Soundmagic HP150/HP151 Impressions Thread
Jan 29, 2015 at 6:07 PM Post #301 of 775
My friend and i tried each others pads today. i tried his dt 880 velours from his 880s and he tried my hm5 pads. sadly, the sound brightened way to much and isolation and leakage were terrible. These were the 880 pads not the 770 pads which are supposedly stiffer and isolate more.
     I also tried his new schiit vali. besides the small hiss in the background, it sounded pretty darn great. Interested on how the hm5 velours work out. The velours are shallower than the pleathers though. 
 
Jan 29, 2015 at 9:25 PM Post #302 of 775
I've read quite a few people say that beyer pads are not good on other phones and vice versa. Something to do with holes in the back of the beyer pads, but everybody pretty much says the same thing as you. Hopefully there won't be a huge sq difference for me. I really don't notice much of a change tip rolling my iems, so hopefully the velours will be the same situation.
 
As far as the thickness goes..as long as they're thicker/same as the stock pads I should be fine - thicker would be a bonus tho.
 
Probably got 10-14 days to get the phones through the burn-in period (alas had to get the pads directly from mp4nation since amazon won't ship to Canada), and that should let me get a good handle on the stock sq. (liking so far, much better sub-bass than my grados - but that really isn't much of a stretch). If all goes well, I'll maybe look into getting a pair of pleathers too.
 
Feb 4, 2015 at 7:47 AM Post #303 of 775
Been using the new memory foam ("thick") HM5 on my HP150s for a few days and here's a bullet-point review:
 
  1. Though they may be smaller than the HP150's cups and are oval rather than circular, they're pretty easy to put on, because the size of the lip is  generous. First stretch the lip over the entire cup (past the groove) then slide the lip into the cup's groove.
  2. Initially they appear about as hard as the stock pads and a pretty lousy "improvement" but the memory foam seems to adjust to your head after a while and they feel softer. Hopefully this isn't brain burn-in. All in all after a while they're definitely more comfortable, but the feel of the clamp force is still there.
  3. Due to the softness they're easier to sleep on.
  4. Definitely not quite as secure on the head as stock pads, but they shouldn't slip around.
  5. Soundstage seems to have improved.
  6. Sound leakage is still pretty lousy. I'd say this is the achilles heel of the HP100/150. I'd feel embarrassed to use these in a library at my preferred listening volume.
 
If you're a fan of the Soundmagics (like me) this upgrade really is worth the 20$, but don't expect them to feel like velour. They are noticeably firm.
 
Feb 4, 2015 at 5:53 PM Post #304 of 775
  Been using the new memory foam ("thick") HM5 on my HP150s for a few days and here's a bullet-point review:
 
  1. Though they may be smaller than the HP150's cups and are oval rather than circular, they're pretty easy to put on, because the size of the lip is  generous. First stretch the lip over the entire cup (past the groove) then slide the lip into the cup's groove.
  2. Initially they appear about as hard as the stock pads and a pretty lousy "improvement" but the memory foam seems to adjust to your head after a while and they feel softer. Hopefully this isn't brain burn-in. All in all after a while they're definitely more comfortable, but the feel of the clamp force is still there.
  3. Due to the softness they're easier to sleep on.
  4. Definitely not quite as secure on the head as stock pads, but they shouldn't slip around.
  5. Soundstage seems to have improved.
  6. Sound leakage is still pretty lousy. I'd say this is the achilles heel of the HP100/150. I'd feel embarrassed to use these in a library at my preferred listening volume.
 
If you're a fan of the Soundmagics (like me) this upgrade really is worth the 20$, but don't expect them to feel like velour. They are noticeably firm.

If you feel they don't distribute clamp pressure correctly you can do what I did and experiment with rolling up some tissue paper and putting it under the pads. I ended up having a tissue rolled up and under the bottom and side portions of the pads and made the pads feel so much better.
I'm surprised you feel the leakage is really bad. maybe you don't have them placed correctly on your head. because when I listen to these at moderate volumes in a silent classroom at school, no sound leaks out at all. Maybe you just listen to music a lot louder than I do.
 
Feb 6, 2015 at 7:51 AM Post #305 of 775
I just received my Brainwavz HM5 pads and installed them.  Install was a little tricky, but only took me about 5 minutes total.  Having experience with covering car seats came in handy with this 
biggrin.gif

 
I found they didn't feel right either, so I started "spinning" the pad around on one side until I liked the position I found and then matched the other side to it.  If you hold the pad with two fingers (one almost touching the driver "screen" near the corner of the inside and the other on the outside of the pad) and the other hand holding the cup, you should be able to pinch with your fingers and slide the pad.  After I adjusted them they now feel amazing, way beyond what the stock ones were offering me.
 
Feb 6, 2015 at 5:37 PM Post #306 of 775
  I just received my Brainwavz HM5 pads and installed them.  Install was a little tricky, but only took me about 5 minutes total.  Having experience with covering car seats came in handy with this 
biggrin.gif

 
I found they didn't feel right either, so I started "spinning" the pad around on one side until I liked the position I found and then matched the other side to it.  If you hold the pad with two fingers (one almost touching the driver "screen" near the corner of the inside and the other on the outside of the pad) and the other hand holding the cup, you should be able to pinch with your fingers and slide the pad.  After I adjusted them they now feel amazing, way beyond what the stock ones were offering me.

I had a similar experience with pad rotating when I first put mine on. I ended up with having the seam on the side in line with the headphone jack.
 
Feb 6, 2015 at 8:41 PM Post #308 of 775
Anybody have any luck trying to reduce the stiffness of the stock cable? I just can't seem to get it to flex more, and get the damn curl out. Really not anything I can't put up with, I'm just used to more flexy cables. How about any replacement cables - other than that lunashops one twister mentioned? Also thinking since my grados need a refurb, I might try to use the lower part of their cable. Only need to find a 3.5" connector that fits (not just the earcup, those grado cables are pretty beastly, which is why I like it).
 
Feb 6, 2015 at 9:04 PM Post #309 of 775
I gave up on the stock cable and got a Mogami Quad 2534 headphone extension like this with a Neutrik locking female end:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOGAMI-QUAD-2534-HEADPHONE-EXTENSION-W-NEUTRIK-5-FT-/150552821252?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230da5be04
 
That is actually who made mine, except I got the 10ft, it's only $2 more.
 
So I am running the short straight cable into the extension, with 10ft I can sit back well away from my Amp/DAC in the recliner and watch my 42" TV in comfort.  Obviously there are cheaper options out there, but I was looking for something high quality, but not crazy.
 
Feb 6, 2015 at 11:02 PM Post #310 of 775
I haven't even looked at the extension cable. I'd replace the short one. Being so inflexible, I find it tends to rub my shoulder/collar, more annoying when I'm wearing a sweater with a zipper.
Using my old grado cable would be the cheapest option, since I'd just need the connector. As I mentioned though finding one that is small enough to fit into the cup, and still is big enough to accept the big-ass cable could be a problem.
 
Feb 7, 2015 at 10:05 PM Post #311 of 775
Well, my interest in these has again emerged. I will see if I can find a new pair on sale, or maybe used for a good price.
 
Feb 16, 2015 at 8:48 PM Post #312 of 775
Impressions of the hp150 with hm5 velour pads:
 
I do find the thicker size is more comfortable than the stock pads, but now the phones have a hollow sound. Most music sounds like it was recorded in a public washroom. Haven't tried playing with eq yet, but it's looking like the pleather are the better option.
 
Feb 16, 2015 at 9:08 PM Post #313 of 775
  Impressions of the hp150 with hm5 velour pads:
 
I do find the thicker size is more comfortable than the stock pads, but now the phones have a hollow sound. Most music sounds like it was recorded in a public washroom. Haven't tried playing with eq yet, but it's looking like the pleather are the better option.

Thats a shame they didn't work out. Sounds similar to the sound people get when trying hm5 velours on the dt 880.
 
Feb 17, 2015 at 3:03 PM Post #314 of 775
I am a little disappointed that the sound tanked because the pads aren't without their charms. I think that the detail, clarity, and sound stage have improved ( I say think because my auditory memory is really bad). They do need a tad more juice to get to the same volume as the stock pads. Haven't been able to eq the hollowness out of them. Tried taping over the vent holes, and it did seem to help a bit, but it also dropped the bass levels.
 
I think the problem is just too much air leaking through the pads. With the velours there is no isolation at all, and when you push the earpads together, there is no squeaky noise from the air vents like the stock pads. They'd probably work much better with the hp200 being an open back.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top