Drop Elex + Dekoni Pads

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Jan 5, 2020.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I recall a few folks asking about the Dekoni pads for the Elex. I have a set of Dekoni pads here and will take some measurements in the next few days.

    The Dekoni pads are fantastic for comfort and materials, but based on my prior experience with models intended for the HD6xx and HD800, I shudder at what they might do to the sound. The first one up to bat is the Velour pads. I chose these first because they are the ones that look most similar to the stock Elex pads. The foam density appears to be a bit thicker though. I was hoping that they would fix the sometimes bright highs of the Elex. They did, but I think they went a bit too far. The resultant frequency response becomes a little bit like the Audeze. It's actually not bad because of the Elex's great transient and dynamic response, but I was looking for something a bit more neutral, not as laid back in the upper mids, while correcting the highs.

    So to be clear, the Dekoni Velour pads (right) are not a replacement for the Drop Elex pads (left)
    IMG_20200105_202143.jpg

    Drop Elex - Dekoni Velour Pads
    upload_2020-1-5_20-13-43.png

    Drop Elex (stock Elex pads) for reference
    [​IMG]
     
  2. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    Just to confirm, these are flat plate measurements and not EARS?

    I typically found Dekoni pads for Focal headphones to fix the treble but add too much below 1kHz making the sound too thick. So close, yet so far...
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    They are EARS + SBAF compensation.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The Dekoni pads Audeze'd them. Haha.
     
  5. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    My experience as well. I like the effect and more often than not have the Dekoni's on my Clears, though for some recordings it becomes too much and I switch back to stock.
     
  6. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    They also seem to stunt the transient response and dynamics which Focal headphones are known for. I didn't try and EQ them to see if it was just the FR or too much damping.

    These are the results of Dekoni pads testing on Utopia. I think my favorite of the Dekoni pads was the Sheepskin but the best alternate pad to the stock pads is the Clear pad or Elex pad IMO.

    Green stock pads Red Clear pads Magenta Dekoni Sheepskin Cyan Hybrid Yellow Velour.png
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2020
  7. will_f

    will_f Friend

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    Looking forward to seeing the results for the Fenestrated sheepskin. If you need a pair I can send them to you.
     
  8. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Sorry for the necro, but I was wondering if anyone has tried and/or measured the Elex with the Dekoni replacements other than the velours. Found a small tear on the top of one of my pads, and ime that usually means the end is near. My goal is to have them sound the same as stock. Availability is spotty through Drop, but pricing seems comparable. Better durability would be a bonus, but not at the expense of sq or comfort. Any info would be helpful. :piratemug:
     
  9. Ti_Leo

    Ti_Leo Almost "Made"

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    I don't think I'm good at comparing things and describing the difference, but I tried the perforated leather pads with Elear a few years ago, they sounded quite similar to Elex pads on Elear, much better than Elear pads. The perforated pads were an update to Elear to my ears, but compare to Elex pads, they came with more mid-bass or upper-bass, which made the headphones sound a bit dull, less airy. I still preferred Elex pads as they were more lively and versatile but I could definitely see the use of perforated leather pads for bass focused music. because more bass. more better?
     
  10. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Are you talking about the Dekoni pads, Utopia pads, or something else?
     
  11. Ti_Leo

    Ti_Leo Almost "Made"

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    Ah, sorry, Dekoni perforated leather pads. I just remembered that before I bought these pads, I checked some reviews from some other sites, could be Drop or somewhere else and some people mentioned that perforated pads could be the closest to elex pads in Dekoni's range, and they did mentioned more bass from those pads, which looked fun on paper, but less desirable in more cases on ears.
     
  12. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    So the fenestrated sheepskin ones I guess? I think the low end is about the best I have heard for my tastes from a dynamic with the stock pads. Wouldn't really want to change it significantly. Ty for your replies btw. Appreciate it.
     
  13. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    I tried the 'Elite Hybrid' (that I now have permanently on my Clears) a long time ago on the Elear's when I had them, but I only recall I did not prefer them. On the Clears the 'Elite Hybrid' tilts everything a bit warmer, and I like the FR so much it's the only HP I don't EQ at all - not even a tweak 1.2 db here or there. I am actually surprised more folks don't like the Dekoni's around here, given how "being too fast" and " upper mid/treble are to metallic/shiny" is a common complaint of the Focals, and the Dekoni pads take the Focal's sound in warm/slower direction by I don't know, 6.2%, or maybe 7.567%. This is confirmed by cskippy's FR above and Dekoni's own graphs. Cskippy thought they dull/damp the Focal's transient response, which is the the brands central strength, too much. They do, but it's a trade off, a 4.67% difference that might be worth it - with the Clears it is for me.

    Now when I put the 'Elite Hybrid' on my Utopia it smoothers the microdetail too much, and gives it too much of an upper/mid bass boost, so they don't work for me. I have the 'Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin' for Utopia on order actually and will post here when I have tried them, possibly later this week.

    All that to say if you don't want what so far has been a warm tilt Dekoni house sound, the stock pads are the safer bet. Might be worth experimentation however.
     
  14. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Dekoni 'Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin' arrived today and I'm listening to them - Roon > Yggdrasil A2 > Asgard 3 > Utopia

    First impression: Do not squash the microdetail as much as the Elite Hybrid, but a slight loss I think - will confirm through the Starlett later. Also don't boost the mid bass as much, but do give an overall warmer tilt as expected. Surprising to me at first, they move the stage more out front, and at the same time narrow it a touch.

    All of these SQ differences compared to the stock pads might be attributable to the fact that although they are the same size as the stock pads, the foam does not squish as much from the clamping force, so your ear is not quite as close to the driver. For my big old ears they are a significant improvement in comfort.
     
  15. crenca

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    Update: After a week of having the Dekoni 'Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin' on my Utopia (mostly through Roon > Yggdrasil A2 > DNA Starlett > Utopia) I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, they are more comfortable for me, as their harder foam allows more space for my big old ears, and I don't mind the overall warm tilt compared to the stock pads. However the mid bass bloat became tiresome at times, though long term I would probably tweak this with EQ. However there seems to be some nulls in the bass as well, reminding me of an untreated room mode(s). The critical voice area also on some tracks come across as slightly congested and nasally, dialing back the Utopia's stellar clarity/detail a touch. By narrowing the Utopia's already narrow stage, even some classical works can become claustrophobic. This is helped by moving the stage out forward as I mentioned above, but sometimes not enough to make up for things overall.

    I will try the on the Clear at some point, but even these relatively small compromises take away some of the Utopia's magic so I don't think I will normally have them on the Utopia in the future.
     

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