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Originally Posted by dmashta /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Why didn't you save some money and get the D2000 instead, assuming you're going for the full mod (cables and custom cups)?
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This is what I ended up doing, and I couldn't be happier with the results and price paid for everything.
Each upgrade had a significant and noticeable increase in the performance of the headphones. I never wrote a review before, but I'll do my best to describe what my experience was with these headphones, which pretty much mimics what others have already said. Sorry if the read is noob status...
It's been a while since I had the cables upgraded to the Jena 22g, but what I remember the most about it when I got them back is that the phones sounded a lot cleaner all around and you could tell they were able to handle a lot more power. They were less "dark", the mids and highs came out quite a bit, and the vocals really started to shine. When I first got the D2k's, I instantly fell in love with the bass delivered, but wish the highs had more to them. The re-cable definitely helped with this quite a bit.
I recently got my D2k's back from Mark @ Lawton Audio for the markl mods and Sheoak wooden cups. I think the combo of the two mods had as big of an impact as the re-cable.
The first thing I noticed was the bass was tamed a bit. It's definitely there when the song asks for it, but it's not as boomy as it was before. Initially I was a little bummed because I like pounding bass, but now I'm enjoying it more than before. I can see where I'd want a bigger amp than the Pico I'm currently using to really get the most out of it.
The mids and highs are definitely more pronounced, assuming this came primarily from the markl mods. At first listen, I thought I was hearing some sibilance on songs I thought I knew inside and out. However, after allowing my ears to adjust and focusing on critical listening, it was simply more detail in the highs, which originally was probably drowned out by the looser bass before the mods.
The detail in each song is simply amazing. After getting the cans back, I started picking up more new subtleties in a lot of my songs I listened to. I can only speculate that this will get even better with a more powerful amp.
Regarding the sound stage, I'm not sure if the cups or the stuffing made a bigger difference, but together it's a very noticeable increase in sound stage. Each song is more 3dimensional and songs that go left to right or front to back, etc. are much more pronounced. It's almost to the point where your head spins you feel it that much, especially if you listen in the dark with your eyes closed.
Another minor change I read about before I got the phones back but didn't know if I'd notice, but on some tracks, the tone of the bass and other instruments sound more natural sounding. I'm assuming this was because of the wooden cups.
I think the stuffed pads offer a more comfortable form fit as well.
One downside is I definitely notice that the quality of the recording has a bigger impact on your listening experience, so I'm in the process of converting everything I can to flac files. Another downside, I don't want to listen to any of my other headphones!
They definitely look a lot better too, here's a quick point and shoot pic.
Cheers