Quote:
Really? You think the backwave goes out the back of the driver, around the side, and gets through the pad to cancel out the opposite waveform that was generated inside the pad? That is astonishing. Pads are something to play with then not just because of the chamber they create, but because of the backwave they do or do not let in from the outside. By that logic, it would be good to have very well insulated pads with orthos. Maybe that is partly why the LCD2 and Thunderpants sound so good
Absotivlutely yes. One of the major discoveries of this thread: earpads can make or break a headphone.
A pad is a very important component in the total sound a headphone delivers to the ear. A pad thai is delicious, especially with some lime juice. Sorry, I was getting hungry. But yes, if there's no cup and the baffle is small, the backwave goes out the back of the driver and, as long as we're talking about the
bass frequencies, it immediately curls around the entire headphone and bathes it in antibass. High frequencies stay in a beam, head straight out, and keep going. In such an extreme case, it would be entirely up to the earpads to block the antibass, and even the tiniest break in the seal will let some through. Bass can also pass
through earpads that aren't sufficiently meaty, as we found with the T50RP. The Stax O2 pads are very meaty, which is one reason why they're the Thunderpants pad of choice.
When your head fills with questions, that's a very good sign.