Sennheiser HD6XX just got an upgrade! 

Listening to the review on my old HD580s which I had JUST padswapped into the Dekoni hybrids you recommended a couple weeks ago... and now wondering if I gotta try these suedes! Always appreciate the recs; thank you for "widening my soundstage" in this hobby!

I'd love to see a "3 months later" update. The fact that any other pad I've heard on the 6xx drastically change the sound, it would be nice if there was an alternative that lasts longer than stock.

Awesome to hear that the Suede Pads seem to be a worth upgrade over the stock pads. Also quiet interested to see if DMS is going to consider these pads while continuing to make the attempt to make his 6XX closed DIY project (if that project still exists of course). Great video as always.

If anyone is wondering.... I have been using the suede ZMF pads regularly for about a year and they have barely shrunk or gotten flatter at all. Big thumbs up

Nice one d-man.. always enjoy hearing your viewpoint sir. Peace xx

Ok , for those that have old pads for the HD6XX or HD650 and want to extend the life, try grabbing a hairdryer and take off the pads and heat them with hairdryer and gently pull on the pads while heating them and massage them. I did mine for about 30/40 secs at a time and they brought back the sound as if they were new. The idea is to heat the foam and try and make the foam expand. Remember, try it with an old pair, as you will have nothing to lose in trying this, hopefully it will work for you as it did for me!

I purchased the ZMF's in the suede and really like these. You are right on about the expanded soundstage and I feel the bass is a little tighter. Very comfortable pads and my ears don't experience any fatigue.

I tried the Dekoni lambskin pads for the HD6XX and found it to be a bloated mess, so stayed with the stock pads. That is, until this video, wow, ZMF Suede Pads...Sick! Just placed the order. Thanks for the heads-up. Appreciate all the vids you put up.

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

I got the suede for my set and it sounds INCREDIBLY close to stock. Although I kind of just stopped using it after an hour due to the material feel. The suede seems kind of rough, not near as soft as I was hoping for. And the foam used has a sort of squeaking noise to it...something I've never experienced with any other pad. That being said, these pads are the only real alternative to stock and Zach made them sound great.

Great review, would love to see your take on the ZMF pads for the Focal Clears

Just got the ZMF suede pads today for my 58X. These are SO comfortable, also increases bass tightness and dynamics by a noticeable amount, without changing the stock sound that much. So far I'm hearing better technical performance with these. Time will tell how they hold up, I'm really excited these might be better than stock in the long run for me!

Got the suede pads. Bang on description. They sound like 6xx's when the stock pads were brand new.

been using these for a few weeks, love em. The outer diameter is smaller than the normal pads but the inside is actually wider because the walls are thinner. I have sensitive skin + ADHD so the older pads used to drive me crazy because my ears would touch the foam inside and the pad material also felt scratchy after a while, with these I can actually wear the headphone for hours now. Sound wise the only change I really notice is better imaging, now it actually images like a decent headphone. Also maybe a bit tamer past 10 ~15k maybe, but not sure.

I just received the Lambskin Perfs and I am impressed (660S owner here). They do exactly what DMS said they would. Great stage, better, tighter bass and an even more organic sound. And they are very comfortable. A nice upgrade. BTW, nice video, DMS. Love your work.

Was using my original 6XX pads for 6 years 😬😬 this was a much needed upgrade! Thanks for the recommendation.

Really impressive, I tried dekonis lineup on the 58x, 650, & 660s and it was mostly a mess. The one thing I found somewhat in common with these is that the elite velour pads were the closest but definitely not as close to stock as zmf managed. The dekoni elite velour was the only ok pad and it really only worked with the 660s but I still ended up preferring the stock pads.

The perforated lambskin and suede are very similar, the lambskin seems to have a bit more edge to them, the suedes are softer in terms of sound. The lambskins are more comfortable in my usage so that's what I go with but both are improvement over the stock pads imo. Zach really nailed this one. I'm hoping he also does pads for Focals.

Would love to see a similar video with ZMFs beyer+ pads and something like the 177x GO. I got them on Zeos recommendation and did the pad swap he suggested but it always seems like theres something that needs fixing. Its a great well built headphone, but I want to know just how good it can be without breaking the bank testing all the niche pad options. I've also not seen DMS do a 177x go review so itd be nice to see how he thinks they measure up to the closed back competition.

I tried the Suede ones and I feel it changes the sound too much from what I love about the 6xx, especially vocals. Just stretching the headband over a medium sized book helped the comfort problems with the clamping force and stock pads putting pressure on my ears. I think that might help the stock pads to last longer, too.

I literally just copped a pair. Perfect timing lol.

I have the Perf Lambskin pads for my DT1990s. I might have to check out the suede pads for my 660S

This was perfect timing, considering my pads are super worn! O.O Suede's sold out already lmao Do an update when those pads are worn in!

Got the suede cups. Loving it

Literally just bought a pair of 650s last week, great timing

I feel like the suede pads really added a lot of shouty-ness to my 660s. Things like voices and electric guitars became really forward. Dynamics are improved a lot, and upper mids and treble are much more forward, but not really in a super pleasing way tbh.

At $69.99 I for one would love an update as to how long they last and hold their sound characteristics. If they only hold it for a few months I don't think I'll be swapping to them anytime soon. My stock pads are still holding up okay but I only use my 6xx when I want to listen via tubes as the majority of time I use my different Planars as I just prefer that sound. Thanks for bringing this new product to my attention DMS as you generally only bring us winners and if somethings bad you make it very clear just how bad it is and who might find it enjoyable...

I am curious to try the suede ones on my 58x, considering I’m coming up on 2 years on them, but I’ve been afraid to change them due to all the horror stories ruining the sound. The only thing keeping me from a 6XX is how easy the 58x are to drive, and I don’t think I’ll ever be in a position to own 660s.😂. Great video as always!

Oh very nice. I hate how quick my 6XX pads wear out (they're used at work ~8-9 hours a day...). I can sorta understand why some folks balk at ZMF headphone pad prices... but when you go through stock $40+ Senneiser pads at a pretty good clip... these could be a pretty good deal if they're quite durable. Definitely sign me up for 2 pairs :)

I was wondering on these, I've been rocking the drop sheepskin perforated 6xx pads for a year now but I love my ZMFs on my 4xx and was considering grabbing the zmf solids

NICE!

Nice!

Would like an update video… especially the perforated

Hey DMS, could you try pad rolling your Stealthy Arya and making a video on results? Dekoni has somewhat newish ones available for the egg shaped hifimans

I don’t know, I love my 600 series so much just the way it is, I doubt I’m going to want to do this, but it’s interesting. I enjoyed the video.

I don't own the HD6XX, so of course I am not familiar with the stock pads on them. So why am I here? It's because of you DMS! Just love your videos :)

Very exciting - I'm more of a fan of suede and suedelike textures and perforated pads than solid velour or pleather, so this is a huge arrival. Curious if anyone has tried these as well as the YAXI pads for the 600 series, been thinking of copping a pair of those for a while since I'm enjoying their Fostex TH-series pads a lot already.

Got them for my 660s, so far i really enjoy them :). When I unpacked them I thought they were too small (when mounted there is like a 3-4 mm gap all around)

Really hope you can do a shootout with the 600 line woth the 58x as well with these pads. I have the 600 do I'm wondering how the pads affects the sound

thank god it's just the pads, cause i finally bought the 6xx like 3 days ago

Or use pad adapters from Mod House and angled Brainwavz oval pads, for even more comfort and distance from the ears... greater staging/imaging. They work well for me (using hybrid pads), plus I added the copper ring from Custom Cans to the driver for extra bass (along w/ enabling bass boost & impedance matching through the balanced output of an iFi hip-dac2... an enjoyable portable pairing, to my ears).

Would you revisit the HD660S sometime? This headphone seems to be misunderstood by many people compared to the 6XX and 600 for a while now.

Does Zach need to do versions for the 58X and 660S? Or will these headphones sound fine with any of these perforated pads? TIA

Doing an update say, every 3-6 months for 1 or 2 years would be interesting. Though only showing FR results up to 10k is a little perplexing

Very curious to know if there is more depth to the pads?

have you tried the ZMF fenestrated lambskin on TYGR 300R yet? They’re just recently launched such as the Sennheiser’s pads.

Are you able to update us on whether they’re still going strong?

Please do an update about pads when you can :)

I am tempted by these for my hd600. I love the sound but they get uncomfortable for me only a couple of weeks wear into the sennheiser pads. The 'it's touching my ears' thing really blows it for me. These could solve that?

Just started noticing some discomfort with my HD6XX and thought it was the pads They are like 4 years old 💀 Gonna pick these up!

dms, still waiting for that update on the worn in pads!

On ZMF's site, the image for the Suede pads look like they have yellow gunk in each perforation, making it look like a used pore strip. Does it look that way in real life?

7:34 Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but if the dip around 2k is the cause of the perception of wider soundstage, wouldn't EQing that area down on the stock pads achieve the same effect?

Finally got mine in. I bought both the lambskin perf and the suede perf. My wife's 6xx pads aren't broken in nearly as much as mine, so I used those for comparison. I still really like newish stock 6xx pads but I think I'd be very happy with any of the three. There's a slight edge to bass quantity on the stock pads, and a slight edge to soundstage on the ZMF pads, which (as new) are slightly thicker than the stock pads. I think as they break in a little bit, this difference may become less noticeable. It's extremely slight though... I find the suede to be a little more laid back than the lambskin which seems to have a tiny bit more treble. Again, it's very subtle. I probably need quite a bit of listening time to pick out any differences elsewhere, I can't really hear anything noticeable in the midrange or bass. I'm definitely happy with the headphone pads. I'll probably use the suede daily on my 6xx in the office. I'm hopeful that they're going to hold up extremely well over the years.

What about the Elite Hybrid? You really like it on the Dekoni video

Just installed the ZMF Suede for my 650's... VERY close to stock, and you are dead on about the slightly wider sound stage. However, I must have wonky ears - I purchased them to see if I could eliminate ear pressure/touch from stock on my right ear (left is fine)... and well, they fell the same to me, just like stock, not really getting more room, and I'm kind of bummed. I guess I will have to give Dekoni’s a try. I really like the stock sound and I don't want it to change much, if at all.

Mr. DMS, Have you try these Pads on 560S? if so thoughts?

@dms Can we do a straight up 650 vs 6xx?? Or are these too similar other than cosmetics? thoughts on their sonic differences?

So, I was intoxicated and bought these. Ends up the link in the description I didn't pay attention to, and it's for the HD8xx.. Sucks there's no returns on these things.

Could you measure the acoustic reflectivity index of the pad materials to ascertain how standing waves fare within the pad's cavity?

was looking at them when they were announced... but can get B stock dekoni or new drop pads for $30 less... almost got 2 pairs of pads for the same price as the zmfs lol

Dual dms vids in one day???? I must be dreaming

Man how about a hybrid version of the 6XX perforated pads, his hybrid versions of his different pads are usually well recieved.

Never been a believer in pad rolling. I've yet to do a pad roll that improves over stock (tried all the Dekoni offerings for the DT1990 and returned them all and kept to stock). The only time it was worth it was putting Yaxi pads on the KPH30i for me, which improved the comfort tenfold and basically kept the same sound. The 6XX is a perfectly fine and comfortable headphone you use with tubes. I would hate to mess with it. Has anyone really noticed a significant improvement with the Suede ZMF pads? I use the Bottlehead Crack with them if that’s important.

Dekoni perforated lambskin vs ZMF perforated lambskin? The Dekonis also show a good frequency response, but interested to hear what you think DMS.

any updates on the closed back 6xx?

These headphones pair well with my jorts. A real fashion statement

Was hoping for a pad that would effectively increase bass extension in subbass region and leave everything else as is but thats not the case unfortunately. The bass extension is the only weakness of the HD650 the rest of it is perfectly neutral already even the upper mids. Any change is barely audible for an improvement.

I've been wearing my Sennheiser HD600 for several years now, with the same earpads - which I do clean frequently, but I'd been wondering why they've become so uncomfortable just recently. Now I think I know why! I ordered the ZMF perforated suede pads. Tube amp. I'm excited to try them out!

Update for the clamp would be nice, the 6XX already pretty clampy.

Hi bro! I have old Bose pls1210, its said 85w. I connect it with my Sennheiser hd6xx through 6.3mm and its sound pretty nice. Is 85w too much, i mean if there is any chance it harm my headphones?

My only Sennheiser are the 58X, the Jubilee ones.. Should I consider any of these? Considering the buying ZMF material from Europe is a bloody nuisance ..

Any chance for a 1 year update?

When I had the 6XX the Dekoni fenestrated leather made them listenable. Expended the stage a little and added a little bass. The ZMF is probably more or less the same.

That pad change for more bass is an illusion 😂

update please when they are worn in 6 months to a year?

How this pads compared with yaxi pads?

I wonder if the perforated suede or perforated leather would be preferred for the HD600 specifically hmm

Would a portable DAC do well with these? I got the Hiby FC3

How about a comparison between the ZMF 6xx pads and the Dekoni 6xx pads? :)

I absolutely love these headphones but the audio leakage surprised me, I don't feel comfortable wearing them when someone is in my room because I know they can hear basically everything im hearing lol. other than that these headphones are amazing and I would recommend them to anybody whose budget is at 200 dollars because they sound crisp and they look wonderful.

Nice! Lack of replacement pads were always been a problem for me with the Sennheiser 600 family. I also wonder how do these compare to the Yaxi pads.

Will measurments be available for these pads used on the Sennheiser HD600 line up?

The entire time I'm like "I've seen this guy somewhere..." then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Dude was in that LTT video that made linus boi cry.

If I own the HD 600 do I need the HD 6XX?

I bought the ZMF suede perforated pads and the clamp force made them unusable to me even after a mo th of heavy use. Unfortunately they are now sitting in a drawer and I wasted me money 😢

Iiiiii am gona get a pair of suedes for my 58x 's

I've tried these compared to the HD650 and the HD660s2 over and over and I consistently prefer the s2. They are all great though

Are these offered for other popular headphones that could benefit from better pads (e.g,. other popular Drop Headphones like the Focal Elex or the Hifiman Sundara’s)? I do have the 6xx’s, so I will look into getting the perforated lambskin pads (I would like the boost in bass from the 6xx’s). Anyway, thank you for the review. 🙏🏼

Wait... If these pads are new, how do you know they last longer than the stock ones?

Am I crazy or are the suedes not available now? I selected them but it just said ‘coming soon!’ And then changes it to the lamb skin? Anyone else see that?

Kewl finally made my decision to buy 6xx thanks for your time bye ✌️

Update after a few months please

do these need an amp?

Please do an update on this videos

I don't understand why people hate using EQ. It's like settling for the default colour setting on a new TV even if everything looks oversaturated and unnatural.

Every since I upgraded from the 6xx to the 660s I've been really afraid to try other pads on my 660s because I don't want ANY change in the sound signature. Really interested in trying the suede on the 660s and even the 6xx. I wonder what the perf lambskin would be like on the 600?

So, they do a 'pretty good job' of retaining the signature sound, which is to say they DO alter the sound. If they're so close to the genuine ear pads, why not just use OEM pads? They're readily available and cheap.

I just bought the velour earpads from drop for the 6xx. Still waiting for them to ship.. are those any good?

Thats funny thats the same thing those pads do to the Auteur too🤔