Dekoni Earpads for Sennheiser HD 800 Series

The HD 800 is Sennheiser's open-back flagship: enormous soundstage, 300 ohm, analytical and transparent to a degree that makes it unforgiving of both bad recordings and underpowered amplification. The HD 800 S adds a small absorber that tames the famous 6 kHz peak, arriving at a slightly warmer and more forgiving version of the same platform. Both share the same ear cup geometry.

The HD 800's stock earpads are wide and generously shaped. Replacing them with Dekoni's Elite range affects the presentation differently depending on material choice, particularly at the treble and soundstage ends.

Available materials

Elite Velour: The conservative pick. Premium velour preserves the wide, open character of the HD 800's soundstage and keeps the analytical signature largely intact. If you want the headphone to remain essentially itself while gaining more durable, better-fitting pads, this is where to start.

Elite Sheepskin: Real sheepskin, solid face. Seals more firmly than velour, which adds low-end weight and slightly contracts the perceived soundstage. Some listeners find this a worthwhile trade on the HD 800 specifically, where the soundstage can read as diffuse. The premium leather construction ages well.

Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin: Sheepskin with a perforated driver-facing surface. Targets the middle ground between velour and solid leather: real leather build quality and feel, with perforations that keep the soundstage more open than a full seal would allow. The most technically interesting option for the HD 800 platform, where soundstage is the point.

Elite Hybrid: Velour face, leather surrounds, memory foam fill. Optimises for comfort during long sessions while keeping the velour acoustic face. For a headphone like the HD 800, which requires proper amplification and attentive listening to repay, long-session comfort is a real consideration.

All drop-in fit. Genuine Dekoni pads, stocked and sold by Arachne Audio in Tallinn.