For those long listening sessions, nothing beats the comfort of velour. A soft, durable alternative to faux leather ear pads, these velour pads from Sound Professionals won’t compromise sound quality, get sweaty, or peel over time Read More
With larger (ear-sized!) openings than the pads offered here, Brainwavz oval pads would be more comfortable... and less expensive, except for their Micro Suede pads, which are $1.50 more from Brainwavz official store. They even have an edition of the Micro Suede pads similar in size/shape to these ones.
I own Brainwavz' Micro Suede XL Pads and can confirm that the material is the epitome of comfort. Their affect on the sound is equally impressive, especially with headphones that are a little bright, lack sub-bass, or need a bit more richness to the mids.
Brainwavz Velour pads are available in black and red. Synthetic leather (pleather) comes in various colors.
Their Hybrid pads offer some of the solidity of the pleather pads with with the sound-stage of the velours, as well as excellent center-imaging.
No need to wait until you need the Micro Suede pads. Their comfort is vastly superior to the synthetic leather pads. (They breathe better, and the material just feels softer.)
As for sound, I've found that they boost the sub-bass, give the mids a richer presence, and tame the treble a tiny bit.
If you do buy a pair to test, I bet you'll end up buying another. (They're that good. That's why Amazon can't keep them in stock.)
After trying out a few other earpads, i've found that the Shure SRH840 ones are the best. They are more comfortable, fit larger ear and dont change sound isolation & signature much.
There is a slight drop in bass and improvement in soundstage but nothing major. Plus they're only $16 on amazon. I'd stay away from the velour SRH940 though.