Shp is great with pad swaps. Definitely not a fan of alternatives on zeus though like hybrid was decent, leathers added too much bass, and velour brought the treble to more piercing levels
What pads would you use with the SHPs? I ordered some Shure 1840 pads because I heard they mostly keep the stock sound signature with a little better bass and also fix the problem of the drivers touching your ears. I also previously tried some pads that were designed specifically for the 9500s on Amazon, but they absolutely killed the sound. Turned it into muddy soup.
I would recommend the same if you prefer the stock soundā¦ you can go thicker like dekoni velour but itll deplete the treble a bit moreā¦ just keep it velour.
Myself personally? I ended up eventually having suedes on it but I appreciate warm signatures. Avoid leather or suede if you want bright instead.
Thanks for the insight.
Also, regarding Zeus pad swapping, I read others saying the same thing about the pads you listed, but then I also heard that some people tried the fenestrated sheepskins and got really positive benefits in sound quality. I will post an update in this thread when Iām able to test them out. Probably next week.
Iād think fenestrate would be okay since its more similar to the stock suede. Never tried myself.
Let me know if Iām posting too much in this thread, I donāt know if thatās bad forum etiquette or not. I just wanted to share some more thoughts on these headphones. These have become my go to for gaming. Their imaging is so good, and the extension they have across the frequency range makes them super immersive. I donāt think Iāve had a better gaming audio experience than on these. I first knew they were good when I opened up a game to test these headphones and immediately got sucked into playing normally because of how immersed I became. Not only that, but I was playing REALLY good because I knew where all the enemies were before I even saw them. I felt like Rambo for a minute, lol. ABing these against my 9500s and some M50xs (donāt judge me) these absolutely stole the show in terms of their imaging capabilities. The 9500s have a bigger soundstage than the Zeus, but their imaging is very 3 blob and can be a little wonky. The M50Xs are no slouch in terms of soundstage and imaging once you replace them with some THICC pads like I have, but the Zeus beats them out in width and definitely imaging. The Zeusā are for sure growing on me, and if those fenestrated pads are as good on these as Iāve seen some people (in other forums) claim, then I think the Zeus may easily become my favorite headphone.
Poseidon tuning is a mess. Donāt buy it
Early impressions of the Dekoni DT fenestrated pads on the Zeus.
The Dekoni pads (in my opinion) improve the sound quality almost in every way. Better detail, clarity, instrument seperation, soundstage, etc. maybe a smidge less sub bass, but Iām sure thatās addressable via EQ. Seems like a no brainer to get these on paper, however, do keep in mind that after swapping to these pads the sound signature will be COMPLETELY different to stock. Theyāre no longer a very warm headphone, tonality wise they remind me of my SHP9500s. Compared to those, itās on another level in terms of detail and clarity. Iām gonna do some more tests and see how these respond to EQ to maybe bring that bass up a bit, but so far I am impressed.
1 Like
I own the DT1990 Pro with dekoni hybrid pads to tame the treble. I have zeus but only briefly demo it in the store. Personally I find that dt1990 is way more capable in terms of technicals compared to zeus. Zeus cannot handle complicated tracks as well, tends to get a little muddy at times. And dt1990 at ā¬365 is a really good price.
How does it compare to the Zeus in terms of soundstage and imaging?
Since its a comparison against dt1990, with pad swap will still not be able to compare to DT1990 in terms of details and separation. Since I only demo-ed zeus in store, so I listened to stock.
I think this is gonna be my last post about the Zeus.
Bottom line is, I like themā¦
When I first got them, I wasnāt so sure. They were very different tonality wise from anything Iāve previously owned. Some of the claims Iād heard from other reviewers seemed a little hollow, but the longer I use these, the more I hear what everyone else was talking about. I tried some different earpads on them, and at first I thought I liked those better, but then, unexpectedly, I started missing the original sound. Recently, I bought a Schiit Heresy, and maybe that had some positive affect on sound quality, but I swear, these now outperform other headphones that I previously thought were better in certain aspects. These are a lovely, relaxed set of cans that take well to EQ and deliver pretty good sound quality for the price. Iām keeping em.
Edit: I wanted to mention that these are good for streaming because theyāre pretty well isolated for an open back and they wonāt bleed enough to pick up on your mic.
On sale for $315 for Linsoulās 11.11 day
1 Like
Aaaargh, I know I said the last post would be my last, but I canāt help myself. I still donāt entirely believe in burn in, so I donāt know if itās me or the headphones that have changed but I am in love with these headphones now. Seriously, the more time I spend with them the more I enjoy them. I canāt stop listening to music on them. I have had nights where Iāve just been up into the early morning hours because I canāt bring myself to take these things off. I canāt believe I didnāt like them when I first got them. If youāre on the fence about getting the Zeus, donāt be, just get them.
1 Like
Back to stiff main section now. I do not understand why people keep saying these are niche,what niche?
Probably too late now but if everything Iāve read about the Nighthawk is true, then Iād go for the Poseidon unless you want a more ābalanced, but still funā sig the Zeus provides. I didnāt go for the 'seidon cause I donāt think itād be worth the small difference from my Zeus, though I do plan on trying/getting the Nighthawk and/or Nightowl at some point. (I canāt stand brightness unless I turn down the volume so much so that itās at background music-levels, I get short tinnitus from it really fast, esp. on my left ear when treble is too high, so I tend to go for warmer/bassier/mid centered sound sigs to avoid potential hearing damage. The DT1990 does seem to be one of the few cases of āelevated, but not too brightā, I think its peak is at 8k.
My plan is to get the NH Carbon (why Carbon? Because itās supposed to retain the attributes of the OG but with a slightly less extreme tuning) with at least 2 pairs of pads to change the sound sig to my liking (one bassier, the other treble happier).
1 Like
@ShungiteTrillionaire or what its worth, I have a Nighthawk Carbon/6xx/T60RP Argon, the Argon definitely can be bass boosted enough to please my EDM ears, though nothing thumps as much as the NHC. The Argon retains enough treble stuff to really feel like the best of both worlds.
1 Like
Has anyone tried ZMF oval pads on the Zeus?
Alternatively, if anyone owns a pair of Zeus and ZMF pads, can you try them for me?
Someone help me please I cannot continue thinking aimlessly about headphones anymore.
So I only have one measly little Fiio Btr5 that I bought for IEMs, and after days of research online and going to a store to try out the sennheiser hd600 line of HPs, itās all for naught because I donāt think Iāll use a pair of headphones tied to a desktop dac/amp. I like the option to move around.
Does anyone think the btr5 and the Zeus are a good enough pairing for genres like rock, metal, soundtracks, and overall musical enjoyment?
Is it a big step down from the likes of the Hifiman Sundaras and the Hd600/6xx/660s?