Sony MDR-7506 replacement pads?

[Frank O'Donnell]

The pads on my nearly ancient MDR-7506's have now officially given up
the ghost -- both are long-tattered, and one has come off entirely and
refuses to be reinstalled.

I've read various messages here on pad replacements for these and other
headphones, comments on various pad types including OEM vs velour, etc.

The one thing I'm stuck on that this point is that, on vendor sites like
Amazon, I see reviews where it's mentioned that pads can cause a
significant change in the headphones' sound. I've noticed for various
pad types.

So a question for MDR-7506 owners who are picky about sound -- can you
recommend a specific pad that definitely doesn't cause any change in
that regard?

Thanks and 73,

Frank K6FOD



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[Jim Brown-10]

On 11/4/2020 5:38 PM, Frank O'Donnell wrote:
> So a question for MDR-7506 owners who are picky about sound -- can you
> recommend a specific pad that definitely doesn't cause any change in
> that regard?

They're not the cheapest, but you can buy Sony-branded pads.
Search on Sony MDR-7506 replacement earpads.

As a retired audio professional, my guess is that any effect will be
limited to bass response.

73, Jim K9YC
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[Charlie T, K3ICH]

Here's a link for Beyer Dynamics velour ear pads that I use in my MDR-7506
headphones:

https://kino-eye.com/2008/11/16/beyerdynamic-velour-pads/

Here's a slightly cheaper set but I haven't tried these:

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Dekoni-Audio/Luxury-Velour-Replacement-Ear-Pads
-for-Sony-MDR7506-Headphones.gc?source=4WWRWXGG&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIguWx2r3q7A
IVUfDACh3wKQwXEAMYAyAAEgJLj_D_BwE


73, Charlie k3ICH



-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> On
Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2020 8:53 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Sony MDR-7506 replacement pads?

On 11/4/2020 5:38 PM, Frank O'Donnell wrote:
> So a question for MDR-7506 owners who are picky about sound -- can you
> recommend a specific pad that definitely doesn't cause any change in
> that regard?

They're not the cheapest, but you can buy Sony-branded pads.
Search on Sony MDR-7506 replacement earpads.

As a retired audio professional, my guess is that any effect will be limited
to bass response.

73, Jim K9YC
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[Frank O'Donnell]

On 11/4/20 5:52 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> They're not the cheapest, but you can buy Sony-branded pads.
> Search on Sony MDR-7506 replacement earpads.
>
> As a retired audio professional, my guess is that any effect will be
> limited to bass response.


Thanks. A couple of reviews I saw of third-party pads referred to
reduced bass and overemphasized treble. Similar to what you'd get by
pulling the headphones away from the ears.

73,

Frank K6FOD

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[Charlie T, K3ICH]

Thanks. A couple of reviews I saw of third-party pads referred to reduced
bass and overemphasized treble. Similar to what you'd get by pulling the
headphones away from the ears.
73,
Frank K6FOD


Well, maybe THAT's why I like these Sony MDR-7506's so much.
I find their treble response is perfect for my type of high frequency
hearing loss.
That's good to know,
73, Charlie k3ICH


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[Grant Youngman-2]

We all have different head and ear shapes.  I purchased a pair of MDR-7506 headphones based on some raves on this list to give them a try.  Although they sound fine,  I couldn’t wear them with their original ear-pads for more than an hour at a time. They mashed my ears, hurt, and were tiring.   I ended up purchasing Auray Extra Deep Ear Pads for them (from BH Photo), which fit around,  rather than on, the ears, and they are much more comfortable — at least for me.  The pads increase sound isolation somewhat, and do slightly increase low end (no impact on highs that I’ve observed).  

Grant NQ5T

> On Nov 5, 2020, at 1:26 AM, Frank O'Donnell <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> On 11/4/20 5:52 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>> They're not the cheapest, but you can buy Sony-branded pads.
>> Search on Sony MDR-7506 replacement earpads.
>>
>> As a retired audio professional, my guess is that any effect will be limited to bass response.
>
>
> Thanks. A couple of reviews I saw of third-party pads referred to reduced bass and overemphasized treble. Similar to what you'd get by pulling the headphones away from the ears.
>
> 73,
>
> Frank K6FOD
>

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[Jim Brown-10]

On 11/5/2020 5:24 AM, Grant Youngman wrote:
> We all have different head and ear shapes.  

YES!

> I purchased a pair of MDR-7506 headphones based on some raves on this list to give them a try.
> Although they sound fine,  I couldn’t wear them with their original ear-pads for more than an
> hour at a time. They mashed my ears, hurt, and were tiring.   I ended up purchasing Auray
> Extra Deep Ear Pads for them (from BH Photo), which fit around,  rather than on, the ears,
> and they are much more comfortable — at least for me.  The pads increase sound isolation
> somewhat, and do slightly increase low end (no impact on highs that I’ve observed).

For ham radio, go with comfort -- bass response is something we don't
need (or want). Music is a different story -- go with comfort AND bass
response.

Ear pads affect low end (bass) response by improving the air seal
between the phones and the head. It's also improved by a headband that
clamps the phones more tightly to the head.

73, Jim K9YC
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[Frank O'Donnell]

Is there a secret trick for getting replacement earpads installed
smoothly onto the headphones?

I bought a pair of Sony pads for my MDR-7506, but try as I might, as I
get one side into the groove on the headphone, the other side inevitably
slips out. Beginning to get into the realm of the comical.

Frank K6FOD


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[Grant Youngman-2]

Perserverance …. :)

> On Nov 9, 2020, at 2:21 PM, Frank O'Donnell <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Is there a secret trick for getting replacement earpads installed smoothly onto the headphones?
>
> I bought a pair of Sony pads for my MDR-7506, but try as I might, as I get one side into the groove on the headphone, the other side inevitably slips out. Beginning to get into the realm of the comical.
>

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[Jim Brown-10]

Yes, that's my experience, and I've done it 3-4 times over the years,
mostly with Sony-branded replacements.

73, Jim K9YC

On 11/9/2020 11:41 AM, Grant Youngman wrote:
> Perserverance …. :)
>
>> On Nov 9, 2020, at 2:21 PM, Frank O'Donnell <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Is there a secret trick for getting replacement earpads installed smoothly onto the headphones?
>>
>> I bought a pair of Sony pads for my MDR-7506, but try as I might, as I get one side into the groove on the headphone, the other side inevitably slips out. Beginning to get into the realm of the comical.
>>
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[Frank O'Donnell]

Thanks. Doubled down, and it actually didn't take too long.


On 11/9/20 11:41 AM, Grant Youngman wrote:
> Perserverance …. :)
>
>> On Nov 9, 2020, at 2:21 PM, Frank O'Donnell <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Is there a secret trick for getting replacement earpads installed smoothly onto the headphones?
>>
>> I bought a pair of Sony pads for my MDR-7506, but try as I might, as I get one side into the groove on the headphone, the other side inevitably slips out. Beginning to get into the realm of the comical.
>>
>

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[Charlie T, K3ICH]

I've done three sets using the Beyer Dynamics velour ear pads.
They seemed to go on smoothly, and last a LOT longer than the originals.
Since the OEM pads flake off too soon, I never used the SONY pads, only Beyer Dynamics.

73, Charlie k3ICH




-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> On Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2020 3:47 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Sony MDR-7506 replacement pads?

Yes, that's my experience, and I've done it 3-4 times over the years, mostly with Sony-branded replacements.

73, Jim K9YC

On 11/9/2020 11:41 AM, Grant Youngman wrote:
> Perserverance …. :)
>
>> On Nov 9, 2020, at 2:21 PM, Frank O'Donnell <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Is there a secret trick for getting replacement earpads installed smoothly onto the headphones?
>>
>> I bought a pair of Sony pads for my MDR-7506, but try as I might, as I get one side into the groove on the headphone, the other side inevitably slips out. Beginning to get into the realm of the comical.
>>
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[Elecraft mailing list]

Can you warm or heat the replacement pads to let them stretch a little during installation.  I have done that in similar instances with good results.  The plastic or rubbery part shrinks back to its original size on cooling.

David J. Wilcox’s iPad

> On Nov 9, 2020, at 2:25 PM, Frank O'Donnell <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Is there a secret trick for getting replacement earpads installed smoothly onto the headphones?
>
> I bought a pair of Sony pads for my MDR-7506, but try as I might, as I get one side into the groove on the headphone, the other side inevitably slips out. Beginning to get into the realm of the comical.
>
> Frank K6FOD
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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All of these MDR-7506 posts reminded me that I purchased OEM pads for my
Sony MDR-7506 many months ago but I never installed them.  I had some free
time this evening and I was still able to find the ear pads in my "stuff" so
I thought I would give it a try.  It was quite easy to remove the original
pads. To install the new ones I started at the top (not the side) and did
not push the material very far into the lip. I worked my way to the bottom
holding the pad lip in place along the sides.  When it was completely around
I used a thin machinists scale to push the pad into the groove in areas
where it was not seated properly. It was a little time consuming but not
really difficult and now the headphones look new again.  These are my
favorite headphones!

John KK9A



Frank O'Donnell K6FOD:
Is there a secret trick for getting replacement earpads installed
smoothly onto the headphones?

I bought a pair of Sony pads for my MDR-7506, but try as I might, as I
get one side into the groove on the headphone, the other side inevitably
slips out. Beginning to get into the realm of the comical.

Frank K6FOD

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