Time for an update on my side. I have experimented with the pads on my Meze 99C; first trying the ZMF Ori pads and later on the Brainwavz HM5 non-angled sheepskin pads.
Now, I absolutely fell in love with my Meze 99C, so much that, when I had the chance to try out nearly every high-end headphone there is (TH-900, HD 800, LCD-2-4+X and more), I did not feel the need to upgrade since there was not a whole lot to upgrade when it came to a musical listening experience. I enjoyed the high-end headphones a lot, but they did not make me want to listen to my music and start dancing/singing on the spot. Thus, I stayed with my Meze and decided to upgrade the only thing about them that slightly annoyed me: the stock pads that were simply too small for my ears and pressured them so much that they immensely hurt after 2-3 hours of listening.
The time Massdrop offered a special sale for the ZMF Ori pads I quickly ordered a pair to try them on my Meze and I was stunned to what extend they changed the sound; surprisingly, not in a bad way. While bloating the bass and sharpening the highs, they created an amazing soundstage that was quite addicting to say the least. I managed to (almost completely) fix the low-end and highs fairly quickly - thanks to the great EQ response of these cans - and it was like discovering an entirely new headphone. It was exciting and I loved the new sound. BUT getting these pads on was an absolute nightmare and took me nearly an hour; and they were on very loosely so that i was always scared to accidentally pull them off again. They were simply too big for the cans and the frustration to get them on again and again whenever they would fall off, was enough for me to try out another pair of pads.
The Brainwavz HM5 sheepskin leather non-angled (since I realized that the driver is already angled) were my next pick and coming from the insanely large and comfortable Ori pads (that were a true blessing compared to the stock pads), the HM5 pads seemed to have the same problem as the stock pads that while they were bigger and would surround my ears completely, I would still hit the driver with my inner ear (if that makes sense). Fortunately, after some time of wearing them, my fears diminished and I can safely say that I can wear the Meze 99C forever and ever with the HM5 pads. No comfort-issues at all. Plus, they don't seem to change the original sound (now, at least they don't do it in any significant way that I could notice. I am sure that graphs would tell me otherwise). I was not able to compare them directly to the stock pads by switching them repeatedly, simply cause I could not - for the love of comfort - go back to the small stockpads (and yes, I have already had the biggest version out there).
I have been using the HM5 pads ever since I to be completely honest, I can only recommend everyone to try them out if(!) you have comfort issues with the stock pads during longer listening sessions. To me, these pads are absolutely a imperative update (to my eyes, the headphone even looks better with these bigger pads on them).
I am extremely pleased with them, while my previous headphone were only Sen 558 the 99's are a dramatic improvement on all levels. Mine came with the large pads which fit my ears great and they are very comfortable to wear.
