Aftermarket Earpad Database

Here's a comprehensive list of the various different earpads available for purchase around the net, some first party, some third party, basically if it's available for purchase separately from the headphone it'll be on here. I'm sick and tired of buying around with pads and getting something that just sounds like shit or is uncomfortable or cheap. This list should help save others from the same pain.

Brainwavz HM5 Pads:

There are various different varieties of this earpad, which is convenient because these are by far one of the highest quality earpads I've come across as far as construction and comfort are concerned. They are an ovular memory-foam earpad but they are extremely flexible and thus can be used on basically any shaped headphone as long as it has a large enough mount.

Price range: $20-25
Type: Circumaural
Shape: Ovoid
Pros:

• Very high quality, especially considering cost
• Quite comfortable; velours don't itch and pleathers don't sweat very much
• Available in pleather, velour, and hybrid (pleather and velour) varieties as well as angled versions of each
• Compatible with a very wide variety of headphones

Cons:

• The all-velour variants tend to make things sound unpleasantly thin and harsh, only useful for dark or otherwise well-behaved headphones in the treble
• Very deep -- will interfere with sealing with headbands that are too narrow
• All variants tend to reflect high frequencies due to the memory foam and can cause some extremely nasty behavior around 6-10kHz with the wrong headphone/damping

(Will add more later, laptop battery is low)

 

Comply has had this up for a while but I'm not sure if they're for oem only or what... http://www.complyfoam.com/pads/

Kennerton has a few nice ones: http://kennerton.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=62_70

Leather grado pads: http://www.earzonk.com/

 

The complys are strictly for OEMs, and thus probably shouldn't be on this list.

Though perhaps enough noise will get them to release some for DIY-oriented consumers...

 

HM5 pads do increase the high presence "air" in interesting ways. I am going to attempt putting para cord under the pads to see if it changes anything.

I'll also try doing some foam or felt mods just to balance things out, could be interesting...

The HM5 Hybrid pads are a little more of a subtle change if you're not replacing pleather pads. It's like velours without the loss in low end, kinda. I like it.

 

oh, right

this thread exists

I'll add more guys sorry >__>

 

I need to update my measurements page but some of these can be purchased.

http://www.basshead.club/earpad-sizes/

I have measurements for JVC HP-DX1000 and Audeze LCD pads somewhere.