It wasn't long after I'd finished the review that Dan (the man behind Mr. Speakers) told me he'd been working on a new pair of ear pads. He asked if I would like to try them out, so of course I said "hell yeah"! These little puppies are called 'Alpha' pads, they are available as an upgrade for existing owners, or an option on a new pair. If you already have the Mad Dog and fancy upgrading they will set you back $45 (+ shipping) in the United States or $69 (including shipping) internationally, which is an introductory offer for the first two weeks.
SOUND
These new pads are said to:
- Improve dynamics
- Enhance the midrange and highs
- Deliver smoother response
- Improve presence and clarity at all volumes
- Clean up the bass
- Add more bass slam
- Improve imaging
I gave the Mad Dogs a test for 30 minutes before installing the Alpha pads. Then once I'd made the switch to the new pads I put the same music back on, I noticed the difference in sound straight away. Now that I'm reading it again I think this list is pretty spot on. I was truly amazed at just how much difference some different pads could make and it's not like the previous ones were bad. This really has made me appreciate the Mad Dogs a lot more than before and I liked them quite a bit already!
This has also helped me realise a few things about these headphones as a whole. Firstly their transparency requires some serious amplification to squeeze the best performance out of them. Personally I really prefer them with a warmer amplifier, although they're really not bad driven from anything. Secondly, I want to keep turning up the volume to get the thrills I crave from some music. Usually when pushing the volume up so high the sharpness in the high frequencies or boom to the bass puts me off doing it for long, but not here. This is a probably a testament to how well balanced they are, but just a word of warning to be careful with your hearing when playing with the Mad Dogs.
BUILD
The previous pads were made from lamb skin, but the Alpha pads use a nicer, softer lamb skin. The biggest change is the shape, they fit the T50rp cups better and are much thicker at the back, which hugs your head more. When installing the pads you also have to remove some of the dampening tape from the modification. This is a surprisingly quick and easy job, even for someone who knows nothing about modifying headphones (like myself). Here are the previous 'Dog Pad's for reference:
TECHY STUFF - FR GRAPH
Speaking of the LCD-2, check out this 'Frequency Response' (FR): This was made by Dan himself, please note this is full resolution data (without smoothing, multiple passes, averaging, filters, etc.)
Dan also asked me to point out the following, when reading FR graphs for headphones - "the roll-off above 1K, with the peak and "roughness" above 5K is typical of headphone measurements, which look very different from "flat as a ruler" loudspeaker measurements. A good headphone should have that smooth roll-off and a gentle, broad peak, vs a sharp spike. The key is to have it in the right place, with the right slope."
FIT & COMFORT
I have come to realise that I had a couple of minor issues with the Mad Dog's previous pads. The isolation and bass weren't quite performing as expected and this turned out to be due to me wearing glasses. It was fixed by resting the arms of the glasses on top of the ear pads (rather than inside them), it was a little awkward to do, but it worked. Fortunately the new Alpha pads are infinitely more forgiving for glasses wearers, so it's another big thumbs up there!
FINAL WORDS
I can see a lot of people really loving the Mad Dogs and these new 'Alpha' pads elevate them to a whole new level. It still has that delicate detail but the laid back sensation is falling away somewhat and making way for some real aggression. The soundstage just keeps getting better and better, but perhaps the most amazing aspect is that you get all these things in a closed back headphone with decent isolation.
For more information about the Mad Dog check out my original review or see the Mr. Speakers website.
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