Oh hi. It's been awhile hasn't it? How fares the world of audiophilia? Well, in between getting a new job, losing it, and finding another job a month later I found that those infamous Krone Kalpasmos earpads have been out of stock for months now! I can't just leave you guys hanging like that now can I? After a lot of searching I finally found a couple of pads that will work well with the Pro 82 that will keep you cool in record heat (*cough*Arizona*cough*). And most unfortunately the recent quest caused me to wreck the right side microphone of my H.E.A.R.S. so getting accurate measurements is that much tougher. Any graphs I post are the left channel only and you might want to take them as a grain of salt even though my eyes, ears, and mind all seem to agree with each other.
Yaxi MSR7 Comfort Pads:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P17DDZN - $40 USD + S&H
Famous for their Koss PortaPro/KSC75 foam pads, these pads take a walk on the extravagant side with Alcantara on the cups while being pleather on the inside (and on the sides too so collected oils don't bleed onto the surface when you put down the headphones).
These pads can still get toasty inside the cup, but it allows the sweat to get off my skin so you can keep them on a lot longer.
Installing these on the Pro 82 is no joke. You'll need to stretch out those plastic lips significantly before you can get the plastic rings around the pads! Patience is a virtue; you WILL break those plastic rings in two if you try to wrap the pads on right out of the box (fortunately for me, my plastic ring just shot across the room but still - could have been much worse). You can stretch out the lips by wrapping the pads around the Pro 82 drivers without the rings or foam. Once you get the pads wrapped around the plastic rings, you should put the stock foam filters in - unless you want to have the vocals amplified and the bass muted...It doesn't sound as bad as you would think!
Finally, you'll have to carefully snap the rings back on with the pads, you'll need to go into a rotating motion to align three clamps on one side and then carefully snap down the other three (while tugging the pad a bit to clear the way for the ring). Yeah I wonder if I need to do a video on this bit. Of course, you can also cut away some of those lips to clear the way for the clamps - just make sure you know you like them first before you do that in case you need to return them.
When the foam filters are installed, the pads give a sound with less bass but the midrange gets a lift and the treble doesn't get harsh.
I would recommend these for those who want a more midrange-focused experience - and for those who have the patience and finesse to get these things on the Pro 82. These are easily the most expensive pads I ever recommended but they do provide a unique experience I've heard in no other set of pads. Totally worth it if this is the sound you want.
For a little less money (but not much) you can check out the Dekoni Jerzee pads:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087HDF6D6 $30 USD
The mesh makes these one of the most breathable pads I've ever put on. These are also easy to install. Just use the stock foam and rings and wrap the pads around the whole cup. That's it.
These do give an interesting sound...I feel like the sound stage is a tad wider and while the graph isn't showing it, I feel the bass better on these than the stock pads. Maybe I need a haircut or something. Otherwise the treble and midrange sound close enough to stock. I should mention that they isolate better than you would think too! I'm going to call these the "party pads" for the Pro 82 - perfect if you're taking these on DJ gigs - oh...yeah...those venues are still cancelled aren't they?
I wish I had more (cheaper) pads I could recommend. I mean, there are these that I think I originally said they wouldn't work but they can (if you wrestle with the rings as you would in the Yaxi pads) but I would sometimes find the treble quite sharp.
https://www.amazon.com/Krone-Kalpasmos-Replacement-MDR-7506-Headphones/dp/B07N6GL2PG
Hope everyone stays safe!