Change The Comfort, Change The Sound – Dekoni Elite Earpads Review
Dekoni is best known for creating earpads for headphones, and they have a couple of types of earpads in their elite series. Today we will explore the entire Elite line and see how they influence the sound and the comfort of the headphones they are made for. The price for most of the Dekoni Earpads between 50 and 100 USD, and we will judge each one of the pads reviewed for the price it is currently selling for.
Introduction
Dekoni is a company we have explored before, having been the people behind the Cobalt headphones, which were made in collaboration with HIFIMAN, but also the Blue headphones, which were made in collaboration with Fostex. A little less known is that Dekoni is one of the most popular ear pad manufacturer in the whole world, and they are behind some of the most popular models, with insider information showing that they actually make earpads for a couple of flagships currently on the market, so today we will review the ultra premium series they have to offer. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to Jackrabbit and Dekoni for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
PROs – Affordable way of changing the sound and comfort of your headphones, usually really easy to replace, good package.
Cons – Sometimes those earpads change the sound in unexpected ways.
Dekoni Elite Velour Replacement Earpads for the Sennheiser HD600 series of headphones
Depending on which HD600 you have, those earpads are a must or something that influences the sound quite significantly, so we can start by exploring that the HD600 series of headphones includes also the Hd660S and the new HD 660s2 that we have recently reviewed.
I managed to borrow a pair of HD600 from a friend, as I remember liking them a lot and finding them a lot of fun, so starting with the fit, for all Hd 6XX headphones, the Dekoni Elite Velour are much softer than the default pads, and they feel a lot better, without the effect of crumbling as people have seen with the original pads of the HD600.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4gtMGhr
The price of the Dekoni Elite Velour Earpads is $49 USD and it is one of the more affordable, and more similar to the default earpads available for the HD6XX series of headphones. We can feel a nice reduction in how the clamping force is perceived by the listener, and they feel comfortable even while wearing glasses. I feel like the shape has about as much space as the original earpads of the HD660S, although I prefer how the new Dekoni Elite Velour feels like, they give me a special sense of comfort without sacrificing on the sound.
Speaking of which, the Elite Velour has the effect of sounding more like a leather earpad, they offer a similar level of bass and extension in the lows, while opening the soundstage a bit, while decreasing the treble energy and presence. This means that the treble can feel dampened, muted and softened considerably while using the Dekoni Elite Velour, which can be very welcome for HD660S and HD600, as the perceived quantity of bass will be considerably increased.
By making headphones that are bright, more bloomy and bassy, you physically turn them to be more likable, so if you have a Hd6XX series of headphones and want to give them more bass, Dekoni Elite Velour is the best way to go, having even better results than using EQ as there is no perceived increase in the THD, as we see with most EQ implementations.
Fenestrated Sheepskin Replacement Earpads for the Sennheiser HD600 series of headphones
Fenestrated Sheepskin is a more premium earpad than the velour, having a price tag of $79 USD. The idea is that the Fenestrated Sheepskin offers a deeper earpad, which pushes the driver further away from your ears, creating a larger, wider soundstage, and a more comfortable fitting.
In fact, most Dekoni Earpads are filled with a dense and slow rebound foam that offers a much better comfort than the default pads even for those who wear glasses. The official full name of the Fenestrated Sheepskin is EPZ-HD600-FNSK.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4jEIE8Y
Fenestrated Sheepskin feels cooler, more breathable, but also has a more open, more airy sound. The midrange is reduced a bit, and all headphones using them sound less aggressive, less grainy and smoother in the texture, while vocal presence is lower, and there’s a similar level of bass and treble.
Perceived detail is slightly lower, as the vocals and most instruments sound a bit distant, but the improvement in the comfort makes it easier to enjoy the HD6XX series of headphones, especially HD600 which was quite vocal and quite uncomfortable too.
The sheepskin Fenestrated earpads are best for those who want a less aggressive headphone, and those who generally fancy a V-Shaped or U-Shaped signature, and for those who want to have a more comfortable headphone without losing the magic of the HD6XX series.
Dekoni Elite Hybrid Replacement Earpads for the Sennheiser HD600 series of headphones
We finally reach the best of all worlds, and with a price of $79 USD, Dekoni Elite Hybrid is not a pricey earpad, but it has a deeper fit, offering more space for my ears, and also pushing the driver slightly back, creating a better overall comfort.
This is the Frankenstein earpad which uses velour at the contact point between the ear pad and the ear, while using Sheepskin on the outer ring, to improve the isolation, and bass extension of the HD6XX headphones.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Ews5f9
On the inside, Elite Hybrid is using Fenestrated Sheepskin, which has the effect of allowing sound to go inside of the earpad, but be dampened by the soft foam. With the official Full Name being EPZ-HD600-HYB, Elie Hybrid is the flagship and considered to be the pinnacle of the Dekoni brand.
Subjectively, it looks and feels the best, having the advantage of each ear pad approach, although sonically, it has the most different sound from the stock, with minor increments. Thing is, most of the other earpads change the sound quite drastically, while the Elite is less obvious at first, but once you understand what it does, it feels more drastic.
The bass is fuller, deeper and also a bit slower, bloomier, filling the space more, and having a slightly longer decay than with any of the other earpads. The voices are pushed back, but the treble is also pushed back slightly, creating not just a bassier sound, but an easier to enjoy signature. Out of all the earpads, this has the most natural voicing, richest midrange, and the most natural soundstage, pushing music a bit back and allowing for more space to breathe, without killing the energy in a rock or metal concert.
Dekoni Audio Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin Replacement Earpads for HiFiMAN Arya Series
Right away, this is the priciest earpad that Dekoni makes, with a tag of $99 USD, and it is larger physically than the sennheiser earpads, as this one is made to fit Arya. In fact, with the new Arya Organic being so tight and smaller than the original Arya or Arya Stealth, this earpad is just the thing to fine tune the fitting of the Arya Series.
With the full name EPZ-ARYA-FNSK, Dekoni made the new earpads to also fit Ananda, Arya Stealth, ARya V2, Arya Organic, Edition X V2, HE1000SE, and HE1000 V2, and even the new Jade II Electrostatic system.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4hIhWup
The comfort is improved with all of those, although the final result is similar with the default one, as HIFIMAN already has excellent earpads for their headphones, and as Dekoni does collaborate with HIFIMAN, as seen in the Cobalt, there may be a Dekoni hand already in the design of the default earpads of those headphones.
Now, I’ve mostly used the Arya Organic and HE1000SE for this review, because they are the most recent model;s I have to work with, and the results are stunning sonically, with a slower, slightly leaner bass, but a longer decay, creating a more acoustic and more open sound to the whole headphone.
We also get a wider soundstage, although the sound can get a bit distant, but with a lower level of brightness and sharpness, this feeling like a smoothing factor was added. As HE1000SE can be on the bright side, it is nice to have a lower treble, but with the lower amount of bass, they feel very vocal now. Generally, this elite Fenestrated sheepskin ear pad feels very vocal and very personal, without reducing the soundstage size.
Value and Conclusion
The value is great for earpads, but as they do a different job, it is hard to judge which is the best, and in general, they are a fun way to keep enjoying your headphones once the default earpads eventually wear out. From my experience, it takes around 10 to 20 months for the default earpads to wear out, although HIFIMAN pads wear out graciously, just becoming less firm, while Sennheiser Velour chips away leaving behind a trail of dust like they’ve been snapped by Thanos.
At the end of the day, Dekoni is an excellent source to get some fine tuning going, and they make some of the most comfortable aftermarket earpads on the market, with excellent craftsmanship, and are widely available from HiFi stores, being a fully recommended brand if you want to grab a better earpad for your headphones.
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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