I have a question for you ear pad aficionados. I recently bought several sets of Dekoni sheep skin pads for my Fostex models and noticed that the sheep skin felt a bit rough as in drier and not as smooth as my ZMF pads. Is there a certain way to maintain sheep skin pads by using certain oils or moisturizers?
Not a pad expert, but I’ve been semi into leather and the like (particularly shoes) for a little while now, so I’d suggest getting something like a good leather shoe butter or oil, as that is what I would do, and if it is truly leather it should both help to soften it up, and make it a bit shinier and resistant to general wear and tear. This is what I would do, anyway.
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Do you have any recommendations?
This seems to have good reviews:
I didn’t personally get to use a ton of it, due to personal situation, but this is what I used for a pair of boots I owned a year or two ago:
Just a bit of caution – these headphone makers (Abyss) discuss the many ways owners cause problems by over-enthusiastic maintenance attempts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CdyDACVA24. Earpad maintenance discussion starts at 6:10.
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Audeze has their own leather care/conditioner. That one is designed for ear pads unlike man other leather care, conditioners, etc, which are for leather shoes and jackets.
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Do not use alcohol, water, or any kind of solvent that isn’t intended for specifically cleaning leather.
We prefer MoHawk leather cleaning products, but there are many leather cleaners widely available. It is important that you don’t over-clean your leather too. One cleaning every 3 months is recommended.
MoHwak Cleaning Kit: https://www.amazon.com/Mohawk-Finishing-Products-Leather-Care/dp/B0128PHA5W/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=MoHawk+Leather+Cleaner&qid=1571595230&s=office-products&sr=1-1-catcorr
Quote from ZMF FAQ about cleaning the pads
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Not a whole lot of money… Though for scale, you probably aren’t going to be using that much.
You can really tell they had the marketing department had a big hand in the description…
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Im going to necro post here since i dont think this is too old to start a new thread on and i want to add and ask about a few things mentioned here:
For leathers: I would not use most products that are made for boots, shoes, jackets. Most of the stuff has a synthetic or petroleum base which i would not want sitting on my skin or any nice leather. I have high end Saphir stuff and i still wouldnt use it on the pads. Mink oil and neats foot based products tend to clog pores, making it heavier and much less breathable. Once again good for waterproofing boots but not earpads.
My vote would be Lanolin. Its cheap, doesnt rub off and can be found easy as its medically used to help sooth breast feeding. I use it for everything leather i want soft, light and breathable.
The audeze stuff is the closest, some moisturizers, lanolin, and beeswax to protect. Over saturation does more harm than good and im sure doesnt help the foam underneath. Just make sure its clean before application.
Velour: this is my kryptonite. I shower and wash my hair before usage but this stuff soaks up all my skin oils and it kind of gunks up and melds the pads surface. When i wash these they never seem to come back nearly as soft or fully clean, and is normally a death sentence for the foam. I will take any suggestions on how to keep these clean as they usually gunk before the foam deteriorates. I even find if i out them down on a piece of paper they will rerelease the oils it absorbed onto the paper. In oily but i dont think im that grungy
Suedes: they make erasers and brushes but those are more for longer naps and more rugged applications. I have a pair of audeze vegan pads that are sooooo soft but am afraid to use since they may get dirty like the velour and i cant clean them.
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I wouldn’t call it a recommendation but I use 70% alcohol on my velour pads. They seem better to me, but obviously you’d want to try with an old pair first. The key is to use wipes that aren’t really wet, even glasses wipes would probably work if you can find some that don’t have other junk in them. Seriously, who wants perfumed glasses?
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I would just try a lily time n let your natural oils take effect.