What Is Earpad Burn-In?

Have you ever wondered why your headphones sound different after a period of using them? Is it because of the popular, yet arguable theory known as headphone burn-in? If you feel that you've been noticing tweaks in the sound signature of your headphones after using them for some time, you may be wondering if burn-in actually exists. In a previous Dekoni U video, we discussed the general term, headphone burn-in, and the myths and speculation behind it in the audio world. Towards the end of the video, we mentioned how your ear pads could be the sole factor that causes the “burn-in” effect in your headphones, as opposed to the popular myth where your driver must be burned-in in order for your headphones to produce the best possible sound. Check out the video if you're interested in learning more about headphone burn-in! In this post, we wanted to go a little bit more in-depth on how your worn-in, or “burned-in” earpads can affect the overall listening experience of your headphones. If you'd like to watch our Dekoni U video on Earpad Burn-In, check out the link below!

What Is Earpad Burn-In?

Although burning in your headphones, or specifically the driver component of the headphones, has been proven to be a myth or call for speculation, “earpad burn-in” is very much a thing that can be measured and visually noticeable. Earpad burn-in is where the frequency response, or sound, of your headphones, can change in relation to the amount of time you wear the specific headphones. It also refers to the way your ear pads compress or fit around your head. If you order headphones with ear pads containing thick memory foam, over time the foam will compress tighter against your ears, creating a new sound signature that can make your headphones sound better or different. A way to test this out is by pressing your headphones either closer or farther away from your ears and listening to the difference in sound compared to how they regularly fit around your ears out of the box.

The Two Types Of Earpad Burn-In

There are two specific types of Earpad burn-in to consider; The first is known as “long-term earpad burn-in.” This is where after a few months or an extended period of time using the headphones with regular foam earpads, you will notice the earpads beginning to flatten or lose their thickness. With this, you will start to notice the changes in the sound, or frequency response, because of the difference in angle and distance of your ears to the drivers of your headphones. A popular example of this is the HD600 line of headphones. The stock earpads typically have to be replaced yearly to get a fresh fit and to reduce the”burn-in” that may negatively impact the comfort and/or sound signature of the headphones. The other type of earpad burn-in is a type of burn-in that occurs on a per session basis. This particular type of burn-in pertains to our earpads and how our specific type of memory foam can affect your headphone listening experience. Our earpads use premium, high-density memory foam, which can retain its shape extremely well. This makes your earpads much less likely to lose their shape and density over time, even when you wear your headphones for extended periods. When you use our memory foam earpads, there is a heat exchange, and heat will affect the structure of the earpads. As more heat enters the memory foam, the dense foam will become more flexible and its shape will conform to the shape of your head. After the earpads warm up a little, the distance between your ear and the drive will change and the earpad will create a much better seal around your ears. This is what causes that increase in the bass extension that we’ve mentioned previously about our earpads.

Conclusion

And there you have it! Hopefully, you were able to gain a better understanding of what earpad burn-in is and how it can affect your overall listening experience. Remember, earpad burn-in is not the same as headphone burn-in. Earpad burn-in refers to the way your earpads seal around your ears and how that has been proven to alter the sound signature of your headphones. We talked about two scenarios, stock pad burn-in — which is really more like stock pad wear-out — and Dekoni burn-in, where the heat and long listening sessions cause the earpads to conform more to the shape of your head and have a tighter fit. This is not the same as, headphone burn-in, the controversial term that has been thrown around in the audio world that doesn’t have any measurable data to back it. If you are interested in improving the comfort and sound quality of your headphones, or perhaps you’d like to replace your older or burned-in-stock earpads, check out our replacement earpads available on our website. We have an abundance of high-quality, luxurious replacement earpads that can upgrade the quality of your listening experience.