[twentyHz]

Hello.
 
Basically, I know there are many posts and threads about Mr. Lawton and his legendary Denon mods. I apologize if there is a thread similar to this already. I have read many threads that are quite dated... some of them are already 4+ years old.
 
Anyways, here it goes. My Denon D5k's are in the mail, arriving soon I hope. I have the full intention of burning them before making any conclusions on the sound characteristics, having heard extensive burning is required. I plan on modding them after the burn in. I have some questions, I hope to receive some insight.
 
1. Is there anyone that found this mod made them sound bad or undesirable? Sibilant highs perhaps?
 
2. Can the Dynamat be removed if I change my mind? (I seriously doubt it with all the adhesive tar-like properties)
 
3. Has anybody damaged the headphones during the mod process?
 
4. Should the whole mod be completed at once or in stages to test preferences? (I fear the screws will become stripped with repetitive removal and insertion)
 
5. Will Polyfill Premium polyester fiberfill work instead of Mountain Mist polyester fiberfill? (I cannot find mountain mist, except online)
 
6. How long does the average complete mod take? (I am very meticulous)
 
7. Anybody prefer the sound of just dampening the cups alone? Just stuffing the ear pads? Just dampening the drivers...etc? What combinations do you prefer?
 
8. Has anyone preferred the stock sound over the modded?
 
I am sure I will think of some more questions and will add them at a later time. Thanks in advance for the input. 

 

[twentyHz]

I am surprised, I figured this thread would have had more traffic then it has had.

 

[ilikedonkeys39]

i think its just a lot of people dont know, i would answer but i dont know anything about it, sorry

 

[RushNerd]

Quote:

I am surprised, I figured this thread would have had more traffic then it has had.

when you make your first post eight questions, not many people are going to help.

 

[tcp56]

I'll give it a shot.
Did the mod about two yrs ago and I still use them. 
 
I doubt that the type of fiber fill really matters just how much and how you distribute it in the ear cup.
I chose to be really careful with the dampening and didn't do the last step as it seemed to be irreversible
I also didn't like the effect of the puffed out ear pads. took that out and went back to stock.
 
It would be nice if it was easier to take apart and see what the effects of different parts of the mods are.
but some of the screws are difficult and frustrating to get in and out and you don't want to strip out the wood.
 
Hope that helps it's kind of fun to do.

 

[twentyHz]

Thanks for the input all of you except rushnerd. Just kidding rushnerd.

I know it is a lot of questions, however I notice everybody around here seems to have the LAD5000's or the Markl modded D2000's etc. I figured that the sound quality questions would be a breeze to answer.

tcp56 did you find the improvements noticeable with the dampened ear cups? Was it a desired result?

 

[twentyHz]

Oh and as for all of the questions, feel free to answer as many or as few as you can.

 

[twentyHz]

It is too bad a person does not really have a chance to compare a stock vs mod before taking the modding process on themselves.

 

[336881]

I read in an older post that the lawton tuning doesn't work very well without the angle pads. Its $200 to make them m-series from mark or $129 diy. Either way you shuld end up wit some world class headphones.

 

[tcp56]

From what I remember MarkL's reason for messing with modding the D5000 was his disappointment with loose and flabby bass that was overwhelming the great qualities in this phone.
I'm not sure I totally felt that way but mine are a second hand pair and I was kind of excited to mess around with them.
At the time Mark had detailed instructions on his site which I think he has since removed, Why give away all his work for free? especially when he went in to business doing the mod.
 
Like I said I stopped before the final step of placing the sticky dampening material on or close to the diaphragm ( sorry trying to remember from two years ago off the cuff)
so I consider it a partial Mod.  Like I said before I took out the mod to the ear pads the extra distance away from the ear I felt like I was loosing some of the detail and the naturalness
of the sound. 
 
So what I ended up with was a tightening up of the bass which I felt was an improvement. Did they turn into the best headphone ever like MarkL thought? Not exactly but I would still do it
and I can put them back to stock.  I do remember the second time I took them apart some of the tiny screws were very hard to place. Not damaged or stripped but frustratingly hard to get started
to where I wasn't looking to open them up any time soon again.
 
Have fun and good luck.
 
Tom

 

[hipster2010]

I did a partial mod to my D5000. I dampened the back of the cups and the back of the drivers and I think I spent ~2 hours. I did not get around to dampening the front of the drivers, but I imagine it would only improve the sound further. I thought the bass in general is quite powerful and a bit boomy, so more dampening would hopefully tighten it up further. I also didn't add the polyfill because the guide says that it is no longer recommended, so I didn't try to experiment. I also added J$ ear pads, which probably made the biggest difference. I think the the bass got a bit tighter overall and soundstage and comfort were improved from the pads. I definitely recommend getting a pair of Lawton Angle pads or J$ if you can find them, or else following the guide to create the fatter pads. They really help improve the sound.
 
All mods on any headphone usually have risks of damage, as a slight slip can lead to mistakes that can either be harmless or have bad consequences. The dynamat is also pretty permanent. While it can be removed, it would likely leave residue and would further increase the risk of damage.
 
Don't buy a kit unless you want the convenience of having the pieces cutout for you already. If you feel comfortable, just buy the sheets of Dynamat for like $20 and cut everything out yourself. You can then use the money to buy the after market pads