[lee730]

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Ah, yes, that probably would have something to do with it. I'd be interesting in seeing what effects the Markl mods have in combination with the headphones being open, but I'm afraid it might not mix well given that both mods seem to aim for the same thing in many ways.

Doing the full markle mod may make the Denons bass light sibilant monsters . But I figure doing partial markle mod with the open cup mod would yield very nice results. Probably better than the full markle mode I bet.

 

[dyl1dyl]

Just read through this somewhat short thread, highly interesting stuff. Might have to get one myself

 

[hans030390]

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Doing the full markle mod may make the Denons bass light sibilant monsters . But I figure doing partial markle mod with the open cup mod would yield very nice results. Probably better than the full markle mode I bet.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Or, at least, definitely in combination with the earpads being raised. Might work well if they're locked in like normal though. I'd say it's worth experimenting with!
 
I'm planning on recabling mine eventually. I'm hoping a better cable will help with the bright treble. I also have some adhesive sound dampening foam (ordered a good bit for my incoming T50RPs), so I will play around with using that on the cups and perhaps other areas of the headphones. I doubt it will make much of a difference being on the cups, considering that I could tell basically no difference between them being open and on vs completely off.
 
While they can be too bright/aggressive/sibilant like this, they are extremely detailed (and sound good at it, too). All I really need to do is find a way to slightly attenuate and smooth out the high frequencies.
 

 

[lee730]

Probably use  a warmer laid back source to power them such as a tube amp and that should do the trick with the highs. Not sure if there is cable that would actually tame the highs although its a possibility. The Silver cable I got for my IE8s actually increased the highs, moved the mids forward and tightened the bass.
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Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Or, at least, definitely in combination with the earpads being raised. Might work well if they're locked in like normal though. I'd say it's worth experimenting with!
 
I'm planning on recabling mine eventually. I'm hoping a better cable will help with the bright treble. I also have some adhesive sound dampening foam (ordered a good bit for my incoming T50RPs), so I will play around with using that on the cups and perhaps other areas of the headphones. I doubt it will make much of a difference being on the cups, considering that I could tell basically no difference between them being open and on vs completely off.
 
While they can be too bright/aggressive/sibilant like this, they are extremely detailed (and sound good at it, too). All I really need to do is find a way to slightly attenuate and smooth out the high frequencies.
 

 

 

[hans030390]

Well, that doesn't solve the problem when I'm on the go, at a friend's place, etc. I prefer it when I can hook my headphones up to anything and they'll generally sound good by themselves. 

 

[lee730]

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Well, that doesn't solve the problem when I'm on the go, at a friend's place, etc. I prefer it when I can hook my headphones up to anything and they'll generally sound good by themselves. 

Unless you can get a warm portable amp . Something like the TTVJ Slim. That could be used on the go and at home. I was real close to picking that amp up but ended up getting the UHA4 instead. Who knows I may end up getting the upgraded UHA6 as I can roll the op amps myself to get what ever desired sound signature from all my set ups. I've never really considered the denons portable though lol. They are quite big and the cable is like a mile long. I use my trusty silver cabled IE8s/UHA4 slimline/Hifiman on the go.

 

[hans030390]

Any pair of headphones that I can play from a portable source is considered portable for me. I'm also not a big fan of dedicated amps for portable devices, which is why I have my S:Flo 2. Sounds good and gives out quite a bit of power.

 

[lee730]

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Any pair of headphones that I can play from a portable source is considered portable for me. I'm also not a big fan of dedicated amps for portable devices, which is why I have my S:Flo 2. Sounds good and gives out quite a bit of power.

I actually used my UHA4 with my Sflo2 when I owned one. I found its headphone out to be nice but through its line out that really did show the Sflo2s true potential. Not to mention the UHA4 is quite small and slim as is.

 

[thrillhaus]

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I have not, though I'd love to hear a pair of Markl modded D2000s to compare. I figured I would try this because it is absolutely free to try and 100% reversible. I found the results so favorable compared to my modded HD598 that I saw no need to do the Markl mod. I spent no more than $4 for this mod (just on velcro), as the hole saw I used was already available to me while visiting my family.

If anyone has a Markl modded D2000 they'd be willing to loan me, I'd more more than happy to write up a comparison.

I'm also considering loaning out my modded D2000s once I further refine the mod and have a 2nd pair of headphones on hand while they're out (waiting on some T50RPs).

Hopefully someone who has done the Markl mod may consider doing this mod, and writing a comparison. With two different headphones of even the exact same model, you might have discrepancies due to differences in use/burn-in.
 
Also Hans, I think a better cable would actually make the treble more apparent. My experience with guitar cables is that the longer the cable, the more high frequencies you lose. Warren Heynes from the Allman Bros. actually uses an extra long cable on purpose as the Soldano amps he plays are known to be bright.
 

 

[lee730]

The Sflo2 is also naturally a brighter source. Although through its headphone out its not as bright. The Hifman 601 is still smoother and more laid back. The source will also have a big impact on the sound and can make or break with synergy.

 

[hans030390]

Right, I generally listen to them through my Auzentech Bravura, which has a pretty smooth sound.

 

[lee730]

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Right, I generally listen to them through my Auzentech Bravura, which has a pretty smooth sound.

I wonder how I can perform the cup mod. I can pick up a brand new pair of Denon 7000 cups for $55.00 shipped from Lawton Audio. So that would allow me to use the Denon 5000 cups for the mod. I just want to get it right and aesthetically pleasing lol. Maybe I can take them to a wood shop or something like that and have them cut out the holes for me. Then I'll just have to get some screen and Velcro for the pads. I've been listening to the Denons with your mod for the ear cups and I've come to like the sound. Although it would be nice for the treble to be a tad more  relaxed I bet doing a partial markle mode will fix that.

 

[hans030390]

Do you have an electric drill? You'd need one of those and a hole saw drill bit. At least, that's what I used. I'm sure they have dedicated hole saws as well. Use the screw holes/pegs inside the cup to line up where the center of the cup is (drawing straight lines connecting them helps). Drill a small preliminary hole from the inside of the cups (how you rig this up is on you). Next, flip them over and drill with the hole saw on the outside. Do this slowly and carefully. I did this on a wooden work bench so that I didn't have to worry about messing up the surface of the table. I help the cups with my hand while I did this. Not a smart idea, but it worked. It would slip occasionally, which is a bit scary. Once you do that, sand off those rough edges. That's it! It might be easier with wood than the plastic cups.
 
I posted the following in the Denon appreciation thread:
 
 
I've started experimenting with placing various fabrics and such between the drivers and my ear (usually sandwiched between the pads the the headphones themselves). So far, I've only tried 1 layer of basic off-brand Kleenex (tissue paper). Took a sheet of it and pulled it in half. Cut out a couple circles and sandwiched them in there.

 

So far, it seems to have helped with the treble somewhat. The sound sounds a little less bright, and as such, slightly fuller. I think it mostly attenuated the upper mids and some treble, as the treble at the far end of the extension is still noticeably bright. I'm thinking I'll try cutting off some fabric from an old t-shirt next and see what that does for me.

 

Any suggestions as to what other fabric I might want to try?

 

[lee730]

Wonder what cottons balls would do lol.
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Do you have an electric drill? You'd need one of those and a hole saw drill bit. At least, that's what I used. I'm sure they have dedicated hole saws as well. Use the screw holes/pegs inside the cup to line up where the center of the cup is (drawing straight lines connecting them helps). Drill a small preliminary hole from the inside of the cups (how you rig this up is on you). Next, flip them over and drill with the hole saw on the outside. Do this slowly and carefully. I did this on a wooden work bench so that I didn't have to worry about messing up the surface of the table. I help the cups with my hand while I did this. Not a smart idea, but it worked. It would slip occasionally, which is a bit scary. Once you do that, sand off those rough edges. That's it! It might be easier with wood than the plastic cups.
 
I posted the following in the Denon appreciation thread:
 
 
I've started experimenting with placing various fabrics and such between the drivers and my ear (usually sandwiched between the pads the the headphones themselves). So far, I've only tried 1 layer of basic off-brand Kleenex (tissue paper). Took a sheet of it and pulled it in half. Cut out a couple circles and sandwiched them in there.

 

So far, it seems to have helped with the treble somewhat. The sound sounds a little less bright, and as such, slightly fuller. I think it mostly attenuated the upper mids and some treble, as the treble at the far end of the extension is still noticeably bright. I'm thinking I'll try cutting off some fabric from an old t-shirt next and see what that does for me.

 

Any suggestions as to what other fabric I might want to try?

 

 

[hans030390]

I suppose I could experiment with cotton balls. If I had to guess, it seems like the bright peaks are around 4KHz, 7KHz, and 10KHz. I'd also guess there are some various peaks extending beyond that as well. This is based on my experimentation with EQ and looking at stock D2000 frequency response graphs.

I'm sure SOMEONE has done similar experiments with other headphones to narrow down what materials work well in these cases.