JML
Headphoneus Supremus
I received my AudioTechnica ATH-W2002 leather ear pads from AudioCubes last week, and this morning I put them on my ATH-W100, in place of the stock artificial material pads that came on the headphones.
The W2002 pads come in a flat white cardboard box, and are inside an unsealed plastic liner bag. I don't have a digital camera, and I hope the text gives you an idea of what's involved. From what I can see in the pictures of the other AudioTechnica headphones, especially the wooden ones, the process is probably the same for all of them.
EDIT: The same is true for the ATH-W1000.
The pattern of the two pads is indeed identical. The only difference in materials is the three-piece covering on the padded section, which is a slightly glossy very smooth black leather on the W2002. The W100's artificial material has a more matte black finish, with a consistently pebbled appearance. The W2002's leather is clearly real leather, with a slightly irregular visual texture from the pores on the leather. The difference in feel (to one's fingers) is slight -- the W100's artificial material is actually a bit smoother and softer. The W2002's leather is extremely soft, with a smooth finish; the W100's material almost feels like it has a microscopically napped texture. The piece of material that holds the pads to the earpieces appears to be identical on both (it's artificial and extremely thin), as is the inner gauze/foam fabric that goes over the drivers. The W2002's outer seam is in identical places on both earpieces, but the W100's outer seams do not line up at all (they were on opposite sides on mine).
Once mounted, I found the W2002's leather pads to be more comfortable -- the headphones stay in place better (but I have also changed the fit of the cans by making the twin spring tubes more elliptical than round). It also seems a bit cooler, which I had hoped for, because leather should absorb moisture and permit evaporation, while the artificial material has no pores. I've noticed some moisture on the W100 pads after listening sessions, but I haven't seen any on the W2002 pads.
The swap was easy. Removing the old pads and mounting the new ones took me less than ten minutes, once I gathered the courage (that part of the process took me almost a week!). There are no directions enclosed with the pads, and I'm glad I had already replaced pads on my Sony MDR-V6 (for the Beyer DT-250 pads) -- the process is just about identical, and it was actually more difficult to replace the pads on the V6.
Don't try this unless your fingernails are smooth and short -- you don't want a nail to snag or pierce the leather pad or the inner fabric that goes over the drivers! The part of the pad that is leather over foam padding is uniform in thickness, but the artificial material that goes onto the earpieces to hold the pads on the headphone is "directional," and wider for about 40% of their circumference -- that matches the form of the earpiece once you take the pads off. Do one earpiece at a time. Before pulling off the pads, I marked, with tape, the two points where the mounting form began to get thicker, but that proved to be unnecessary, as the earpiece form is clearly designed to accept the pads as they're cut and sewn.
EDIT: There's usually a seam in the outer circumference of the pads, and that seam goes on the bottom, near the half-moon part of the housing (the cable goes into that part on the left earpiece). The pads will fit on either side, but it looks better to have the seam on the bottom -- my W2002 pads have the seam in that location. Some samples of the W100 or W1000 pads appear to have the seam in another location, such as the top/back of the earpiece.
Pull off the old pad by grasping it along the entire circumference, near the visible part of the metal earpiece frame and pull it off gently and slowly, twisting it a bit. (I used my knee to hold the other earpiece away.) Or you can put your fingers inside the pad, by the driver, over the gauze foam/fabric driver cover, and stretch/lift the pad off the routed mounting slot. Find the thickest part of the mounting form, and line it up with the widest part of the pad's mounting material. Then slip on the pad by putting the pad's mounting material into the routed or machined slot on the earpiece, starting with the widest/thickest part. Once you have the wide part of the mounting material in place, hold it on at the two end points with the fingers of one hand, and then insert the fingers of your other hand into the earhole of the pad, all the way to the outer rim, and stretch it over the rest of the earcup, until it falls into the routed slot all around. Do this gently, and a bit at a time, starting at one point and going around. Hold the pad on with your other hand on as you stretch and raise the pad over the slot (this is just like mounting a tight bicycle tire on a rim -- and the pad might similarly slip off one side as you stretch the opposite side -- but, unlike the tire & rim, there's only one bead to seat and you can push it on from the inside). Try to stretch the pad over the widest area you can, not just at one point. You may have to rotate the pad slightly after it's on, and then make sure that the inner seam, where the leather and artificial material is joined, is outside the hard part of the earpiece (not uneven, with the seamed material sort of half on and half off). Compare it to the placement and fit of the original pad that's still on the other earpiece, and make sure it's smooth all the way around and matches the curves of the earpiece and the original pad. Then repeat the process for the other earpiece.
EDIT: The W1000 has a thin foam surround glued around the driver mount -- be careful to not tear it! The W100 does not have a foam surround under the gauze pad. And as noted above, the seam on the outer circumference of the pad will probably end up at the bottom of the earpieces. The W100 driver mount is plastic, and it might also have some sharp "flash" on it, so be careful. You can remove the extraneous flash (the excess plastic from being molded) with your fingernail, but don't let it fall into the holes around the driver cover.
Do the pads make the sound different? It's hard to tell, because there's no way to do a quick A/B comparison. I believe the imaging and soundstaging might be a bit more coherent, clear, and focused (it was outstanding before, but things seem to be even better now); but of course I could be imaging that (and I've only listened for an hour or two since swapping the pads). I don't notice any frequency response differences. I didn't expect to hear any sonic difference, however -- the pad actually presents very, very little surface area to the driver/ear interface. The AT drivers are mounted at an angle, only about 1/4-1/8" of the pad (at the back of your ears/head) is actually exposed to the driver in anything approaching a perpendicular fashion, and your outer ear is in between the pad and the driver once the headphones are actually worn. These pads are not as anywhere near as thick as the Beyer pads I mentioned earlier, and the drivers on the AT cans get very close to your outer ears, and are parallel to them.
Was it worth it? The differential of the AudioCubes prices is $22 ($45 vs. $23, plus $10 shipping). Well, it was worth it to me because the headphones are now a bit cooler, drier, and more comfortable. I wanted to have one spare set of pads in storage anyway -- and I might even order another pair of leather ones to keep as backup.
(Edited for more detail and clarity, and to add references to the W1000.)
The W2002 pads come in a flat white cardboard box, and are inside an unsealed plastic liner bag. I don't have a digital camera, and I hope the text gives you an idea of what's involved. From what I can see in the pictures of the other AudioTechnica headphones, especially the wooden ones, the process is probably the same for all of them.
EDIT: The same is true for the ATH-W1000.
The pattern of the two pads is indeed identical. The only difference in materials is the three-piece covering on the padded section, which is a slightly glossy very smooth black leather on the W2002. The W100's artificial material has a more matte black finish, with a consistently pebbled appearance. The W2002's leather is clearly real leather, with a slightly irregular visual texture from the pores on the leather. The difference in feel (to one's fingers) is slight -- the W100's artificial material is actually a bit smoother and softer. The W2002's leather is extremely soft, with a smooth finish; the W100's material almost feels like it has a microscopically napped texture. The piece of material that holds the pads to the earpieces appears to be identical on both (it's artificial and extremely thin), as is the inner gauze/foam fabric that goes over the drivers. The W2002's outer seam is in identical places on both earpieces, but the W100's outer seams do not line up at all (they were on opposite sides on mine).
Once mounted, I found the W2002's leather pads to be more comfortable -- the headphones stay in place better (but I have also changed the fit of the cans by making the twin spring tubes more elliptical than round). It also seems a bit cooler, which I had hoped for, because leather should absorb moisture and permit evaporation, while the artificial material has no pores. I've noticed some moisture on the W100 pads after listening sessions, but I haven't seen any on the W2002 pads.
The swap was easy. Removing the old pads and mounting the new ones took me less than ten minutes, once I gathered the courage (that part of the process took me almost a week!). There are no directions enclosed with the pads, and I'm glad I had already replaced pads on my Sony MDR-V6 (for the Beyer DT-250 pads) -- the process is just about identical, and it was actually more difficult to replace the pads on the V6.
Don't try this unless your fingernails are smooth and short -- you don't want a nail to snag or pierce the leather pad or the inner fabric that goes over the drivers! The part of the pad that is leather over foam padding is uniform in thickness, but the artificial material that goes onto the earpieces to hold the pads on the headphone is "directional," and wider for about 40% of their circumference -- that matches the form of the earpiece once you take the pads off. Do one earpiece at a time. Before pulling off the pads, I marked, with tape, the two points where the mounting form began to get thicker, but that proved to be unnecessary, as the earpiece form is clearly designed to accept the pads as they're cut and sewn.
EDIT: There's usually a seam in the outer circumference of the pads, and that seam goes on the bottom, near the half-moon part of the housing (the cable goes into that part on the left earpiece). The pads will fit on either side, but it looks better to have the seam on the bottom -- my W2002 pads have the seam in that location. Some samples of the W100 or W1000 pads appear to have the seam in another location, such as the top/back of the earpiece.
Pull off the old pad by grasping it along the entire circumference, near the visible part of the metal earpiece frame and pull it off gently and slowly, twisting it a bit. (I used my knee to hold the other earpiece away.) Or you can put your fingers inside the pad, by the driver, over the gauze foam/fabric driver cover, and stretch/lift the pad off the routed mounting slot. Find the thickest part of the mounting form, and line it up with the widest part of the pad's mounting material. Then slip on the pad by putting the pad's mounting material into the routed or machined slot on the earpiece, starting with the widest/thickest part. Once you have the wide part of the mounting material in place, hold it on at the two end points with the fingers of one hand, and then insert the fingers of your other hand into the earhole of the pad, all the way to the outer rim, and stretch it over the rest of the earcup, until it falls into the routed slot all around. Do this gently, and a bit at a time, starting at one point and going around. Hold the pad on with your other hand on as you stretch and raise the pad over the slot (this is just like mounting a tight bicycle tire on a rim -- and the pad might similarly slip off one side as you stretch the opposite side -- but, unlike the tire & rim, there's only one bead to seat and you can push it on from the inside). Try to stretch the pad over the widest area you can, not just at one point. You may have to rotate the pad slightly after it's on, and then make sure that the inner seam, where the leather and artificial material is joined, is outside the hard part of the earpiece (not uneven, with the seamed material sort of half on and half off). Compare it to the placement and fit of the original pad that's still on the other earpiece, and make sure it's smooth all the way around and matches the curves of the earpiece and the original pad. Then repeat the process for the other earpiece.
EDIT: The W1000 has a thin foam surround glued around the driver mount -- be careful to not tear it! The W100 does not have a foam surround under the gauze pad. And as noted above, the seam on the outer circumference of the pad will probably end up at the bottom of the earpieces. The W100 driver mount is plastic, and it might also have some sharp "flash" on it, so be careful. You can remove the extraneous flash (the excess plastic from being molded) with your fingernail, but don't let it fall into the holes around the driver cover.
Do the pads make the sound different? It's hard to tell, because there's no way to do a quick A/B comparison. I believe the imaging and soundstaging might be a bit more coherent, clear, and focused (it was outstanding before, but things seem to be even better now); but of course I could be imaging that (and I've only listened for an hour or two since swapping the pads). I don't notice any frequency response differences. I didn't expect to hear any sonic difference, however -- the pad actually presents very, very little surface area to the driver/ear interface. The AT drivers are mounted at an angle, only about 1/4-1/8" of the pad (at the back of your ears/head) is actually exposed to the driver in anything approaching a perpendicular fashion, and your outer ear is in between the pad and the driver once the headphones are actually worn. These pads are not as anywhere near as thick as the Beyer pads I mentioned earlier, and the drivers on the AT cans get very close to your outer ears, and are parallel to them.
Was it worth it? The differential of the AudioCubes prices is $22 ($45 vs. $23, plus $10 shipping). Well, it was worth it to me because the headphones are now a bit cooler, drier, and more comfortable. I wanted to have one spare set of pads in storage anyway -- and I might even order another pair of leather ones to keep as backup.
(Edited for more detail and clarity, and to add references to the W1000.)