you have to do lots of modifications to get them to fit properly?

It's not a matter of fitting properly, it is a matter of looking for perfection
And it may look complicated but I promise you that it is MUCH more fun than you can think.
I also was like "What?" when I was reading about mods, but when I have found the ATH and love their sound but needed to improve their comfort, I have started, and found it just pleasant.
 
But you can just put the HM5 as they are. It's already a very good improvement and your ears will fit.
Then, if you want to experiment, you can do it.
I can just tell you, with the plastic thing and the extra foam, I have the feeling of my ears being totally free, not touching anything on any side. And the sound just comes from the speakers like it naturally must, by following the whole form of the ears, which is a more natural sound than if the headphones press your ears making them flat.
Ears is not just the hole, it is the whole.

 

[leddra2k]

Nice Mod Giogio! The Cush look much better for the public eye! Just can't get them here in the UK be interesting to see what the other Earpads are like once you have tested them.

I'll just Continue to cruise the streets with these red baby's

Plus I'll head to the shops and get me some of that plastic

 

[Giogio]

Plus I'll head to the shops and get me some of that plastic

I got it in one of those "one euro" shops, you know, all super cheap thing from China, all for one euro...
Or one Pound
But anything which is rigid enough to support the edges of the earpads preventing them to flex too much, and which you can cut somehow, would do the job.
For the stuffing also, I think it's a matter of finding the right material which does not absorb the sound too much.
Let me know what you find.