That's right ... It is a grey / black fabric between your ears and headphone ...
Thats what I thought you meant when I first read your suggestion. When I gave it a try a few nights ago I got very different results, and not for the better. Bass became non-existent, treble became harsh and the overall presentation became flat. I put the other set of pads on and all was well again.
I think that maybe removing the covering material lessens the ability of the pad to provide seperation between my ear and the driver (just a theory), which is causing the ill effects. So, I'm going to try adding some extra foam under the pad to see if that helps, assuming there's enough room.
I do want to thank you for bringing this idea up. It seems to make sense that removing obstacles between the drivers and the ears is a good thing. It just didn't work for me.