Dekoni Audio Elite Series Earpads for HiFiMan Sundara, HE-400i Headphones (Elite Sheepskin)

I was a little skeptical about ordering these and held off for as long as I could because not only did I not see the Amazon Free Return guarantee, but at $59.99 they are a third of the price I paid for the actual headphones themselves. HOWEVER, that being said, I could not be more satisfied with these earpads. For a little background, I have owned a pair of Hifiman HE400i headphones for a couple years (the original version with the comfort headband, not the 2020 edition) and while they were one of my favorite pairs and sounded great, I just felt like with just a little bit more bass they would be absolutely perfect. So I figured replacing the original earpads (which were of solid quality themselves) with these elite sheepskin upgrade pads (not fenestrated) would improve the bass and perhaps even the comfort (if possible with how comfortable these headphones already were) and turn them into an ideal headphone. Well even with those lofty expectations, I was absolutely blown away when I installed these earpads just how much they improved the bass impact and tightness along with the comfort--and all while having absolutely no negative effects on the sound quality or modifying the rest of the sound signature! I really couldn't recommend them any more even at $60. If you already love your Hifimans but want a little more bass, comfort and isolation and are willing to take the chance to transform them from amazing to masterful these are the pads for you! Totally worth the money. They will turn your HE400i headphones into endgame sounding headphones. Only issue I'm having now is that with how premium these earpads are, they make the rest of the somewhat plasticky feeling frame of the HE400i's feel a little cheap by comparison. But that's no fault of the earpads and for a pair of $150-$200 headphones, the build quality is still plenty solid. Maybe I'll upgrade to the Sundara or even XS someday and when I do I'll be sure to order some Dekoni elite pads for them as well! Until then, I'm more than over the moon about my experience with my now upgraded HE400i's! For even further reference, I also own a pair of Sennheiser HD599's, EPOS (Sennheiser gaming brand) H6 Pro closed back version, Hifiman Sundara closed back version, Philips Fidelio L2's, Philips Fidelio X3's, Master & Dynamic MH40's, and 1More Triple Driver earbuds. Which I usually power with my LG V50 ThinQ and/or Xduoo XD05 Plus amp/dac, or occasionally my FiiO übtr bluetooth dac. While using FLAC format and highest bitrate available in offline downloaded music. So that's my headphone listening experience and what my comparisons etc are based off. Still pretty only a handful of years into my audiophile journey but loving every bit of it, especially now with my upgraded Hifimans!... Now to find some Dekoni elite upgrade pads for my Sennheisers... Hope this helped!! Best of luck to all y'all music lovers out there!

Installation: The installation is actually quite easy when you know how they clip on. I would suggest starting from the top and then the rear side and work your way around the ring until all the clips are in. Sound quality: These pads bring the bass out of the HE-4XXs. They add to the lower end of the sound spectrum so if you're looking for more sub-bass and more powerful low mids then look no further. While I do not have professional equipment I am running the phones on a modi and magi 3+ stack. My one complaint is that while it adds more sound, the sound gets busy in each pad. Instead of the clean sound output that you got with the stock pads. This is because these frequencies leak out of the stock pads but it is worth noting. Comfort: As for comfort the sheepskin elites are much more comfortable than the stock pads. The stock pads get covered in lint and they can be quite scratchy and uncomfortable after the velour starts to wear in. With these pads I can wear these for long periods of time without feeling this discomfort. The one downside with going with fully sealed pads is they seal in the heat and during the long periods they do get quite warm. Conclusion: For pads $60 seems like a big investment, however if you take into account just how much these pads can change the way they sound then it can be justified. Also keep in mind they do have a tendency to go on sale so you might be able to get them on sale.

First, these pads are very high quality. The leather is soft, the foam is dense and forgiving. They feel luxerious and well made. However, they are dimmesionally different enough from the OEM Hifiman Pali Pads that I found them to be far less comfortable. I could wear my Sundaras all day with out fatigue but I can only wear the new pads maybe an hour or so before i have to take a break. The earholes are smaller by nearly 5mm and the thickness of the padding at its most narrow point is greater by at least 5mm . The overall impact is the clamp force is tighter and the smaller earholes create more preasure points that do not exhist with the OEM pads. I rotated the pads many times to try and find an orientation that was more comfortable and never found a fit I could live with. I really want to love these for their superior build quality and the warmer, "bass-ier" sound signature. Ultimately, I went back to the OEM HifiMan Pali Pads. Your results may vary. I tried them on Sundaras and HE400i with the same result.

My new 400-series came with pre-destroyed earpads, right out of the box. Dekoni to the rescue! For some reason, terrible earpad design is something that all planar magnetic headphone makers share. Fortunately, Dekoni made the product a tad stronger than the OEM one, and didn't glue the skirt to the base plate. The fit is perfect and they sound great. Sixty bucks is actually a pretty good deal for fixing some other company's engineering flaw. The alternatives would be: 1) fix it yourself; or 2) throw away a $300 piece of hardware. If you haven't bought the HE4XX series yet, do yourself a favor and buy one of the real leather earpads from Dekoni. (With mid-range and above hardware, I really wish companies wouldn't include earpads at all. It's just garbage that ends up in a landfill anyway.) I really wish there was a synthetic substitute, but "pleather" has hit a new low. The earpads that came with Hifiman 400 series deteriorated after 3 hours of use. Yes...hours. Apparently the OEM unnecessarily glued the skirt base plate. That glue broke down the "protein leather" immediately, so I ended up with a flaking, deteriorated pair of "brand new" headphones when I got them. Simply touching the surface made the material fall off.

I purchased a set of these Elite Sheepskins for my HE4XX cans and, I have to say, they're ridiculously more comfortable than the stock pads- once you actually get them on. Comfort, as I said, is great. I can wear these things for hours and just sort of feel them disappear on my head. Way better support than stock. Way better memory foam. Way better quality of material. Which it damned well should be for the cost. Installing them, owing to the little raised nubs on the rings not standing as tall as the stock ones as well as the lining of the pads not being attached or held on in any way around said rings, is an absolute nightmare. Prepare for a lot of getting three sides in only to have the fourth keep slipping out or simply not seating properly. Sound quality? I think bass went up, as well as a bit more defined and clear highs. They still definitely sound good. Why do I say "I think"? Because I seriously don't want to go through popping them off and reinstalling to check.

I bought these when my stock pads were wearing down. The bass is a little stronger now, the sound is better, the leakage is not as bad out the ear area, and the feel is great on my ears. It's worth noting that these are not cheap, and I have no idea how long they will last. But they are great so far.

Fit my HE6se v2 perfectly. Sounds the same as the stock pads., but much more comfortable. Would buy the Dekoni Fenestrated Sheep Skin again.

The pads overall are fine, but overpriced for the negatives that come along with them. No matter how you take care of these, the oil from your skin or hair will make the black dye/pigment come off. No soap, no alcohol, nothing that would accelerate this process. I returned the first pair I purchased because of this issue, and the second pair did the same thing. Besides the pigment issue, the pads do apply more pressure to your head because they are more firm. If you wear glasses, this can give you some gnarly headaches. Compared to the default Sundara pads, these sound slightly worse, again due to the pads being thicker (your ears are further away from the sound origin), and more firm than default.

Just get them ,easy to install ,they come with their own rings. Way more comfortable than stock earpads.I feel the soundstage a little more + bass. Would bought again

先に行っておきますとDEVAは対応機種に記載ありませんし 取り付けベースがきっちり合わず上手く装着できませんでした。 なので純正パッドの取り付けベースを入れて取り付けし問題なしでした。 純正パッドがボロボロになって交換する場合はこれでいいかと思います。

HIFIMAN DEVA用に購入。ベースを付け替えることができるので、装着はできた。 パッドの穴の部分がDEVAの純正品よりもかなり小さいので耳が結構窮屈に感じる。かなりのマイナスポイント。 音は立体感が増して明瞭になった。 リピート購入はしないと思う。