I bought some like new Audiotechnica ATH-M30 headphones for extremely cheap ($38) in 2014. The model was getting discontinued, and newer models were already very popular, so taking advantage of the price drop was a no brainer.
The sound quality was immaculate, but long term use showed some glaring problems with the headphones.
First the earcups were not quite big or cushioned enough to be comfortable for people wearing glasses. After a couple hours wearing them, the temples would be digging so painfully into the back of my ears that I either had to stop using the headphones or take the glasses off. Even normally, the temples would be really uncomfortable sometimes without headphones to add stress to them, and I'd have to take them off. Definitely not great.
The other problem was that the cusion material was awful. They don't deal with moisture very well, and during the summer (imagine using bulky headphones in the summer) my ears would be all sweaty after taking them off. To add insult to injury, the material peeled. Bits of the outer layer flaked off and left the cushions nasty looking. Dust and other particulates had a bad habit of sticking to the material as well, so cleaning it was impossible. Overall, I'd say the headphones are definitely a premium brand, but the stock cushions are terrible.
My sister also bought a pair but had the same issues I did. We both sort of stopped using them as time went on.
Right around the time covid happened, I learned that these cups could be replaced, and an entire industry of aftermarket earpad replacements existed. Since there's nothing better to do when forced to stay at home, I ordered two sets of cups from Brainwavz Audio because the cups worked with M30s, a dying model, and the material looked both comfortable and easier to clean.
Of course, being the lazy procrastinator I am, I received the packages and proceeded to do nothing with them until now.
Thankfully, replacing the earpads was much easier than I expected, though it's still a total pain. I took pictures too! I'm pleased about this mini adventure.
You can see how the particles stick to the cushion and drivers. The peeling is quite noticeable too. After really taking a look at the earpads, I'm shocked that I even continued using the stock earpads in this state. I bet everyone who gets Audiotechnica immediately replaces the earpads with better aftermarket options.
Thanks to some videos online, I ripped the earpads off. Ripping it felt really terrifying, because I had to really dig into the earpads and forcefully tug at the proper angles. But now I have experience, fear of damaging the headphones from excessive force will never be a problem in the future.
With one ripped off, the extent of the sweat and moisture problem is quite obvious. Parts of the foamy material stuck to the paper cover, and bits are even stuck inside the driver. Good thing I had some compressed air (from Fry's in its last days kek) so I rubbed the outside as best as I could with some alcohol wipes and then blasted out the foam inside the driver area.
Now that both were cleaned, the aftermarket earpads were ready to be fitted. The video I watched made it look like an utter nightmare. It kind of was, though I don't think it took nearly as long to do it as the video suggested. My hand did feel quite sore after fitting both pairs of headphones though. I have to say, the design to make the earpads fit snugly onto the headphones is brilliant, if a little difficult to replace.
This specific model is the angled hybrid. Overall they're extremely comfortable, the material doesn't peel, particles come off with a bit of brushing, and my ears don't hurt nearly as much as before from extended use. Aftermarket earpads are the real deal and I highly recommend anyone to give them a try. They'll breathe life into what feels like an old pair of headphones into something new.
