I see. Well, I guess if they work with pleathers, velours and hybrids, having options is good. It's like an eq. But for your head. That makes no sense...
I can't focus more on the not soaking part. I once tried to wash a pair of filthy AKG cloth pads, so I used warm water and soaked them in. Within 15 minutes the glue holding them together had dissolved and I was left with the inside foam and the outer cloth seperated. Didn't mourn much for them, but I learned my lesson.
Well, when it comes to gaming, I'd prefer the X2, altough I mainly play games that would benefit from the SHP9500's sound. Thing is, my MSR7 are damn near perfect for shooters. Their soundstage is decently wide for a closed back, but the imaging is excellent and I can pinpoint footsteps' location in a 3D space. However, they aren't the greatest when one wants an immersive experience, say for games like the Witcher. And I suppose neither are the SHP9500. They're not bad, sure, not even close, but standing in the middle of Novigrad's square in the Witcher sounds like I'm in a big room rather than a square. Maybe that's an issue with them being closed, but I doubt that the SHPs would be better in this regard. The X2 sound like they'd fit the role perfectly.
Speaking of the X2, I was watching/reading some reviews online. One one hand, there's Tyll and Zeos, who both praise the X2, each in their own way. Tyll basically says they're in the better side of non-neutrality, while Zeos says they're the widest sounding headphones and have great bass and whatever. One the other hand there's DMS. I don't know if that guy is a troll that just ****s on most popular headphones just to be polarizing, or if he's just the most harsh reviewer among the bunch. Maybe a little bit of both, I guess? Anyway, in his review, he says the X2's bass distorts after a certain volume, that their midrange is lacking and that their highs are peaky and grainy. Needless to say, that was a bit of a shocker because, well, what if he's right? After all, his hearing ought to be in the best condition among the aforementioned reviewers. He's young, unlike Tyll, and seems to be able to hear highs, unlike Zeos (or rather, he doesn't tolerate it as much? I dunno).
Damn...