Thanks Thotstomp, yes. My marbled ebony cups are quite heavy. The additional size and weight overall with the TR-X00’s subtle clamp makes the headphone a bit floaty on my head.
The quilted maple are lighter but are not as dense as the ebony. They have a slightly different sound signature than the marbled ebony.
I feel the larger ear cup design is beneficial to the audible characteristics of the headphone.
Somebody has seen Z’s VC review. 
I actually do not have the Ori Suede. They look massive, but I’m intrigued to get a pair after Z’s review.
Good to know! Anything that reduces the bass or it’s impact on these cans I’m not interested in. I’m also quite sensitive to treble.
Well, I mean… forum.hifiguides.com. 
I should mention that the bass is much more like stock with the attenuation rings. The highs are still a slight bit elevated compared to stock and the vocals seem a bit less in-your-face.
Edit: For both the dekoni and ZMF pads the driver side portion of the Lawton tune up reduces the slight sibilance mentioned. It does not change the sound but improve it (better separation and less sharpness). I found it to be very easy to install and well worth it. With this mod any pad mentioned is worth it with attenuation rings.
--------------------Original post--------------------
I’ve been doing a lot of pad swapping on my TR-X00 PH over the past few days and I’m finally ready to share my thoughts.
First I want to state that NONE of these pads sound BAD. My Purple Hearts always sounded good with each pad, just different. Some of the changes might be considered unacceptable to some but none of the changes made the headphone sound technically worse in any significant way (Other than what I consider to be a small amount of sibilance only on poorly recorded vocals). Also I am using home made attenuation rings that I made out of the soft vinyl front of a spiral notebook. From what I can tell the hole is slightly smaller than dekoni’s rings and is a little bit further forward. I posted a picture of my attenuation rings in this thread previously (possibly in the Ebony thread). Lastly I would like to mention that I am not particularly treble sensitive, but do listen at somewhat high volumes.
These are the two main songs I used for testing. I focused on the treble and bass the most as these are the areas that changed the most with each pad.
Queen had good forward vocals and could occasionally bring out some sibilance. Also the tambourine was a good test of harsh non vocal related highs. The kick drum had a good kick to it (go figure) for testing bass impact/kick.
(I did not use the Youtube video for testing, I used an mp3 from here)
This song has vocals that will pretty much show any sibilance a headphone has without being artificially or unnaturaly sibilant. It also has some good sparkly highs that can get lost in some bass heavy headphones. The bass line has a good texture to it that feels flatter if the bass is reduced to much.
Accessory House Global:
Comfort:
These pads are sheepskin and a slightly less slow memory foam. They are more comfortable than the stock pads but still sit on the tip and lobe of my ear. The memory foam helps to prevent this from causing sore spots and the sheepskin breathes a bit more so they don’t get as hot as stock pads. The memory foam also helps to keep these in place on my head a bit better than stock pads.
Quality:
These pads are made rather well, but defiantly the worst of the ones I’ve tried. This is only because the built in attenuation ring and fabric piece are not attached at the edges, only the middle, so you can peal the leather back and see the foam. This isn’t a big deal to me and actually makes it a bit easier to put in the mounting rings. Overall good pads, especially for $30.
Sound:
These pads cause absolutely no increase in the highs at all. In fact they might even reduce some peaks ever so slightly, though I’m not entirely sure (if they do it’s a very Very slight decrease). Overall I can’t tell any difference with the mids or the bass. It all seems to be about as close to stock as possible, just with better comfort.
Dekoni Sheepskin:
Only available on Massdrop or you have to contact dekoni directly
https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-elite-sheepskin-ear-pads-for-fostex-th-x00/
Comfort:
Better than stock. The leather is the most shiny but this did not bother me any more or less than any other leather I’ve tried. The ear hole is JUST big enough for my ears, which are slightly large. The memory foam is VERY slow and very soft once it heats up. Very good comfort overall. This is what Fostex should have made the stock pads like comfort wise. Lastly these pads stay in place very well (probably due to the tight ear hole).
Quality:
Very good quality over all. The stitching is good, the leather is very nice, and the lips is a nice flexible vinyl. The only complaint I would have is that one pad is SIGHTLY mis-shaped. It is still perfectly comfortable and not at all an issue. Its the kind of variation one can expect form real leather.
Sound (No attenuation rings):
These are the only pad that I would not entirely recommend. The highs peak a bit (most of any pad). This causes some minor sibilance (also the most of any pad). the bass, particularly the mid-bass is very much reduced, to the point of being damn near neutral. Also the amazing kick of the bass is totally gone. The mids seem to be mostly unchanged (other than the lower-mids/mid-bass). Like I stated at the beginning, these do not sound bad, they just make the most changes in ways that I don’t like and I imagine most other would not either.
Sound (WITH attenuation rings):
Overall much better than without. The bass is back, along with the kick. The highs are slightly reduced, but still boosted compared to stock. The sibilance is less as well and no longer quite as much of a problem in my opinion. With attenuation ring, these are a good option and I would recommend them.
ZMF Ori Lambskin:
https://www.zmfheadphones.com/pads-and-cables/ori-pads
Comfort:
These are defiantly the most comfortable. The leather is the least shiny and they are 100% over ear (Like an easy three knuckle). They are also the thickest/deepest of the pads. The only downside to these pads is that they do not stay in place as well as the dekoni pads (still better than stock and a bit better than accessory house). They have probably the fastest memory foam of the three pads.
Quality:
All the stitching is great and the leather is all very uniform in shape. The only issue is the lip that holds the pad on is rather large compared to the other pads so it can get caught in the mounting tabs if you are not careful.
Sound (No attenuation rings):
The treble is again a bit boosted, though not as much as the dekoni without rings. The sibilance is still greater than stock but less so than dekoni without rings. The bass is reduced a bit. It is still better than dekoni without rings and is a good option if the highs are not an issue and you want a more neutral sound. there is still a good amount of bass kick but still less than stock or dekoni WITH rings. The most unique change is that these pads add a bit of sound stage and and make the mids feel a bit less intense.
Sound (With attenuation rings):
Still more treble than stock but less than no rings (probably the least other than accessory house). The sibilance is a touch better/less noticeable but still there (probably the best other than accessory house). the mids are about the same as without rings. They have the same extra sound stage and less intensity. The bass is about stock again. Overall I would recommend this over Ori without rings unless the sightly more neutral bass is really important to you.
So my overall ranking would be:
Conclusion:
The cheapest pads are the best but least comfortable (still better than stock). The Ori and Dekoni pads are great with attenuation rings (about equal with each other) but the Dekoni pads are not a great choice without attenuation rings, so the Ori are a better without rings. Just get the Accessory House Global pads and if the comfort still isn’t good enough, I imagine the right kind of foam in front of the driver could fix the bit of sibilance the Ori and Dekoni pads introduce.
Thank you for the detailed review/analysis!
I’m about to embark on a full Lawton mod (chambers ordered yesterday). I think based on what I’ve read, including your review, I’m going to try the ZMF Ori pads. Sibilance shouldn’t be an issue, as the mod addresses that from my understanding. And those Ori pads look nearly as lush as the Audeze pad which I love.
Thanks again.
What part of the mod is supposed to help with sibilance?
The “Tuneup”, I believe.
It corrects resonances from the drivers which smooths out the frequency response (which can reduce sibilance). It makes it less of a V-shaped response and more neutral. It’s more apparent on the higher energy driver (1.5 Tesla) that the TH900mk2/TH909 series headphones use.
The TH610/DropTR-X00/Emu-Teak use a lower energy driver (just over 1 Tesla). Denon use both drivers depending on which model.
I can concur. This is also why I can use the ZMF pad without attenuation rings and I get a better overall tonality than stock with the Lawton driver mod and cups. It all adds up to a superior performing headphone.
So just the vinyl strips reduce resonance or both the strips and the foam in the cups?
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Ok. So both. My last question is how hard is it to remove the vinyl strips if I for some reason don’t like it?
It would be easy, but you won’t want to.
You would be better off getting a spare pair of cups or selling them at that point imo lol
If I decided to try the foam in the cups I wouldn’t use the adhesive for testing. I would probably use some bluetack.
Hello,
I use the Lawton Mod stage 1 with the Angelpads.
And they are the best what you can do.
The Pads are the best after the original i find.I have tried the Dekoni hybrid elite and they are so bad forit.A chinese pad they was better as the Dekoni.
What i would try is to change the Cups and go away from the Mahagony Cups.
But the Cups from Lawton are a little bit expensiv for me but i will do it.
But not sure what way from the cups i will go.
Actually i find the Mahagony the highs are to much,the bass is not so beautiful.
I can recomand the Lawton mod stage 1 for all.Is a good and simply thing.
I hope Massdrop think about to bring the Fostex tr x00 to the return of the market.Is one of the best phones i find.
Hey Deleeh. Thanks for your insights. I agree the Lawton pads are a fantastic alternative. They are the second favorite pad I’ve tried. I’m just personally a fan of the larger ZMF pad because it’s a better fit on my ears and I prefer the slightly added soundstage, but you can’t go wrong with anything Lawton makes.
If you’re thinking about going with some Lawton cups, I highly recommend them not only for their aesthetic but what they can do for the sound of the headphone. If you want my personal recommendation, I’d begin with a level 5/more dense wood if you’re looking for the most flat response.
Good luck and let us all know how you make out!
FYI… I believe Mark has ended up using different sound absorption materials in his mods and they have changed over time as he more and more experience. They will not be the same as using basic foam.
Agreed on the Drop comment (I haven’t completed the Lawton mod yet, but I’m sure I’ll agree with your observations.).
As a matter of fact, I purchased the Lawton Chambers (cups) prior to purchasing a Fostex headphone! The mod was pending on whether or not Lawton would have the Chambers I wanted (he did). Now after having just ordered the Chambers, Drop is “Out of Stock” on all fostex!
My Chambers won’t be ready for another 2-4 weeks, and this headphone/mod was going to be my birthday present (mid February) so I’ll just have to wait and see if Drop brings them back or if I have to get a TH900mk2 (which has the better driver).