Modding the Audio Technica ATH-M50 with new pads

These Audio Technica ATH-M50s are extremely popular headphones, but one issue with them is their uncomfortable plastic-covered pads, that cause may folks to itch and sweat.

The good news is that the issue can easily by solved by swapping the stock ATH-M50 pads with Beyerdynamic DT250 velour pads.

This mod is easy and straightforward and should not take you more than a few minutes. You don't need any special tools like a screwdriver, soldering iron, etc. Just slip the stock pads off, and pull the new ones on. The DT250 pads fit tightly, without any looseness. You can rest assured these pads won't come off accidentally. You can still fold the M50s the same way as before.

Tip #1: If you invert the lip of the pads before placing them on the earcups, and slowly roll the pads down circumferentially, you will have them on much quicker (and with less cussing) than if you try to force them in place.

Tip #2: Also, use a thin plastic tool (I used a credit card) to tuck the edge of the pad into the groove on the earcup. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

Sound differences: There is definitely an audible drop in bass prominence with the velour pads. Rolloff is a little sooner, too. Bass attenuation is a little more prominent in the lower end of the bass frequencies, but the relative differences between lower and higher bass drop is really not that noticeable unless you are listening to genres like DnB, and even then only when you know the song well. Another interesting effect is that the infamous 70-80Hz bass dip (dude to the stock M50 pad) goes away.

But there is a silver lining. The 9000 Hz spike is also attenuated a little with the pad swap, so the treble sounds a little less tizzy than with the stock pad.

A couple of other listening notes: IMO the mids and highs are a little more smeared with the velour pads, which adversely affects detail as well as clarity, luckily only modestly. And there's a mild reduction in "boominess" of the sound compared to stock.

The biggest difference is the comfort, which increases by leaps and bounds. The internal volume of the pads is about the same, so the diameter of the opening is relatively unchanged. The old pads would get warm and cause me to itch after a while, but the velours are perfectly cool, breathable and significantly more comfortable for extended listening sessions.

So is it worth it? As you can see, I have put my money where my mouth is (or my velour where my ear is, to be more precise). I aint going back to stock anytime soon.

While the DT250 pads are more comfortable, unfortunately they do not reduce the (significant) clamping force of the M50s. I have read about folks bending their M50 headband to make them fit less tightly, but I would not recommend using force since the headband is prone to crack. An easier way is to use a pillow -- place the M50 over the pillow making sure that the size of the pillow is a little bigger than your head. Let it marinade for a day or two. You'll notice some reduction in clamp force. Try repeating the pillow stretch if the first time does not work for you.