[ArChaos]

In what way are the pleatherless wangs better for you? I have a used set on my second HD540s and I am not enamoured I may look into that further and not use the stock cable and pop in the Mogami I normally listen with. However, I am so utterly enjoying my Wanged No 1 HD540s with the upgraded FrankenZero DAC and terrific Burson Vivid V6 installed - now well run in, that the loss of bass extension and exquisite focus does not endear me to lose any of that.

I think a little bit more "open" - not a matter of day and night. All these nuances are very personal and depend on so many factors (amp, foamies, cable, wool/felt rings and other additional padding materials, distance to the ear, ear cavity...) that its very hard to turn them into a general "rule". Not to mention the music one listens to and even the state of mind... I look at the ear pads (I'm speaking ONLY about the good ones, of course) as different flavors/variations of the same dish/recipe. Anyways, I have both the fabric and the original velour ear pads in great condition on my two main HD540 pairs (ref.1-600 Ohm and Ref.2-300 Ohms) and use THEM most of the time. All the other ear pads sit on my 540s other spare pairs and use them for having fun experimenting different sound flavors . Yeah, I must admit I'm a bad case of OCD on these and the HD250s cans...