[n3rdling]

The cloth pads should make quite a difference to the sound...wonder which version will sound better.

 

[Skylab]

Indeed, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't impact the sound.  Certainly my experiences "pad rolling" on Beyer headphones led me to believe that pads can have a very significant impact on sonics.  And let's not forget the (in)famous "pad fix" to the Ultrasone Edition 10 

 
I don't like velour pads though, so there would have to be a strong consensus that they were an improvement before I would try them.

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Indeed, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't impact the sound.  Certainly my experiences "pad rolling" on Beyer headphones led me to believe that pads can have a very significant impact on sonics.  And let's not forget the (in)famous "pad fix" to the Ultrasone Edition 10 

 
I don't like velour pads though, so there would have to be a strong consensus that they were an improvement before I would try them.

I think the bass response may be affected with the Vegan option, but of course this is just conjecture.   When I place the LCD-2's on my head I notice that the leather pads make a tight seal to my skin and this influences the bass I experience. When the seal is tight I can feel air moving in my ears.    I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this.  

 


 

 

[Skylab]

For Beyers, the leather pads definitely meant more bass.  Which worked well for the DT880 and less so for the DT990.

 

[purrin]

Quote:

The cloth pads should make quite a difference to the sound...wonder which version will sound better.

Wut? Really? Where? I'm slow to know about these things.
 

 

[Loevhagen]

My take is that the "restricted" LCD-2 SS will benefit using velour pads. And, since the LCD-2 already excels so many other headphones in the bass region - they can afford to loose a litle bass going for the lesser isolation velour pad option. Cf. T50RP / Thunderpants "Smeggy"'s impressions:
 
Of the pads I've been investigating I can give the following...

Stax. Good isolation, very comfortable, good sound +, decent soundstage, very expensive.

LCD2 rev1 pads. Very good isolation, good comfort, very good sound, good soundstage +, moderately expensive.

LCD2 rev2 pads. visually a little different, sonically about the same to my ears, so as good as the Rev1.

Beyer Gel pads. Ugly as sin, extreme isolation, good comfort, good sound +, good soundstage +, relatively inexpensive.

Beyer leather pads. Good isolation, good sound, good comfort, difficult to fit, decent soundstage, relatively inexpensive.

Beyer pleather pads. Good isolation, decent comfort, decent sound, decent soundstage, relatively inexpensive.

Beyer Black or Silver velour pads. When modified offer moderate isolation, very good comfort, very good sound, best soundstage, relatively inexpensive.

Fostex pads. Very good isolation, good comfort, good sound, lesser quality construction, moderate soundstage, free.

Denon pads, good isolation, good comfort, good sound, decent soundstage, moderately expensive.

This is my opinion based on tests with my experiment set.
They all have some compromise somewhere and none are perfect, some are extremely well suited to specific needs though.

 

[MorbidToaster]

I definitely know where you're coming from here. I like a good seal even with open can because of that.
 
Quote:

I think the bass response may be affected with the Vegan option, but of course this is just conjecture.   When I place the LCD-2's on my head I notice that the leather pads make a tight seal to my skin and this influences the bass I experience. When the seal is tight I can feel air moving in my ears.    I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this.  

 


 

 
 

 

[purrin]

After talking with Sankar (at the Irvine meet) about how they supposedly went through over three dozen variations of the pads before deciding on a final, I wouldn't be totally surprised if Audeze were able to design vegan pads that didn't lose too much from the leather.

 

[rhythmdevils]

That's interesting.  I always wondered if manufacturers come up with a pad and then design a driver around both it and the housing (AKG clearly did this in their hay day since all their phones from the late 70's-80's used the same pads), or if it goes more hand in hand and they tweak the pads to get good things from a driver.  Looks like Audeze did the latter moreso since they already had the driver designed (they had it in the LCD-1 enclosure first)
 
I think Hifiman made velours work with their orthos by having vinyl right under the velour material to keep them sealed. 

 

[gurus]

Quote:

I think the bass response may be affected with the Vegan option, but of course this is just conjecture.   When I place the LCD-2's on my head I notice that the leather pads make a tight seal to my skin and this influences the bass I experience. When the seal is tight I can feel air moving in my ears.    I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this.  

 


 

Enough on my HE-6 to give me some serious reservation on using them for long periods as it feels weird (and uncomfortable).
 

 

[mwilson]

So... did any of you who ordered get a shipping notice yet?

 

[Loevhagen]

Yes, but you must also recognize that the space between the driver and the ear / scull is important to the SQ. HiFiMAN's "leather" pads are even more shallow than the velour options. The Audeze's are not...
 

I think Hifiman made velours work with their orthos by having vinyl right under the velour material to keep them sealed. 

 

 

[davo50]

Quote:

So... did any of you who ordered get a shipping notice yet?

Wondering the same thing...  I have not gotten anything yet.  Seems like when I ordered my 2's I never got a notice but they just showed up a couple days later.
 

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

Paid for my LCD-3s last night. Still no shipping notice.
 
Breathe in, breathe out...

 

[mwilson]

OK, so I guess I'm not the only one without notification then.