Just got the Dekoni pads in to test out on the Meze Liric:
Cautionary Note
Removing the pads on the Liric can be destructive to them, and it’s a particularly involved process. Meze has a video on how to do it here:
I find these have a wider opening compared to the longer/thinner opening of the default pads, making the Dekoni ones significantly more comfortable for long periods of time if you have large ears (like I do).
They do also change the frequency response, here’s the result I got (trying out some dark mode for graphs!).
So for me this just changes slightly what I EQ. That 9khz peak is there for both, but it’s more noticeable on the Dekoni pads I find, just because the rest of the treble is a bit more subdued. In both cases I drop that down by around 6dB with a fairly narrow Q.
As for the rest of the FR, it seems like these pads are fairly similar to the originals, with the exception of adding a deep phase cancellation effect (on this ‘head’) around 7khz. Whether that’s audible may depend on the individual.
But something that’s a massive benefit to me personally with these pads is that they seem to do better at sealing around my glasses. With the default pads, the bass boost you see here actually isn’t audible because there’s a slight leak with how it fits for me (and I imagine others who wear glasses). Because the resonance frequency for these drivers is a bit higher up, you really do want that seal, and the Dekoni pads do help with that - for me at least.
In my opinion, while they’re not perfect, they do alleviate a key issue for me with the Liric, and generally keep the original sound signature intact, which I suppose is a good thing for those who EQ anyway. Without EQ, that 9.5khz peak can get a bit intense.
Here’s my EQ at the moment for those who are trying out the Dekoni pads:
