[julianbell92]

I've had my Denon D5000s not even 3 months, and only put at most 250 hours on them, yet I am already seeing the sorts of levels of damage/wear seen in the pictures below. The black outer sheath has actually split in the first picture, not just separated to allow the wadding through as is the case a little further along the cable. I look after these immaculately, always ensuring I minimise stress on the cable, especially near the jack. Is this typical of D5000s and Denon's build quality in 2011? Has anyone else experienced this?
I've put in for a replacement with the retailer, (advancedheadphones.co.uk) who are famed for their customer service, so hopefully shouldn't have any problems getting this sorted, I just want to know whether this is going to be a recurring issue for me?
 
Thanks for any replies/advice.
 

 

[TobaccoRoad]

I did hear about this from couple of reviews from Amazon. So much for having better cable than D2000..

 

[julianbell92]

Thanks for letting me know, it helps to build up my background knowledge. Has this happened with D2000s to your knowledge?
The sheath is lovely and supple and soft, perhaps to its detriment? As for being a better cable, I think that refers to the actual wire inside being 7N OFC, ie. better quality than whatever is in the D2000 cable.

 

[shane55]

Ouch. Good luck, I hope the next set of cables hold up better than these. I'm hopeful for you that it was just a bad batch.
So far I've had no issues with my D7k cables (same as the D5k), and I've had them over a year.
 
 
 

 

[julianbell92]

Thanks, I hope they do too, I love them so really hoping that's the case as well.
Do you know if the sheath on the D7Ks is the same? I was aware the wire is, just wondering if you knew about the casing.

 

[pdupiano]

I've owned all 3 models (D2k, D5k, and D7k) and the cable for the D5k has been the worst for me as far as the cloth covering is concerned. It was pretty bad and I actually got the same deformations that you have near the plug all throughout the cable. I actually have had the best luck with the D2K cable and kept that stock while I changed out the D5K and D7K cables in favor of something else. On a side note, after taking the cable off and pulling it apart, it was clear that the damage/blemish is primarily cosmetic. After cutting up the old cables from the D5k, none of the actual wires were in any trouble and in fact the layer of cotton (not sure if it was cotton) was still intact. I think it might just be an issue of the weave on the cable. 
 
You can try recabling the headphones if it really bothers you, or placing some techflex over the cable. But I suppose the real reason denon went with their particular cable design is to keep the cable lightweight and soft/pliable. Using techflex would certainly affect the flexibility. Another suggestion would be to cut the cable to an appropriate length. I think a lot of the blemishes on the cable were a result of the sheathing catching on random stuff as the cable dangled from my desk. Cutting it down to an appropriate size for your listening space would probably cut down on further damage. 

 

[julianbell92]

Thanks for your information and advice pdupiano. I had suspected the wire inside would be fine too, so it's good to know that that's likely to be the case. Regarding techflex, would fitting this over the cable require reterminating, or can it slip over the jack? I hadn't really planned on recabling at this stage, it would be my first real foray into headphone DIY (asides from stuffing my pads!) and don't really want to risk ruining my best headphones. As for cutting down the cable, I currently have it well stored in 7" diameter coils with two velcro cable tidies around it to keep it to a sensible length as to avoid the problems with catching it on things that you mentioned.
It's not that it really bothers me, you'd have just thought they could provide something better given what you're paying for these sorts of headphones in the first place. Another possibility I had considered was slipping some 2:1 ratio black heatshrink over the jack and then heating so it shrinks around the cable, what do you think about that?
Thanks again

 

[pdupiano]

Techflex will easily stretch over the plug, and if you want to use heatshrink, you can find 4:1 and 3:1 heatshrink at wirecare.com or on ebay. I don't think 2:1 will work because of the large difference between the diameter of the plug and the cable, but I'm certain 3:1 and 4:1 would do the trick nicely. 

 

[julianbell92]

Ah well that's useful to know, I didn't realise that techflex had elastic qualities. I've had a replacement pair processed by the retailer now, so they should be with me in a few days, shame I'll have to burn in again though.
I think I'll use 3 or 4:1 heatshrink as you suggested, on the first 6" of cable coming out of the jack when they arrive, hopefully this shouldn't look too untidy; just like an extension of the reinforcement at the jack. If I don't like it I can always cut it off. Thanks once again for all your help pdupiano.
 
It would be good to know if anyone out there has owned D5Ks with a cable sheath that has lasted well?

 

[julianbell92]

Update:
New pair arrived today, and I have to say these look more promising than the last, with an apparently tighter weave on the outer sheath, here's hoping anyway!
If the same issue crops up again, then I'll probably go for the heatshrink idea.
As an aside, having received a brand new replacement pair, it has become how obvious how much these headphones burn in.
Thanks for all your contributions

 

[Radio_head]

I had the exact same problems with both D5000's that I owned.  I ended up recabling, but the real weakest link is the point where the cups swivel, where they're liable to break entirely.  Denon charges over a hundred bucks to fix it.