[charlocharlie]

I wonder if putting the leather earpads from the HD 429 on the HD 439 would cut down on sound leakage. I'm not actually sure if velour pads leak more than leather, but it makes sense to me that they would. I'm actually considering buying the 439's myself along with leather ear pads.

 

[Slashfury99]

I actually believe leather pads isolate more than velour. There was a thread on the forums debating between velour and leather, but I couldn't find it currently, sorry.

 

[Claritas]

If everything else is the same, pleather will surely isolate more in an over ear model (on ear can be different depending on the purpose and size of the the pads).

Pleather will usually increase the bass a little, and velour will decrease it about the same. This has slight effects on the overall tonal darkness / brightness. These little differences are much more noticeable if you're already familiar with the stock sound.

 

[satori448]

Thank you for all the feedback! I'm still lurking and searching for what I want. I've found the Focal Spirit and am going to listen to those this week as well. I can only afford one pair so I'm taking my time, and unfortunately as I've said before, can't return things within a month here so I'm just comparing and contrasting as I go.

Cheers!

 

[satori448]

I wanted to say thank you for all your advice in helping me purchase my headphones. I ended up going with the Momentum's in the end. I tried countless pairs of cans and spent hours comparing and contrasting them but just liked these the best overall in the end. I can say I now understand that headphones are just as different as cars and the price difference does make a big difference. Since I am a newb these are plenty good for me right now and I'm going to enjoy breaking them in. I've let them play for 24 hours straight now and will continue to play them for a bit more. But, since I don't have highly tuned ears, I can say they sound better than any other pair of headphones I've ever had. I'm wondering how they'll be on long flights - that might just be enough to make me dish out for a pair of Bose NC's, but I hope I don't have to as I'll only be flying international 2-3 times per year. Guess I'll find out soon enough!
 
Again, cheers for your help! This sight is awesome!

 

[Slashfury99]

No problem! Have fun!