[rawhit]

Hello All,
I am currently using my Grado 325s with the stock bowl pads and I find them to be bit too bright for my taste and a tad uncomfortable (can wear it for 2-3 hrs max). I have tried putting pads of a PoS philips fone which was very thin. This improved the comfort a bit but they made the cans dark sounding and the details were gone.
After reading all the posts about using different pads I think Grado Comfy pads with the center part removed looks like a good option.

One more advantage which I think that the comfy pads might provide is that they can work in two ways. Using them directly makes them closer to flat pads. And using them flipped as Dark Angel has suggested which makes the sound closer to the bowl pads but still less brighter.

Just a little question regarding this
Will the radioshack pads work equally well or they are sonically inferior to the comfys? The comfy pads cost about USD 15 shipped and the radioshack ones are much cheaper. If the radioshack pads work fine then will be able to buy 2 pairs (one for my SR-80s)
thanx
RawHit

 

[joelongwood]

The RS pads are much smaller and thinner, and use a less dense foam than the comfys. I bought the RS pads, but found they slip around quite a bit on my head. Being thinner, they also bring the drivers closer, thus darkening the sound and losing detail. At least that's my opinion.
Just a thought, rawhit, I placed my bowl pads under a stack of books for a day and found that the pads then resembled the old donut pads. They sprang back rather quickly, but after a number of times squashing them, the foam seemed to lose it's ability to spring back fully, and when pressed against my ears, the pads compressed more than before and were a very good compromise between the old donuts and newer bowl pads. The sound was less bright yet still retained the details. Give it a try.

 

[Autumnal]

rawhit:

The RatShack pads are inexpensive, all right, but they're also cheap (as in crapola). The foam is low-quality and badly molded (injected? foamed? whatever the manufacturing process). They're also much thinner in thickness and smaller in circumference than the my stock comfies---they barely cover the drivers and reduce by half the driver distance from your ears.

After a brief trial, I knew I'd never use the RatShack pads on my Alessandro MS-1s, so I didn't even bother to do the cutouts. Just tossed 'em in a drawer.

By the way, the comfy pads that my Alessandros were shipped with are NOT reversible. I don't know if different versions of the comfies exist, but mine were molded in such a way as to fit one-way-only.

I love my unmodified comfy pads. Non-fatiguing fit, and exactly the sound I want (in comparison to the bowl pads, which I also own). But that's my ears, my amp, my source, and my choice of music. Your mileage may vary considerably.

--Bill.

 

[rawhit]

thanx for input guys,
i guess buying the gardo comfy pads would be better.

joelongwood
squashing the bowl pads looks like a good idea and I will give it a try. It will make the pads loose some treble harshness but does this help in making them more comfortable also?

Autumnal
from what I have read the comfy pads cover the drivers and thus muffle the sound a bit leading to loss of details. Cutting a hole in the center exposes the driver and corrects this problem. The pads can be reversed only after cutting out the center part.

cheers
RawHit

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

It will make the pads loose some treble harshness but does this help in making them more comfortable also?

Squashing them didn't seem to make them any softer, but washing them in some mild dishwashing liquid did. Wash them a few times, then squash them a few times. I think you'll like the improvement, both sonically and comfort wise. I know I did.