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Denon/Fostex Ear Pad Guide
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keyboard_arrow_downcanuckavelli
8
Jan 14, 2021
How does TH610 pads on TH-X00 sound? I am thinking of buying a pair to increase comfort and soundstage while retaining stock sound. I tried 3rd party pads but none were good enough for me. Thanks
canuckavelli
8
Jan 15, 2021
Thanks for replying, it was helpful.
Like you I also had a D2000 and live in Canada. It sounds like the 610 pads did make the X00 sound closer to a D2000 (recessed vocals and more air), so that sounds good to me. ZMF Eikon, I don't know. A lot of people said similar things about ZMF Ori. I got clone Ori pads and sound changed pretty drastically even with attenuation rings. ZMF pads also cost a lot to buy in Canada, and no chance for return. 610 pads also aren't cheap but once they return in stock at Amazon at least there is a chance to return. But with the extra cost, I could even sell my X00 for a 610...
Hyde
1138
Jan 17, 2021
canuckavelliHeyyy sorry for the late reply, but glad to know you find it helpful.
But yeahhhh being in Canada make a lot of items (Schiit, ZMF...... etc) extra expensive that normally would be otherwise more accessible to people who live in the states.
https://www.amazon.ca/Sheepskin-Replacement-Compatible-Massdrop-Headphones/dp/B07X1L287G/ref=sr_1_29?dchild=1&keywords=d2000+ear+pad&qid=1610862086&sr=8-29
Is this the "kind of" Ori pad you talk about? Because I was considering of trying it too but ultimate decide against it because it looks like it's much thicker than stock and most likely will change sound.
TH610 pads aren't cheap either I got them from Amazon Japan for $80 ish? (I think I got away with customs) However it's one of the pads that worked well with D2000 so I'm still glad I got them.
I do have Yaxi pads laying around that I'm not using at the moment. I could ship them to you if you want to try them (since we're both in Canada might be cheaper). It's up to you.
Otherwise buying TH610 seems like a good option too, LOL I think I might have trial almost all the Fostex/Denon variants at this point but I haven't get to try TH610 yet. So if you do ever buy it please let me know your impressions haha.
Otherwise since drop doesn't allow direct messaging, you could message me on Hyde0000 on Reddit or Hyde00 on Head-Fi if you want to try the Yaxi pads.
Cheers!
Koole
3
Dec 28, 2019
On the Denon AH-D2000-k (2012) ...
... I discovered this by testing used and nicely flattened Beyerdynamic DT-990 pads:
- Fixed the annoying bass hump @ 80-110 range for more flatter bass response
- Mids and high-mids are nicer and vocals sound more intimate
- Sound stage wider and can hear details in mixes better
- No fatigue on longer listening sessions
HawkingIsDead
3
Jan 15, 2020
Kooledt990 open velour pads? are you sure? ive tried them and dont like the soundquality. no mids, no bass but treble.
Koole
3
Feb 6, 2020
HawkingIsDeadDT-990 pads yeah I'm sure.
Mine are 10+ years old, very worn out and flattened.
I do get thin and treble sound without an amplifier though.
MacBook Pro (late 2015) headphone out was just awful.
Moonsand1
470
Jun 1, 2019
Hyde
1138
May 29, 2019
Bought the TH610 pad and updated the article a bit with new pictures. But in short for anyone looking to replace their ear pad with D2000/D5000/D7000, the TH610 pad is almost an entirely identical match. I say almost because it's not 100% the same, but the difference is sooooooooo minor and sound almost identical so you'll be happy either way.
Oh bear in mind the new pics are taken with phone camera so it's a bit fish eye looking and the perspective is a bit wonky, but hopefully it's still enough to show the difference lol.
(Edited)
drewcandraw
0
Jun 21, 2019
Hydewhere did you end up purchasing the th610 pad? I need to replace mine as well. Any links for it.
Hyde
1138
Jun 21, 2019
drewcandrawOkay as I listen to it more I did noticed more difference, but it's still about 5% ish difference. My assumption is that the difference being my old pad is softer and more "flaky" which might result it being more exposed fabric so more "open" vs the new leather which is very new and sealed so it's more "closed".
The difference being old pad the treble a bit sharper, vocal a bit closer, bass a little bit looser, and soundstage a bit wider, the new pad being treble is smoother, but vocal a bit further, overall bass is tighter, but soundstage is a tiny bit narrower.
So I like the higher frequencies better in old pad and lower frequency better in new pad lol.
As for me I bought it from Japan Amazon I find even after exchange rate it's still cheapest place also got shipped to Canada in 3 days (yes Japan to Canada in 3 days).
https://www.amazon.co.jp/FOSTEX-EX-EP-61-%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-TH610%E7%94%A8%E4%BA%A4%E6%8F%9B%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%91%E3%83%83%E3%83%89-%E3%83%9A%E3%82%A2/dp/B01FBZ5C60/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=EX-EP-61&qid=1561153832&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Though if you're in the states they also sell it at American Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-USA-Replacement-Headphones-AMS-EX-EP-61/dp/B06X6JPJF5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=th610+pad&qid=1561153695&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Fostex EX-EP-61 is the product model number. Let me know how it goes!
:)
rslatara
287
May 17, 2019
I think Lawton's or Dekoni TH900 lamskin with the attenuation ring would be my favorite. I have a completely custom pad that is like a hybrid of the original and a Lawton. I found the Ori pad to extremely plush but like you mentioned it was very thick sounding and felt it changed the sound too much, it did widen the sound stage so it might work well with a LA cup. I had the TH610 and now have an EMU teak. Nice write up BTW.
(Edited)
Hyde
1138
May 17, 2019
rslataraNice! I think I still have to experiment more with attenuation rings, so far I haven't had any good luck yet.
Also how do you like between TH610 and E-Mu Teak? I thought the Teak was quite nice but the deal breaker for me was that the vocal sounded too far for my liking, I like vocal upfront and personal. Also I wish it had more sub bass (I think I've been spoiled by Denon AH-D2000 sub bass). Also does TH610 has wider sound stage?
Never got a chance to try TH610 but I've always been curious about it.
Hyde
1138
May 15, 2019
Uh previously I've also had Philips SHP9500, Philips Fidelio L2, Fostex T50RP MK3, TH-X00 Mahogany, TR-X00 Ebony, and E-Mu Teak. Now I've sold all of them and only kept the Denon AH-D2000.
My wife has Bose SoundTrue (both On Ear and Around Ear), V-Moda M100 and now Sony MDR1AM2.
As for DAC/AMP I've tried FiiO E10K, Schiit Fulla 1, NuForce uDAC-3, SMSL M3, iFi Nano Black Label, and Massdrop SDAC/O2, I've also since then sold all my DAC/AMPs. Right now I just run it straight from my phone LOL.
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Top: TH600/TH900 Pad
Middle: TH610/D2000/D5000/D7000 Pad
Bottom: TH-X00/E-Mu Teak Pad
Top: TH600/TH900 Pad
Middle: TH610/D2000/D5000/D7000 Pad
Bottom: TH-X00/E-Mu Teak Pad
Left: TH600/TH900 Pad
Middle: TH610/D2000/D5000/D7000 Pad
Right: TH-X00/E-Mu Teak Pad ================================================================================ Denon AH-D2000/AH-D5000/AH-D7000/Fostex TH610: Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I gathered is that all 3 of the old Denon headphones shares the same pad, and the new TH610 also uses this style of pads, which is a tiny bit thinner and the opening is a little bit wider than the TH-X00 pads. This pad has less vocal intimacy but better sound stage than the TH-X00 pads. Fostex TH-X00/TR-X00/E-Mu Teak: So all the TH-X00, TR-X00 and E-Mu Teak uses the same pads. As I mentioned earlier the difference between this pad is that it's a little bit thicker and ear opening is smaller than the Denon pads, the good thing about this is that you get cleaner sound and closer vocals, drawback being the TH-X00 series has noticeable less sound stage than the Denon series due to pads (I've tried pad swap to test this out). Again the wood cup also contribute to the sound difference but for the most part this is what the pads do. Fostex TH600/TH900/TH900 MKII: Denon and TH-X00 series uses angled pads with oval opening, while the TH600/TH900 pads are basically big circular opening (still angled). The trade off is that these get much better sound stage and imaging however you get sharper treble and loses bass impact/quantity when swapping between the pads, vocal is slightly more distanced but not too bad. I'm assuming by default the TH900's driver tuning is enough to offset some of the drawbacks (except sharp treble). I've tried swapping them around to see if you get better results, the answer is no. The engineers did their homework and the stock pads are designed that way for a reason, so stock pads still sound the best. ================================================================================ Now we gonna talk about 3rd party pads, but before I start there are some general guidelines. This is a little bit counter-intuitive but in general velour ear pad works better for open headphones and works terrible on on Denon/Fostex headphones. Also in general any pads with bigger opening will increase treble and loses bass impact (though you gain sound stage), any pads that are thick will bloat the bass and will loses vocal intimacy. So effectively any pads that are more comfortable probably will make it sound worse. But you might ask, is there no pads that are more comfortable but still keeps the same sound? Well I wouldn't say exactly the same but there are a few that's sort of passable. Brainwavz: I've tried the Pleather Oval Angled, Pleather Oval Flat, and Pleather Round pads so far, the Oval pads are basically too small to fit properly, you can stretch it to fit though. However Oval Angled is still too deep and sounds horrible (remember, thicker = sound bad), Oval Flat is a little bit better and Round pads are exactly 10 cm (same as stock pads) so this works the best, I would say this is the best one from Brainwavz if you really want one from this company. BUT compared to stock there's still noticeable difference. So I'd say Brainwavz pads are a pass for me, just in general too thick. Dekoni: I've tried Dekoni Pleather, Leather, Hybrid pads for TH-X00. To my ear the pleather sounded the closest, but compare to the stock the sound is still less crisp and vocal a tiny bit further away, but it smooth out the treble so if you're treble sensitive then this is not bad, sound stage widens and bass become less clean/tight. But relative to all the other pads pleather is still the best. Next in line Leather is not bad, it "clean up" the sound but to my ears it just feels like some frequencies are missing, some might perceive it as tightens the sound, though with attenuation ring I find it's close ish to stock sound. Hybrid I don't recommend it reduced the vocal intimacy too much and treble is sharp. Never tried fenestration but from what I read people describe it as "treble murder" so I'd say probably a no go. Don't have experience with any of the Dekoni TH900 pads. Also I've tried their attenuation ring, the only one where I thought it might work is with Leather, any other pads I've tried with it is kind of side grade (you gain something, lose something). ZMF: Keep in mind ZMF pads are actually 11 cm while Denon/Fostex pads are 10 cm, so it will stick out a little bit. But so far the best I've read (sorry never owned any ZMF pads) is the Eikon pads. Apparently this is the closest to stock sound while smooth out treble and widen sound stage. Sound people previously tried Ori pads but the consensus is that it's still too thick too. I think now there is also ZMF Universe pads which I haven't heard anyone recommend yet so I can't comment on that. Lawton Audio: Lawton Audio is probably one of the first one to mod Denon headphones, they were like the OG modder company for Denon. However their pads is too thick and opening too wide so you'll lose bass impact (hence a lot of reports saying it kills the bass), I think it's meant to go with their deeper cups so if you throw those pads on stock Denon/Fostex I don't think it would work that well. JMoney: JMoney pads were also born around the era of Lawton pads, however they're discontinued and impossible to find now, I've heard some good reports of them but can't confirm any of it now. Mr Speakers: I've heard people using Alpha Pads but from what I've read that ZMF Eikon is better. Stax: I've read one review mentioning something about Stax pads but I think they were really expensive and I don't remember how good the results are. I'd probably try something else that's more tested and proven. Chinese 3rd Party Pads: I bought a generic AH-D2000 pads off Amazon and ironically it's actually the best one out of all the other 3rd party pads I've tried (however stock pads still better). If you're really desperate then this is your best choice, the treble is a little bit sharper, and bass quantity is a bit reduced, vocal is a tiny bit less intimate. Since this is the case so even though my AH-D2000 OEM pads is flaking like crazy I still keep using the OEM pads simply because it just sounds better. So in short, most of the 3rd party pads have their own issues but so far the best from what I read is ZMF Eikon followed by Dekoni Pleather, and if you have Denon then get the generic Amazon/eBay pads. ================================================================================ I'm looking to buy the new Denon AH-D5200, so once I get them I'll update you guys on if they still have the old pads compared to the older Denon series or if they changed it up. Also in general I'd say the older Denons were probably not as clean but definitely wider sound stage and the newer Fostex while being cleaner/more refined sounding I find sound stack is lacking (due to pads), unless you get the TH610/TH900 then it's probably wider. Again I'll update this article as it goes, in the mean time feel free to give me any feedback/comment and I'll update the article accordingly. The reason why I'm writing this is hoping you guys wouldn't need to throw that much money down the drain through trial and error like me lol. Cheers! ================================================================================ UPDATE: I've bought the TH610 pad as my last resort to replace my D2000 pad, and FINALLY it's a perfect match, I mean there might be a less than 5% difference but it might be just an old pad vs new pad type of thing, dimensional wise they're identical. Except the TH610 foam is a bit firmer and the D2000 foam is softer, also the backing of the TH610 pad is light blue as oppose to normally just white.
Top: TH610 Pad
Bottom: Original D2000 Pad
Top: TH610 Pad
Bottom: Original D2000 Pad
Left: TH610 Pad
Right: Original D2000 Pad ================================================================================ I've listened to my D2000 with the new pad all day and like I said there's probably less than 5% difference in sound signature. So for anyone who's in the same boat looking to replace the original D2000/D5000/D7000 pads? Just buy the TH610 pad and save yourself the headache! Cheers!