The question is hopefully self explanatory but I found conflicting opinions about the Dekoni’s earpads depth. The K702 earpads hurt my ears. Are the Dekoni’s really deeper? If improving the comfort of the K702 with the Dekoni pads is probably a lost cause or ruins the sound, I will keep the DT 990.
I also bought the Beyerdybanic DT 990 Edition To me it is better built and much more comfortable, while I prefer the sound of the K702. I can still return both. But I bought the 32 Ohm version for versatility. Now I read that the 32 ohm ones are ‘practically useless because of the bad sound quality’ (exaggerating). Maybe better to switch to the 250m Ohm version?
Background: I do have HP amps and an old Fiio DAC and also a dedicated DAC for musical instruments with a HP output. I am a critical listener. I like acoustic music, americana, blues. Because of speaking and listening at the same time I need open backs. I like the Targets, Soundguys Studio, Soundguys Consumer, Rtings, and modded Diffuse Field for monitoring. Thanks alot!
I bought the Dekoni earpads for the AKG K702 a few weeks ago. They are slightly softer than the pads they replaced, which were replacement purchased from AKG for the original pads. As far as the sound quality, the Dekoni pads definitely didn’t ruin the sound. They may have added a bit more bass, but I won’t swear that this is the case. I do like them much better than the Dekoni pads I bought for my Focal Clears–those pads jacked up the midbass to a ridiculous level, so I returned them.
Thanx again, that information helps me to make a decision. It seems the Dekoni’s are not extremely deep, which makes sense as to not wanting to change the sound profile too much.
Thanx Generic, the more I am reading up on this the more it seems to become a rabbit hole. I like the sound of the k702 and therefore ‘chose’ it over the dt990. Buying more comfortable earpads, I have to consider the earpads’ material, texture, depth, amount of seal, and size of the inside because they all affect the sound. Wouldn’t you say it is better/smarter to buy headphones with a level comfort that you like from the start?
What is “better” is up to you. Some people don’t want to modify factory products while others love to do it. In general, the known bright treble profiles of Beyer and Grado push many people away. Build quality is partly a function of price, at least to the $1K to $2K tier, and then luxury pricing takes over.
Thanx for the wise words generic. Headphones are not really my hobby but playing music is. So HPs are an essential component. They shouldn’t hurt or have a sound that annoys my ears. Things sort themselves out in a way, though. When the K702 hurts too much I will try several earpads. If that doesn’t work, I will buy other headphones and put another post here. It is difficult to skip steps in a proces, when the proces is so personal, thanks again.