Memory Foam Cushion Ear Pads for Hifiman Arya Ananda Edition XS X HE1000se HE1000 V2 Jade II Headphone Replacement EarPads (Polyester-Fenestrated)

Until I found these, I thought it was either Dekoni or all those mystery brands on aliexpress that I didn’t want to wait a month for to arrive. I really wanted to love Dekoni as they are extremely comfortable and I love how seriously they take the frequency response even providing graphs showing the exact change in the sound! Sadly they are also not cheap, muffle the sound too much, and are nearly impossible to remove on Hifiman headphones without breaking the mounting tabs. I finally decided to take a risk with these Voarmaks and I’m so glad I did!!! These fit perfectly just like the OEM pads and are breeze to install and remove!!! Like any aftermarket pad, depending on which model you get, they do change the sound a little bit but so far I found the fenestrated to have the best sound for my hifiman Edition XS with the least amount of change from the original headphone tuning. They are also literally a fraction of the cost of the Dekoni’s also making them an outstanding value. If I were to nitpick, I would prefer for there to be no fabric in the center of the donut, however other that I can’t recommend these enough, well done Voarmaks!! EDIT: after removing the mesh inside the pads (not necessary on newer Hifiman headphones which already have the mesh on the driver itself) these pads came to life & are now my personal favorite for all egg shaped hifiman headphones over any other pad on the market including ZMF!!! I highly recommend removing the mesh for a much more lively & clear sound!!

​I have installed ​these replacement fenestrated hybrid polyester/protein ear cushions on several Hifiman models, including the XS, Ananda Nano, and Arya Stealth​ with no issues. These cushions feature a memory foam core material that provides outstanding comfort and creates an excellent seal around the ears, even for those who wear glasses. They offer exceptional value compared to the pricing of OEM and other well-known ear cushion vendors. However, I did notice that the replacement cushions come with an unnecessary grill cloth attached. I recommend removing this grill cloth, as there is already one integrated into the ear cups​ to protect the driver. The presence of the extra grill cloth will muffle the upper midrange and higher frequencies, which is not ideal for achieving the best sound quality. Installation is straightforward, but it's important to ensure that the left and right cushions are matched correctly to their respective ear cups. The thin side of each cushion should face forward, while the thicker side should be positioned at the rear. Additionally, when removing the OEM cushions, please be gentle to avoid damaging the plastic attachment clips. A credit card or similar tool can be helpful as a lever to release the clips. Once you align the bottom seam of the new cushion with the apex of the ear cup and the clips are aligned to their respective slots, you can gently snap the clips in place all around the cushion. In terms of sound quality, after removing the unnecessary grill cloth, I found the fenestrated cushions to be quite similar to the OEM cushions, albeit with a touch more warmth in the midrange. This enhancement is particularly beneficial for addressing the typical ​midrange recession found in Hifiman products. Overall, these fenestrated cushions provide great value, increased comfort, and a refreshing change to the OEM sound signature. For those who prefer to maintain the original sound profile, I would recommend considering the non-fenestrated cushions without the grill cloth.

Excellent replacement for the original pads, very affordable, much more comfortable and with a nice (if slight) bass boost. Easy to install as well. Highly recommended.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: Having an HD6XX and trying a pad swap before, I had a bad experience. All enthusiasts know that "cheap" pad swaps usually have a negative effect on sound quality. But damn, the price difference between these and the OEM Arya pads (serenity pads), I could literally buy 3 of these and be under the price for the OEM pads. At a cross road I decided if these are good, I'll have found a good alternative for my Arya's for it's lifetime and save about $50 down the road every time I need a replacement. If they suck, then I'll return it and go for the OEM pads. Comfort: So far it's a bit stiff, but likely just needs a break in period. Sound quality: On first try, sounded a bit muffled -- I already had the idea in my mind to cut out the mesh filter from the reviews, and confirming that my OEM pads didn't have one included. Definitely made a big difference, the Arya's after this small mod sounded extremely close if not identical to OEM pads. Extremely happy with the purchase. Install was pretty easy, just some clips that need to aligned and pushed in.

These are just as good if not slightly better than the stock pads. These have a slightly stiffer cushion than stock pads which I find to be preferable to prevent contact with my ears (I got big ears) but they do soften a bit once warmed up from wearing. I haven’t noticed much if any change in sound signature from my Ananda which is great since I love the sound from them, but the overall comfort during long term wear has improved. Also $21 is hard to beat compared to the price of OEM replacement pads.

For the price, this is a quite nice replacement for the stock pads on my HE1000 Stealth. I would recommend cutting off the thin inner fabric backing as my OEM ones did not have this fabric and I noticed it touching my ears. Just perfect after removing.

Excellent sound, good value for money, you definitely have to cut the mesh, it sounds muffled and the sound is enclosed with it, I took a cutter and putting a small piece of cardboard underneath I cut very carefully, thanks to those who recommended that I cut it at first I didn't want to and then I did it, the sound is a little warmer than the original, for me it's excellent

They didn’t fit to my headphones at least they didn’t stay on properly. I have returned them.

A few notes: - Build quality is on par or better than the stock pads. - Changes to frequency response: The purple line are Arya Stealth (V3) with stock pads measured on a MiniDSP EARS with HEQ target curve compensation applied and an EQ to make the FR largely flat. The orange line is the exact same setup just with these pads on. Thus, the orange curve only makes sense in relation to the purple curve, the absolute look of the curve is completely irrelevant. I could have EQ'ed the orange curve to flat and then the purple one (stock pads) would do the squiggle. Bottom line: ca. 2.5db boost around 1250Hz, 3db dip around 2900Hz, and a narrower 2db dip around 4700Hz. If that makes the sound better or worse compared to the stock pads is up to you. I EQ any difference away anyway, so I don't care much. - Sound stage and imaging slightly diminished, likely due to the driver being closer to the ear. This slight diminishing of sound stage and imaging persists even after EQ'ing the frequency response back to the same target as reached with the stock pads. So this is not an effect of the previously mentioned changes to FR. Do I prefer these over the stock pads? For comfort yes (a lot), for sound no. I would love to see thicker pads that are just as soft as these to keep the driver at the same distance as the stiff stock pads do, just with a more pleasant feeling. For now, despite the extra comfort I can't get my self to give up on that last bit of technical performance, so I'm keeping the stock pads on as my main pads. If you wonder about whether to take these or the velours pads: The velours, 7 days of the week. They are equally soft in terms of the foam but the velours surface is much more soft and pleasant, and they are more similar in frequency response to the stock pad (but suffer the same sound stage / imaging hit).