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d5000 need desktop amp?

post #1 of 15
4/4/11 at 8:34am
Thread Starter 

hey! i have a d5000 hooked up to a ibasso d10 and i love it! i did a markl mod to and and there was an improvement... now i just bought a k172hd.. out of the box it was cold and really bright so i added a layer of cotton between the pads and the driver ,making the pad wider ( improving sound stage ) and now? it seems perfect! had nothing to do so i decided to compare the 2 and after listening to the akg for awhile now. I realized how recessed the mids in the d5000 is , how muddy the bass is and how piercing the highs are! both are out of my d10 .other then the sound stage and a little better instrumental separation, the akg seem to beat it in every other aspect! the denons still have deeper bass thou :D i do love the sound sig of my denon but its just loosing out to a headphone less than half its price! i only use the d5000 at home and was wondering if a desktop amp wound really improve my d5000! thanks

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post #2 of 15
4/4/11 at 8:52am

Hmm, you did the markl mod and mids were still recessed?  I have the mids issue with my D2000 and I've been debating whether to do the markl mod or cut my losses and sell it.  I haven't listened to it in a while, but if memory serves, sound as a whole is improved going amped.  I'll try it unamped and amped when I get a chance this evening.

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post #3 of 15
4/4/11 at 10:07am
Thread Starter 

well it didnt sound recessed till i tried the k172! ok! do let me know how it sounds like! thanks!

 

 

 

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post #4 of 15
4/4/11 at 10:32am

It is quite possible you just like the sound of the K172 better, I doubt a dedicated amp will make much difference, D5000's 'recessed' mids will not magically appear because of an amp.

 

 

 

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post #5 of 15
4/4/11 at 4:02pm

Ok.  Just did a brief comparison with the D2000 straight out of a Cowon i9, and through a Mapletree Ear+ HD.  Keep in mind that the i9 is a portable player with it's own dac/amp, whereas the Mapletree was fed by computer through a standalone dac.  Also my setups may sound very dissimilar to your setup, this is very non-scientific, and all the standard blather to ward off the flamers.

 

The D2000 sounds a bit thinner and less full-bodied through the lower midrange with the i9.  Bass is less taut, while the highs are not as clear and more veiled.  The differences are subtle but they are there.  Overall the sound is better through the amp, although surely some improvement could be attributable to the dac.

 

How this compares to your ibasso and hypothetical desktop amp, I'm not sure.  In my case the desktop amp is well worth it.

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post #6 of 15
4/4/11 at 4:19pm

Recessed mids? i thought the midrange is one of the best things on the D5000. After burn-in, it becomes smoother. 

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post #7 of 15
4/5/11 at 5:09am
Thread Starter 

the mids in the d5000 are actually nice.. just feels a little far away...

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post #8 of 15
4/5/11 at 6:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fir3dp View Post

the mids in the d5000 are actually nice.. just feels a little far away...


^ exactly, I feel the same way with the D2000.  There's a suck out somewhere in the mids/upper mids that make vocals feel distant and less palpable.  Not evident with all music, but when there's a complex arrangement with a lot of instruments I feel like the vocals get lost sometimes.  When I use my K601 or RS1 it's like the singer resurfaces.  The amp does ameliorate this somewhat, but the sound sig stays basically the same.  The midrange is why I'm considering the markl mod, supposedly it helps a lot.

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post #9 of 15
4/5/11 at 6:51am
Thread Starter 

everytime i press backspace it seem to go back the pages instead of deleting the words... one thing i love bout the denon is they are able to but texture into the music.. i play the drums and i havent found anything that can produce it as nicely.. yes there are those that are cleaner , tighter bass , smooth highs BUT drums are not like that! cymbals are shimmering and piercing! toms ringing in your ears , the resonance of the wooden snare and the thud of the kick drum.... even the vibration of the bass strong..mmmm.. this cans are fun , thats for sure... but for any recording that has vocals.. i wound rather my k172 :D

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post #10 of 15
4/5/11 at 8:42am

 

Amping the D5000 would definitely make an improvement but like someone else mentioned, if you felt they had recessed mids they will not magically correct themselves. Expect the same sound signature but greater soundstage, controlled bass and mids. Look into getting a quality solid state amp.
Performing the marklmod changes the sound signature of the phone so you may or may not like it but I certainly did. Invest in the JMoney pads; they noticeably increase the soundstage. It's not as analytical as the AKG or doesn't have great instrument seperation but it's an all-rounder that sounds good on any music. 
When comparing my LAs to phones like the AKG 701 I felt like the mids seemed recessed and soundstage smaller but bass was fantastic.
Differences between the D5000 and D2000 should be marginal at best since they use the same drivers and are just positioned differently. The can is also fitted with a better cable and cups.

Edited by brasewel - 4/5/11 at 8:43am
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post #11 of 15
4/6/11 at 7:59pm

No one ever seems to like this suggestion, but I ripped the fabric off the stock earpads and found a world of detail in mids & highs. Try this reversible, no-cost mod.

 

Bought the Jmoney pads (better isolation, better soundstage, but expensive for the amount of improvement) and ripped the fabric out of those too. Any fabric thicker than cheesecloth over your drivers is robbing you of soundstage & precision. Seriously, do you listen to music thru a pillow? When I was 18 and could hear frequencies a dog could hear I couldn't stand even the thinnest fabric grills on my speakers. Pushing 50 and I still hear a huge difference.

 

My LCD-2s have NO fabric over the drivers. Right choice.

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post #12 of 15
4/6/11 at 8:02pm

Very interesting biggrin.gif

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post #13 of 15
4/7/11 at 1:07am
Thread Starter 

haha i just took a look and realise how thick the cloth actually were :D same thickness as the one i use to muffle out the highs on my 172:D i'd be expecting some improvement from my d5000 when i try it later :D

 

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post #14 of 15
4/7/11 at 2:16am

Buy yourself a Corda Stepdance, set it to low gain, the mids are brought to the fore, the bass is controlled and sublime and the denons then become your beloved best buddies, how long have you burned them in for though ?, these cans need serious burn in time.

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post #15 of 15
4/7/11 at 9:02am
Thread Starter 

i have them for about a year i guess.. most id give is 200 hours max?

 

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