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!

I purchased these Dekoni pads to replace the poor quality stock pads on my HiFiMan Sundara. I found the stock pads to be kind of uncomfortable, probably because I have become spoiled by wearing my LCD-2 with those luscious Audeze pads which are like cushions for the ears. I also wanted to try out the fenestrated pads so that I could find out if they were any cooler. I've changed pads before on my HD-600's but always with the genuine Sennheiser pads of the same type which came with them brand new so this my first experience with making any change in type of pads.So what do I think of these? Well, the first thing I noticed is that they do in fact come with the necessary mounting rings which is fabulous should you have a broken one or if you've lost them. That saves you $10.Secondly, the materials used in these pads are superior in every way to those used in the stock pads. The stock pads had some cheap blue crappy foam inside whatever cheap exterior material they used. The Dekoni pads feel better on the ears. The foam is thicker, more dense and when compressed springs back nicely. Aesthetically they just give the Sundara a much more premium look. I like that fact because they really are an outstanding pair of headphones. Were they difficult to put on? Not at all, in fact I had them on within 5 minutes. Of course I had removed the stock pads before receiving the Dekoni pads but it was real simple. I got the first cup reattached on the first attempt just using my hands but had to slide a credit card under the pad in order to get the fourth clip to attach underneath. And so how do they sound? I think they sound outstanding. I don't notice any major change in the overall sound, if anything at all I think I'm picking up a bit wider sound stage, maybe because of the pads being a bit deeper than the stock pads. The bass doesn't seem to have changed , of course this headphone doesn't offer a ton of punch and slam. My LCD-2 do a much better job of that. I'm not afraid to EQ a bit so I'll be looking into that as I get more familiar with these.It's true that these pads are a bit pricey, at least it is in my view. A lot of pads are expensive. Some of the Focal pads are $100-200, Audeze can run close to $100. I think it's worth it if you plan to keep your headphones, and I think you get what you pay for. I may try another variety one of these days but am very much pleased with these so far. Highly recommend!

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.