W5000 Fitz Mod Guide

[GASTAN]

Originally Posted by Fitz

I don't know what to tell you about it sounding hollow or veiled though, since I didn't experience that with mine (it sounds much clearer than my Beyerdynamic DT801s, which aren't really veiled themselves). Perhaps the changes to the peaks and dips in the midrange response are a poor match for your music or ears, much like it is for iron_dreamer and hiisinux? If the stock W5000 sounds better to you, then leave it stock!

I doubt you actually did anything wrong with the mods, they probably just don't match your sonic preferences.

Well, problem is, stock was honky and way too much highs. no bass.
Today my modded W5000 sounded pretty much like 650 (more detail and brighter). I see what IronDreamer was reffering too (getting similar results from other headphones)
I guess I will give modded some more time (today I actually liked them more than HD650 and RS-1 which was odd, as the other way I liked RS-1 the most.

[slwiser]

Well I think this does suggest that the modded W5000 is much darker than stock since it compares with the HD650 but brighter and more detailed..

What I have gleamed from previous reviews is that the darkness of the HD650 is a real strength. I have also gleaned that some of the real strengths of the W5000 is it's detail and an airiness (brightness if I may use that term in this context) that goes toward its major strength of soundstage. Combining both of these strengths into a single headphone should make for a real winner.

So GASTAN how do you compare the soundstage of the F5K to the HD650 and the stock W5000?

Originally Posted by GASTAN

Well, problem is, stock was honky and way too much highs. no bass.
Today my modded W5000 sounded pretty much like 650 (more detail and brighter). I see what IronDreamer was reffering too (getting similar results from other headphones)
I guess I will give modded some more time (today I actually liked them more than HD650 and RS-1 which was odd, as the other way I liked RS-1 the most.

scottiebabie:

I don't think that it looses all of its great soundstage after being modified but it does close up some. Maybe this is where I keep going back and forth on in my comparisons as well. I do enjoy that airiness and soundstage that you speak of but I am also enjoying the added depth/weight/darkness which the modded version brings to the headphone. I think your take is very much like my own.

One other thing I would like to know when others are doing this comparison or modification is what is the amp that you are powering your headphone from?

Originally Posted by scottiebabie

after modding to F500 status for over a week, i can honestly say that i really enjoy the 'new' sound. IMO, it adds to everything and then some to the stock W5000......except (why is there always that word???) for 1 issue. i find that the F5000 has lost the magical 3D soundfield that i value so much on the stocker.

the F5000 has the same 3pointed soundsource effect that i hear on the HD600 and almost everyother cans i've heard instead of the all encompassing elliptycal effect. depth and sound layering is still good - its the width thats the issue for me. cant realy explain this but im sure W5000 owners mite understand.

fitz, anychance that peeling off some of the around the drivers blutack (1/2 of less) mite change the sound sig back to the 3D effect or is this all me and only in my head? any comment?

Let us not forget the ATH-A900LTD. For those of you with them make sure you sample the changes that these modifications do to these headphones. I feel that this change is much more a delta than the W5000 to F5K. And this is in the positive direction. Based upon the above maybe the ATH-A900LTDs are more like the HD650 than the W5000s. Less detail and less bright with bigger bass line sounds like it to me. More fuel for the fire here.....

[slwiser]

What no takers on what I said at the bottom of my last post...quoted again below.

I thought that I would get a rise from someone...

After the mods on the A900LTD I think it would be a nice comparison for some fair minded individual to compare it with the HD650...especially with the quick comparison that scottiebabie did on the F5000 compared with the HD650...and how I compare the F900LTD to its stock version and the distance it travels with these modifications.

Any takers...

Originally Posted by slwiser

Let us not forget the ATH-A900LTD. For those of you with them make sure you sample the changes that these modifications do to these headphones. I feel that this change is much more a delta than the W5000 to F5K. And this is in the positive direction. Based upon the above maybe the ATH-A900LTDs are more like the HD650 than the W5000s. Less detail and less bright with bigger bass line sounds like it to me. More fuel for the fire here.....

[fureshi]

Originally Posted by slwiser

What no takers on what I said at the bottom of my last post...quoted again below.

I thought that I would get a rise from someone...

After the mods on the A900LTD I think it would be a nice comparison for some fair minded individual to compare it with the HD650...especially with the quick comparison that scottiebabie did on the F5000 compared with the HD650...and how I compare the F900LTD to its stock version and the distance it travels with these modifications.

Any takers...

unfortunately i no longer have an a900ltd but if you don't mind doing the comparison, i can send you my recabled (diy silver coated copper cable) hd650 for comparison. i'm not sure if this would be an apples to apples comparison since i don't have the stock cables. maybe someone could lend the stock hd650 cables?

[slwiser]

I will have to think about this...sounds like a good opportunity for me to have some quality time with the HD650 though. Maybe, SK138 could do the comparison on it when he gets back.

Originally Posted by fureshi

unfortunately i no longer have an a900ltd but if you don't mind doing the comparison, i can send you my recabled (diy silver coated copper cable) hd650 for comparison. i'm not sure if this would be an apples to apples comparison since i don't have the stock cables. maybe someone could lend the stock hd650 cables?

[Fitz]

Since I had to tinker inside my phones today so that we had an unmodded pair at a local meet, I'm trying out the F5000s with the white dampening material removed, as per SK138's observation, and so far I think I like it this way more. I'll have to listen over the next few days to be sure.

[SK138]

Steve...I think I will send my F900LTD to daveDerek and let him compare it fairly. I will coordinate with Dave. He has collection of cans so he can do an objective comparison/review. I think I would be too bias for all the right reasons I will add...I really like the F900LTD sound compare to the HD650/zu that I had in the recent past. I had the HD650/zu twice!

Originally Posted by slwiser

I will have to think about this...sounds like a good opportunity for me to have some quality time with the HD650 though. Maybe, SK138 could do the comparison on it when he gets back.

[Fitz]

Listening to it more without the white material, I think it's going to be a toss-up to which way I prefer. Without it the sound is more relaxed and soundstage is much better, but vocals are a bit muted. The midbass has slightly less impact, which makes it sound more balanced and blends even smoother with the rest of the bass and midrange.

I'll see if I can find a way to keep this overall sound while pulling the vocals a little more forward. I don't have much else to do tonight.

[Fitz]

I think I came up with something that has a sound somewhere between with and without the white dampening material, and that the little bit I've listened to sounds good to my ears so far. It's a little "different" and I don't yet have a good way to explain it so that everybody would get it consistently right, and I also haven't done any extensive listening to it, so I don't want to try to post it here yet. If somebody who's tried the mods with and without the white dampening material wants to help me out and try this new mod, please PM me!

[Fitz]

Okay I made some other changes to the new mod, and I got someone to try it out, and his general observations relative to the modded F5000 are less midbass, a little more highs, more detail, more exciting / alive, and the "3d effect is back."

So hopefully it still has this good balance when not listening while so tired, and that I can figure out a better way to explain how to do the mod. Until then!