markl Mod for Denon AH-D5000 (With Pics!) - Page 15

PLEASE IGNORE THIS THREAD AND ANY AND ALL RECOMENDATIONS UNTIL I HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO FULLY EXPLORE ALL OPTIONS. THERE WILL ULTIMATELY BE POSTED A FINAL THREAD WITH FINAL RECOMENDED MODS AND PICS.

I'm in a unique position to try out and modify several D5000s, you are not. I was premature in posting this thread-- yes all mods detailed here will vastly improve your D5000, but I am asking anyone considering these mods to WAIT until I've had the chance to fully explore every option. I will take all the risks so you don't have to.

When that happens, I will post a final thread with pics that details what you need to do to turn your stock D5000s into true giant killers.

Mark

Hi Philimon,
Someone else claimed the old D5000 cable before the Head-Fi blackout, but I haven't heard from him since. If that doesn't happen, I'll PM you on it.

As for the D2000, meh, I like the look of the wood, and I don't want to take a chance on their being other unknown shortfalls of that phone vs. D5000.

Hi earwicker7,

The mod is incredibly easy to do, anyone should be able to do it without too much trouble.

Of the headphones you listed, I've only spent quality time with the K701 and GS1000. I owned the HD580/600 for years, but have only heard the 650 in passing.

I would rate the GS1000 and K701 about equally in that they are both above-average performers, if not exactly setting me on fire. The 580/600 probably rate a notch lower for me than those others.

For me, the most crucial thing a phone has to do is get tone right. It's the most fundamental thing and sadly where most phones fall short. Most phones sound fake and "headphone-y". After that it's about resolution/focus/clarity, then soundstaging/air/imaging.

There are two other aftermarket cables I'm looking at having installed on a new D5000. I'm allergic to pure silver, so these will be largely copper cables. Best case scenario, I end up with 3 more or less identically mod-ed Denons, each with a different cable on it so i can decide which aftermarket cord is best.

I also want to experiment with placement of the Dynamat within the earcup and on the back of the driver to make sure I've got the right amount in the right places.

Hi earwicker, I don't recommend the sponge anymore, put Dynamat on the inside of the earcup. Please ignore the first post in the thread and look at the pics a few pages back, that has the most recent list of mods I did.

I'm not sure I fully understand what you are asking, but you have to be VERY careful about how much Dynamat you put on the rear of the driver assembly. If you use any more than I show in my pics, it will be too much, and you will experience too much bass attenuation.

I also STRONGLY urge you not to put the full amount of Dynamat I ended up using in at first. Just put the minimum in that I showed earlier in the thread in the inside of the ear cup and on the rear of the driver assembly. Seal it up and take several listening sessions with it. Do not rush to judgement. Decide if that level of bass tightening is sufficient for you. If it is, you're done. If it's not, only then put the extra bits of Dynamat on that I show in the later photos. If you ar at all on the fence about it, you are best to stay put right there and DO NOT apply the extra bits. Why? Because if you do, and you decide there's too much bass attenuation, you really can't go back. There's a very thin paper-ish membrane on the rear of the driver assembly. If you decide to remove any Dynamat from it, you will end up ripping it off.


If it's at all possible, I would strongly recommend waiting until say mid-January when I have my other Denons and I can post a proper thread with what I thinks are the best mods, illustrated step by step.

yes, with the taper mod, you will still need the cup, but you will need to get a 3" diameter cup, not the 2.5" one in the original mod.