[bozasm]

[size=medium]Tried searching for a thread like this so apologies if I just don't know the right way to find it.  Love this forum to death and spend way too much time wading through it, so I know I'll get straight answers from people who like to talk about headphones.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Comfort is soon becoming a huge priority when buying a new set of headphones, and while beyerdynamic velour feels amazingly soft and great, I can't help the feeling that I might prefer leather after using my friend's Bose QuietComfort 15s. [/size]
 
[size=medium]I'm a little bit of a sweater, so I'm still not certain if velour or leather would be best for me, but I want to go down the leather rabbit-hole a little bit more. [/size]
 
[size=medium]Since then I've since checked out Sennheiser hd280s, Audio technica ath-m50s, and shure srh440s.  While all of those leathers (or fake leather?) are definitely superior to my current pleather Sennheiser hd201, they all feel different from each other, and I really like how the Bose QCs feel.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Still sound quality is top priority, and I prefer the sound of the ATH-M50s and SRH440s over the Bose without a doubt, but the warmth/softness/overall quality of the leather just doesn't quite match up to the Bose.[/size]
 
[size=medium]So I'm wondering, are there other "levels" or "types" of leather (at least in the headphone world)?  How would they be categorized so I can find ones that fit in the same category as Bose.  Thanks in advance.[/size]
 
 
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[joelpearce]

As far as I know, none of the ones you've listed have real leather pads.
 
Only a few companies do--I know some of the Stax are, Ultrasone has some for the super high-end ones... the only real leather I have are the Sony SA-5000 pads on my T50RP.
 
That said, I'm not sure what they use to make pleather.

 

[salannelson]

I know that the M50s have pad material that is much different from pleather. By pleather I mean the wrinkly pads you find on cheap headphones like the MDR-V150, etc.
 
I'm not sure if the M50 pads are real leather, but they aren't pleather like I'm familiar with. They do feel very real and are comfortable and soft to me though.
 
EDIT: I find the pads on the M50 to be very similar in texture to the Bose pads. Weird.

 

[ford2]

 
 
 
The P in front of Leather is there to let you know that it is Plastic imitation leather.
 
Conceived for those who could not afford the real thing.
 
Nowadays used so that companies can make bigger profits.
 
There ought to be a WW boycott of any headphone company using it.

 

[bozasm]

I'm familiar with "leatherette" which is on my HD201. Pleather is another type of fake leather, but I'm not familiar with how it feels.
 
Apparently there's a wiki entry on all this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_leather
 
But the point remains - when looking at a description of a product, it'll be impossible to know how quality the leather (be it fake or real) until I actually touch it.  Neither Bose QC15 or M50s have the word leather in their descriptions on amazon.  Senn HD201 says leatherette,and a review of the HD280s say leatherette.  I will admit that the M50s do have a significantly softer and nicer feel that those two Senns; I still feel the Bose is lighter and softer. 
 
I think I'll just stick with checking headphones out in person best I can.