I tried really hard to like the new pads but I felt they had a negative impact on the sound so I switched back to the stock pads.
The new pads just didnât do these headphones justice. And they were only marginally more comfortable. Now the headphones and stock pads have been broken in they are a lot more comfortable and I donât really think about it.
Now, having a pair of new ear pads that are not in use I decided to do a little experiment. I basically dismantled the ear pads in order to extract the ring adapter that connects the ear pad to the headphone.
I then have been experimenting by A B testing my collection of Brainwavz ear pads: PU (flat and angled), sheepskin (angled), velour (flat) and hybrid (flat and angled). This is done by making holes in the appropriate places on the pads and then attach the ring adapter to the pad before attaching to the headphone.
The current leaders in this trial are the hybrids, they are the nearest in terms of sound to the stock pads. Some of the energy (e.g. âpunchâ and âslamâ ) has dissipated but this is compensated by the fact they provide a much more soundstage and depth, the treble is nicely articulated, mids are gorgeous, the only area that is slightly lacking is in the sub bass, its a lot more warm, polite and natural which is not an issue for me because I am not really a bass head!
With the hybrid angled pads they open up the sound even more and dare I say the sound reminds me a lot of the LCD 2C although I would say the Phoenix sounds less refined and laid back than the LCD 2Cs (I found the LCD 2Cs to be too polite for my tastes but then again I was driving them using a dap and not a high end amp which is what I think they really need).
I donât see the hybrid angled pads as a replacement for the stock pads, just a better alternative compared with the new pad offering from Sivga. In the meantime I will keep the hybrids on for some longer listening sessions and do some further analysis. But so far I really like what I am hearing!
Iâve had a couple of small discussions with others about the pads on the Phoenix. Some love the stock, some like the upgraded, some (like you and I) have gone the extra mile and put a variety of alternate pad options on the Phoenix. Glad to see others experimenting.
The new pads vs the originals are for me pretty much an even wash. I did not find the original set uncomfortable. So youâll have to take that for what its worth. The new pads are not dramatically bigger but, do have a more âcomfyâ feel. Even after breaking in. I just wish they were not pleather, and were like the original âclothâ material. For me, that set feels more âpremiumâ.
Regarding how they (new pads) sound, I think they are really similar to the original perhaps taming some of the upper mid treble wonkinessâ some, while the sub-bass keeps rumbling strong, bass is full, vocals and instruments are clear, treble is good and detail retrieval is ok. They make for a good fun, musical sounding sub $300.00 headphone, that worked well across the eclectic variety of genre I listen to.
I had the same problem, as hard as people told me to twist the pads, I simply could not do it.
The simple trick is to get a credit card, feel out where the âteethâ are, and then just push so the pads untwist. I managed to do it, which means you can do so too. You just have to know in which direction you need to push.
Until you answered I succeeded without it. Need the in the right point activate a bit of power. not much like I do at first. Not that complicated when discovering the method. Just need to get close to the point you said.
by the way how the headphones for u? which dac + amp u use and could recommend me? my pc couldnât drive this headphones although the low impadance. my ipad do better work with much higher volume. itâs really sad
I posted my review in this thread. However, if you want to read it on Head-Fi, here it is:
I usually use either the EarMen TR-Amp or the EarMen Sparrow. If you donât plan to use the amp/dac with IEMs, you can just go for the cheaper EarMen Eagle.
I used the X2HR for about a week and sold them, the highs felt fatiguing to me.
Also had the impression, that it wasnât a very detailed headphone. Maybe the big soundstage made everything feel a bit too distant. Bass was a little blurry aswell.
The Sivga Phoenix (if they fit you) are an upgrade in every way except soundstage.
Itâs more of a semi open-back headphone. Itâs got quite good impact, doesnât feel muddy in the low end and still pretty resolving for being just a little bit on the bassy side of things.
I think they have more of an L shape with the bass emphasis.
Never thought the bass is overpowering everything else tho.
One thing for people with glasses - the pads will rub the frame of your glasses and you will hear that.
Itâs the only downside I could find.
Going to test the protein leather earpads these days, maybe they donât produce that much noise with glasses.
another edit: okay so itâs actually not the glasses frame that produces noise with the earpads - itâs the glasses plastic hoop behind my ear that extends a bit far and touches the padâŠ
So wearing my glasses on top of my nose actually fixes the problem and at the same time makes me look hella intellectualâŠfuck yeah
Received the Sivga pleather pads today (under 24hrs after ordering).
Swapping them out requires some force - as mentioned by others.
I canât really tell the difference in terms of sound, would have to A/B them and donât want to go thru the ordeal of changing them again.
However, comfort is increased - your ears have a bit more space. Of course instead of the stock pads fabric, you have perforated pleather now touching your skin.
The problem I had with my glasses is gone - thatâs cool.
Collin Yang from Sivga just wrote: âWhen comparing with the orginal earpads on the headphone, the new earpads can make deeper bass, and the high frequency will be reduced a little, but the difference is very little.â
A bit subbass extension & a smidge less treble? Honestly, I canât confirm that at all haha.
The differences might be so marginal you could just use whatever feels more comfortable.
I am currently listening to âMilestonesâ by Miles Davis (2.8MHz DSF) using Brainwavz Velour pads and it sounds amazing, more sub bass, mid range is wider and more airy and brighter treble - Iâve got Philly Joe Jones drums coming at me in my right ear and Paul Chambers bass and Red Garlandâs piano coming at me in my left whilst Miles, Cannonball and 'Trane trade blows dead centre. Sounds absolutely fantastic
IMHO this is the best pad combination I have tried and I think it is a marked improvement on the stock pads (both comfort and soundwise) and miles better than the pleathers (which I dissembled to use the plates to put my own pads on).
(Listening via balanced cable connected to my A&K Kann Alpha)
Nice! Welcome to teh forumses!
Canât complain about comfort with the stock headband, together with the SIvga pleather I regularly forget that Iâm wearing headphones. Looks damn good tho.
How do you like the pads? Did you spent some time comparing with stock earpads?
Also: can someone recommend good single ended cables <50$ for the Phoenix?
Thanks for the welcome! and I kind of agree about the comfort of the Phoenix, but I wanted try something and I always loved the Meze 99sâ suspension headband, so I gave it a go. The new pads are better imo, the stock ones are a bit too thin for me.
There are graphs on crinacle now for the Phoenix.
I know graphs should be taken with a grain of salt.
But it is interesting to roughly compare some tunings.
Iâll receive the Denon AH-D5200 soon & looking forward to comparing them.
