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SlowCousinPete
177
Oct 19, 2017
I'm extremely happy with my earpads, they are the most comfortable pads for the Hifiman circular line of headphones, and they sound much better than stock Hifiman pads. I'm loving my HE400 right now, and I can't wait to try them on my HE500 when it arrives in a couple days!
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SlowCousinPete
177
Oct 19, 2017
SlowCousinPeteIf anyone's wondering, I attached them using the "Audeze method" of double-sided tape! Using the stupid little Hifiman clip inserts doesn't sound nearly as good.
KJ741N
Nov 7, 2017
SlowCousinPeteI rather like that sculpture-made-headphone-stand. So much better than the Chinese-made junk sold here on Massdrop.
KJ741NThanks man, I'm rather proud of it myself. It's a thrift store score, I was looking for any old piece of metal the right size & shape for a stand, and got lucky snagging one that's attractive and music themed to boot.
The bottom is an upside down ash tray epoxied on. The balance is so good she'll hold two pairs of heavy, full-size planar magnetic headphones without coming anywhere close to tipping xD
bilditup1
80
Nov 8, 2017
SlowCousinPeteSo did you order the ones for the K7XX that are dropping now? Or did they have a model specific to the HE400 last drop? Also, that's the stock velour version right? Can you elaborate on this 'Audeze method'? I find my HE400s are somewhat tight-fit, so if these help make them more comfortable, I'm in.
bilditup1Yes, these are the base-model Dekoni K7xx pads, which just happen to be the right size to fit Hifiman cans as well. I really dislike the inserts Hifiman uses to hold the pads on, so instead, I apply double-sided tape around the outside of the cup as pictured here:
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Then I just center the earpads and let the tape hold them on. It creates a much better seal than the way Hifiman does it, and IMO improves the sound rather dramatically--my pad-modded HE400 was almost indistinguishable from an LCD2 prefazor (I listen mostly to EDM; if you don't then YMMV). Even attaching the stock pads in this way is good for a real improvement.
Does that help?
Do note that the tape will catch hair and skin grease and stuff too, so doing it this way requires cleaning them off and re-applying the tape every 4-5 months, more often if you're pad-rolling a lot. You might be able to go a year between cleanings if you just use one pair of pads and don't mess with them. So understand that this way requires a bit more upkeep, but to me, the improved sound is well worth the trouble.
bilditup1Sound changes: everyone knows that the k7xx is famous for its huge soundstage, so it stands to reason that using K7xx pads on a Hifiman should expand the Hifiman's soundstage. This works with the stock 7xx pads; the Hifiman soundstage practically doubles, without changing any other aspects of the sound. It sounds great, but it's not very comfortable.
The Dekoni pads don't really change much about the 7xx sound, but pad-rolling that headphone doesn't make much difference anyway, they sound pretty much the same no matter what's on there.
The Hifimans are the opposite, they are very sensitive to pad-rolling. The Dekonis have a more complex effect on them. I thought they emphasized the bass on the HE500 so strongly it was a distraction; I didn't much enjoy them there. They seem to do more for the HE400. They are blissfully comfortable on either one
bilditup1
80
Nov 8, 2017
SlowCousinPeteThanks for all the info. ' It sounds great, but it's not very comfortable. ' But you wouldn't say it's an even worse fit than the stock pads, right?
bilditup1Depends on your specific head size/shape, I'd guess. For me, I didn't think the stock pads were all that comfortable anyway
It's easy to experiment without messing with all the tape or anything. Just set the pads you want to try in place, and let the normal squeezing pressure of the headband hold the pads against your head. It'll be secure enough to stay in place while you listen and decide if you like it or not, and you can swap pads in a few seconds to AB test them
bilditup1
80
Nov 8, 2017
SlowCousinPeteYeah I somehow missed your last sentence there - 'They are blissfully comfortable on either one.' Fair enough. I'm looking at them now though and I'm noticing that they already have velour pads of some kind on them (which tracks with my receipt - got them on a BF deal from HeadAmp four years ago). Not sure if it's worth experimenting with these. But thanks again for taking the time to explain everything, I really appreciate it!
bilditup1Hey, this info will be here forever now. If it was helpful to you, it will be to others too xD
Pings
264
Dec 13, 2017
SlowCousinPeteI did the same thing to my ATD-AD1000X
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