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Denon D5000 w/ full markl-mods (balanced w/ Jena Wire) - Initial Impressions - Page 2

post #16 of 24
8/17/08 at 12:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quint View Post
Man, this thread is right up my alley, as I’m getting a pair of Jena-wired MD5000s myself! I must admit, I’m really psyched. I had a chance to listen to the pair that Tom had at the Detroit mini-meet, and I was greatly impressed. Not quite impressed enough to trade or sell my Jena-cabled R10s or Edition 9s, but close enough—and I think balancing them with JL wire might well tip the scales to the Denons. This is all conjecture, of course, and I need to break them in for a good long while before making any formal assessment. But this thread has me pretty stoked in anticipation.
definitely post some R10 v. MD5000 impressions. not many have been posted.
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post #17 of 24
8/17/08 at 1:33am
Yes please do post a comparison on the R10 vs MD5000. I've been really interested in getting a Denon can lately with all the posts about the MDs and D7000s. Currently waiting for the D7000s to be released and some impressions made so I can finally decide which to get
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post #18 of 24
8/17/08 at 11:45am
I hope to do an MD5000/R10 comparison eventually, but I want to give the Denon plenty of burn-in to make the shootout as even as possible.

The D7000 looks very interesting. Had I known about it before committing to the 5000 . . . hmmm. If feedback is overwhelmingly positive on the new model, I may go for it at some point—but if the 5000 is as good or better than what I heard at the Detroit meet, I may be satisfied enough to forgo it. So many decisions, so little time. Sigh . . .
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post #19 of 24
8/17/08 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbulack View Post
Tom,
Are you able to provide any comparative observations between the markl-modded Denon D5000 and a pair of stock JVC DX1000 phones? (Is anyone reading this, for that matter?)
Thanks very much, -Steve
Steve:

I heard both at the Detroit mini-meet through a couple of different RSA amps. My brief and totally uneducated opinion was that the MD5000s were more even through their frequency range. Both had very explosive and deep bass, but the low end seemed more controlled on the modded Denons. I also thought the Denons had superior resolution. But the totally stock DX1000s acquitted themselves quite well and were one of my favorite cans at the meet. Plus, they’re incredibly comfortable. I’m curious what a modded pair could do. Hope this helps somewhat.
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post #20 of 24
8/17/08 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbulack View Post
Tom,
Are you able to provide any comparative observations between the markl-modded Denon D5000 and a pair of stock JVC DX1000 phones? (Is anyone reading this, for that matter?)
Thanks very much, -Steve
I heard the DX1000 for about 10 minutes at a recent Detroit mini-meet, and for about 10 minutes at a recent Chicago mini-meet. In both cases, it was in different amps, and in rigs I was only somewhat familiar with.

In short, it's hard to make a direct comparison, especially after such a short period.

That said, I did very much like what I heard. They are nice cans. I wish I had some time to spend with them in direct comparison (I guess I could use my single-ended adapter) in the same rig. Hopefully sometime soon I'll have a chance to do so. I would also echo quint's observation - they are VERY comfortable.

In the mean time, I'm really liking how my D5000-markl's are shaping up. I've been breaking them in whenever possible, and would guess that they have perhaps as much as 250 hours on them now. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to add to my impressions thread later today or tomorrow...I'm sooooo far behind on that stuff (gads...I still have some DETROIT meet stuff to finish up! I suck!!).

The short story is that they are winding nicely into a refined yet impactful sound. Any harshness that was evident during the initial listening has faded away nicely, but without a loss of detail or high end sparkle. I'm listening to "She's Leaving Home" by the Beatles right now as I type this, and the instrument separation and fine detail is wonderful. It has a nice, distinct bass...nice pop (drum hits...though none in this song) and pluck (strings...harp and violin in this song). Oh, and THANK GOD (or Tyll Hertsens, I guess) for crossfeed when listening to these old Beatles albums!!!

I rate them a 7 for impact (using the AKG K1000 as my "10"). The midrange is liquidy and lifelike...as good as the best pair of AKG K501's I've ever heard, and then some.

More to come...
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post #21 of 24
8/17/08 at 4:41pm
I need some context...

What is this markl mod I keep reading over and over daily?
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post #22 of 24
8/17/08 at 4:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LFC_SL View Post
I need some context...

What is this markl mod I keep reading over and over daily?
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f38/in...dition-342437/
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post #23 of 24
8/17/08 at 5:31pm
Thanks

Balanced outputs to listen straight out of analog RCA out? But does that not mean you could end up doubling up on headphones and thus double the wallet hurt?
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post #24 of 24
8/17/08 at 8:16pm
Quint and elrod-tom: - Thanks so much for the time and care taken to provide me with some good quality observations for my consideration. I appreciate it very much.


LFC_SL:
And here's a link to the full description of the markl Denon headphone mod (in addition to which, the Deluxe Edition adds a Jena-Labs 22AWG re-cable)
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/how...0-mods-299627/
(Edit: sorry, I then saw that the Deluxe Edition post has links back to the original mod post)
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