Audio
The Best Replacement Headphone Earpads: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)
We compared four widely sold replacement earpads on the thing most buying advice skips: what a pad does to the measured sound of the headphone, not just how it feels on your face.
The short version
Dekoni's replacement earpads for the Sennheiser HD600 family are our overall pick, because one product covers HD600, HD650, HD6XX, HD58X and HD660S and lets you choose the material, which is the real tuning control. The value pick is the beyerdynamic EDT 990 VB, the genuine OEM velour pad that fits the DT 880 and DT 990 families and puts the headphone back to the sound it was designed around. The Wicked Cushions FreeZe V2 Cloud set is a depends: it is a genuinely good fix for hot ears and flattened gaming headset pads, but the thicker angled shape shifts the tone, so it suits comfort seekers rather than people chasing accuracy. Skip Brainwavz's sheepskin pads for the HD600 series, which are a universal oval pad on an adapter ring that Brainwavz itself says may alter the sound output. Before you buy anything, remember the honest framing: a third-party pad on a headphone tuned around its factory pad is a trade, not an upgrade. If you liked how your headphones sounded when they were new, buy the OEM pad. Best for: anyone whose headphones have gone thin, scratchy or uncomfortable and who wants to fix it without guessing.
Our picks at a glance
- Dekoni Audio Replacement Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD6XX / HD58X / HD660S - Buy. One well-supported pad platform for the whole HD600 family, with seven materials so you can pick the sound you want instead of accepting whatever ships in the box.
- beyerdynamic EDT 990 VB Velour Ear Pads - Buy. The genuine beyerdynamic velour pad, part number 1000893, which restores the exact material and geometry the DT 880 and DT 990 families were voiced around.
- Wicked Cushions WC FreeZe V2 Cloud Cooling Gel Earpads - It depends. Angled, extra-thick memory foam with a dual-layer cooling gel top for the HyperX Cloud family, aimed squarely at long sessions rather than at accuracy.
- Brainwavz Sheepskin Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD660S / HD58X / HD6XX - Skip. A universal oval pad bonded to a plastic adapter ring, which Brainwavz itself warns may alter the sound output of the headphone.
The verdict in 30 seconds
What mattered most
- Material
- Foam
- OEM or third party
- Fits
- Published dimensions
- How it mounts
Earpads are the most overlooked consumable in audio. They are also an acoustic component: pad material, thickness, internal volume and seal all change the load on the driver, which is why manufacturers voice a headphone around a specific pad and why some of them sell two or three pad options for the same model. A flattened, hardened pad is the single most common reason a headphone that used to sound full now sounds thin. We looked at four pads that people actually buy, from an upgrade-oriented specialist, a manufacturer selling its own spare part, a gaming-focused brand, and a universal pad sold with an adapter ring.
One well-supported pad platform for the whole HD600 family, with seven materials so you can pick the sound you want instead of accepting whatever ships in the box.
Best for: HD600-family owners who want to deliberately re-voice their headphone and are happy to pick a material rather than restore the original sound.
- Seven material options on the same pad body, including Elite Velour, Sheepskin, Fenestrated Sheepskin, Hybrid, Choice Leather, Choice Suede and plain Velour.
- Built on slow-rebound memory foam, which conforms around glasses arms and spreads clamping pressure.
- Covers HD600, HD650, HD6XX, HD58X and HD660S from a single listing, and the product is tagged with an installation video.
- Dekoni does not publish pad thickness or inner opening dimensions, so you cannot predict the tuning shift from the spec sheet.
- Dekoni describes the pads as deeper than stock, which moves the driver further from your ear and changes the presentation whether you wanted that or not.
- It is a third-party part, so it moves an HD600 away from the tuning Sennheiser designed.
- Priciest option here, and choosing between seven materials with no measurements published is guesswork the first time.
The genuine beyerdynamic velour pad, part number 1000893, which restores the exact material and geometry the DT 880 and DT 990 families were voiced around.
Best for: Any beyerdynamic owner whose pads have gone flat, bald or crusty and who wants the headphone to sound like it did new.
- Official OEM part with a published part number, 1000893, so there is no guessing about fitment.
- Enormous compatibility list covering DT 990, DT 990 Edition, DT 990 Black Special Edition, DT 990 PRO, DT 990 PRO X and the whole DT 880 range, plus DT 531, DT 690, DT 811, DT 911 and DT 931.
- Velour breathes, which is why beyerdynamic chose it, and it keeps the headphone from turning into a sauna in summer.
- The foam disc is not included, so you have to transfer the acoustic disc from your old pads and hope it is still in good shape.
- Only fits beyerdynamic models, so it is useless to everyone else.
- Restores the stock sound rather than improving it, which is the point but is not what upgrade shoppers are hoping for.
- Costs noticeably more than third-party velour pads that fit the same headphones.
Angled, extra-thick memory foam with a dual-layer cooling gel top for the HyperX Cloud family, aimed squarely at long sessions rather than at accuracy.
Best for: Gamers with a HyperX Cloud whose pads have gone flat and whose ears overheat, and who care more about comfort and isolation than about tonal accuracy.
- Angled, extra-thick foam creates real space around the ear, which helps if your ears touch the driver on stock pads.
- Cooling gel layer plus the FreeZe V2 fabric addresses the sweaty-ear problem that ruins long gaming sessions.
- Wide but explicit fitment across HyperX Cloud 1, 2, 2 Wireless, 3, 3 Wireless, 3 S Wireless, Alpha, Alpha 2, Alpha S, Alpha Pro, Flight, Flight S, Core, the Stinger models and CloudX, with a tool-free install.
- Thicker and angled means the driver sits further from your ear at a different angle, so the tone changes.
- Gel adds weight to a headset that was balanced without it.
- HyperX only, and Wicked Cushions is clear these will not fit other brands.
- No published pad dimensions on the listing, so you cannot compare the depth change to stock before buying.
A universal oval pad bonded to a plastic adapter ring, which Brainwavz itself warns may alter the sound output of the headphone.
Best for: Someone who only wants a softer, leather-faced pad on an HD600-series headphone and genuinely does not mind what happens to the sound.
- Real sheepskin face with memory foam, which feels good against the skin and is cheap for genuine leather.
- Ships with the adapter ring pre-installed, so the fitting is a push-in job rather than a modification.
- Brainwavz publishes actual dimensions, 30 mm thick and 110 by 90 mm, which most pad sellers do not.
- Brainwavz states on the listing that this earpad and adapter combination may alter the sound output and that the adapter exists primarily for comfort.
- It is Brainwavz's universal oval pad plus an adapter rather than a pad designed for this headphone, so depth, inner opening and seal all change at once.
- At 30 mm it is a substantial depth change on a headphone whose whole appeal is a specific, long-established tuning.
- The inner core uses PU pleather for shape stability, so the leather-sealed surface is not the whole story.
| Criteria | Replacement Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD6XX / HD58X / HD660S | EDT 990 VB Velour Ear Pads | WC FreeZe V2 Cloud Cooling Gel Earpads | Sheepskin Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD660S / HD58X / HD6XX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Buy it | Buy it | It depends | Skip it |
| Best for | HD600-family owners who want to deliberately re-voice their headphone and are happy to pick a material rather than restore the original sound. | Any beyerdynamic owner whose pads have gone flat, bald or crusty and who wants the headphone to sound like it did new. | Gamers with a HyperX Cloud whose pads have gone flat and whose ears overheat, and who care more about comfort and isolation than about tonal accuracy. | Someone who only wants a softer, leather-faced pad on an HD600-series headphone and genuinely does not mind what happens to the sound. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget | $ · budget |
| Material | Choice of sheepskin, fenestrated sheepskin, hybrid, elite velour, velour, choice leather or choice suede | Velour, black | Cooling gel over memory foam under FreeZe V2 cooling fabric | Real sheepskin face, PU pleather inner core |
| Foam | Slow-rebound memory foam | Foam disc not included, reuse your own | Extra-thick angled memory foam | Memory foam |
| OEM or third party | Third party | OEM beyerdynamic, part number 1000893 | Third party | Third party |
| Fits | Sennheiser HD600, HD650, HD6XX, HD58X, HD660S | beyerdynamic DT 880 and DT 990 families, DT 531, DT 690, DT 811, DT 911, DT 931 | HyperX Cloud, Alpha, Flight, Stinger and CloudX families | Sennheiser HD600, HD650, HD660S, HD525, HD535, HD545, HD58X, HD6XX |
| Published dimensions | Not published | Not published | Not published | 30 mm thick, 110 x 90 mm |
| How it mounts | Direct replacement, installation video provided | Direct OEM fit, acoustic foam disc transferred from the old pads | Tool-free, stated as a few minutes | Pre-installed plastic adapter ring |
| Effect on tuning | Your choice, since material and perforation are selectable, but deeper than stock | Returns the headphone to its factory voicing | Thicker and angled, so tone and staging shift | Vendor states it may alter the sound output |
| Variants offered | Seven materials | Black, with a silver grey EDT 990 V alternative | Five colourways | One version |
Which one is right for you?
- HD600-family owners who want to deliberately re-voice their headphone and are happy to pick a material rather than restore the original sound. Buy it Dekoni Audio Replacement Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD6XX / HD58X / HD660S
- Any beyerdynamic owner whose pads have gone flat, bald or crusty and who wants the headphone to sound like it did new. Buy it beyerdynamic EDT 990 VB Velour Ear Pads
- Gamers with a HyperX Cloud whose pads have gone flat and whose ears overheat, and who care more about comfort and isolation than about tonal accuracy. It depends Wicked Cushions WC FreeZe V2 Cloud Cooling Gel Earpads
- Someone who only wants a softer, leather-faced pad on an HD600-series headphone and genuinely does not mind what happens to the sound. Skip it Brainwavz Sheepskin Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD660S / HD58X / HD6XX
How we judged the field
Five things decide whether a replacement pad is worth buying. First, seal, because it is the dominant acoustic variable: a pad that presses evenly against your head lets the driver build bass pressure, and a hard, flattened or cracked one does not. Second, material, since a smooth leather or protein-leather face seals and lifts low frequencies while a velour pile deliberately leaks air and lets the treble stand out. Third, thickness and shape, which set how far your ear sits from the driver and how much air is trapped in front of it. Fourth, fitment, which is where most buyers get burned, because a pad sold as compatible with a list of ten models is often one universal pad wearing an adapter. Fifth, whether it is an OEM part or a third-party one, because that determines whether you are restoring a designed tuning or replacing it with someone else’s.
The field splits cleanly. On one side are manufacturers selling their own spare pads, which is the boring, correct answer and the reason beyerdynamic is here: it still stocks pads for headphones that are decades old. On the other side are specialists who sell pads as a voicing choice, which is where Dekoni sits, offering seven materials for the same Sennheiser family so you can pick your own trade-off. A third group sells comfort first and treats sound as a bonus, which describes the gaming-focused gel pads from Wicked Cushions. And then there is the universal pad plus adapter approach, which is cheap and fits everything and is the one we would steer people away from, so Brainwavz’s HD600-series sheepskin set is here as the cautionary example.
Dekoni Audio Replacement Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD6XX / HD58X / HD660S - buy
Dekoni is the closest thing this category has to a default answer, and the HD600-family set shows why. One listing covers HD600, HD650, HD6XX, HD58X and HD660S, and you choose the sound from the material list: Elite Velour, plain Velour, Choice Suede, Choice Leather, Sheepskin, Fenestrated Sheepskin or Hybrid. That is the honest way to sell pads, because material is the tuning control. Sheepskin seals hardest and lifts the bass, velour breathes and lets low end leak so the top end reads brighter, and the fenestrated and hybrid versions sit between the two. All of them are built on slow-rebound memory foam, which is what makes them tolerable with glasses. Two caveats. Dekoni does not publish pad thickness or inner opening dimensions, so you cannot predict the shift from the spec sheet. And Dekoni says the pads are deeper than stock, which means even the velour option is not a like-for-like replacement. Buy it knowing you are re-voicing the headphone, not restoring it.
beyerdynamic EDT 990 VB Velour Ear Pads - buy
If your headphone maker still sells the original pad, that is usually the smartest money in this category, and beyerdynamic is unusually good about it. The EDT 990 VB is the black velour pad, part number 1000893, and the compatibility list is enormous: DT 990, DT 990 Edition, DT 990 Black Special Edition, DT 990 PRO and DT 990 PRO X, the whole DT 880 range including the PRO versions, plus DT 531, DT 690, DT 811, DT 911 and DT 931. Fit it and you get exactly the material, depth and internal volume the headphone was voiced around, so a tired DT 990 sounds like a DT 990 again instead of like something new. beyerdynamic itself notes that pads degrade with sweat and dust and that replacing them can bring a real improvement in sound. Read the listing carefully though: the foam disc is not included, so you transfer the acoustic disc from your old pads. There is a silver grey version too, the EDT 990 V.
Wicked Cushions WC FreeZe V2 Cloud Cooling Gel Earpads - it depends
Wicked Cushions builds pads for gaming headsets, and the FreeZe V2 Cloud set is the one to understand. It is a dual-layer cooling gel over extra-thick angled memory foam, wrapped in the company’s FreeZe V2 cooling fabric, and it covers a long HyperX list: Cloud 1, 2, 2 Wireless, 3, 3 Wireless and 3 S Wireless, Alpha, Alpha 2, Alpha S and Alpha Pro, Flight, Flight S, Core, the Stinger range and the CloudX models. Installation is tool-free and takes minutes. If your ears cook after two hours and your stock pads have gone flat and shiny, this fixes a real problem, and the angled shape does create genuine room around the ear. What it is not is a neutral swap. Thicker and angled means the driver sits further away and fires at a different angle, and the gel adds weight to a headset that was balanced without it. Buy it for comfort, not for accuracy.
Brainwavz Sheepskin Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD660S / HD58X / HD6XX - skip
Brainwavz makes plenty of sensible pads, including a straightforward velour set for the DT 880 and DT 990 families with published dimensions. This is not one of them. The HD600-series sheepskin pad is, by Brainwavz’s own description, a universal oval earpad combined with a custom adapter ring, 30 mm thick and 110 by 90 mm, with a real sheepskin face and a PU pleather inner core added for shape stability. Brainwavz states on the listing that the earpad and adapter combination may alter the sound output of the headset, and that the adapter’s primary purpose is to offer extra comfort. Take the company at its word. A 30 mm universal pad on an HD600 changes depth, inner opening and seal simultaneously, on a headphone whose entire reason for existing is a tuning people have argued about for thirty years. If you want a soft leather pad and truly do not care about the sound, fine. If you expected an upgrade, you will be reinstalling the stock pads.
Dekoni Audio Replacement Earpads for Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD6XX / HD58X / HD660S vs beyerdynamic EDT 990 VB Velour Ear Pads: which should you buy?
These two picks answer different questions, and knowing which question you are asking settles it. The beyerdynamic EDT 990 VB is a restoration part. It puts back the same velour, the same depth and the same internal volume the DT 880 or DT 990 was voiced with, so the result is predictable: your headphone sounds the way it did when it was new, and any thinness or harshness that crept in over the years goes away with the flattened foam. The Dekoni set is a voicing part. Nothing about it is a like-for-like restoration, because Dekoni says its pads are deeper than stock, and the whole point of offering seven materials is that you are meant to choose one.
So: if you liked how your headphones sounded and they have simply worn out, buy the OEM pad if your manufacturer sells one. That is beyerdynamic here, and it is also true of Sennheiser, Audeze, Dan Clark Audio and ZMF for their own models. If you have lived with a headphone for a while and know what you want to change about it, Dekoni is the better buy, and the material choice is the lever: sheepskin or Choice Leather for more bass and isolation, Elite Velour for more air and a less closed-in feel, fenestrated or hybrid if you want something in between. One warning for the second path. Because nobody in this category publishes pad thickness or inner dimensions consistently, the first purchase is partly an experiment, so pick the material whose behaviour you understand rather than the one with the nicest name.
What to look for
- Seal first: the pad’s ability to press evenly against your head is the single biggest acoustic variable, which is why a flattened pad makes a headphone sound thin long before anything else fails.
- Material sets the tone: smooth leather and protein leather seal and lift bass, velour breathes and leaks low end so treble stands out, and perforated or hybrid pads land deliberately between the two.
- Watch the depth: a deeper pad moves your ear away from the driver and enlarges the air volume in front of it, which usually widens the presentation and softens the upper mids, so match stock depth unless you want that change.
- Check for the word universal: a pad described as a universal shape with an adapter ring is not designed for your headphone, and the fitment compromise shows up in seal, depth and inner opening all at once.
- Ask whether the foam disc is included: several manufacturer pads, beyerdynamic’s among them, ship without the acoustic damping disc on the assumption you will reuse yours, and a crushed or dirty disc undoes the whole job.
- Confirm the exact model, not the family: compatibility lists are long and headphone makers reuse names across generations, so match your specific model number rather than trusting that a ‘DT 990 series’ listing covers the one you own.
Our final take
Pads are a consumable, and treating them as one solves more headphone complaints than any cable or amplifier ever will. If your manufacturer sells the original pad, buy that: beyerdynamic’s EDT 990 VB is the model of how this should work, with a part number, a real compatibility list and a price that beats replacing the headphone. If you want to change the sound rather than restore it, Dekoni gives you the widest set of honest material choices for the most popular audiophile headphone family, and that is our overall pick. Be sceptical of universal pads sold with adapter rings, particularly when the seller tells you in its own listing that the sound may change. Comfort-first gel pads are fine, as long as comfort really is what you are buying.
Questions, answered
Do earpads really change how a headphone sounds, or is that audiophile folklore?
They really change it, and manufacturers say so themselves. beyerdynamic's own ear pad listings note that replacing worn pads can bring a real improvement in sound. ZMF states that its pads are matched to a headphone visually and according to frequency response, taking pad depth, inner diameter and material into account. Dan Clark Audio sells suede, perforated and standard pads for the same headphone, which only makes sense if the material changes something. Brainwavz goes as far as printing a warning on one of its own listings that a pad and adapter combination may alter the sound output.
Why does everyone say leather adds bass and velour adds treble?
It comes down to seal and airflow. A leather or protein-leather face is effectively airtight against your head, so the low frequencies that need a sealed chamber to build pressure actually build it. Velour is a woven pile, so it leaks air, and low bass escapes rather than pressurising against the eardrum. With less bass energy present, the same treble now sounds more prominent, and the open weave also scatters high frequencies differently than a smooth leather surface does. This is also why a worn, flattened pad sounds thin: it has lost the seal, not the driver.
How do I know when my pads actually need replacing?
Look at them and squeeze them. Healthy pads spring back when you press and release; dead ones stay dented or feel like cardboard. Flaking, peeling or cracking on a protein-leather surface means the seal is broken in dozens of places at once. On velour, a shiny bald patch where your face contacts the pad is the usual tell. If your headphones suddenly sound thinner and brighter than you remember, or if you find yourself pressing the cups against your head to get the bass back, the pads are the first thing to check, not the drivers.
Is an OEM pad always the right choice over a third-party one?
It is the safe choice, not the only one. An OEM pad returns the headphone to the acoustic conditions its designer voiced it in, which is what most people actually want when their pads wear out. A third-party pad is a deliberate change: more bass and isolation from thick leather, more air and treble from velour, more space from a deeper pad. That can genuinely improve a headphone you never quite got along with. What it is not is a free upgrade, and anyone selling it that way is glossing over the trade.
Will thicker pads make my headphones sound better or worse?
Neither automatically, because thickness changes several things at once. Extra depth increases the volume of air between the driver and your ear, which usually softens the upper midrange and can make the presentation feel wider and further away. It also moves your ear off the driver, which relieves pressure points and helps if your ears touch the inside of the cup. On the other side, a deeper pad can thin out the bass by enlarging the chamber and can dull treble detail. Try to match your existing pad depth unless you have a specific reason to change it.
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