Review on Memory Foam Ear Pad Cushions for ATH M50X, M50BT, Steelseries Arctis, Pro Wireless & Stealth, HyperX Cloud, AKG, SHURE & More Headphones - Brainwavz Replacement Earpads (Brown) by Chuck Derrick

I received these ear pads to replace the originals that came with my Koss Pro 4AA headphones. The OEM Koss ear pads are made of rubber that takes about a year to harden. They are not very comfortable at first, but they deteriorate significantly over time as they lose their elasticity and become painful with long (or no) wear. I saw these Brainwaves earpads recommended on Reddit as a possible replacement. and thought I might as well try them out to see if I could use my headphones again. The Pro 4AA's headphones are quite large: 110mm high and 90mm wide, so the earcups had to be large to fit. I was happy to see that Brainwaves included sizes in their product listings so I could be more confident that they actually fit the headphones. Well I'm here to say they fit. It took a bit of effort but I managed to get them to fit over the rims of the ear cups. When I first put them on it was clear that they were a game changer for the Koss Pro 4AA in terms of comfort. In fact, they were comfortable. really comfortable, more comfortable than even the brand new Koss brand ear pads. I was excited. until I hooked it up to my stereo. These cushions definitely change the sound coming into the ear. The bass has been lowered, the treble has been boosted and the fullness of the listening experience has been reduced. I was expecting this after reading a number of Revain reviews, but it was a bit startling to hear the impact they had. I really think the problem is their thickness. When uncompressed, the pillows are approximately 3 cm deep from the top of the pillow to the dome deck. Compare that to the OEM pads which are 1cm deep and you'll see they have more room for the sound. Add memory foam (sound absorbing material) and it becomes clear that it can. I tested this theory by squeezing pillows with my hands while listening to music. When the pads are compressed and my ears are closer to the deck, the sound improves. I would appreciate it if Brainwaves offered a lower version of these pillows. This would provide a better balance between comfort and sound impact. Verdict: These are damn comfortable earpads, and they work with the Koss 4AA headphones. Because of this, there is an impact on the sound quality. How much probably depends on your headphones. It suits me personally. I'm not a music lover and I don't feel the effects are that extreme. I'm just glad I can use the headphones without an earache.