[roker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiComm4 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It seems people are pretty divided here on whether the D's need an amp to sound good. To my ears--fantastiche unamped. I can't help but think many of you need to stop drinking the Koolaid. Or perhaps I'm blessed with uncritical ears.

No Koolaid or special ears. It's pretty cut and dry. I wish there was a way to show you.

 

[plonter]

I heard the denon's once straight from an ipod and D2 and although they sound nice (that means not lousy)...the DO NEED and benefits a lot from a dedicated amp, and anybody that didn't try them with a good SS amp should go and do this right now, because the difference is huge.
they need a good amping to control their crazy bass and smoothen the sparkling highs...straight from a DAP they sound a little muddy in the bass and too peaky in the highs, at least from my experience. also the punch is lacking.

 

[roker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plonter /img/forum/go_quote.gif try them with a good SS amp

my hybrid LDI+ performs well, also

 

[digitaldave]

I just thought I'd pop in to this thread and let you know that I should have a pair of MD5000s on their way to me in the near future! Also, I am getting a new amp - I have ordered the HeadRoom Micro amp/DAC. Needless to say, I'm quite excited

.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Out of curiosity I ordered a pair of ADH2000s from Amazon since the price was so good. Listening to some FLAC right now through a HeadRoom Total Bithead. Not bad. Definitely some recessed midrange and flabbier bass compared to my SR225is but I like them. Not surpisingly though, better soundstage than the Grados. And wow, talk about a COMFORTABLE headphone. Sweet! 200 hours burn in time? Really?

 

[roker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpippel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Out of curiosity I order a pair of ADH2000s from Amazon since the price was so good. Listening to some FLAC right now through a HeadRoom Total Bithead. Not bad. Definitely some recessed midrange and flabbier bass compared to my SR225is but I like them. 200hours burn in time? Really?

burn-in is always controversial.

I believe most products need no more than 50 hrs of burn-in, but other people have their opinions.

 

[swmtnbiker]

I would tend to agree with you. Claims of excessive burn-in time always raises a red flag for me.

 

[roker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpippel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would tend to agree with you. Claims of excessive burn-in time always raises a red flag for me.

I once read an amp review where the author stated drastic changes every 200 hrs and minor changes every 100 hrs, up until he made it to the 1000hr mark. In between he remarked how terrible it sounded at xxx hr only to say something astoundingly unbelievable 200 hours later about details, bass response, and midrange clarity.

I'm starting to think this site is full of people with mild to aggressive forms of OCD ... I'm probably somewhere in between.

 

[swmtnbiker]

I'm probably right there with you.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Someone in this thread mentioned that recent D2000s shipping from Amazon might have "upgraded" cables. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Just got mine yesterday and I'm curious. The cable on my pair certainly seems more like an aftermarket product than the stock cable on any headphone I've ever used. It's relatively rigid and has a nylon outer sleeve both above and below the split. I can post pics if it'll help.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiComm4 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It seems people are pretty divided here on whether the D's need an amp to sound good. To my ears--fantastiche unamped. I can't help but think many of you need to stop drinking the Koolaid. Or perhaps I'm blessed with uncritical ears.

If you are then consider yourself blessed indeed. Those ears will end up saving you a lot of money.

As for me, I can hear a very distinct difference between amping my D2000 with a Total Bithead and a Meier Audio Headfive. Through the Headfive the Denon has much tighter bass, less grainy highs, and a slightly more expansive soundstage. Now granted this pair isn't burned in yet, but if I can hear noticable differences between these two amps then I can imagine I'd hear even more of a difference listening uamped from a portable source or a soundcard. In my experience I've never encountered a high-quality, full-sized headphone that did NOT benefit from amping.

 

[pp312]

How are the Markl modded D2000 (basic mod) with classical?

 

[Necrolic]

So as much as I like the D5Ks stock, I've decided to replace the wood cups on my D5000s with some Lawton Audio ones (undecided on wood choice as of right now), and recable them. I may end up markl modding as well.

As far as cables go, I'm deciding between any of the Moon Audio offerings and the APS V3. The Jena Labs cable is simply far too expensive for me. Which of these cables do you think suit the D5K sound best (by that I mean help fix the obvious flaws such as uncontrolled bass).

Also, does the Markl mod really change the stock sound a lot, or just tighten the bass? I love the stock sound, I just find the bass mildly uncontrolled and soundstage could be better. I don't think it's worth it to go through those extreme alterations when I may not like the sound in the end. Do you guys think it's worth it?

 

[roker]

I'm probably NOT going to do the Markl mod after all. If the mod were to tame the bass, then I'd rather not own this headphone.

 

[Necrolic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roker /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm probably NOT going to do the Markl mod after all. If the mod were to tame the bass, then I'd rather not own this headphone.

Yeah that's kind of what I'm feeling, I mean as it is, the JMoney pads alone tamed the bass and increased soundstage a shocking amount. I'm actually kind of a fan of where the bass is right now although I feel it could be slightly better controlled. I'm thinking a good recable would do the job nicely. I don't really feel like having all the innards of my headphone having Dynamat plastered over it, especially when it's not guaranteed I'll like the new sound.

As far as the Lawton Audio wood cups, do you guys think I should go with the recommended damping that Mark suggests, or leave it without? I figure without it, it'll effect the overall balance less, and regardless the cups should increase soundstage.

Has anybody upgraded from stock D5000/D7000 cups to Lawton cups that can comment on the difference?