YAXI Comfort TH900/TH610 Replacement Ear Pads

At this point, you probably have a good idea as to why this page exists. Given the stock ear pads have both comfort and tuning issues with the frame/headband assembly of the HarmonicDyne G200, and knowing it is far simpler to replace the ear pads than to tweak the frame itself, I found myself looking at alternatives to see whether we could get something done to better justify the G200. After all, given the frankly excellent technical performance of the drivers at the price point of the product, I was willing to go further than with most. YAXI ended up being the company I spoke to after having seen multiple reports about how its Comfort TH900/TH610 ear pads helped with other headphones having similar issues. The Japanese company developed these for the Fostex TH900/TH610 but, given the common installation mechanism and size, it works well here too—or so I hoped as I went about emailing YAXI.


The YAXI contact representative was very helpful and arranged for both of the YAXI replacement ear pads here along with some swag in the form of stickers, post cards, and even large posters. YAXI made a name for itself with its colorful replacement pads for the Koss Porta Pro, and that explains the multiple references seen here. I decided to show these off in a single photo given they came in unsolicited, but also I appreciate the marketing efforts. What is more relevant are the set of two ear pads that come in their own plastic packaging with the company and product name at the bottom and a sticker on the clear plastic section to indicate the particular model inside. Indeed, as with the HarmonicDyne G200, YAXI makes these available in leather and Alcantara—a brand name for suede microfiber, and I don't know whether this is genuine Alcantara or not. On the back are subjective changes from the stock sound signature of either combination of headphones and ear pads, but that matters little here as I went about taking both sets out for a photo each before comparing them like for like with the stock G200 pads.


Excuse the hastily added text to better indicate the stock HarmonicDyne G200 lambskin pads vs. the YAXI leather pads, and we see some very obvious difference between the two. The YAXI leather pads are smaller in all three dimensions, however the spacing for the ears is about the same size, if not more owing to the oval shape that better follow the human ear. There are no perforations on the YAXI pads either, then we get to the side view where the angled design is clear, with pads being thicker at one side than the other. Now you can get some relief at the temple/side of the head towards the top and still have the ear pads provide a seal throughout, including at the very bottom where the stock pads might come off slightly loose. The bonus benefit is that you now have a good sense of the ear pads on the head by default, and this minimizes the potential for a twisted headband to go unnoticed.


We see a similar story with the YAXI Alcantara pads compared to the HarmonicDyne G200 flannel pads, and this time there is no color mismatch between leather and suede either as we get an all black construction. If anything, The difference is more subtle owing to the larger amount of give that suede pads have, and I also noticed here that although the foam composition was denser on the YAXI pads, the added thickness on the stock pads made up for it. Installing the YAXI pads requires you to stretch them slightly more, but there's no denying that either set was more comfortable than the stock pads and addressed one of the issues already.


The second issue was in the tonality of the headphones with the ear pads, the missing ear gain now comes back to a decent extent in both cases of the YAXI pads. This shows that the stock pads, however great they may feel, were simply not the best match for this particular headphone frame, and once again it's HarmonicDyne's tuning that ends up a weakness. The YAXI pads are not a complete solution, however, and I'd still EQ to get the upper mids especially better suited to my ears. But the replacement leather pads do a lot in making for a more balanced tuning, although it does get the treble response slightly darker than I'd like. The Alcantara pads are much closer to the HarmonicDyne flannel pads aside from the ear gain again, and either combination of HarmonicDyne G200 + YAXI pads now makes for a set that is technically superior to just about anything else I've tested in its price range—and even higher in some cases—while not absolutely needing EQ either. It reminds me now of the HIFIMAN house tuning with the dip at 1.5 kHz followed by the rise, making the G200 now somewhat of an Audeze/HIFIMAN hybrid!