Headphone PADS matter a LOT
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- Опубліковано 17 лип 2024
- Headphone pads! Sure you can change them easily and there's lots of options on the market BUT is that a good idea? How much can they change and is it always for the best? Let's talk about it!
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We need more accurate measurements from industry standard rigs of headphones fitted with various aftermarket pads. There isn't enough data in the web to make an informed decision about all the different pads yet.
we need reviewers to stop treating their measurements as science...
@@nelsonang It is science. Measurements are a fantastic way to evaluate one of the most important things on a headphone: tonality. If you have listened to a bunch of headphones and know how they measure on industry standard rigs, you can draw conclusions for future investments, especially if higher priced headphones are on your radar. With measurements you can draw concusions on how your ears differentiate from the harman target and choose suitable headphones from that baseline. You can also identify resonance issues in the treble e. g. when sharp peaks are visible on a graph (for example DT 990 Pro). I am one of the lucky ones who's ears are fairly close to the over-ear harman target, I just like slightly more lower midrange/warmth in my headphones, treble and midrange is pretty much on point, maybe 1 or 2 dBs less in the presence region around 3kHz and I am good. All in all, the Harman-Target is a fantastic reference and pretty much every headphone that measures closely to this target is going to sound good to me and to the majority of others as well. IEMs are another thing, but as far as headphones are the objective, it is pretty close.
@@rene837 do u know what u are measuring? what does frequency response even mean? and I don't mean frequency response is not science... I'm saying a lot of reviewers do not even know what they measuring... they plonk a headphone on the rig and then start the frequency sweep... if it doesn't adhere to a particular target, they say it is crap... that is not science...
@@nelsonang Yes, we are measuring the volume of wiggly air on the frequency range from about 20Hz up to 15Khz. The differences in volume are shown by the graph.
No one said that headphone that don't adhere to the target 100% were crap. I even stated that I like a bit of deviation in certain places and there even should be some deviation e. g. a dip around 9kHz.
@@rene837 that's not what frequency response means :) for UA-cam hifi enthusiasts maybe... but not in engineering terms... that's why I say all the yakking about measurements are not even close to science...
Pads are important for sure but the headphones play a crucial supportive role by fixing the pads in place around the ears.
Yeah no shit, Rob
@@bodythetan Just call me Sherlock.
🤣🤣🤣 wtf? More like the cups play a supportive role to the headphones!
@@GadZookz lol
@@amiththomas3884 The cups do play an important role but let’s not forget the pads. 😎
Keep these classes up DMS, great stuff.
Great video, it's amazing how much of a difference the pads make on my Meze Empyreans. The leather pads and the alcantara pads sound like two totally different headphones.
This was very helpful thank you!
DMS did a Meze 99 Neo review a while back where he recommended an alternative set of pads. I switched to those pads and enjoy the headphones more now.
I went for perforated pads for both the Sony 7506 and the AKG K371BT which I feel helped tone down these bassy headphones and gave the mid and upper ranges more room to breathe
I got some different pads for my beyer 1990s and it was a nice little change!
Even just changing the ear pads of the MDR-7506 and MDR-900ST makes a big difference in sound.
It's a lot of fun just to change these to compatible products.
Great video!
Can you elaborate on the Dekoni pads for the Diana? How is their sound and comfort?
This convinced me to get dekoni pads for My HD599SE
That's an amazing thumbnail :D
I love this analogy because it really puts into perspective what some audio engineers mean by pads mattering less than you’d think. At the end of the day the speakers have a wildly bigger influence on sound than the room they’re in, but the room you’re in, if you already own speakers you know can make or break the experience legitimately.
Excellent vid. I know you don't really cover IEMs, wish you would. IEM tips may have even more of an impact than pads on headphones. Foam tips can tame treble highs. Wide bore silicon tips will open up treble and soundstage. And the seal is everything on an IEM. Without a good seal, you'll feel no bass and the sound will be severely lacking overall.
Just ordered an Arctis Nova Pro Wired to replace my now broken beyond all repair Audeze Mobius and decided to also order some alternative pads with it. I'm curious to see how they change the sound. I get that the Arctis is not an audiophile pair of headphones, but whatever I can do to improve the sound quality is definitely appreciated. The fact that it comes with a DAC-Amp is proof to me that they're at least taking sound quality more seriously than their competitors, the Audeze Penrose and Mobius not included in that because they had their DAC-Amp built-in to the headset itself and really they're like music/movie headphones with a mic bolted on to make it a gaming headset. Arctis isn't that, but they at least acknowledge you're going to use the headset for more than gaming.
How are they?
Finally the Dekoni Elite Valour Pads on my DT 1990 pro put a smile on my face.... that says as lot. BUT modding with the Dekoni foam kit did the reverse for me.
For the Philips SHP9500, from experience, stock, velour, protein leather, mesh, and cooling gel pads all sounded different. It was either stock or mesh for me. Cooling gel and leather added too much low end while the velour f'd up the sound.
Did you ever end up going over how the ZMF pads on the 6xx's held up over time? My stock pads are being replaced after 2 and a half years (only because finding the foam inserts is a nightmare before realizing they are squished down pretty good) so I was looking at other pads out of curiosity
Good timing, my HE400i 2020 pads are starting to flake off. Are the alternative pads with better comfort? i've always found the ear hole a bit too small
I will preface my question by saying that I have mostly had blu tooth headphones, my greatest issue with them is that the hinges or what connects the band with the ear cups are always the first thing to break. I do take care of them but it still happens. So I have never had the chance to change any earpads. My question, now that I have the Meze 99 Noir which I expect will last longer, is how do I now when to replace the earpads due to wear and tear? I am still learning from this hobby, one step at a time.
So. . . Question - what after market pads would you recommend for the Arya Stealth V3, to enhance bass a bit (and to smooth some highs?
Big Grado pads on my SR80x were the most bang-for-buck positive change. They're so much better with big pads!
Can you please help me which one did you buy? I have a Grado 125e and a 125x and I'm really interested, the e is old, a new pad is very much needed.
Any suggestion on headphone pads for Hifiman XS? I enjoy soundstage and warm bass. Thanks
do I spy a stash?
Entertainingly informative. cheers!
Pads are very important. For example i wasn’t keen on the dt1990 in stock form. However with the dekoni elite velour pads they have become my daily driver
What did the velour do to improve, I'm very interested in getting a pair.
My problem with the DT177X GO is that the pads they come with are different for the normal Dekoni Lambskin and Dekoni doesn't sell them.
Any recommendation for getting more bass with Sennheiser hd 800 headphones.
Hey dms do the new 600 pads last longer and how do they sound
Airy headphones create airy audio closed headphones create closed audio
Headphones or pads hence why opens have open (pourus or breathable) pads and closed have leather (typically) play with it: the point of this, love this videl seriously
Cost and logistics aside, would be pretty interesting if there was a channel that just tested different pads on all sorts of headphones and posted measurements of them
Any pads option for the SHP9500?
Should i add Dekoni hybrid pads to my Sundara? yes or no
I’m addicted to pad rolling… it’s so much fun.
I'm actually planning on doing a senn hd 660s X brainwavz angled hybrid pad combo. My goal is to increase bass but the most important one is to increase comfort. I tried these cans, and my ears are just crushed by the drivers. Anyone who did this combo can tell me if it works well or might work?
thanks
ZMF is pretty smart to make options as ears are sooooo different!
I got some pads off drop for my old Audeze LCD2 and they sounded very far away, I got the official new revision leather pads directly from Audeze and they sounded 10x better. Not even a contest.
Please review the neumann NDH 30 🙏
I'm no Adrian Monk... but I'm guessing DMS lives in upstate NY someplace with all that recent snow. Near Buffalo maybe? One of my first headphones where aI moved up a tier was the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro. I like them but the treble was a little hot/harsh and the Bass was a little weak. After some research I bought some Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads and they added some nice Bass and mellowed out the hot treble in the DT 1990 Pro's. So I'm a believer in pad swapping only when absolutely necessary like with the DT 1990 Pro's. They were not getting it done with the original pads. The hot treble was a deal breaker
What pads were used on the grados?
All so true. I generally tend to stick with what the engineers and manufacturers attach stock, but some headphones provide for great variance. The DT-770 80 ohm comes to mind with stock velour; those sound like shit IMO. Beyer provides, in Europe currently, an aftermarket protein leather pad that used to come stock with the 32 ohm variant of the 770. I found that combo to be a bit bright, but these pads work wonderfully with the 80 ohm.
who knew?...so glad I found this channel
Where to buy original hd800 pads ?
i wonder if we can get similar effect with different tips in earbuds, i know seal matters, but is it a question of seal on/off or does the tip length/material make a difference too?
Ofc it does. Try it and you know it.
Earpads for headphones are like eartips for IEMs: they influence a lot in the sound signature.
So…what’s the best pads for HD600 if I want it to sound basically the same for midrange and treble but with a bit more bass?
Probably the ZMF perforated suede or perforated leather HD600 pads. The vid in the description has measurements of both.
Realistically the cheapest and most reliable solution is to EQ in a small bass boost to taste. Pad rolling is an expensive and inconsistent endeavour on the whole.
Original OEM pads are the best in case of HD 6** series if you want to keep the same sound
What pads did you get for your Grados?
I am literally in the situation you mentioned at 4:13 in where I have a pair of hd6xx and never changed the pads. I've probably owned these headphones for almost five years now and not once changed the pads. Does it really make that much of a difference and what pads should I go with? I've upgraded my amp recently since but never considered the pads.
Me too, same(ish) situation. Based on what he said, the ZMF Suede seem to be the way to go because I do want to return to a close version of what the 650s sounded like (or 6XX or course, same thing).
@@PaulieDC I just bought the suede pads yesterday from zmf because the inner foam one the stock ones literally started to tear from age lol. I’ll update you when I get them
@@CrazedVFX thanks!
@@PaulieDC They came in today and I would have to say that in terms of headphone pads, they are really comfortable (definitely more than the worn out stock ones lol) and in terms of sound, I don't really notice too much of a difference from the stock ones (which i guess is a good thing.) the biggest difference i would have to say is everything just sounds a little more balanced/full then what it was before.
First Impressions for ZMF Suede Pads 6xx:
They are good pads, but I don't think its worth buying a brand new set of them to expect a completely different sound/experience out of the headphone. In terms of my case though, I'm satisfied with the purchase because they do what they are advertised to do (sound as close to stock as possible) and my old ones were worn out a lot. So if you're looking for a close to stock sound and absolutely NEED new pads, I think these are definitely the pads to go with.
Edit:
Been using the new pads for several hours now and just now tried to put the worn out stock ones back on and can definitely say that getting new pads brought the life back in these headphones. I genuinely don't remember the last time my headphones sounding this good, if ever lol
@@CrazedVFX wow, that is great info, appreciate the thorough test AND synopsis! He did say in the vid that the suede should be the closest to stock so I’m glad to hear you confirm that… actually, your description sounds more like stock+ which is great. I’m going to go for it once original pads wear out. The long-term test now is to see how long they last, but suede should outlast velour I would think. Great assessment, thanks! 👍🏼
What a way to pad out the video lenght.
How could I make my band tighter ?
ZMF suede pads are the best upgrade I ever had for HD58X!
Im using the perforated lambskins on mine, how would you say the suede ones affected the stock sound?
@@ObeyaCorpsArmory the perforated lambskin is slightly darker in the treble compared to stock
while perforated suede is slightly brighter than stock
@@ObeyaCorpsArmory I've never heard the HD58X, so I can't comment on their stock sound. But I can't tell you from experience that - compared to perforated suede pads - perforated lambskin pads will provide more clarity, more peaky treble, greater dynamics, and more bass.
@@ObeyaCorpsArmory I couldn’t tell you how the stock pads sound because when I upgrade the Suede pads, I immediately bought amp/dac shortly after..
So, I can’t have a fair comparison BUT from my memory, the Suede pads provide slightly more details, bass, imaging and space but less mid because the pads are further away from the ears compared to the stock pads
However, with amp, it just eliminates it and basically takes what good from a stock pads and upgrade the details, bass, imaging and space with Suede pads
@@mattrismatt That's exactly how I feel they changed my 58X's sound. To the point where I don't use EQ anymore on the 58X because they made them clearer and more inpactful, they sound perfect for me now.
Yeah man. Bought a pair of generic pleather pads for an HD 800 S. That was a mistake lol. Anyone else reading this with an HD 800 S that needs a pad replacement - just fork over the extra dough and pay Sennheiser for stock pads. You will thank yourself. 👌🏼
🔥🔥🔥
It doesn't help that your manufacturer stops or says they've stopped supporting your older models. There are some good 3rd party pad sellers with pads relatively similar to the originals, I think!
ah shit.
and I thought it couldn't be more expensive.
Pad roller had turned a lot of mediocre headphones into good headphones for me!
Do pads matter? Hell yeah they do, I have some Chinese grado looking headphones and changing from leather to velour made it either more neutral or a pair of headphone that'll cut your ears off with it's crazy sharp treble
My problem is even though I'd like the stock pads on my headphones but they seem to be hard to find, at least for the Arya stealth
I hate Sony for not selling their own replacement pads!!
I just want pads that won't start peeling and flaking,,, ever.
3rd party pads are mostly dropshipped so you need to be careful where you are buying them so you don't overpay. I know dekoni dropships from china and charges for 50-100 for theirs when you can get the same one for 10 dollars.
Where are the original ones without markup?
I have never try any Dekoni pads that sound as good as the originals, it's a waste of money if you ask me.
Welcome to MTV cribs, this is DMS’s pad…
But "measure better" doesn't mean better as you touch on.
I changed pads on my headset And the sound bame way more bass and trebble.
Sounds like shit now... u got $9 pads
Foist
Moist
Video is so long. Too much … padding
I’ll see myself out
Bro said so much without saying anything
My sundara pads were getting a bit squashed, so I got cheap ones from Aliexpress, and they worked out great. Although after a couple months, the seams started to come apart...
That’s a really great story
@@bodythetan is it? lol