# Custom Ear Pads (Pics)



## racer_x124

Why are there so few custom ear pads? Well tonight I made these











 *yes, the left ear is bigger, just testing to get a good fit still

 They work great for my big elf ears and keep down the squeak from my glasses (a big problem i had with the hd201s).

 Using some material I had laying around. I'm going to have to keep working on the design in the coming weeks. Any one else have any custom pads? Let's see em


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## jezz

Those are absolutely fantastic. I feel the urge to learn to sew now.


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## racer_x124

Had a little fun with my V700's tonight


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## Pseudonyms

Well I haven't seen that before. Haha. great job!


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## Teerdz

Jealous of skullcandy?


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## Ishcabible

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *racer_x124* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Had a little fun with my V700's tonight 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








_

 

I love the combination of the green fluffiness and the hat! But minus points for using a Z700 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I've been meaning to make leather pads for my Beyer and K271 the past two years, but I've been too busy and the earliest I could get to it would be in summer when it'd be too hot for leather. But I probably will anyways.


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## racer_x124

Thanks all. Hopefully the next set I make I can do a small tutorial on.


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## leeperry

you know, you should really make a tutorial if any possible 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 many ppl make genuine leather ear pads for the cd3k, I would die to make them myself:
http://i40.tinypic.com/xl04ue.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/wki6tw.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/b8nwhc.jpg

 I've got some beat up pads I could use to cannibalize the foam donuts, and I've got some uber soft thin black lambskin...what's missing is the skills, duh!


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## Punnisher

Those are incredible! Well done.

 Since I use mainly circumaural headphones like beyerdynamics, I am very interested in a tutorial. Maybe next time you can take a few pics of the basic steps needed. Also, I'd need to find some material that's suitable.


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## Kees

Can you make matching slippers?


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## racer_x124

Start by seem ripping the old pads into separate pieces




   
  Take the outside circumference and subtract 2". So here we have ~12"-2" gives us 10" which is our total length.




   
  Cut the rectangles. I have big ears so i make mine 3.25" wide by 11" (from the step above)




   
  Pieces cut




   
  And pinned in a loop (good side to good side)




   
  Overcast stitching




   
  Left) Inside out. Right) Outside out




   
  Pin in place to make a hoop




   
  Close up




   
  Finished hoops




   
  Close up stitching (doesn't really matter if it's sloppy, it will be hidden)




   
  Stuffing. I used cotton fill, but I think Poly-fil would work better (check local hobby story)




   
  Cram it in there




   
  Pin in place




   
  Whip stitch to hold together (just like making a pillow in middle school)




   
  Mock up the mount




   
  Again, just pinning to make work easier




   
  Oh, looks good from the front side (that's what she said) ROFL WAFFLE




   
  I forgot to take a picture but I used a needle curved into a 'U' shape (with a pliers). They have a name, but I don't know what it is, sorry




   
  Just have to mount this last ring




   
  Now it's just getting this last 'ring' on. I used the same 'U' needle to do this. As you can see in the first few photos there were holes from the last stitching and I tried to use the same holes to connect it to the 'doughnut'.


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## apatN

I love them pics! I tried modding some Beyerdynamic pads that I had lying around but failed miserably. I am not too good with cloth and such.


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## Voodoochile

Has Fox contacted you with a show offer yet?
  "Pimp My Pads"
   
  Those are cool, nice job!


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## leeperry

now, that's what I call DIY earpads: http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/20466510754/SortID=10013771/ImageID=390882/


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## FallenAngel

It's so fluffy!


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## Ikarios

Looks like the same material my new blanket is made out of, and if my blanket is any indication, I would *kill* to have these on my ears all the time. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





.


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## xisht

Nice. I will try another day. 
  Cool Laptop too. What is the brand


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## racer_x124

Quote: 





xisht said:


> Nice. I will try another day.
> Cool Laptop too. What is the brand


 

 It's an Asus G2S. It's been very good to me.


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## M1K3Z0R

Sorry to revive an ancient thread, but did you ever get around to making leather pads?
   
  This was an awesome and informative mod, as I'm considering attempting to make lambskin/leather pads for the ATH-M50. Only thing is that I want to keep the originals around in case I don't like the sound sig, and not sure how to create a proper mounting.
   
  There is also the issue of what to use to cover the drivers, not sure what would work best (although I heard micropore may work well)
   
  Also unsure of what filling material to use. Cotton and polyester seem to be safe bets, but I'm thinking about polyurethane memory foam. It would appear to be quite ergonomic ( even though I can't stand memory foam pillows) and dense enough to provide an excellent seal.


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## vodkex

This thread is just too awesome, full of win! It shouldn't die.
   
  I've just made some for my SR850. After a lot of experimenting, I settled with three layers of black velour, stuffed with cotton. I tried foam and pillow stuffing (those thin plastic fibers), but neither seals as good as cotton. Compared to the stock vinyl pads, these DIY velour/cotton pads keep the bass intact yet extend it without screwing up the rest of the frequencies, and the mids-highs get a little brighter. The best word to describe the change is sweeter sound, more "musical". I love them!
   
  For covering the drivers you can use whatever the headphones already have in there to protect them..


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## necorn

hey, ill probably look into making my own pads, as my m50's pleather ones are really uncomfortable and are getting stiff.
  great tutorial, and seems quite easy to do, but i have one question,
   
  you pulled apart your old pads to reuse the bit that slips onto the phones, but is there another way to make those parts yourself without having to destroy the original pads?
   
  i just like the idea of having my pleather pads to fall back on if the sound quality or whatever of the custom pads arent as good.
   
  cheers


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## supergolf

I wonder if you could just take a flat piece of leather or thick material and then cut a ring out (like an onion ring) and then just stitch that on.  I want to try this aswell but just not too keen on ripping apart my current pads.
  Quote: 





necorn said:


> hey, ill probably look into making my own pads, as my m50's pleather ones are really uncomfortable and are getting stiff.
> great tutorial, and seems quite easy to do, but i have one question,
> 
> you pulled apart your old pads to reuse the bit that slips onto the phones, but is there another way to make those parts yourself without having to destroy the original pads?
> ...


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## vodkex

Well, instead of stitching a leather ring or something to keep the pad on the headphone, you can do the same with some elastic! The elastic ring'd have to be smaller in diameter than the pad itself so it can stretch on the headphone and keep itself there..


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## necorn

Quote: 





vodkex said:


> Well, instead of stitching a leather ring or something to keep the pad on the headphone, you can do the same with some elastic! The elastic ring'd have to be smaller in diameter than the pad itself so it can stretch on the headphone and keep itself there..


 


  thats a great idea, however i get the feeling that the pad would be loose and would fall off the headphones with just a light tug..


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## necorn

also, i have another question.
  why do you need to measure the circumference then minus 2 inches?
  wouldnt that make it smaller than he original pad?


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## zammykoo

Quote: 





necorn said:


> also, i have another question.
> why do you need to measure the circumference then minus 2 inches?
> wouldnt that make it smaller than he original pad?


 


  Maybe that's because once you finish stitching the pad and stuff it with fill, it will expand from 10"(flattened) to 12"(filled)
   
  Although I could be wrong


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## necorn

ok well i tried a very experimental dud piece without the bit to attach to headphone,
  used a really thin cotton fabric (like the stuff business shirts are made of, just 100% cotton tho,) and stuffed with cotton balls.
   
  dunno how it sounds, cuz i made it too small(not fat enough) and the balls inside were really lumpy and quite uncomfortable.
  the only reason i used cotton balls was cuz i had them lying around in my bathroom and didnt have any of that stuffing that OP used.
   
  zammykoo was right, i think, well at least for it it did expand and turn into 12" like the original.. the experimental piece was about exactly he same size as the m50's pads.
   
  still working on figuring out how to replicate the attachment piece to make the pad go on the headphone... keep the ideas coming guys!
   
  also if anyone has any info on materials to use/avoid in terms of sound quality enhancement and reduction, any feedbak would be greatly appreciated.
  im trying to recreate the sound of the original pads, whilst achieving a higher level of comfort.(my outer ear cartillage rubs against the raised metal bit sticking out of the headphone thingy.
   
  thanks


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## zammykoo

@necorn
   
  I have been tossing this idea around in my head... not sure if it will work. But when I start to make my own pads I plan on using some tshirt iron on material to make the ring. It will make the fabric thicker around the rim, making it hold its shape better.


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## necorn

i thought of a very crude way...
  something along the lines of adding glue/hardener of some sort to the small ring needed to make the attachment piece..
  adding pva glue to fabric, as i have experienced before, does indeed harden the fabric.
  however it may not be the best solution as it could soften in hot weather and stuff like that.
   
  going on that glue idea...
  glueing cardboard to the material using pva glue. this could relieve the hot weather issue a little bit, as the cardboard should remain stiff, even if the glue were to soften.
  the problem with this method is the repetitive creasing of the cardboard could render the cardboard floppy and soft like the original fabric, but as long as you dont keep taking the pads on and off it shud work ok.
   
  question: is the reduction/enhancement of sound quality due to the soft pads, or the bit separating the driver to your ears, or both?


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## Keller1

Made some pads using the same method :http://imgur.com/a/dB3KO#tg7h5


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## ryanc23

Quote: 





voodoochile said:


> Has Fox contacted you with a show offer yet?
> "Pimp My Pads"
> 
> Those are cool, nice job!


 

 "Pimp My Pads". Genious! Hahah

 These are very cool!


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## vodkex

Nice job!!

 I'm modding my SR850 right now, and it came to my mind that I didn't post my pads. Well here they are! Three layers of velour plus a lot of cotton inside those. Really comfortable! I owe you pictures with the headphones assembled. Those'll come later. Sorry for the poor quality, I don't have my camera ready right now.
   
  http://www.imagebam.com/image/c66ce0141303703
  http://www.imagebam.com/image/2474cd141303714
  http://www.imagebam.com/image/fcb2bc141303724


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## Keller1

Quote: 





vodkex said:


> Nice job!!
> 
> I'm modding my SR850 right now, and it came to my mind that I didn't post my pads. Well here they are! Three layers of velour plus a lot of cotton inside those. Really comfortable! I owe you pictures with the headphones assembled. Those'll come later. Sorry for the poor quality, I don't have my camera ready right now.
> 
> ...


 

 When I was making my leather pads I tried using cotton but it wasnt actually all that soft so I used cottonised Polyfill, and oh boy, it's a very simillar feel to the pads on sony's XB-series phones. ( mabye not as soft)


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## vodkex

Well polyfill is certainly an excellent material, when used with a sealing cloth as the leather you used!! Velour doesn't seal, polyfill sounded horrible... no bass, shrill highs, it was really ugly. But cotton in velour is 90% comfortable as polyfill yet keeps the bass and sweetens the sound (compared to the stock vinyl pads my samson SR850 -superlux HD668b OEM- comes with)
   
  Well, that's another combination to try in the future, leather + polyfill.


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## zammykoo

Has anyone tried using seat cushion foam for stuffing? It seems like an easy way to distribute it evenly inside the pad. I just got some high density foam and started making pads last night. I'll post pics once I'm done.


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## Keller1

Quote: 





keller1 said:


> When I was making my leather pads I tried using cotton but it wasnt actually all that soft so I used cottonised Polyfill, and oh boy, it's a very simillar feel to the pads on sony's XB-series phones. ( mabye not as soft)


 
  Hadn't considered that actually. Anyways, since when do people clone superlux products? :O


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## zammykoo

Here's something I have been working on. It is a combination of leatherette for isolation and cloth for comfort. I am still experimenting with different fabrics to see which works best.
   
  I have also drawn out the patterns so I will be releasing it once I finish the other pad, along with process pics.


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## ggoliathus

Hello. Do you know how to custom make ear pads with leather? 110mm by 90mm.width preferably 2cm. can you tell me what is the size of leather i need? and the material to stuff inside. Please


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## Keller1

Quote: 





ggoliathus said:


> Hello. Do you know how to custom make ear pads with leather? 110mm by 90mm.width preferably 2cm. can you tell me what is the size of leather i need? and the material to stuff inside. Please


 

  
  Personally I used the leg pieces off second hand synthetic leather pants and filled it with polyfill from an old pillow. buying materials new is a real hassle.


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## earfanatic

For stuffing.... if You want to try memory foam (good isolator, veeeery comfy) there are memory foam pillows at IKEA that can be used for many pairs of earpads, and the price is not that high like other memory foam stuff.


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## zammykoo

Quote: 





earfanatic said:


> For stuffing.... if You want to try memory foam (good isolator, veeeery comfy) there are memory foam pillows at IKEA that can be used for many pairs of earpads, and the price is not that high like other memory foam stuff.


 


  That's a good idea. Have you used it before? I would be interested in using it but am afraid of the pillow's thickness. I would have to fillet it down to a thinner pieces before cutting circles out.
   
  I'm also curious of how well that foam isolates sound.


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## wolfseed

Quote: 





racer_x124 said:


> Had a little fun with my V700's tonight


 

 may I know what is this fabric call and where to get it? tks


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## racer_x124

Sorry, haven't been on in a while. The material is called 'minky'. I wouldn't advise using it on head phones that are going to see much use (hence the v700) it can become matted from sweat and holds heat.It does feel nice though


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## wolfseed

LOL, tks mate.


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## Anigma

Looks really good  But WARM


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## EpicPie

@ OP. When I still had my HD 201's before I gave them to my friend, I was looking around for a fluffy pair of earpads that could fit them for the longest time. haha


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## haineux

How many Geefles did you have to brutally murder to make that? You horrible person.


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## GoldiLocks

Quote: 





anigma said:


> Looks really good  But WARM


 


  Too warm in fact


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## Nallows

Hey, I'm heading to store to get fabric today, but have a question.  In the picture below, do both the left and right sides of each get sewn?


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## Chasefooo

Thanks for the guide I ad to modify it a lil bit because I didn't have the old earpads but it turned a crappy pair of headphones into a decent Xbox headset


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## Nallows

I seem to be doing something wrong.  In this picture, is the bottom supposed to be stitched just like the top?
   
<------------


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## Nallows

Anyone able to assist?


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## Chasefooo

No that isn't stitched, when you fold the fabric in half and stich, you then make like a little roll like your folding socks


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## Nallows

Yea I figured it out, I'll have to post pics when I get a chance. Ty.


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## Oeufdepoire

Didn't wanted to _buy_ L-cushes for my Grado. So I made those :
   

   
  Unfortunately, they don't sound as good as L-cushes would.


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## Nallows

Quote: 





oeufdepoire said:


> Didn't wanted to _buy_ L-cushes for my Grado. So I made those :
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, they don't sound as good as L-cushes would.


 
  What kind of material is that? It looks like some type of foam, right?  I'm curious where you got them cause I want to try to make a set maybe.


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## Oeufdepoire

Yes, it's some random foam I cut and glued on carboard. But they sound awful. Really.


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## AetherVoid

Thought I'd get in on the fun.


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## XxDobermanxX

This is nice , but i am worry about how it will affect the sound


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## milisav

1st try and 1st fail 
   
  http://postimage.org/image/b11kodnv7/


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## Me x3

Good job! Thanks!


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## OSULeprechaun

Hey, I'm looking to buy a pair of on-ear or over-the-ear headphones that have great sound for under $100 that I would be replacing the ear pads on.  I was thinking about the Sony MDR-XB600's or the Kensington K33084's since they're pretty cheap.  What do you guys think?


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## Evien

@OSU - I don't recommend the sony MDR - XB600s because it looks like the cups are all weird, and don't look to fun to play with. The kensingtons...look like crap lol xD.
 Personally I would shoot for the pretty popular (and highly loved) Sony MDR - V6. I was actually looking into buying these myself, as there roughly 50$ on sale right now. 
 hope this thread doesn't die.. pretty awesome.


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## Delirious Lab

So glad I found this thread!
  
 I need to tell the wife not to throw away her used leather boots...


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## kalbee

The people in the orthodynamic thread make amazing leather earpads... and the cutest duck shaped foam pads for their kids. Wish I had immediate links for those.
  
 I made a few also... mostly failure :S

 (the ones on the left side of the picture)


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