just a quick short thread asking some information from those more knowledgable with this companies pads…
I only own their universe suedes but I was curious what others opinions are on their pads. I see they have a perforated suede option I was curious are these more like the Focal pads? How do you guys feel on these pads are they worth it over Dekoni?
What is your guys experience with their pads and what headphones have you used them on?
I’ve never had a focal pad or headphone but I now own quite a few zmf pads.
The pads are nice, yes. But with the pad options that dekoni and other companies have been rolling out they are rather niche. Especially with how expensive they are retail.
I think there are only 2 real reasons to buy zmf pads.
You put them on zmf headphones to tune them to your liking and talk to fellow zmf headphone owners about them. It is definitely a brand loyalty thing. Like you probably wouldnt put a dekoni pad on a zmf headphone would you? Think of zmf pad rolling as part of the experience of buying a zmf headphone rather than an optional mod like on another headphone.
You use them as reference for when you modify headphones. Argons are probably the best example. But really any headphone that allows pad rolling could feasibly be ‘modded’ by pad rolling. Like how when zeos recommends the M40X he puts zmf oval cowhides on them. Or when you DIY your own headphones like me.
Like i said it’s niche. Ive put zmf pads on verite closed, t60 argons, and mrspeakers open alphas. It’s fun but not ‘worth it’ in most cases.
Focal & ZMF pads are not alike and are not compatible. Focal pads are completely closed and have a plastic connection piece that attaches them to the headphone. The ZMF pads are open in the back and need to be wrapped over the headphone cup.
I personally much prefer ZMF pads vs Dekoni. ZMF pad quality is first rate. Pad swapping Focal headphones usually never ends well.
aware they are not compatible… I meant fabric and feel wise
Suppose I should have wrote that a bit better, I am very well aware that pads like foca use an adapter while zmf are the wrap arounds, I meant sound wise, feel, fabric, quality of life as in how long you feel they can last compared to the alternative, etc that kind of stuff…
wasn’t going to pad swap the focal… was curious if the perf suede was similar to the focal pad as those are also a perf suede on things like elex and clear
I do quite like their suedes over dekoni but thats because they just feel so much more breathable and higher quality… like the dekoni are a bit more fuzzy while the zmf are extremely smooth and airy
Also, I got the universe but the hole of the pad is more oval shape… which zmf is actually more circular?
To me the ZMF pads are some of the nicest for any headphone I’ve tried so far. They feel well made and comfortable. They also feel like they will stand the test of time. I haven’t had any issues with suede or leather versions.
Focal pads are comfortable but they seem like the lifespan of them is a lot shorter. They are a lot less dense than the ZMF pads which is not a comment against either one just the type of pad they are.
Dekoni do make nice pads as well but they feel more manufactured than ZMF if that makes sense, as in the ZMF ones you can tell that time was taken with them.
I mostly use the pads that are suited for that headphone however with Dekoni they have a lot of options and I tend to use their pads on a lot of my headphones as they can mimic the original set.
yeah I have a lot of the dekoni pads, but I was just genuinely curious on ZMF as I went back and grabbed my zmf suede and wondered about the alternatives… im not big on ovals but after using focals perf suedes I got to wondering how nice the perf suedes from zmf are and whether or not they have a fully circular pad that can fit my headphones.
I haven’t bothered with their leather pads either but I have tremendously good things about them
I think most of the ZMF pads have an oval inner hole, it’s just the way they make them. If you have a pair of the suedes then that gives you a good idea of whether they will fit on any headphone. The diameter is the same with variations in the depth and material, etc. Some may have a larger inner hole if that is what you are after such as the Universe or Auteur.
The leather is top quality.
I think that it depends on which headphone you’re pad rolling for. For my sendi’s I really disliked ZMF pads and stock was best for THAT specific headphone but the stock pads are exceptional.
Leathers: For most headphones I always pad roll. For leather pads, Lambskin or cowhides or protein leather both Dekoni and ZMF have exceptional leather but I prefer Dekoni’s memory foam for sure. Purely for comfort reasons.
Suedes: on ZMF headphones, I prefer Zmf’s pads. On most headphones id prefer that new Dekoni choice suedes. An example of this is my DT 880 600 ohm which is a very pad sensitive headphone certainly fit better and the comfort was better with Dekoni choice suede.
But where the Zmf’s fit perfectly on a headphone man it works well great example is the Ether CX man my ZMF perf suedes fit like a glove and sound incredible. Also nearly none of my dekonis fit it that well so that’s lucky.
I get more hits on general headphones with my Dekoni pads but it’s more experimentation pad rolling rather general rule of thumb
if theres one thats fully circular I would definitely like to know… It’s just because I have rather elongated ears so a more oval hole makes my ears press against the sides of the pads… it’s due to this personal issue that I can’t really wear sennheisers as they are more of an on ear headphone to me.
yeah, if the hole is larger than it should be okay as I can use the universe pad… Didn’t check auteur.
Normally the pad rolls I do are for my beyers which are very well known to agree with just about any pad swap you can throw at them. I was considering snagging the suede perfs as I absolutely love the focal pads but really wish I could have them on my beyers as well. Dekoni doesn’t have a pad like this and to my knowledge only zmf has a perf suede like material that would be kind of similar.
I absolutely prefer memory foam on the leather, if the memory foam is over with Dekoni, I will stick with dekoni in that regard. I like extremely soft pads.
yeah, I have two pairs of those choice suedes actually and the new choice suede hybrid as well.
That perf suede in my opinon is one of their best pads. I love it on my Aeolus
So, the universe pads are a bit too large in size for the beyers, are the auteur pads smaller?
I’m using the ZMF hybrid perf on my Aeolus. Love them.
The Hybrids are that Be pad series right??
Yes I found them a bit too big… But you might try it and it may work for you, if you have any ZMF anyway I’d get them cause they’re an amazing pad. They’re extremely comfy
I’ll be happy to get a photo of them once I get all my audio gear out of storage [currently in the middle of moving house]
I wonder how it would sound with those hybrid pads and the pop filter removed. I LOVE my Aeolus with that pop filter it adds so much air energy its amazing. Would recommend experimenting