[dontOVERREACT]

Hey, its me again. I figured I'd make a new thread since it's a bit off topic from the other post.

I wanted to hear from people who own (or have at least had experience with) the heavily modded Denon AH-D7000's, The fully upgraded LA7000's by Lawton Audio.
What type of music do you find yourself drawn to the most while listening to them? What Genre of music sounds best with them, and which sounds the "worst?" Just give me an idea on the type of sound the LA7000's produce (I realize it can vary based on the wood cups you choose, but let me know anyway), Thanks!

 

[dontOVERREACT]

*Bump*

 

[stang]

lol there is no need to bump your own thread after 6 hours.

 

[dontOVERREACT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stang /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol there is no need to bump your own thread after 6 hours.

Rarrrr! I demand answers to my questions! JK jk

 

[stang]

I am also interested, as the LA7000 is just stunning to look at

I'd love to hear one some day.

 

[Covenant]

I have a loaner LA7000 on my noggin atm, but I haven't spent enough time with it yet to post anything concrete. I'll chime in with some thoughts later in the day

 

[dontOVERREACT]

Sounds good, I'd love to know your thoughts on them

 

[Covenant]

Ok, initial impressions:

Presentation is quite forward and palpable. I wouldn't call these laid back headphones by any means. The frequency spectrum feels more or less balanced from top to bottom, although bass is a tad emphasised.

There are hints of the stock Denon bass rumble still present in these, although understandably very controlled from all the damping. Nonetheless, those hints make some music very pleasant, especially when portraying well-recorded drums. For Metallica I still prefer the really over the top bassy grunt of the stock D2000, but for more complex or melodic stuff like Tool the LA7000's fare much better.

Mids are forward and clear, just as everything else is. Highs have a surprising amount of shimmer and energy to them, giving female vocals a very appealing sparkle. However, any sibilance also does get exaggerated as a result.

Imaging appears to be very good, albeit the soundstage is quite closed in and doesn't give much space to work in. Speed and detail retrieval also appear to be quite good, although part of this perception might be just how present and upfront everything is. From the moment you put them on, the LA7000 sounds good. There's no real adjustment period to "get" them, they just appeal off the bat.

That being said, I like a slightly more soundstageous type of headphone. One that can convey space and air with a bit more capability than the LA7000 is showing me. Being a closed headphone its sort of natural for it to sound more intimate than the likes of the HD800, but I find myself missing HD800's wide open and expansive presentation. The genre that sounds best to me on them, oddly, is Jpop. High-energy music with well recorded female vocals sound excellent. Worst would have to be badly recorded rock, where the bassy nature of the LA7000 just turns everything into a reverberating soup.

 

[dontOVERREACT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, initial impressions: Presentation is quite forward and palpable. I wouldn't call these laid back headphones by any means. The frequency spectrum feels more or less balanced from top to bottom, although bass is a tad emphasised. There are hints of the stock Denon bass rumble still present in these, although understandably very controlled from all the damping. Nonetheless, those hints make some music very pleasant, especially when portraying well-recorded drums. For Metallica I still prefer the really over the top bassy grunt of the stock D2000, but for more complex or melodic stuff like Tool the LA7000's fare much better. Mids are forward and clear, just as everything else is. Highs have a surprising amount of shimmer and energy to them, giving female vocals a very appealing sparkle. However, any sibilance also does get exaggerated as a result. Imaging appears to be very good, albeit the soundstage is quite closed in and doesn't give much space to work in. Speed and detail retrieval also appear to be quite good, although part of this perception might be just how present and upfront everything is. From the moment you put them on, the LA7000 sounds good. There's no real adjustment period to "get" them, they just appeal off the bat. That being said, I like a slightly more soundstageous type of headphone. One that can convey space and air with a bit more capability than the LA7000 is showing me. Being a closed headphone its sort of natural for it to sound more intimate than the likes of the HD800, but I find myself missing HD800's wide open and expansive presentation. The genre that sounds best to me on them, oddly, is Jpop. High-energy music with well recorded female vocals sound excellent. Worst would have to be badly recorded rock, where the bassy nature of the LA7000 just turns everything into a reverberating soup.

Thanks for you thoughts!
Could you or someone else expand on how rock sounds? Most of my music library is made up of rock and alternative. What do you mean by badly recorded rock? Can you give me an example of this badly recorded rock and or what type of rock doesn't sound that good with the LA7000's?

 

[tisb0b]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dontOVERREACT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for you thoughts! Could you or someone else expand on how rock sounds? Most of my music library is made up of rock and alternative. What do you mean by badly recorded rock? Can you give me an example of of this badly recorded rock and or what type of rock doesn't sound that good?

Don't worry too much about the recording quality as it is the music itself that matters. I'll happily take some poorly recorded heavy metal over an audiophile recording of rap or pop.

 

[dontOVERREACT]

*bump* (last bump for this thread i promise

)

Anyone else out there who can inform me of the LA7000's sound? I am especially interested in how rock, alternative and classical music sounds.
Thanks!

 

[Sophonax]

I have two pairs of 'phones from Lawton Audio, though neither is the full LA7000. I have a pair of LA2000 Lites with the Silky Oak wood cups, and a pair of LA7000s with Sheoak that have everything but the Jena cable.

I can say that the choice of wood certainly makes a difference. Although I can't be sure that it's not the fact that one is based on the D2000 and the other on the D7000, I think the woods are the primary difference between the two headphones. The LA2000 Lites are very euphonic, with well-extended lows and highs, whereas the LA7000 Lites are a little more neutral, with bass that is tamed down somewhat.

The LA2000 Lites are my favorite headphones for rock. To me, they almost sound like a cross between Grados and the stock Denons. They have the same kind of sound as the Grados for high-distortion electric guitar, but with tighter, meatier bass. On the other hand, I prefer the LA7000 Lites for classical and acoustic music, where their neutral character and detail really shines.

In any case, I highly recommend Mr. Lawton's headphones. His modifications yield vast improvements over the stock Denons, both sonically and aesthetically. The type of wood and damping really does seem to make a difference, so I suspect that you can get a pair customized to sound just about however you want.

 

[dontOVERREACT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sophonax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have two pairs of 'phones from Lawton Audio, though neither is the full LA7000. I have a pair of LA2000 Lites with the Silky Oak wood cups, and a pair of LA7000s with Sheoak that have everything but the Jena cable. I can say that the choice of wood certainly makes a difference. Although I can't be sure that it's not the fact that one is based on the D2000 and the other on the D7000, I think the woods are the primary difference between the two headphones. The LA2000 Lites are very euphonic, with well-extended lows and highs, whereas the LA7000 Lites are a little more neutral, with bass that is tamed down somewhat. The LA2000 Lites are my favorite headphones for rock. To me, they almost sound like a cross between Grados and the stock Denons. They have the same kind of sound as the Grados for high-distortion electric guitar, but with tighter, meatier bass. On the other hand, I prefer the LA7000 Lites for classical and acoustic music, where their neutral character and detail really shines. In any case, I highly recommend Mr. Lawton's headphones. His modifications yield vast improvements over the stock Denons, both sonically and aesthetically. The type of wood and damping really does seem to make a difference, so I suspect that you can get a pair customized to sound just about however you want.

Thanks for chiming in

Good to know information!

 

[Mannymax]

Well, I have a pair of LA D5000's with jenna cables, have only had these phones a few weeks and have not had to much time to listen to them to much through work commitments, however, would say they are really good with all music genres, only band that sounds pretty poor though these phones up to now is Godsmack, shame because it's one of my fav bands and weird because the recording sounds good on my full range speaker setup?

Would say the LA phones are good for rock, however, have never heard grado's, so maybe my search is not over yet lol

 

[jjinh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, initial impressions: Presentation is quite forward and palpable. I wouldn't call these laid back headphones by any means. The frequency spectrum feels more or less balanced from top to bottom, although bass is a tad emphasised. There are hints of the stock Denon bass rumble still present in these, although understandably very controlled from all the damping. Nonetheless, those hints make some music very pleasant, especially when portraying well-recorded drums. For Metallica I still prefer the really over the top bassy grunt of the stock D2000, but for more complex or melodic stuff like Tool the LA7000's fare much better. Mids are forward and clear, just as everything else is. Highs have a surprising amount of shimmer and energy to them, giving female vocals a very appealing sparkle. However, any sibilance also does get exaggerated as a result. Imaging appears to be very good, albeit the soundstage is quite closed in and doesn't give much space to work in. Speed and detail retrieval also appear to be quite good, although part of this perception might be just how present and upfront everything is. From the moment you put them on, the LA7000 sounds good. There's no real adjustment period to "get" them, they just appeal off the bat. That being said, I like a slightly more soundstageous type of headphone. One that can convey space and air with a bit more capability than the LA7000 is showing me. Being a closed headphone its sort of natural for it to sound more intimate than the likes of the HD800, but I find myself missing HD800's wide open and expansive presentation. The genre that sounds best to me on them, oddly, is Jpop. High-energy music with well recorded female vocals sound excellent. Worst would have to be badly recorded rock, where the bassy nature of the LA7000 just turns everything into a reverberating soup.

I've always thought that if they could be combined with the W5000 (more detail and bigger soundstage) they'd be wonderful.