How To Build One Of The World's Finest Dynamic Headphones (markl Denon AH-D5000 Mods) - Page 49

Hello, I'm thinking about picking up the D2000 for use at work and I'm interested in applying some bass dampening. I will probably just apply some Dynamat to the earcup and maybe some ear pad stuffing. My question is, how sticky is Dynamat if I decide to remove it or lessen it, or is there an alternative to try that may be easier to remove? Thanks!

Hi Bostonears

Need some advice from you about the markl mods. I bought a used pair of D5000 that were modded by headphone shop personnel (presumably to markl specifications). Now after listening to it extensively for a few days, I find the treble to be too overdamped. The bass is still overpowering to the point of excess.

I did padded up the original earpads with cotton to push the drivers further away from my ears, and this has created a slightly more open soundfield. But the treble is still way too dim and dark while the mids are overpowered by the bass.

I have not opened up the cup side to see what exact modding has been done, but what can i do to restore some of the 3-20KHz treble? Will doing so also unleashed more bass? The previous owner said that the bass was even more pronounced before the mod. Now I know I can mod the mod, but banking on your experience can save me some experimentation -- I specifically need more sparkle and presence without restoring all of the supposed sibilance in the stock drivers. The current amount of bass can remain IF I restore some sparkle. Ideally, I can reduce the amount of bass further.

Hope you can point me in the right direction regarding which areas of the assembly are related to treble response? Thanks so much for anything you can offer  :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bostonears 

In light of recent discussions in this thread, I thought I'd post my experience personally performing a bunch of mods on my D2000. I did the mods one at a time, then reassembled the headphones and listened carefully between each mod.

 

Some of these mods made very audible changes in the sound of the headphones, but the magnitude of the changes depended on the specific mod. For example, dampening the ear cups produced an instantly audible tightening of the bass. However, I couldn't hear any change applying Dynamat to the drivers' rear magnets. And, the mods were not always for the better. I found that using Dynamat on the front of the driver assembly (perforated piece) caused a horrible spike in treble, apparently due to the metal covering of the Dynamat. After removing the Dynamat there, I replaced it with a different dampening material with a textured surface. That specific mod brought the midrange more forward, which I found desirable, but maybe you would not.

 

The great thing about the mods described in this thread is that Markl not only gave people step-by-step instructions on making his specific mods, he really taught us the process of making mods. So if you don't like the changes produced by a particular mod, you can undo it and try something different. And you can be inspired to come up with new mods. I added a thin piece of closed cell foam inside the headband, which made a huge improvement in comfort for me. (The headband stuffing was quite difficult and time consuming to do. Because there's a high risk of damaging the headband, I won't describe the details of that mod.)

 

Of course with these mods YMMV, and more importantly, YMCV (Your Mileage Can Vary). That is, you can tailor the mods to your personal tastes. The possible changes are limited only by your imagination for what you can apply where. As long as something is reversible, there's no harm done in trying. And even failed attempts help you learn what doesn't work. Find the earcup damping too constraining for the bass? Fine, yank it out and try smaller pieces until you get it just the way you like it. Or try some felt on the front of the drivers, just to hear how it sounds. Do whatever works for you, and don't be afraid to experiment. The materials are cheap, so you don't have much to lose.

hardlok,

It's hard to know what to change without knowing the current state of what's in the phones. You're going to have to open them up to see what's inside.

A couple of things to look for:

- In my experience with the Denon phones, the treble is most affected by what's on the front (ear side) of the driver plates. If there's any modding material applied there, you might want to remove it entirely to hear what changes it was producing.

- It's possible that whoever did the mods overstuffed the cups with too much fiber filling. If there's any filling at all in the cups, I suggest removing it all. Only try adding small amounts of filling to the cups after you are very familiar with how they sound unstuffed.

In addition, if the cable was changed from the stock part, that might be impacting the treble. And of course there's a possibility that the drivers are damaged. That could have happened if someone had cranked up the volume really, really, really loud, either intentionally or inadvertently.

hey guys.  wondering if there is a mod out there that can help take some of the edge off the D2000's in the highs?  they still seem a bit sharp for my tastes, depending on the instrument.  I have them EQ'd, but if there's something I can do that will permanently keep them from being so sharp all the time, I'd love to hear about it.

I plan on dynamat'ing the cups to righten the bass a bit without going all the way with it.

any advice is appreciated.

@FuzzyD - I've just received my Dynamat to try this mod. I can confirm that when applied intently to a clean surface it is VERY sticky. In fact, it resembles road tar on a hot day. I have just leaned on the corner of it with my elbow on my desk and it now seems like trying to remove toffee from jeans. I don't think the dynamat is a practical reversibility, i think you could try first with some other product like white-tac as a guide. I'm sure it will produce a similar effect, but that WILL come off.

@ajreynol - I have found that the ear pad mod has taken the harshness out of loud sounds. It really does give a sense of depth to music and reduces the "shouting" effect. If you're in the UK, I have a lot of the polyester stuffing and disposable cups to perform the mod if you would like some sent to you..

On the stock D2000, I have stuffed the earpads and would like to do the dampening now

Should i Only do this bit

and this bit

as i have read that doing the hole mod doesn't sound good on the D2000

This looks interesting! I can't seem to find the 3 inch plastic cups anywhere, let alone the 'right' version! Could anyone help out? I am UK based  Cheers, Leon

I know I'm bring up an old thread, but I re did my mod and I thought the changes were note worthy.

I originally had used part express dampening material on the back of the driver: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=268-030&utm_source=googleps

Well, I changed it dynamat extreme and It definitely performs much better. Cured the slightly recessed vocals for sure. I left the vinyl material on the front of the driver due to its lightweight.

I also did the partial mods with Dynamat extreme and I am very pleased with the results. The ressessed mids and loose bass were my issues with the D2000's before the mods.  A recable will also help across the board, I have tried Mogami and now have Double helix - balanced.  I like the new set up better, I made my own 4 wire braid with no cover, you can hardly tell there is a cable attached.

I have not tried wooden cups yet, but it's next on my list.

Mark

Can those of you who have experimented with different stages of this mod give me advice on which steps to take and which to avoid for the following criteria in order of importance:

1. Preserve (or slightly enhance) mid-range

2. Preserve or enhance size of soundstage (almost as important as #1)
3. Attenuate/tighten bass

I've read for example, that stuffing the earpads will increase the soundstage, but can reduce the mids, so that might be a no-no. I've also read that this mod overall makes the headphones more forward sounding. If that means a smaller soundstage, I would prefer avoiding the steps that contribute most to the effect.

Also, is the version of the mod posted here what markl actually does for his clients, or is he still holding back the full details of his newer discoveries?

Quote:

Originally Posted by thrillhaus 

Can those of you who have experimented with different stages of this mod give me advice on which steps to take and which to avoid for the following criteria in order of importance:

 

1. Preserve (or slightly enhance) mid-range

2. Preserve or enhance size of soundstage (almost as important as #1)
3. Attenuate/tighten bass

 

I've read for example, that stuffing the earpads will increase the soundstage, but can reduce the mids, so that might be a no-no. I've also read that this mod overall makes the headphones more forward sounding. If that means a smaller soundstage, I would prefer avoiding the steps that contribute most to the effect.

 

Also, is the version of the mod posted here what markl actually does for his clients, or is he still holding back the full details of his newer discoveries?

I believe you'll only get the larger soundstage with the stuffed earpads. As for tightening the bass, you're probably looking at dampening. I know the earpad mods are easily reversible, so there's no harm in seeing what that gets you.

Has anyone with a pair of MarkL modded Denons considered sending them to Tyll at innerfidelity.com to see how the measurements compare to stock?

This would be very interesting to do indeed.

Who reckons blutac would do the trick instead of dynamat for a pair of D2000?

And, where should I apply them? Just like Jonclarke states?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonclarke 

On the stock D2000, I have stuffed the earpads and would like to do the dampening now

Should i Only do this bit

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

and this bit

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

 

as i have read that doing the hole mod doesn't sound good on the D2000

I can no longer tighten the flat head screws in order to attach the driver to the headband. I must've somehow ****ed up the thread inside the driver holes as the screws can be pushed right through them with a little force and the screws wont stay in there. Would you suggest I glue the screws to the driver?