[mektarus]

I have SR-80's that came with bowl pads. When I first got them I was a bit disappointed. There was no bass, and they were pretty bright. On top of that, the bowl pads are fairly uncomfortable. I, too, went with the RS pads as a replacement for the bowls. They were much more comfortable and with the center hole mod they made the music less shrill but the bass was still pretty deficient. I then got the Sennheiser pads and modded them. All I can say is WOW! It's like listening to a completely different set of headphones. Highs are smoother without being rolled off, deeper bass without being muddy at all and better detail to the music (I'm listening to Shpongle right now and it sounds awesome, who says Grado can't do trance?). And the are just as comfortable if not more so that the RS pads. I got two pair of the Senn pads delivered for $10.78 and it was worth every cent. I Hope you get a chance to try them, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[seeberg]

I look forward to trying the senn. pads soon enough. I will order them, and I've got the money, but I wonder if it should be a major priority, and if I'm qualified to vwap mod them, to make them flats. In the meantime, is there a technique to stiffen the foam of an earpad, my spare RS pads (modded to vwap like standards) being an example? What makes foam harder or softer? Is it a glue stew or something? I do wonder about that, as I've been considering my mod options to stiffen up the foam, which no doubt gives it a major sound alteration, like comfies to bowls, the bowls are MUCH stiffer, but how they did it, I wonder. Check my other thread, you'll see I don't like bowls either. Too bright and no bass. It doesn't sound natural to me, and there's little comfort.

Let's keep this thread going, keep up those replies, everyone!

 

[seeberg]

Alright. I did it, I ordered 2 pairs of the H-19545 pads. For 11$, I hope these things make my ears orgasm.

Ja'ane

 

[mektarus]

You will not regret it! As far as modding them, I took the advice of another Head-fier and used a piece of 1 1/4" pipe that I had left over from building a gate for our fence. Worked great, looks like it was done at the factory. I have not, however, figured out a good way to do the 8 slits. I'm not even sure what benefit they would add. Also, I wouldn't worry about needing to make foam firmer. The Senn pads are much firmer than the RS pads but still retain their comfort.

Enjoy!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by seeberg Alright. I did it, I ordered 2 pairs of the H-19545 pads. For 11$, I hope these things make my ears orgasm. Ja'ane

 

[seeberg]

Nice. No worries about the pads then. An easy way to do the slits is by cutting yourself a disc from a cereal box,(greyboard is what it's commonly referred to) measure the diameter and cut to 2 1/4" (it might be different for the senn. pads) and mount the pad on the disc. Take a pearing kinfe and a ruler and line up your cut one way, then slice drawing up when getting close the edge both ways. Next, do the same thing with a 90 or 45 degree angle, once again lining up the cut and drawing the blade up so you don't kill the edge of the foam. The flaps the cuts make should be progressive in that they don't flap all the way out to the edge. A little complicated, but I hope that answers your question. I did it on my spare RS pads and it worked, but I didn't notice much of a sonic improvement on those pads.

 

[mektarus]

Hey Seeberg, did you get the Sennheiser cushions yet? If so, what do you think?

 

[seeberg]

got the pads, did the center cutout, dyed them black with shoe polish, and yes, they are bar none the absolute best I've ever heard. One stipulation is that I wear them backwards, so the foam resting around my ears is thicker. Apparently, it's more comfortable than wearing them foward and they sound better backwards too. That's my preference, and I have an extra pair if these ever die on me in the future. My connection's been outta wack for a while since i got the hell away from AOL and their scam. I had a 1070$ app. phone bill from Qwest because of bad access numbers on their "Free trial". Everything's been dropped on that bill to 110$ because of mishandling on Qwest's part, but I'll have to reply on intervals until i can find a no-frills broadband service. Anywho, hit me back if there's anything more to add here, as I always like hearing from the canfreaks!

Cans forever baby!

 

[mchang]

Pardon the re-post, but here are my conclusions with the RS mod that I replied with a different thread:

- The RS pads (with nickel-sized hole) up the bass quite a bit compared to the stock comfies.
- The RS pads really compress the soundstage (correct usage?) -- it seems like the song (Everything But the Girls' "Mirrorball" which has delicate vocals and highs and techno bass) is being played right at me.
- The stock pads put me in the middle of the concert with the music surrounding me more. The music is "around me" and not "at me."
- Because of the bass and compressed soundstage, I found the RS pads more tiring than the stock.

I've switched back to the stock, but not a bad experiment for $3.

 

[Hop Pocket]

Today I finally got my flats for my SR-80's from Todd The Vinyl Junie, and like you, all I have to say is WOW. The difference in sound is just amazing. I'm still in a little buyer's remorse at the $30 but I'm getting over it pretty quickly

Also, I think the flats are a lot more comfortable than the bowls.

 

[gswpete]

Waiting for my flat pads from Todd to see if they can tame the highs on the MS2's.

 

[Nightfall]

Many thanks for a tip from Ray Samuels. I recently replaced the $30.00 flat pads that I got from TTVJ for my PS-1's, with those $3.00 Radio Shack specials and the difference comfort is just amazing. I will never go back.
Looks like its time to sell the flat pads.


JC

 

[gswpete]

My flat pads just arrived! No more shrill and thin sounding highs!

 

[h3nG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightfall Many thanks for a tip from Ray Samuels. I recently replaced the $30.00 flat pads that I got from TTVJ for my PS-1's, with those $3.00 Radio Shack specials and the difference comfort is just amazing. I will never go back. Looks like its time to sell the flat pads. JC

that's how i felt. the difference in comfort was far more revealing and worthy than the difference in sound, if any.

hey see, how do you like the senns in comparison to the radshack? i've heard both but never compared, i am sure they sound very similiar. but if i recall correctly, the senns has a snugglier fit.

also any of you radshack pad users have anything special you use to keep the pads in place? it's a little lose, i use paper towels along the rims. it does the job, but i would like to know if there's a better way.

 

[seeberg]

I'll finish this what looks to be a now dead thread. Close/lock it if you like, administrators! (I would, but I don't know how/ or have clearance?)

To h3nG, sorry about taking so long: The Sennheiser pads do yield a better high frequency detail than the RS pads, but I prefer the RS pads for balance. All frequencies sound 'just right' to me, although for studio work the Senn pads are my pad of choice, they have more recessed mids and higher amounts of high frequency detail. The bass is still potent though, so they are worth a try if even by now you don't have any. Comfort wise, I lke the RS pads more.

I don't use any method to keep my RS pads in place; they seem to do fine on thier own.

Hope that helps!
Late,
Abe