Thats an interesting point, because I have also try to wash my old HD 540 II velour pads. I mean now they are very clean , but they are still so flat and uncomfortable that you cant use them for over 30 minutes without hurting your ears. I am also not satisfied with the sound and that was the reason why I decide to look for replacement. So there is only the option between HD 430 and HD 250 pads.
The quality and the wearing comfort on the HD 250 earpad is awesome, but the sound imaging doesnt fit my expectations, so I guess the material is to thick. The HD 530 leather pads are much thinner but still sound better to me (on the HD 530), so I hope the HD 430 pads are somehow comparable to these.
I still can not believe that my HD 530 II sounding better to me, so I try to bring the HD 540 II on the same level, cause the looking, wearing and haptic is much better on these. So its worth a last try.