[Lester Mobley]

I recently bought a pair of K500 here on Head-fi which came with K501 pads and need new elastics.  The K501 pads are scratchy and I've read about the bass increase with K601 pads so I contacted the e-mail for Harman International listed on AKG's website.  Unsurprisingly they directed me to an authorised distributor (JAM Industries) and after a little delay, they quoted me a price of about $65 shipped for the K601 pads and no elastics.  Does anyone know if they can be had for less somewhere else?  I think that's a bit steep.
 
Secondly, the K500 don't fit right on my head because they need new elastics.  JAM Industries said they don't carry them so is there anywhere I can get them for a reasonable price?  Do other AKG elastics work just the same or are they different lengths that won't fit properly?
 
Also, the K500 came without the foam ring underneath the earpads that my K702 have.  Does this degrade the sound quality and should I be looking for foam rings for the K500, K601, or K701?  Is there a difference?  Thanks for any help.

 

[desktophifi]

The only places i know about pads for the 501's are Uk sites. 
 
Anyways check this link:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k_601_ohrpolster.htm

 

[REB]

thomann is your best bet, that is where i got mine (two pair). i would not bother ordering at akg. chances at success are low. as for the elastics, just use the elastics women put in their hair (to make a ponytail). works like a charm, they're really cheap and will keep their shape for a long time. My two pairs of k500s (both with k601 pads now) did not have foam rings. Neither did the k500 pair i just to own before (before i blew a driver...

). Remember that the k500 was made a long while before the k701 so you should not expect too many similarities. new pads are all you need. and btw the k501 pads i found to  be the worst pads ever. really. with the k601 pads your k500s will shine. enjoy!

 

[Justin Uthadude]

Keep an eye out on the for sale forum or better yet advertise you want to buy. I found a pair from someone who went through the pad switching trials a while back. They were brand new and the owner sold them to me for a good price. He, like many, had since sold the headphones and moved on and no longer had a use for them. You might be surprised. Head-Fiers are a pretty friendly bunch, and someone may have a pair they're not using and would love to help you out. (I use the K601 pads on my K501's)

 

[Lester Mobley]

Thanks guys.  I will have a look here but probably end up ordering from thomann.
 
The only reason I thought they had foam rings is because it looks like they have little pieces of plastic to hold them in place like the K702.
 
Edit:  Shipping from Europe to Canada is pretty high so it's only $10 cheaper than the one Harman directed me to.  I'll keep trying to find it cheaper.

 

[paulb09]

The only place I know otherwise is http://www.cimplespares.com/, but they only supply to the UK ordinarily, and the K601 pads are more expensive than at Thomann to start with. I hope you manage to find somewhere closer that supplies them at a good price.
 
As for the foam rings, they may dampen the sound slightly, and perhaps offer a little extra dust protection, but they're not exactly essential. When I got my K701 pads I ordered two of the foam rings too (they only cost 30 pence each or something, so I figured I might as well), and the design was different to my K601's original foam rings. The new ones are considerably less dense, so they have even less of an effect on the sound. I keep them in just in case they do pick up more dust, plus the cloth on the bottom of the pad is rather lose and flops around without the foam ring tightening it. Not sure if the K500 will be the same though as the service document doesn't look to list foam rings for it anyway.

 

[renlute]

Does Thomann sell genuine AKG replacement parts? Those pads look very inexpensive.

 

[fishski13]

i just got off the phone with Frank at AKG to order a pair of K601 pads - $38.38 including s/h to Minnesota.
 
Frank Rodriguez
Customer Service Administrator

Ph: 818-920-3279
Fax: 818-920-3208