Also I might do some more testing just to see if the comfort actually does get better. The foam if a fair bit thicker than the F-cush pads, so if they get a bit softer and less scratchy then it could be worth it to cut a hole in the front of them and see how they sound.
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What about TTVJ pads? There are some favorable reviews for it with the HF-3âs. I donât know how they sound with the hemps. Frankly, I should put my HF-3âs up for sale one of these days since I am not too enamored with it. Not enough to try pad swapping.
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I am revising my previous statement on the Yaxi pads. They do not sound as bad as I first thought. They seem to lower the perceived volume quite a bit, which came across as a muffled sound, but once you turn up the volume to mach the F-cush pads, they are much more listenable.
I still do not totally recommend the Yaxi pads as they seem to âfilterâ the sound. The physical sensation of the sound that I love so much seems to be less, probably because there is foam in the way. Bass impact is less, sounds donât have as much of a âgrowlâ to them, and everything is just a bit less fun overall. Any change to frequency response is minimal.
Iâm going to continue testing to see if comfort is any better for the Yaxi pads after some break in. If they are more comfortable, then I will try to do a quarter mod. The hole I will cut out will be the same as the F-cush pads instead of the size of a quarter though.
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The F-cush pads are the same as the TTVJ pads as far as I know.
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How about these pads: https://www.beautifulaudio.biz/
I had my eye on them for awhile, but I couldnât pull the trigger since Iâm not really enamored by my Grado HF-3âs.
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If I had to guess, they would probobly make the Hemps treble murder. Distence from the driver is not a good thing with these. Iâm also willing to bet the comfort would be fenominal though.
So the Yaxi pads are softer in terms of compression and no more or less scratchy then the stock F-cush pads. They are overall more comfortable. Tomorrow Iâm going to try to cut a clean hole in them to see if they can be made to sound like the F-cush pads.
I very much stand by what I said befor. The Yaxi pads seem to filter out a lot of the energy from the sound. Hopfuly with the material removed from the fromt of the driver this will no longer be an issue.
The purple really does looks terrible with the Hemps though. Every time I see it I just sigh at how bad it looks.
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I think I should mention with all this talk if pads and comfort, my ONLY comfort issue is entirely caused by the fact that I wear glasses. Without glasses, I was able to fall asleep while wearing these last night with stock pads.
For the people who are expecting these, give the stock pads a chance. They should be fine as long as you are ok with other on-ears.
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I just finished cutting the holes in the Yaxi pads. I still need to listen to them, so expect that later today.
It was rather easy to do. The hardest part was finding somthing the right size to cut around.
The hole on the stock F-cush pads is 40mm
I found this 32mm craftsman socket that has an outside diameter of 41mm.
A milk gallon cap could also work as a template.
This is everything I used.
Step 1: place the stock pad face down and place the socket in the opening like so.
Hopefully youâll be able to pick up the whole thing like so.
Step 2: place the Yaxi pad face up and put the pad-socket on top, lineing up the edges of the pads so the socket is centered.
Step 3: press the socket down to hold it still and remove the F-cush pad, leaving you with this.
Step 4: press the socket down firmly and use the exacto-knife to cut out around the socket and make sure to keep the knife blade tight up against the socket.
This is what you should end up with.
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After the quarter mod, the Yaxi pads seem to have much less of an impact on the impact of sounds. The foam in the way seems to have been at least mostly responsible for that. While the impact seems to be about the same (a touch less than the F-cush pads), the bass is less now. Also the overall sound is a bit less aggressive and a bit more open/wide. This is (I think) due to the increased distance the driver sits from the ear since the foam is thicker on the Yaxi pads. Even if it is a small change (2-3mm) it is still technically about a doubling of the distance when compared to the stock pads.
So in conclusion, the Yaxi pads are more comfortable, have a more open/wide stage, have less bass, and are less aggressive than the stock F-cush pads. Overall these are a good option if you dont mind trading some bass and intimacy for better comfort. Just make sure you do the quarter mod described above as it gets rid of the slight muffling effect.
Personally I will be sticking with the stock F-cush pads as the comfort is not really an issue and I prefer the way they sound.
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Thatâs awesome that you got to try the modded pads. Looking forward to further impressions from future buyers.
I know someone whoâs receiving a loaner pair this weekend. Iâm sure heâll post his impressions here. 
Loaners Hemps should be here tomorrowâŠwas hoping them to arrive todayâŠUSPS just changed the delivery date to tomorrowâŠ
Alex 
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Yeah, that guy. 
Waiting, waiting, waitingâŠ
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You already linked that review earlier in The thread.
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A word of advice. Listen to Queen on these when you get them. Classic Rock in general is great.
Dang so I didâŠshoulda looked at the review date 
it came through on one of my feeds lol.
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So did they show up today?
Depending on what you donât like about the HF-3, I imagine the Hemps wonât be for you either. They are âbetterâ perhaps⊠but very similar in sound, if you can volume match.
If you have *other Grados that you do like, particularly from one of the wooden cups lines, then pretend I didnât write this!
*âother Gradosâ formerly Headisrhar
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