GlorytheWiz825
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2006
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I am in Chicago for a week to help my girlfriend settle down for a 4 month internship. Before coming here, I decided to take one for the team and do a review between the stock Denon D5000 and the Markl modded Denon D5000. Since I could not bring my home setup with me to Chicago, I decided to take another plunge and bought a Pico from a very generous headfi-er. So the AB listening test I did was between the stock and markl modded D5000s using a portable laptop and the Pico DAC/amp.
The glorious Pico
The stock D5000
The markl modded D5000
Before I go further, I want to mention a few things. First off, I will refer to the stock D5000 as simply the D5000 and the markl modded D5000s as the MD5000s. Second, I am not an expert in evaluating how the D5000s stack up against the other top dynamic headphones such as the R10, PS1, ED9, L3000, etc. I cannot make that validation because I have not heard, let alone owned, all the top dynamic headphones. Even if I did, I do not have all of them side by side to make a fair comparison. Therefore, the one and only comparison I am making is between the D5000 and the MD5000, no more and no less. In addition, I did not bring along a lot of CDs due to space constraints in the luggage. I brought along a few CDs from various genres to serve as a basis for the review. These CDs consists of the following artists: Johnny Cash, Celine Dion, Kenny G, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Jack Johnson, Diana Krall and Yanni. I would also like to apologize for the quality of the pictures posted in this review. I forgot my data transfer cable at home in Canada, and was too cheap to buy another cable or media card reader while in Chicago. So I made do with a friend’s digital camera, which I am not used to.
Finally, I am not affiliated with markl and have no other purpose for writing this review other than to expand the knowledge base of the community. Without further ado, let’s start the review!
The contenders (D5000 on left and MD5000 on Right) with referee Pico in the middle
Physical Appearance and Ergonomics
In terms of physical appearance, the D5000 and the MD5000 are almost identical. No surprise there! Markl did an excellent job of handling my phones and the MD5000 came to me in absolute mint condition. The only notable difference between the two is the pads on the MD5000s are thicker and a little bit stiffer. However, the comfort of the MD5000 is not any less than the D5000. I did some blind tests between the two phones and if I don’t let the weight of the phones sit on my head and going by just the pads, I can hardly tell the difference between the two phones. In other words, the pad mod effectively increased the distance between the drivers and the ears, without sacrificing much comfort.
Pad thickness differences between the MD5000 (left) and D5000 (right)
Another angle comparing the pad thicknesses between MD5000 (left) and D5000 (right)
The MD5000 is heavier than the D5000. This is also not surprising since markl modded the phones by adding various parts to the wooden housings. The MD5000 is about 25% heavier based on my rough measurements by feel. When wearing the phones, the added weight is barely noticeable. I actually prefer the slightly heavier MD5000. The extra weight gives the MD5000 a snug and quality feel to them. The D5000 actually feel a bit cheap in the hands due to its light weight. However, some people may prefer the lighter phones due to the extra comfort. Overall, the small weight difference should not matter when determining the sonic qualities of the two headphones.
MD5000 and D5000 Side by Side
Initial Impressions Before Burn-in
I did not spend too much time with the D5000 and the MD5000 when they just came out of the box for two reasons. The first one was because I was so darn busy going from place to place trying to help my girlfriend settle down that I simply did not have the time to do a comprehensive review between the two phones. The second reason was because I wanted both phones to have about 100 hours of burn in time before fully evaluating them. However, I did enjoy both phones for about 1 hour each before burn-in to get a taste of their sonic differences. Below are a summary of the things I jotted down during my initial listen.
The D5000 were rich and involving, with a very forward sound signature. The midrange was very smooth, with the high ends pleasantly rolled off. However, it had one big drawback which I did not like. Boomy bass. The bass felt uncontrolled and it was all over the place. In fact, the background music was filled with bass, drowning out some of the finer details in the recording. Despite the boomy bass drawback, I could not help but tap my toes to certain songs.
When putting on the MD5000, the first thing I noticed was that I had to turn the Pico up a little bit higher to get the same volume as the D5000. This reason is attributed to the drivers being slightly farther away for the MD5000 than the D5000. The MD5000 sounded very different than the D5000. The biggest difference was with the bass being much tighter and controlled. I really liked this change; however, there were a few changes I did not like. The highs were no longer rolled off, and cymbal crashes were now too harsh for my ears. The midrange was not as involving as the D5000, to the point where it seemed flat compared to the D5000. The soundstage on the MD5000 definitely improved as I felt I could hear “more” of the music. However, I would still have preferred more soundstage, something I was used with the K701 upgraded with APS V3 cables. Another change I noted was the clarity in the music definitely improved. It’s as if a veil for the D5000 (which I did not know existed before listening to the MD5000) was lifted.
So the initial changes I noted in the MD5000 were tighter bass, improved soundstage and clarity, but harsher highs, and a somewhat flat and uninvolving midrange. After noting down my initial impressions between the phones, I took down the passages and recordings where I noticed the biggest differences between the two phones for later comparisons after burn-in.
Initial Impressions After Burn-in
After more than 4 straight days of continuous burn in, I decided to give the phones a second try. I picked up the D5000 first and listened to the same tracks I listened to before the burn-in. My initial reaction was there wasn’t much of a difference. The strengths of the D5000 seemed to have gotten slightly better, but the differences were pretty minor and could simply be attributed to the placebo burn-in effect. The bass was still very boomy and did not seem to improve after 100 hours of burn in. I was somewhat disappointed at this point because I am not a firm believer in the burn-in process. I believe it makes a small difference, but nothing major. With this in mind, I cautiously picked up the MD5000 not expecting too much change.
Was I ever wrong; the MD5000 benefited a lot after the burn-in process. The biggest change was the midrange became very smooth and involving. In fact, I could not believe these sounded uninvolving before burn-in. I scratched my head a little bit because I used two identical Thinkpads for the burn-in, both playing the same songs for the same amount of time. How is it that the D5000 hardly changed, yet the MD5000 had such a dramatic change? I did not know the answer to this question, but whatever happened during the burn-in process, I’m glad it happened.
The rest of this review will cover the differences between the D5000 and the MD5000 after around 100 hours of burn in.
Lows
There is almost no comparison between the bass quality between the D5000 and the MD5000. The D5000 offers plenty of bass, but none of it seemed controlled. The bass is overpowering, leaking into almost all pieces of the music. The bass on the D5000 is so overpowering that it drowns out some of the finer details in the recordings. If you’re a bass head, you might like this boomy effect. However, for me, I found the boomy bass to be overwhelming and something I could not stand for long stretches of listening time.
The MD5000 bass is very authoritative and clean hitting. It hits deep and hard, but remains in control and does not leak into other parts of the music. I actually love the way the MD5000 recreates the lower sound spectrum. Everything seems so clean and controlled in comparison to the wild and out of control D5000.
No contest between the two phones here, MD5000 takes the lower sound spectrum hands down.
Mids
The midrange is the biggest strength of the D5000. The D5000 offers a very warm and involving midrange. In fact, it’s one of the best midrange I have heard, on par with the RS1. However, its strengths are equaled and surpassed by the MD5000. After burn-in, the MD5000 is a totally different phone than the one before burn-in. The midrange went from flat and uninvolving to the smoothest and most involving headphone I have heard to date, surpassing the both the D5000 and the RS1. I could hardly believe I jotted down the MD5000 were flat and uninvolving in my pre burn-in tests. I still cannot believe how much the MD5000 midrange changed after only 100-110 hours of burn-in time. Of all the phones I have heard, the MD5000 stands out as being the phone with the warmest, smoothest and most involving midrange. During my review phase for the MD5000, I could not stop nodding my head and tapping my foot the entire time.
Although the D5000 offers an incredibly involving midrange, the MD5000 matches and surpasses the D5000 by providing a naturally smooth and warm sound that is unmatched by any headphone I have heard to date.
Highs
One of my biggest beef with the pre burn-in MD5000 was it was harsh with cymbal crashes. After the burn-in, I went back to the same passages that made my ears bleed only to discover the harshness to be greatly subdued. I no longer get that ear bleeding feeling I had before the burn-in. The highs are still a little bit harsher than the D5000s, but not in a bad way either. The MD5000 offers extended highs over the D5000s. If I were to take the frequency response graphs of the D5000 and the MD5000, I would not be surprised to see extended highs in the MD5000 graph. Would one do I prefer? It’s hard to say. I still like the slightly rolled off highs of the D5000s, but also appreciate the apparent increase in the upper sound spectrum of the MD5000.
The D5000 and the MD5000 both offer a very pleasant high frequency sound spectrum. It’s hard to say which one is better since it really depends on what music you’re listening to. If I had to choose one, I would give a slight edge to the MD5000 due to its realistic sounding cymbal crashes.
Separation and Detail
Here’s another category where the MD5000 beats the D5000 hands down. Before listening to the MD5000, I thought the D5000 offered very good details and separation between the notes. However, when I switched over to the MD5000, it was another level of clarity and separation. As I mentioned before, the MD5000 made the D5000 appear to have a veil of some sort. With the MD5000, every note is distinct. The bass on the D5000 is too overwhelming and a lot of the finer details are simply drowned out. With the MD5000, these details are brought back to life and contribute to the overall emotion of the music. That being said, the separation and detail of the MD5000 is far superior to that of the D5000.
Soundstage
The soundstage of the D5000 is closed in and up front. The listener feels closer to the artists and this might be the preferred sound signature for many listeners. However, I much prefer the soundstage of the MD5000. The soundstage is much wider and the listener can hear more of the music as it seems to surrounding the listener rather than coming from the front only. In addition, the listener can have a better perception of where the various artists are on stage. Using the MD5000, I can almost “see” where the artists are on stage. With the D5000, I do not have this kind of depth and position perception. For me, the soundstage of the MD5000 is superior to that of the D5000. It is very wide and detailed, on par with my previously owned K701 upgraded with APS V3 cables.
Conclusion
After several hours of listening between the D5000 and the MD5000, there is little doubt which phone I prefer as my primary can. The MD5000, after about 120 hours of burn in, sounds absolutely incredible. The clean deep hitting bass, the smooth and warm midrange, the extended highs, the incredible separation and details, and the wide surrounding soundstage have me totally sold. To me, the MD5000 is superior to the D5000 in every aspect. In comparison, the D5000 sounds boomy, muddy, closed in and artificial. The voices and notes don’t sound as natural and realistic as the MD5000. Had I not listened to the MD5000, I would not have noticed these flaws in the D5000.
Another thing I have to mention again is how much the MD5000 changed after the first 100 hours of burn in. When I first got these cans, the harsh highs and the flat midrange made these cans different, but not better than the D5000. However, after the burn-in process, the superiority of the MD5000 really came through. I tried to be as subjective as possible, telling myself it could be the placebo effect doing all this. I told myself that perhaps it is because I paid for the mod that I am trying to convince myself that the MD5000 sounds superior. However, no matter how much denial I’m in about the burn-in effects for the MD5000, I find myself concluding that the burn-in really did dramatically change the MD5000 for the better. I’m also curious to find out why the same burn in process did not dramatically change the D5000 as it did with the MD5000. Perhaps markl holds the answer to this question.
As a concluding test, I had my girlfriend and her friend try out both phones to see which one they preferred. Big mistake. My girlfriend is now absolutely in love with the MD5000. In fact, she’s decided she’s going to keep the MD5000 and let me have the D5000.
Well, I initially got her both phones and let her keep the one she likes. But I was really hoping she’ll like the D5000 and let me have the MD5000. She listens to a lot of pop songs with lots of bass, so I figured she’ll like the bassier D5000. However, her reaction was the same as mine; that the D5000’s bass was too boomy and uncontrolled. She preferred the “clear and warm” sound of the MD5000 and told me I could have the D5000 as my parting gift to Canada.
So what is there left for me? Well, I’m heading back to Canada in a few days with the D5000 as my parting gift. Funds are really tight right now as I just dropped over $1600 for the D5000, the MD5000 and the Pico. Therefore, I will not be able to afford upgrading my D5000 to the MD5000 until at least a few months in the future. But nevertheless, the upgrade will happen as soon as the funds become available. I really want to thank markl for creating such an incredible headphone for a fraction of the price of some of the today’s top dynamic headphones.
So is the MD5000 the best dynamic headphone available today? I do not know. However, it certainly is sonically superior to the D5000 and is definitely the best dynamic headphone I have heard according to my memory. “According to my memory” is the key phrase here since it is not a fair to compare headphones without having them side by side. If going by just memory, I can honestly say the MD5000 is the best dynamic headphone I have heard. I cannot find any major flaws with the phone and it will serve as my primary can until the Sennheiser HD800 comes out.
The glorious Pico
The stock D5000
The markl modded D5000
Before I go further, I want to mention a few things. First off, I will refer to the stock D5000 as simply the D5000 and the markl modded D5000s as the MD5000s. Second, I am not an expert in evaluating how the D5000s stack up against the other top dynamic headphones such as the R10, PS1, ED9, L3000, etc. I cannot make that validation because I have not heard, let alone owned, all the top dynamic headphones. Even if I did, I do not have all of them side by side to make a fair comparison. Therefore, the one and only comparison I am making is between the D5000 and the MD5000, no more and no less. In addition, I did not bring along a lot of CDs due to space constraints in the luggage. I brought along a few CDs from various genres to serve as a basis for the review. These CDs consists of the following artists: Johnny Cash, Celine Dion, Kenny G, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Jack Johnson, Diana Krall and Yanni. I would also like to apologize for the quality of the pictures posted in this review. I forgot my data transfer cable at home in Canada, and was too cheap to buy another cable or media card reader while in Chicago. So I made do with a friend’s digital camera, which I am not used to.
Finally, I am not affiliated with markl and have no other purpose for writing this review other than to expand the knowledge base of the community. Without further ado, let’s start the review!
The contenders (D5000 on left and MD5000 on Right) with referee Pico in the middle
Physical Appearance and Ergonomics
In terms of physical appearance, the D5000 and the MD5000 are almost identical. No surprise there! Markl did an excellent job of handling my phones and the MD5000 came to me in absolute mint condition. The only notable difference between the two is the pads on the MD5000s are thicker and a little bit stiffer. However, the comfort of the MD5000 is not any less than the D5000. I did some blind tests between the two phones and if I don’t let the weight of the phones sit on my head and going by just the pads, I can hardly tell the difference between the two phones. In other words, the pad mod effectively increased the distance between the drivers and the ears, without sacrificing much comfort.
Pad thickness differences between the MD5000 (left) and D5000 (right)
Another angle comparing the pad thicknesses between MD5000 (left) and D5000 (right)
The MD5000 is heavier than the D5000. This is also not surprising since markl modded the phones by adding various parts to the wooden housings. The MD5000 is about 25% heavier based on my rough measurements by feel. When wearing the phones, the added weight is barely noticeable. I actually prefer the slightly heavier MD5000. The extra weight gives the MD5000 a snug and quality feel to them. The D5000 actually feel a bit cheap in the hands due to its light weight. However, some people may prefer the lighter phones due to the extra comfort. Overall, the small weight difference should not matter when determining the sonic qualities of the two headphones.
MD5000 and D5000 Side by Side
Initial Impressions Before Burn-in
I did not spend too much time with the D5000 and the MD5000 when they just came out of the box for two reasons. The first one was because I was so darn busy going from place to place trying to help my girlfriend settle down that I simply did not have the time to do a comprehensive review between the two phones. The second reason was because I wanted both phones to have about 100 hours of burn in time before fully evaluating them. However, I did enjoy both phones for about 1 hour each before burn-in to get a taste of their sonic differences. Below are a summary of the things I jotted down during my initial listen.
The D5000 were rich and involving, with a very forward sound signature. The midrange was very smooth, with the high ends pleasantly rolled off. However, it had one big drawback which I did not like. Boomy bass. The bass felt uncontrolled and it was all over the place. In fact, the background music was filled with bass, drowning out some of the finer details in the recording. Despite the boomy bass drawback, I could not help but tap my toes to certain songs.
When putting on the MD5000, the first thing I noticed was that I had to turn the Pico up a little bit higher to get the same volume as the D5000. This reason is attributed to the drivers being slightly farther away for the MD5000 than the D5000. The MD5000 sounded very different than the D5000. The biggest difference was with the bass being much tighter and controlled. I really liked this change; however, there were a few changes I did not like. The highs were no longer rolled off, and cymbal crashes were now too harsh for my ears. The midrange was not as involving as the D5000, to the point where it seemed flat compared to the D5000. The soundstage on the MD5000 definitely improved as I felt I could hear “more” of the music. However, I would still have preferred more soundstage, something I was used with the K701 upgraded with APS V3 cables. Another change I noted was the clarity in the music definitely improved. It’s as if a veil for the D5000 (which I did not know existed before listening to the MD5000) was lifted.
So the initial changes I noted in the MD5000 were tighter bass, improved soundstage and clarity, but harsher highs, and a somewhat flat and uninvolving midrange. After noting down my initial impressions between the phones, I took down the passages and recordings where I noticed the biggest differences between the two phones for later comparisons after burn-in.
Initial Impressions After Burn-in
After more than 4 straight days of continuous burn in, I decided to give the phones a second try. I picked up the D5000 first and listened to the same tracks I listened to before the burn-in. My initial reaction was there wasn’t much of a difference. The strengths of the D5000 seemed to have gotten slightly better, but the differences were pretty minor and could simply be attributed to the placebo burn-in effect. The bass was still very boomy and did not seem to improve after 100 hours of burn in. I was somewhat disappointed at this point because I am not a firm believer in the burn-in process. I believe it makes a small difference, but nothing major. With this in mind, I cautiously picked up the MD5000 not expecting too much change.
Was I ever wrong; the MD5000 benefited a lot after the burn-in process. The biggest change was the midrange became very smooth and involving. In fact, I could not believe these sounded uninvolving before burn-in. I scratched my head a little bit because I used two identical Thinkpads for the burn-in, both playing the same songs for the same amount of time. How is it that the D5000 hardly changed, yet the MD5000 had such a dramatic change? I did not know the answer to this question, but whatever happened during the burn-in process, I’m glad it happened.
The rest of this review will cover the differences between the D5000 and the MD5000 after around 100 hours of burn in.
Lows
There is almost no comparison between the bass quality between the D5000 and the MD5000. The D5000 offers plenty of bass, but none of it seemed controlled. The bass is overpowering, leaking into almost all pieces of the music. The bass on the D5000 is so overpowering that it drowns out some of the finer details in the recordings. If you’re a bass head, you might like this boomy effect. However, for me, I found the boomy bass to be overwhelming and something I could not stand for long stretches of listening time.
The MD5000 bass is very authoritative and clean hitting. It hits deep and hard, but remains in control and does not leak into other parts of the music. I actually love the way the MD5000 recreates the lower sound spectrum. Everything seems so clean and controlled in comparison to the wild and out of control D5000.
No contest between the two phones here, MD5000 takes the lower sound spectrum hands down.
Mids
The midrange is the biggest strength of the D5000. The D5000 offers a very warm and involving midrange. In fact, it’s one of the best midrange I have heard, on par with the RS1. However, its strengths are equaled and surpassed by the MD5000. After burn-in, the MD5000 is a totally different phone than the one before burn-in. The midrange went from flat and uninvolving to the smoothest and most involving headphone I have heard to date, surpassing the both the D5000 and the RS1. I could hardly believe I jotted down the MD5000 were flat and uninvolving in my pre burn-in tests. I still cannot believe how much the MD5000 midrange changed after only 100-110 hours of burn-in time. Of all the phones I have heard, the MD5000 stands out as being the phone with the warmest, smoothest and most involving midrange. During my review phase for the MD5000, I could not stop nodding my head and tapping my foot the entire time.
Although the D5000 offers an incredibly involving midrange, the MD5000 matches and surpasses the D5000 by providing a naturally smooth and warm sound that is unmatched by any headphone I have heard to date.
Highs
One of my biggest beef with the pre burn-in MD5000 was it was harsh with cymbal crashes. After the burn-in, I went back to the same passages that made my ears bleed only to discover the harshness to be greatly subdued. I no longer get that ear bleeding feeling I had before the burn-in. The highs are still a little bit harsher than the D5000s, but not in a bad way either. The MD5000 offers extended highs over the D5000s. If I were to take the frequency response graphs of the D5000 and the MD5000, I would not be surprised to see extended highs in the MD5000 graph. Would one do I prefer? It’s hard to say. I still like the slightly rolled off highs of the D5000s, but also appreciate the apparent increase in the upper sound spectrum of the MD5000.
The D5000 and the MD5000 both offer a very pleasant high frequency sound spectrum. It’s hard to say which one is better since it really depends on what music you’re listening to. If I had to choose one, I would give a slight edge to the MD5000 due to its realistic sounding cymbal crashes.
Separation and Detail
Here’s another category where the MD5000 beats the D5000 hands down. Before listening to the MD5000, I thought the D5000 offered very good details and separation between the notes. However, when I switched over to the MD5000, it was another level of clarity and separation. As I mentioned before, the MD5000 made the D5000 appear to have a veil of some sort. With the MD5000, every note is distinct. The bass on the D5000 is too overwhelming and a lot of the finer details are simply drowned out. With the MD5000, these details are brought back to life and contribute to the overall emotion of the music. That being said, the separation and detail of the MD5000 is far superior to that of the D5000.
Soundstage
The soundstage of the D5000 is closed in and up front. The listener feels closer to the artists and this might be the preferred sound signature for many listeners. However, I much prefer the soundstage of the MD5000. The soundstage is much wider and the listener can hear more of the music as it seems to surrounding the listener rather than coming from the front only. In addition, the listener can have a better perception of where the various artists are on stage. Using the MD5000, I can almost “see” where the artists are on stage. With the D5000, I do not have this kind of depth and position perception. For me, the soundstage of the MD5000 is superior to that of the D5000. It is very wide and detailed, on par with my previously owned K701 upgraded with APS V3 cables.
Conclusion
After several hours of listening between the D5000 and the MD5000, there is little doubt which phone I prefer as my primary can. The MD5000, after about 120 hours of burn in, sounds absolutely incredible. The clean deep hitting bass, the smooth and warm midrange, the extended highs, the incredible separation and details, and the wide surrounding soundstage have me totally sold. To me, the MD5000 is superior to the D5000 in every aspect. In comparison, the D5000 sounds boomy, muddy, closed in and artificial. The voices and notes don’t sound as natural and realistic as the MD5000. Had I not listened to the MD5000, I would not have noticed these flaws in the D5000.
Another thing I have to mention again is how much the MD5000 changed after the first 100 hours of burn in. When I first got these cans, the harsh highs and the flat midrange made these cans different, but not better than the D5000. However, after the burn-in process, the superiority of the MD5000 really came through. I tried to be as subjective as possible, telling myself it could be the placebo effect doing all this. I told myself that perhaps it is because I paid for the mod that I am trying to convince myself that the MD5000 sounds superior. However, no matter how much denial I’m in about the burn-in effects for the MD5000, I find myself concluding that the burn-in really did dramatically change the MD5000 for the better. I’m also curious to find out why the same burn in process did not dramatically change the D5000 as it did with the MD5000. Perhaps markl holds the answer to this question.
As a concluding test, I had my girlfriend and her friend try out both phones to see which one they preferred. Big mistake. My girlfriend is now absolutely in love with the MD5000. In fact, she’s decided she’s going to keep the MD5000 and let me have the D5000.
So what is there left for me? Well, I’m heading back to Canada in a few days with the D5000 as my parting gift. Funds are really tight right now as I just dropped over $1600 for the D5000, the MD5000 and the Pico. Therefore, I will not be able to afford upgrading my D5000 to the MD5000 until at least a few months in the future. But nevertheless, the upgrade will happen as soon as the funds become available. I really want to thank markl for creating such an incredible headphone for a fraction of the price of some of the today’s top dynamic headphones.
So is the MD5000 the best dynamic headphone available today? I do not know. However, it certainly is sonically superior to the D5000 and is definitely the best dynamic headphone I have heard according to my memory. “According to my memory” is the key phrase here since it is not a fair to compare headphones without having them side by side. If going by just memory, I can honestly say the MD5000 is the best dynamic headphone I have heard. I cannot find any major flaws with the phone and it will serve as my primary can until the Sennheiser HD800 comes out.
