[samandhi]

That's nice. How do they compare to the Black Dragons?

I can't say, because I have not used one, but I CAN say there is NO comparison to the stock piece of crap cable... hahaha

 

[sygnus21]

Oh ok. I thought you'd had experience with the Black Dragons.

Anyway, I don't use my HD700s with portable devices. That's what my Bose NC 700 wireless phones are for. That's me.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

How can i be absolutely sure that the pads on the hd700's are original and not replica's or 3rd party ones?

Is there any marking, logo or specific carachteristic on the original pads that set them apart from other ones?

TY

 

[sygnus21]

How can i be absolutely sure that the pads on the hd700's are original and not replica's or 3rd party ones?

The OEM (originals) should come in a plastic bag with Sennheiser's sticker with the item part number. I don't believe there are any official markings on the pads themselves.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

The OEM (originals) should come in a plastic bag with Sennheiser's sticker with the item part number. I don't believe there are any official markings on the pads themselves.

In this case I am not buying them (new pads).
As mentioned earlier I am buying hd700s and the seller is telling me that everything's legit but the headband padding does not seem to be OEM.
The headband padding is kind of secondary but I want to make sure the pads are original to get the hd700s sound as intended by Sennheiser.

 

[sygnus21]

In this case I am not buying them (new pads).
As mentioned earlier I am buying hd700s and the seller is telling me that everything's legit but the headband padding does not seem to be OEM.
The headband padding is kind of secondary but I want to make sure the pads are original to get the hd700s sound as intended by Sennheiser.

I see I missed that part. And given that info, I've no answer as to how to tell, especially, if you've never seen HD700 pads before. And as I've said, there is no markings on the pads to tell. My only suggestion is to inquire and go from there.

Be aware many owners have switched their pads to Deknoni pads as some swear, they're better so this may be true of the seller. I will say, from photos I've seen, Dekoni pads are slightly thicker. I'm running the OEM Pads.

 

[robo24]

How can i be absolutely sure that the pads on the hd700's are original and not replica's or 3rd party ones?

Is there any marking, logo or specific carachteristic on the original pads that set them apart from other ones?

TY

Having replaced mine with both official and aliexpress knock offs I can't feel or hear a difference.

 

[sygnus21]

Having replaced mine with both official and aliexpress knock offs I can't feel or hear a difference.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the "I can't hear a difference" statement as we're all experience things differently. Some will notice the slightest change in tones if equipment is changed while others can't tell the difference between a firecracker and gunshot if they are not familiar with the different tones.

Though you say "you" can't hear a difference, the statement is meaningless as I have no personal experience in which to examine what you're hearing. Now you can apply this logic to anything, but like many things... hearing is also subjective.

So yeah, not a fan of that statement. But that's me

 

[samandhi]

Having replaced mine with both official and aliexpress knock offs I can't feel or hear a difference.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the "I can't hear a difference" statement as we're all experience things differently. Some will notice the slightest change in tones if equipment is changed while others can't tell the difference between a firecracker and gunshot if they are not familiar with the different tones.

Though you say "you" can't hear a difference, the statement is meaningless as I have no personal experience in which to examine what you're hearing. Now you can apply this logic to anything, but like many things... hearing is also subjective.

So yeah, not a fan of that statement. But that's me

While there ARE times that some replacement pads won't make much of a difference in sound, there are others where it is pretty obvious (i.e. Hifiman HE400S, Focal Elegia, etc...). Having said that, I would argue that there is potential for a pretty noticeable change with these. Looking at the graphs on Dekoni's site for each pad shows a quite noticeable sound difference.

On the other hand, if your source synergizes with these in a certain way, you may NOT hear the difference. It becomes sort of both subjective and objective at that point.. Either way, when using a blanket statement of something like "I can't hear the difference", there should probably be the follow-up statement "as usual YMMV", because it might just be that those pads in particular that you have sound JUST like the OEM pads. It also comes down to how good/bad your equipment chain is, your hearing capabilities, your ability to "critically" listen, type of music, volume, etc...

 

[robo24]

As I was only talking about the knockoffs on Aliexpress I was correct. I'd certainly expect pads that are supposed to both be and sound different to actually be so. Dekoni's velour HD800 pads certainly sounded much different than stock. That said the knock-offs are super cheap so not much is lost in trying them. Same with HD800 knock offs. Wouldn't surprise me if in both cases they're made in the same factories as the branded ones as is often the case with accessories. We're all here to talk about our experience. So what put YMMV after every sentence on every post? It's implicit in posting at all.

 

[samandhi]

As I was only talking about the knockoffs on Aliexpress I was correct. I'd certainly expect pads that are supposed to both be and sound different to actually be so. Dekoni's velour HD800 pads certainly sounded much different than stock. That said the knock-offs are super cheap so not much is lost in trying them. Same with HD800 knock offs. Wouldn't surprise me if in both cases they're made in the same factories as the branded ones as is often the case with accessories. We're all here to talk about our experience. So what put YMMV after every sentence on every post? It's implicit in posting at all.

Yes, you were correct (for your ears), and I certainly didn't intend to state otherwise. And, I also agree that not much is lost by trying cheaper pads. But since the question was not whether knock-off pads changed the sound or not, but instead how one could tell if the pads were OG or not, it seemed like a bit of a dismissive statement, and didn't really answer the question at all. Dismissive as in having an air of "ah, don't worry about it, just get them. It will be fine" type of sound to it.

I also agree that normally you might not need to qualify any statement like that with a "YMMV", but since there is potential to influence a person that is buying them for the first time, I felt it necessary to tack on more explanation for the OG poster's sake. I certainly also meant no offense to you, but rather more information (as much as we can muster) for the OG poster's question.

@Pedro Oliveira The truth is that you can't tell the difference between OEM and replacement pads in a lot of cases. Having said that, there is potential that they will sound very similar (if not just like) the OG pads, but there is also a potential that you will not be getting the OG sound from them if they are indeed replacements. If you are unsure and want to ensure that you are getting the OG sound, I might pass on this particular set.

On the other hand, you can always pad swap if you feel the need to, though it IS getting harder to get OEM pads (if at all anymore), so you might be passing up a really good deal on the headphones.

 

[sygnus21]

In short, the statement without reference is meaningless

Yes, you were correct (for your ears), and I certainly didn't intend to state otherwise. And, I also agree that not much is lost by trying cheaper pads. But since the question was not whether knock-off pads changed the sound or not, but instead how one could tell if the pads were OG or not, it seemed like a bit of a dismissive statement, and didn't really answer the question at all. Dismissive as in having an air of "ah, don't worry about it, just get them. It will be fine" type of sound to it.

I also agree that normally you might not need to qualify any statement like that with a "YMMV", but since there is potential to influence a person that is buying them for the first time, I felt it necessary to tack on more explanation for the OG poster's sake. I certainly also meant no offense to you, but rather more information (as much as we can muster) for the OG poster's question.

@Pedro Oliveira The truth is that you can't tell the difference between OEM and replacement pads in a lot of cases. Having said that, there is potential that they will sound very similar (if not just like) the OG pads, but there is also a potential that you will not be getting the OG sound from them if they are indeed replacements. If you are unsure and want to ensure that you are getting the OG sound, I might pass on this particular set.

On the other hand, you can always pad swap if you feel the need to, though it IS getting harder to get OEM pads (if at all anymore), so you might be passing up a really good deal on the headphones.

I pretty much agree with you everything you said, and thus my statement you quoted earlier; however, I'm also under the opinion "cheap knockoffs" CAN alter the sound the OEMs bring, especially if the materials are not the same.

Regardless, yes, the "I can't hear a difference" is meaningless without reference, and the fact that we all hear things differently.

Movin on

 

[elwappo99]

Does anyone else have a pair of these by Colorware?

 

[samandhi]

Does anyone else have a pair of these by Colorware?

Nope, but that looks very nice though. I'm still sporting the OG stock parts, except the cable.

 

[sygnus21]

I'm still sporting the OG stock parts, except the cable.

Same here. Currently listening to Mantra from Santana's Lotus album with them as I write this. Man, I love these headphones

JRiver Media Center 30. CD ripped in uncompressed FLAC. Yes, I have the CD as posted > here.