As I said, I have the Dekoni elite sheepskin pads. My experience is that they have a number of minor effects – they make the sound a bit darker by having more meat in the bass and less presence in lower treble. They also make the imaging a bit less coherent and the sound less forward. My theory as to why these effects happen is that because the sheep skin is more reflective than the perforated microfiber, and also stiffer and with a smoother surface. Therefore, it traps more bass energy on one hand, but also reflect some high frequencies that results in a messier wave front.
The changes as I said are minute, but it's enough to "ruin" the exciting sound signature that makes the clear so great. I use them sometimes when I want a more relaxed sound with less edge.
I'll add that one time at a show, I had the selection of all the focal headphones and their pads, so I experimented in switching around the different pads. It wasn't a thorough test because I had like half an hour, but it was enough to get a general feeling. I think all the focal pads are excellent, and they each impart a slightly different sound signature on the clear. The Elear pads are also microfiber but they are not perforated, so they sound a bit darker because the bass gets trapped more. The Utopia pads are perforated lamb skin and they are also more bassy, but with less loss of coherence. I feel the normal Clear pads are still the best ones for that headphone, because they bring out their best characteristics.
Overall their pads are indeed pricy, but they are also extremely high quality. Going the aftermarket rout may cost less, but it’s a gamble whether they would preserve the sound signature or would be as comfortable.
