Well, I have not tried beads, but on my Breva 750, I did borrow an airhawk, and It did not work for me, I felt like I was not completely in touch with the bike.
I have tried Sheepskin, but if it gets soaked while touring, it takes ages to dry out.
So I use the smallest of the ButtBuffer pads.
Sticks well to the saddle, only 1 cm high, and it dries out fast, after a thunderstorm
Take Care Out There