[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QQQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... Musical Fidelity is a bust, they just can't do headphone amps and couldn't care less for their other equipment.

Sorry to disagree, as an owner of the V2 and V3 both stock and with the PinkFloyd mods I can honestly say that the units rock. IMO the V2 is the more musical of the two and the one that gets my foot tapping. Just my $0.02

 

[Krelian]

Will the D2000 benefit as much from this mod as the D5000?

 

[MarkyMark]

Hi All,

Just want to add my .2c worth to the discussion as someone who bought a Jena-recabled D5000 with full mods from markl a few months ago.

First off, Mark handled the entire transaction very professionally from beginning to end and the recable work was top-notch. I also have a pair of ALO K701's with precisely the same type of recable and they are equally as good in this respect.

On to the sound. Initially I must confess to some disappointment, mainly the fact that the sound spectrum was skewed due to a lack of midrange. However, having read about the fact that these definitely require a good burn-in, I proceeded to go ahead with this using a mixture of music and the Isotek CD for this purpose. Still, it took a good 200+ hours before things started to gel for me, I felt there was a substantial improvement in sound around this time as the mids came into focus to join the party.

Now, the sound is very balanced across the spectrum. The best way I can sum them up is to say have a very "speaker-like" presentation; a full, rich-bodied signature with great macro and micro dynamic contrast. Bass can go extremely low indeed without being overblown - try the Nine Inch Nails latest release for evidence of that (it's available as a free download btw). Sibilance is generally well controlled and treble extended. I'm particularly getting a lot of enjoyment of my hi-rez stuff via the Benchmark DAC-1 - Ryan Adams' Gold and Steely Dan's Gaucho are permanent fixtures at the moment.

I'll be interested to see if there are further changes in sound over the coming months but overall I'd conclude that I'm now very happy indeed with the sound (I'm driving it with a Sugden Headmaster) and don't really envisage making further investment in a dynamic headphone set-up to be honest. Having owned stuff like the ATH-W5000, that's a reasonable endorsement I think.

Electrostatics are still intriguing and I'd like to hear an Stax Omega 2 driven by my front-ends at some point but I don't feel especially tempted. Something for the future, possibly.

Cheers.
Mark

 

[golem09]

This mod is WAY too hard for me to pull off.

So markl, after disliking the stocked D5000, what would you see as the direct alternative to the modded ones? (Leave the Sony R10 aside, and stay in the price range

)

 

[troymadison]

Quote:

Originally Posted by golem09 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This mod is WAY too hard for me to pull off. So markl, after disliking the stocked D5000, what would you see as the direct alternative to the modded ones? (Leave the Sony R10 aside, and stay in the price range )

You could just buy a modded version from markl.

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkyMark /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi All, Just want to add my .2c worth to the discussion as someone who bought a Jena-recabled D5000 with full mods from markl a few months ago. First off, Mark handled the entire transaction very professionally from beginning to end and the recable work was top-notch. I also have a pair of ALO K701's with precisely the same type of recable and they are equally as good in this respect. On to the sound. Initially I must confess to some disappointment, mainly the fact that the sound spectrum was skewed due to a lack of midrange. However, having read about the fact that these definitely require a good burn-in, I proceeded to go ahead with this using a mixture of music and the Isotek CD for this purpose. Still, it took a good 200+ hours before things started to gel for me, I felt there was a substantial improvement in sound around this time as the mids came into focus to join the party. Now, the sound is very balanced across the spectrum. The best way I can sum them up is to say have a very "speaker-like" presentation; a full, rich-bodied signature with great macro and micro dynamic contrast. Bass can go extremely low indeed without being overblown - try the Nine Inch Nails latest release for evidence of that (it's available as a free download btw). Sibilance is generally well controlled and treble extended. I'm particularly getting a lot of enjoyment of my hi-rez stuff via the Benchmark DAC-1 - Ryan Adams' Gold and Steely Dan's Gaucho are permanent fixtures at the moment. I'll be interested to see if there are further changes in sound over the coming months but overall I'd conclude that I'm now very happy indeed with the sound (I'm driving it with a Sugden Headmaster) and don't really envisage making further investment in a dynamic headphone set-up to be honest. Having owned stuff like the ATH-W5000, that's a reasonable endorsement I think. Electrostatics are still intriguing and I'd like to hear an Stax Omega 2 driven by my front-ends at some point but I don't feel especially tempted. Something for the future, possibly. Cheers. Mark

G'day MarkyMark,

I think I ended up following a similar path to you with headphones after I bought your ALO K701s. The MD5000s have so much body for me that I couldn't go back to the AKGs and HD650s just sound flat and dull. Some of the body is due to the bass - I wish that they had a fraction less bass and a fraction more mids, however for classical or Jazz which doesn't have much bass, the issue disappears I feel. I listened to a Stax 4040 system here in Japan. For anything well recorded they are unbelievable.

Edit: Just read Relham's review of the D5000 vs. HD650 and really liked the description of the D5000's sound.

 

[golem09]

Quote:

Originally Posted by troymadison /img/forum/go_quote.gif You could just buy a modded version from markl.

How much would that be? I guess the phones + markl fee + shipping to germany + tax in germany would be much more money than I intend to spent...

 

[MarkyMark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif G'day MarkyMark, I think I ended up following a similar path to you with headphones after I bought your ALO K701s. The MD5000s have so much body for me that I couldn't go back to the AKGs and HD650s just sound flat and dull. Some of the body is due to the bass - I wish that they had a fraction less bass and a fraction more mids, however for classical or Jazz which doesn't have much bass, the issue disappears I feel. I listened to a Stax 4040 system here in Japan. For anything well recorded they are unbelievable. Edit: Just read Relham's review of the D5000 vs. HD650 and really liked the description of the D5000's sound.

Hi Currawong!

I can see right where you're coming from. FWIW, I've found that driving the MD5000's from the headphone out of the DAC1 is a very good match and tackles the issues you've found. In some listening tests versus my Sugden Headmaster, I sense a slightly tighter bass and more midrange clarity/presence. On the other hand, treble can be a tad obvious at times and the sound definitely isn't romantic. So having both amps to hand is useful (the DAC1's headphone circuit seems gets little respect on these boards but I have plenty of time for it).

Re: bringing up the mids more, Markl mentioned to me that pressing down on the cups (i.e. against your head) when you are wearing them a few times will compact the stuffing down. That might help.

The good news for my wallet is that I'm not feeling compelled to buy dynamic again. As mentioned, electrostatic would be the only route in the future.

Cheers

 

[ironmine]

Why using Fiberloft to stuff ear pads? Wouldn't it be easier to use something like this: Áèòîïëàñò ? This material can be cut into the required form. If needed, it can be double-layered.

 

[stevenkelby]

Yes of course!

Битопласт!

Why didn't I think of that!

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkyMark /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi Currawong! I can see right where you're coming from. FWIW, I've found that driving the MD5000's from the headphone out of the DAC1 is a very good match and tackles the issues you've found. In some listening tests versus my Sugden Headmaster, I sense a slightly tighter bass and more midrange clarity/presence. On the other hand, treble can be a tad obvious at times and the sound definitely isn't romantic. So having both amps to hand is useful (the DAC1's headphone circuit seems gets little respect on these boards but I have plenty of time for it). Re: bringing up the mids more, Markl mentioned to me that pressing down on the cups (i.e. against your head) when you are wearing them a few times will compact the stuffing down. That might help. The good news for my wallet is that I'm not feeling compelled to buy dynamic again. As mentioned, electrostatic would be the only route in the future. Cheers

I've just bought another amp which seems to bring out a lot more in the Denons, though that means more bass too! I dropped an email to Markl about his replacement cups - he reckons a set of mulgas is in order, as that reigns in the bass and treble just a tad, which might just be the ticket. I'll report back once I've received them.

 

[ironmine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenkelby /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes of course! Битопласт! Why didn't I think of that!

What is so funny about it? I cannot understand.

I've started modding my Denons D2000 using this Russian material: Âèáðîïëàñò
It is called "vibroplast". I got it from a shop which "tunes" cars, installs fancy car audio systems and reduces noise in cars. 50 x 70 cm costs about $10. If you cannot find anything similar to Dynamat in your area, go to such shops nearest to you and I am sure that you will find some similar material there easily.

Thanks, Markl, for your ideas and for sharing them in this forum.

If this mod does not help tame the bass, I will have to either sell these Denons and buy some other phones, or just buy another pair of cans in addition to Denons. I listen mostly to Black Metal, Death Metal, etc. and these Denons, when umodded, are simply not compatible with these genres because of the low quality of their deep bass. I cannot understand even why these Denons are universally regarded as "one of the best headphones for metal music". It all depends on what kind of metal music one listens to. They are good for hard rock, probably, or classic heavy metal, but not for the more brutal styles which I mentioned above.

 

[stevenkelby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif What is so funny about it? I cannot understand.

It's funny because it's in Russian and you're possibly the only person on the forum who can read what the heck it is! Sorry for any misunderstanding

Anyway, the Markl'd Denon's rock!

Steve

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've started modding my Denons D2000 using this Russian material: Âèáðîïëàñò It is called "vibroplast". I got it from a shop which "tunes" cars, installs fancy car audio systems and reduces noise in cars. 50 x 70 cm costs about $10. If you cannot find anything similar to Dynamat in your area, go to such shops nearest to you and I am sure that you will find some similar material there easily.

I'm confused, so perhaps you can clarify. Your earlier post suggested using this vibroplast in place of the Fiberloft stuffing material. But this post says you're using it in place of the Dynamat vibration damping material. In the Markl-type mods, the Fiberloft and Dynamat serve two different functions. In general, vibration damping would control the earcup itself, while stuffing impacts the motion of air within the open space inside. Vibroplast might do a little of both, but I don't think I would want to line my earcups with that kind of foam because it seems like it would reduce the volume of air too much (like overstuffing with too much Fiberloft), which would muddy the bass.

 

[markl]

Quote:

Why using Fiberloft to stuff ear cups?

I do NOT recommend stuffing the ear cups with fiberloft, that has been rejected as not optimal in the mod any more.