When it comes to upgrading both the sound quality and comfort of your headphones, then swapping out the stock pads for an aftermarket set is usually the easiest way of doing so. That’s not to say that all stock pads are of poor quality, of course, but aftermarket pad manufacturers tend to spend more time on refining the design and tuning the sound characteristics of their products, not to mention a more rigorous process of picking just the right material to use.
Recently Dekoni announced 4 earpads to their portfolio which are designed for HiFiMAN headphones that have round earcups.
First up are their Elite Velour pads. These pads feature a tighter weaved material than traditional velour pads which in turn gives you slightly improved isolation. Many people regard this as being the most comfortable pad material due to how soft it is. These are marked at $59.99
The second type of pad is their Elite Sheepskin pad. This pad material is renowned for its long service life and for how easy it is to keep clean. Due to how breathable it is, this results in less heat getting built up around the ear area, and thus less sweating occurs. As this is a step up from the Elite Velour pads, the Elite Sheepskin pad comes with a price-tag of $69.99.
The next earpad is called Fenestrated Sheepskin, which Dekoni describes as being an “aerated” sheepskin pad. The surface of the pad feature uniform and precision-cut holes that apparently gives the pad a more true sonic tone by providing a neutral sound absorption characteristic on the inside of the pad. The perforated nature also allows the pad to be more breathable. As the Fenestrated Sheepskin pad is yet another step up from the regular Sheepskin pad, it’s being sold for $79.99
The final pads on offer are their Elite Hybrid pads which aims to combine all the favourable characteristics of their other pads. Thus, the inner-lining is made out of the Fenestrated Sheepskin material, where as the outer surface features the regular Sheepskin material, and for the part that makes contact with the user’s head they’ve opted for the soft velour. Interestingly, despite being Dekoni’s top-of-the-line pads, the Elite Hybrid is being sold at the same $79.99 price-point as the Fenestrated Sheepskin.
