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HD650 HM5 Pads compared to Stock Pads

Discussion in 'Modifications and Tweaks' started by cskippy, May 10, 2016.

  1. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

    Pyrate MZR
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    First things first, my HD650 is modded differently than the usual SBAF mods aka HD650m. I based my mods on Stratocaster's mods that he had on Changstar. I have also done the back foam removal and the quarter mod to the front foam.

    The mods push the mid bass hump from ~100Hz down to ~80Hz and lower the overall bass amplitude without sacrificing sub bass and fix the 2.5KHz dip. Measurements below:

    Stock HD650
    [​IMG]HD650M Stock L broken seal by Chris Riley, on Flickr
    [​IMG]HD650M Stock L broken seal CSD by Chris Riley, on Flickr

    Modded HD650 Stock Pads
    [​IMG]HD650 Modded L by Chris Riley, on Flickr
    [​IMG]HD650 Modded L CSD by Chris Riley, on Flickr

    Modded HD650 HM5 Angled Velour Pads
    [​IMG]HD650 HM5 Angled Velour Pad by Chris Riley, on Flickr

    Modded HD650 HM5 Hybrid "Jerg Pad"
    [​IMG]HD650 HM5 Jerg Pad by Chris Riley, on Flickr

    Modded HD650 HM5 Pleather Pad
    [​IMG]HD650 HM5 Pleather Pad by Chris Riley, on Flickr

    Subjectively, they sound pretty much like they measure. I posted them in order of personal preference. They are all pretty warm sounding since they lack the treble extension and all have a pretty significant mid bass bump. The modded HD650 with stock pads sound 2nd closest to my speakers and are a reference for me. Speakers and modded HE-6 (with own mods) are reference.

    TL;DR Stock pads are still best and... IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET ANY HM5 PADS PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND SKIP THE LEATHER ONES.
     
    cskippy, May 10, 2016
    #1
  2. Ushi

    Ushi New

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    how come the pleather one has least bass? And is it the standard or angled one?
    Now the only one left is the hybrid pads from brainwavz.
     
    Ushi, May 11, 2016
    #2
  3. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
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    Got details on the mod?

    HM5 pads kind of suck for HD650. Angled velour helps with staging, but otherwise, that and the hybrid are really boomy sounding (lots of upper-bass and low-mids), lack bass extension, and make the treble reaaaally dull. They get better if you remove the front foam and add some back damping, but, I dunno, I think it's better to stick with the stock pads.
     
    Hands, May 11, 2016
    #3
  4. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    It was the standard pleather pad I got it like 5 years ago but it seems to share the same type of construction as the other pads. I was surprised by the bass roll off too. I can only guess that the density of the pad foam might have something to do with the roll off.

    Yep I agree. Mods are as below:

    Felt ring (no change in frequency response but helped with distortion):
    [​IMG]1mm felt ring by Chris Riley, on Flickr

    White bloomy thing is the cotton nail polish removal pad and then there is some protective foam I pulled from the top of a mic box (different foam did make a noticeable difference in frequency reponse so YMMV):
    [​IMG]2016-02-07_11-26-17 by Chris Riley, on Flickr
     
    cskippy, May 11, 2016
    #4

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