Introducing Lawton Audio-- Denon Mods, Re-Cables, Woodies & More.

[markl]

We got a very nice new review here of our LA2000 headphone:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/mar...ssions-401615/

[godbreath]

Mark, please tell me when you get any d5000/d7000 cables in stock

thanks

[floz23]

Markl,

When are the Rev.4 d2000 cups coming? My tax return will be ready to spend soon...

[markl]

Hi floz23,
The first batch have already shipped. The next batch is due in approx. 2 weeks time, however, most are already sold out. The cups go faster than we can keep them in stock, I'm afraid. If you would like a pair, get in touch with us soon, and place a pre-order. Cheers.

[Maxvla]

Markl,

I know you have probably checked out many woods to use in your cups, but I would suggest checking out Pernambuco (pic in my avatar). It is a high grade of Brazilwood from the rain forests in South America. It has very tight dense grain (moreso than I see in any of your pictures) and is the wood of choice for bows for violins, violas, cellos, and basses. We use it because the grain is straight and resists warping which could prove useful for resisting vibration or flex in a headphone situation. The only problem I see you might have is that the wood is protected and you most likely won't be able to get raw wood out of the country (Brasil) (there are laws against it), but it might be worth your while to at least check out the properties of the wood.

On that thought it might be interesting to look at how woods used in instrument making would perform for headphoning, such as spruce (top/soundpost of violin family), maple (all other 'white' parts of a violin), and willow (used in some new basses we have now). These woods obviously are much softer, but not in a fragile way. Stradivarious instruments use these materials and are 3 centuries old.

[markl]

Maxvla,
Thanks for the suggestions. What we've found so far is that the very high-density, hard and heavy woods, are least desirable for the sound of the cups. We tend to use softer woods to medium/high density. The woods we offer now are often also used in musical instruments, and are ones we've found to have good sound with the Denons so far. There will be further experiments in the future and various one-offs that we do, it all depends on our wood-turner's ability to find suitable blanks locally where he is. Cheers.

[Maxvla]

That is interesting. I would be interested in seeing a bird's eye maple (fairly soft, but interesting look) set of cups. I'm not in need or in a situation where I could commission a headphone, but I appreciate the beauty of your work.

[billyearle]

Hi, I've been combing Zana and Denon7K threads for answers. How does the LA7000 (or AHD7000 for something more common) go with the Zana Deux amp? I asked Zana's maker Craig and Mark Lawton about this and neither has had experience with the combo. The Zana is recommended for cans with 30 ohm and above impedance, but other factors can result in a low impedance phone working well with the Zana Deux. I saw Mrarroyo, who reviewed Lawton's products, was asking about getting a Zana Deux last year, but dunno if he ever got it.
My Zana Deux amp is due in about 10 days, and I am really hoping it wouldn't sell the LA7000s short. I really want to give the LA7000 a listen and probably keep them, but it's hard to justify buying a 3rd headphone amp just to see what the LA7000 is capable of.
I know other people have asked about this combo as well, but I have yet to see an answer.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by billyearle

Hi, I've been combing Zana and Denon7K threads for answers. How does the LA7000 (or AHD7000 for something more common) go with the Zana Deux amp? I asked Zana's maker Craig and Mark Lawton about this and neither has had experience with the combo. The Zana is recommended for cans with 30 ohm and above impedance, but other factors can result in a low impedance phone working well with the Zana Deux. I saw Mrarroyo, who reviewed Lawton's products, was asking about getting a Zana Deux last year, but dunno if he ever got it.
My Zana Deux amp is due in about 10 days, and I am really hoping it wouldn't sell the LA7000s short. I really want to give the LA7000 a listen and probably keep them, but it's hard to justify buying a 3rd headphone amp just to see what the LA7000 is capable of.
I know other people have asked about this combo as well, but I have yet to see an answer.

My recabled Denon D2000 did well on Blutarsky's Zana Deux, and we liked them better than the Darth Beyer V3 32 ohm on the same amp. That's all the experience I have with some kind of Denon and Zana...

[CompressionalFlagellation]

Originally Posted by Maxvla

Markl,
The only problem I see you might have is that the wood is protected and you most likely won't be able to get raw wood out of the country (Brasil) (there are laws against it)

Doh! So we're not going to be able to finally eradicate some critically endangered primate species, like the Yellow-breasted Capuchin, who imminently face extinction?

[Taikero]

Originally Posted by CompressionalFlagellation

Doh! So we're not going to be able to finally eradicate some critically endangered primate species, like the Yellow-breasted Capuchin, who imminently face extinction?

I think if that species is going to die off it won't be because of harvesting that particular wood (plenty of other worries for that species). Additionally, if the wood was your concern, prominent violin makers/communities are trying to save that tree (granted, for further commercial use, but hey...).

Further, please try not to instigate arguments where they don't belong. This thread is about Lawton Audio and its products, not saving the rain forest (of which there are numerous places where having such a discussion is important and pertinent). Mark has already mentioned the wood wouldn't mesh well with the Denons anyway, so the endangered trees (and presumably monkeys) are safe.

[CompressionalFlagellation]

Originally Posted by Taikero

I think if that species is going to die off it won't be because of harvesting that particular wood (plenty of other worries for that species). Additionally, if the wood was your concern, prominent violin makers/communities are trying to save that tree (granted, for further commercial use, but hey...).

Further, please try not to instigate arguments where they don't belong. This thread is about Lawton Audio and its products, not saving the rain forest (of which there are numerous places where having such a discussion is important and pertinent). Mark has already mentioned the wood wouldn't mesh well with the Denons anyway, so the endangered trees (and presumably monkeys) are safe.

But wait, I was really hoping to get rid of these monkeys -- give 'em a nice big shiny Darwin award...

[billyearle]

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict

My recabled Denon D2000 did well on Blutarsky's Zana Deux, and we liked them better than the Darth Beyer V3 32 ohm on the same amp. That's all the experience I have with some kind of Denon and Zana...

Thanks HPAddict, that reminds me of another perhaps absurd question: Could the Jenna Recabling in any way make the LA7000 easier to drive on a Zana Deux? If I could get past my concerns over LA7K/ZD synergy, I would probably get the fully loaded LA7K, but the cabling is the most expensive upgrade.
Anyone else out there have some additional experience with the D7K or D5K modded or not, with the ZD?

[markl]

Could the Jenna Recabling in any way make the LA7000 easier to drive on a Zana Deux?

billyearle, I can't imagine Jena making a headphone easier to drive per se-- sound better, though, yes indeed. The stock D5000/D7000 cable is quite good as stock cables go. It's no Jena Labs, but a nice improvement over the usual tinsel wire you get with most cans.

[les_garten]

Originally Posted by markl

billyearle, I can't imagine Jena making a headphone easier to drive per se-- sound better, though, yes indeed. The stock D5000/D7000 cable is quite good as stock cables go. It's no Jena Labs, but a nice improvement over the usual tinsel wire you get with most cans.

Hi Mark,
My stock D5000 cable has twists in it straight from the factory. Is there a trick to get it untwisted other than desoldering?


.