[Tingc222]

Bought these...arriving 7/25. Will let you guys know how it sounds. getting my HE-500s tmr.
 
Quote:

Recently got my hands on some 5E-LE's. Looking forward to getting them, but jumped ahead and doing research for mods and other options to help kill time. Anyway, with all this talk of using HM5 pads and the semi-positive experience some are having, I thought I'd share something I found to add to the pad options.
 

 
 
NVX phones are made in the same factory as HM5's, so in short. Clones. In theory these pads should be able to fit also if the HM5 pads do. These are angled and apparently real leather as well. For $25 bucks, could be a possible option! Also regular available as well.
 
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_66627_NVX-XRE100A.html <----where I found it.

 

[Tingc222]

Quote:

Bought these...arriving 7/25. Will let you guys know how it sounds. getting my HE-500s tmr.
 

 
Aight guys, pads are now in my posession. Threw them on by cutting the edge of the plastic rings from the pleathers that came with my HE-500 into an oval rather than round shape (the pads are oval in shape, and the short axis is shorter than the diameter of the HE-500 cans but the long axis is slightly longer). Stuffed the plastic rings into the NVX angled pads and crammed them onto the phones.
 
Soundstage is improved slightly from what I can tell...what was most noticeable was that instead of the sound coming from slightly behind center of my head (stock cans of the HE-500 tends to sit slightly with the drivers angled forwards since our heads are narrower behind our ears vs. before our ears) to slightly in front of the center of my head.
 
What was most impressive, however, is how much more comfy this pad is. It's thicker (although plushier so when worn, whether it's still thicker is debatable) front to back vs. stock velours, and the oval shape actually fits my ears. Also my ears no longer brush up against the driver.
 
I think the sound is very slightly more V-shaped due to the minutely increased distance b/w the ears and the drivers + effects of the leather. This is just imo, however.
 
Quality of the leather is fairly durable. I'm more concerned with how much it will compress over time than with the cover material disintegrating.
 
Not bad for $25 + sacrificed pleathers. I recommend trying it.
 

 

[NoEars]

I have those pads. I'll be damned If I can get them to fit on my hifi phones though. I keep having to stretch them out to fit the round shape of the plactic ring. But I keep having trouble. Perhaps if I cut off some of the leather material that wraps around the ring?

 

[Tingc222]

Quote:

I have those pads. I'll be damned If I can get them to fit on my hifi phones though. I keep having to stretch them out to fit the round shape of the plactic ring. But I keep having trouble. Perhaps if I cut off some of the leather material that wraps around the ring?

 
I had to cut the plastic support rings from my pleathers down into an oval while preserving the rectangular cutouts of the tabs to maintain structural integrity of the tabs. This way, no need for glue or too much stretching. Unfortunately you lose a pair of pleathers.

 

[MattTCG]

Yes, it's a 2mm cut off the original rings to get those pads to fit. 

 

[Stealer]

Quote:

..................................  
Not bad for $25 + sacrificed pleathers. I recommend trying it.
 

 what is this pleather...???
Any pic.   might get one pair to try..

 

[MattTCG]

I believe that he is referring to the hm5 pads. I'd tried them and they did not work for me. If anyone is interested in trying them, pm me. 

 

[Tingc222]

 what is this pleather...???
Any pic.   might get one pair to try..

It's the NVX angled pads that I tried. it's claimed to be real leather but feels only slightly higher quality vs the pleathers so I'm not really sure if it's real.

 

[NoEars]

I've got a set of NVX pads as well. It's real leather technically, feels like bonded leather if I had to guess.

 

[jerg]

I guess I'll post the impressions here as well for those who do not frequent the other HFM threads. Modulor Jergpads, first production set, received yesterday, photos and impressions:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/646812/hifiman-he500-he400-jergpad-mod-v2-0-new-modulor-production-jergpads-impressions-added/675#post_9644743

 

[ninjapirate9901]

Not sure if this is a suitable place to ask but anyway, has anyone tried out any alternative headbands for the HE-500? It is the one part of the headphone that I currently still don't particularly like. The Vegan pads have fixed the pad comfort issue, and the sound hasn't changed by much, I think. Now the main issue is the thin headband.
 
I've already tried the 'leather headband' that you button up and found that with it attached, the headband was too tight. With the stock headband I have it set at almost full stretch on both sides (yes, my head is huge like a watermelon). I have also tried the HD 600 foam pads for the headband and actually found they were worse since you are distributing the weight over a smaller area (I think this is a key factor for my discomfort).
 
I'm not sure of any solutions out there at this stage other than a complete replacement of some sort. The Audeze headband looks like it could almost be adapted to fit the Hifiman's but I have no idea of how that headband feels. The most comfortable headband I've tried to date would be on the Mad Dogs with the comfort strap. I don't know what it was about that leather but if felt damn good.
 
Anyone here have any solutions or ideas? I have access to tools at work after hours so I am willing to experiment with modding.
 
Thanks.

 

[nk77]

A few pages earlier mentioned this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Headband-Cushion-Pad-fit-New-Version-of-HiFiMAN-HE300-HE400-HE500-Ear-Headphones-/190825064042?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item2c6e0f666a&_uhb=1
 
A simple snap on head-band (cover). Might be worth a try.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Not sure if this is a suitable place to ask but anyway, has anyone tried out any alternative headbands for the HE-500? It is the one part of the headphone that I currently still don't particularly like. The Vegan pads have fixed the pad comfort issue, and the sound hasn't changed by much, I think. Now the main issue is the thin headband.
 
I've already tried the 'leather headband' that you button up and found that with it attached, the headband was too tight. With the stock headband I have it set at almost full stretch on both sides (yes, my head is huge like a watermelon). I have also tried the HD 600 foam pads for the headband and actually found they were worse since you are distributing the weight over a smaller area (I think this is a key factor for my discomfort).
 
I'm not sure of any solutions out there at this stage other than a complete replacement of some sort. The Audeze headband looks like it could almost be adapted to fit the Hifiman's but I have no idea of how that headband feels. The most comfortable headband I've tried to date would be on the Mad Dogs with the comfort strap. I don't know what it was about that leather but if felt damn good.
 
Anyone here have any solutions or ideas? I have access to tools at work after hours so I am willing to experiment with modding.
 
Thanks.

The 2 best ones thus far for Hifiman headbands are 1) what nk77 linked, and 2) custom leather suspension straps that user GREQ makes occasionally. Basically as you probably know already, the goal of any headband augment is to distribute the weight over a larger area, more evenly; as such those 2 things I mention here are the ones that do exactly that.

 

[ninjapirate9901]

A few pages earlier mentioned this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Headband-Cushion-Pad-fit-New-Version-of-HiFiMAN-HE300-HE400-HE500-Ear-Headphones-/190825064042?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item2c6e0f666a&_uhb=1
 
A simple snap on head-band (cover). Might be worth a try.

 
I actually already tried those (the button up cushion). The main issue was that it cause the headband to be too tight on my head afterwards (at max adjustment) hence why I didn't keep them on. @jerg I'll have to pm GREQ to see what they are all like and if he's still willing to make them. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[NoEars]

Cheap answer: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886679-REG/Sennheiser_549375_HD_580_Headband.html with 2 strips of double sided permanent tape from any local store. Will have to replace headband pad eventually depending on use. Cheap foam deflates
 
More involved answer: Remove threading from leather pad, remove bottom replace current foam with much thicker denser open cell memory foam or some equivalent, restitch and never have to replace again. May or may not void warranty. As it does not physically do anything with the drivers, I'd say no. But asking head-direct may be best.
 
Doing the latter suggestion here soon, just haven't decide if I'm going to replace the leather entirely with some other color. Will post results when I do finish the project however!
 
As for earpads. After trying a few different pads. I settled on DT 770 pads. 1mm size difference from stock pads so assembly takes minimal stretching. Also I very much like the sound without the dust cover between my ears. Just sounds better to me. Less veiled. Slightly similar to removing the outter dust cover as some has tried. Just not quite as strong a difference. My 2 cents. Ears always very!