SteelSeries 9H earpad replacement

[SnowdogU77]

I couldn't find a post about this online when I needed it, so I figure it was my responsibility to make one. Not sure what the deal is; did no one else buy this headset?

Here you can see the faux leather flaking off. My wife was constantly picking black flakes out of my sideburns. Time for a change.



Read a bunch of reviews and settled with these earpads. I'm fairly impressed with them so far, pretty high quality material and quite comfortable. You can find them as"Wicked Cushions Velour for ATH M50X (...) SteelSeries Arctis 3/5/7" on the rainforest.



Here is what the OEM earpad assembly looks up when pulled apart. To get it off you grab the faux leather closest to the plastic and give 'er. They will pop off with enough force. The foam pad sits between the frame and the orange mesh; I left it out on the replacements since the mesh was a bit thicker. Gonna hang onto it in case I change my mind.



Here are the dimensions of the old pad versus the new one. Note that the new one will change a bit once it's on the frame.



Back of the old pad versus the new one. We're gonna have to replicate those holes.



Getting the new earpads' lip over the frame takes some work, but the material is pretty tough, so be not afraid. Just work your way around. I punched the holes behind the plastic reinforcement using the awl on my pocket knife, but you could use a nail or something instead. Don't cut it with something that will make a slit (knife, tip of scissors) as that's asking to cause a rip. There is a seam on the side of the earpad, that should be facing down and aligned between the bottom two pegs.



Holes finished. Note that the new earpad has reduced a bit in height and widened now that it's over the frame, as I mentioned before.
To get the pad assemblies back on the headset, position the pegs with the holes and put the back of the headset in your palms. Work your way around, pulling it back firmly with your fingers. Don't worry about crushing the foam, it will bounce back almost immediately.



Completed headset. I much prefer this look to the original look, I never liked the orange highlights. Very happy that I kept this out of a landfill; always repair whatever you can! Happy belated Earth Day!