XB500 Pads, What They Look Like, How To Remove, Mods (With Pics!)

[biggbenn74]

So, I recently spotted a pair of broken Sony XB500's on eBay for $15 and snagged them for cannibalization. The pads were in good condition, which was a huge plus. On the downside, they came from a heavy smokers home, so they do smell a bit. Anyway, here is a picture of them half taken apart:
 

 
Tools you will need: Small Philips Head Screwdriver, Patience, Steady Hands
 
To take the pads off, go inside the earpads and you'll see 3 screws holding the earpad assembly in place. Unscrew them and the pads should come straight off. Look in the left of the picture and you'll see one of the screws.
 
 

 
WARNING: If you are modding headphones with these pads, there is no lip. You WILL have to do further modding. I'll explain in a minute.When you get the pads off, there is the black ring still attached to the pads. Gently coax the pads out of the ring by sliding your fingernail in between the inner part of the ring and the pad. Tug at the earpads until they come off completely. Here is a picture of what they should look like with the ring successfully removed (ring in background):
 
 

 
As you can see, no lip on the pads. So... You'll have to make one! Fun... Anyway, here are my step by step instructions on how to successfully create a lip:
 
Step 1. Take a pair of small scissors and start cutting through the outside padding carefully, without penetrating the foam inside. You'll want to make the cut on the bottom of the pads (see pic above) and make sure to stay close to the INSIDE lip. If you cut closer to the outside, the lip won't be as effective.
 
Step 2. Cut all the way around the pads. They should look near (or better) than this:
 
 

 
Step 3 (optional). Glue the inner padding back onto the foam for less irritation while wearing headphones.
 
Step 4. Fit pads onto headphones...
 
 

 
Aaaaaand, you're done! The lip should stretch anywhere from about 75mm, to 100mm. They will stretch quite a bit. The headphones I put them on are the Numark Red Waves. Perfect fit (about 95mm). The insides of the pads shrink a bit, so they become very claustrophobic when worn, but still, they are comfortable and they fit well.
 
Sound changes: Added bass, all around bass (sub, mid, top), good isolation (about to or better than stock).
 
All in all, pretty cool little project for $15, and I still have the drivers to put in another pair of headphones.
 
 

 
Thanks for reading. I hope I have satisfied your curiosity. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, or send me a PM, I'll be happy to answer them for you!
 
-BiggBenn

 

[tdockweiler]

Not sure if anyone knew this, but they fit any Grado. Don't know how they sound or how secure it is.
 
You do need to unscrew the pads from the plastic though. It's hard to get them back together when done though.

 

[biggbenn74]

Quote:

Not sure if anyone knew this, but they fit any Grado. Don't know how they sound or how secure it is.
 
You do need to unscrew the pads from the plastic though. It's hard to get them back together when done though.

Oh, I'd say it's almost impossible to put the pads back on the rings. Once those rings come off, they are off.

 

[biggbenn74]

More Pics! I bought another pair of XB500's for cannibalization, and put the pads on the KOSS TBSE1. This is the result:
 

Here is the Koss Tony Bennett Signature Edition with the XB500 pad mod. The new pads are about 3-4 times thicker than stock.
 

Here, you can clearly see that the modded XB500 pads will add a lot of volume (space) to the headphones themselves.
 

You can now make the headphones sit on their pads, while lifting the headband into the air.
 

The sound difference that this mod produces is more bass, but loss of detail in the upper mids and highs. Aesthetically, more padding, more room. Will not fit into the original travel case.
 

However, the clamping pressure has been reduced slightly/ is distributed more evenly. One more thing to note, the air pressure creates a vacuum when you put your ears inside the cups. The KOSS TBSE1 is sealed very well, so none of the air pressure can be released through the headphones themselves. Rather, you have to pull the pads back a bit to let them breathe for a second, then proceed to wear them normally. Other than that, I'd say it looks different, and I think I'm the first one that has tried this mod on the TBSE1, but in the end, the loss of SQ really made me sad. Therefore, I put the stock pads back on.
 

Anyway, that's it for the KOSS TBSE1 XB500 Pad Mod. Maybe I'll try another pair of headphones for this mod in the future. But as of now, I don't really have any other headphones that fit properly with the pads.
 
Thanks for reading! -BiggBenn

 

[autoteleology]

Wow, very interesting.

 

[biggbenn74]

Wow, very interesting.

Thank you. I've had a lot of fun modding headphones from XB500 parts. I recommend doing mods with the XB500 to anyone that wants something fun to do to a pair of "ordinary" headphones. Whether its looks, or sound, the XB500 parts will never fail to impress.

 

[autoteleology]

I wish I still had my XB500, especially since I don't own any portable headphones after my K167 imploded. Sold em' to a producer friend who unfortunately makes music with them, despite my warnings. A nearly unbeatable budget headphone for fun listening.

 

[biggbenn74]

I wish I still had my XB500, especially since I don't own any portable headphones after my K167 imploded. Sold em' to a producer friend who unfortunately makes music with them, despite my warnings. A nearly unbeatable budget headphone for fun listening.

I know how you feel. I still have my original XB500s still in tact. But, I found 2 pairs of XB500s on eBay for less than 20 bucks apiece, so I jumped and got them. But, I haven't seen any at that price since. Must've been a fluke thing...

 

[SmOgER]

Is it possible for this plastic ring to be vibrating? Or maybe it's a foam?
Sometimes deep sub-bass is causing some rattles, but it's not the drivers themselves as a gentle press/touch stops the noise. 

 

[LaPierre]

I know it's been a few months since anyone's said anything, but I must say I've noticed something helpful. If you take the earpad and put it inside out and cut precisely where the earpad meats the plastic ring you can get an easier and cleaner cut *edit* Oh, never mind I realize you separate it from the ring by gently coaxing it out as you said. Whoops 

my bad.
. 

 

[biggbenn74]

Kick starting this thread back up to show my latest mod for the AD700's. I used XB700 pads on these because the XB500's pads were too small. However, the XB1000 pads might have done slightly better, but nevertheless, I like them. They definitely added some much needed bass. And now, my ears don't hit on the metal frame around the drivers making these some of the most comfortable headphones I own.

You can now just buy aftermarket XB series pads on eBay now for around $15-$20 USD.

 

[LaPierre]

Those look amazing --- mostly in ways I'm unsure of. Do the pads muffle the sound at all? I feel like they would seeing as how they form a seal unlike the normal AD700 pads.

 

[biggbenn74]

The sound definitely changed. The bass was amplified and the mids were increased in a bad way. The treble only slightly suffered though. A quick change in EQ and these things sound amazing!

 

[LaPierre]

That's interesting, I've never had good results putting closed earpads on open headphones. A few days ago I ordered some XB500 pads for my JVC HAS500 and I feel like it'll be a superb match

 

[depleted]

those xb500pads modded cans sure look strange, I'd say... menacing