[Jmatt110]

If someone has a spare set of cups that fit the D7000 and want to send me, I can give this a shot with my fully modded LA7000's (Luthier Tonewood cups).

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

If someone has a spare set of cups that fit the D7000 and want to send me, I can give this a shot with my fully modded LA7000's (Luthier Tonewood cups).

You could always try it with no cups at all, since there's little to no difference between the cups being completely off and the cups being on but open-backed. The only other part is placing the earpads on the frame of the headphone instead of putting the pegs in the holes and locking them in.
 
I might be that with the Markl mod, raising the earcups is less necessary. You'll just have to experiment!
 
I've definitely concluded that there is a peak at 4KHz on these when modded. With the open cups and raised earpads, it gives them a slightly sibilant, wonky sound. On iTunes, I have it attenuated by about 1.5-2dB, and it makes them sound much more natural. I also have the 8KHz and 16KHz bands set to the same. Those help make them less bright and fatiguing, though I suppose someone might want that extra detail. For me, it sound a bit unnatural and is too fatiguing at the volumes I like to listen to.
 

 

[thrillhaus]

I just removed my cups to get a taste of this mod. Holy soundstage! I completely forgot I even had my Bs2b binaural plugin disabled. Soundstage is extremely deep, wide, and airy. I actually prefer listening without Bs2b now. Bass is less impactful than stock, but still deeper and heavier than foam modded HD555s. I'm also finding a tolerable, but noticeable bit of sibilance.
 
What it needs now is a way to make switching between open back and closed cups (markl modded) a breeze and we'll have an incredibly versatile set of cans.

 

[thrillhaus]

Okay, I've done some comparing between having the pads raised, and having them locked down. The raised pads definitely contribute significantly to this mod's overall openness. However, the problem with having velcro is that you can't switch between raised pads, and say, locked in JMoney pads. Therefore I propose modding the plastic tabs on the stock pads by attaching an additional tab below using epoxy. This would allow one to secure the modded pad by locking it into the original slots, and also allow easy switching with unmodded or JMoney pads. Now after I come up with a way to make the cups modular also, we will essentially have two versions that are easily interchangeable:

1. Open back cups + modded stock pads, raised
2. Closed back (possibly with markl mod) cups + stock or Jmoney pads, sealed

 

[lee730]

Nice that you are enjoying the mod. The biggest change for me was in the mids. They really open up with the cans off. Everything else improves as well but the mids (vocals especially really shine with the cans off). Just need to find someone to safely mod my cups lol.
Quote:

Okay, I've done some comparing between having the pads raised, and having them locked down. The raised pads definitely contribute significantly to this mod's overall openness. However, the problem with having velcro is that you can't switch between raised pads, and say, locked in JMoney pads. Therefore I propose modding the plastic tabs on the stock pads by attaching an additional tab below using epoxy. This would allow one to secure the modded pad by locking it into the original slots, and also allow easy switching with unmodded or JMoney pads. Now after I come up with a way to make the cups modular also, we will essentially have two versions that are easily interchangeable:

1. Open back cups + modded stock pads, raised
2. Closed back (possibly with markl mod) cups + stock or Jmoney pads, sealed

 

 

[thrillhaus]

Hans, can you tell me which side of the cups you began the drilling? I'm not sure which side is the best for preventing cosmetic damage to the outside.

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

Okay, I've done some comparing between having the pads raised, and having them locked down. The raised pads definitely contribute significantly to this mod's overall openness. However, the problem with having velcro is that you can't switch between raised pads, and say, locked in JMoney pads. Therefore I propose modding the plastic tabs on the stock pads by attaching an additional tab below using epoxy. This would allow one to secure the modded pad by locking it into the original slots, and also allow easy switching with unmodded or JMoney pads. Now after I come up with a way to make the cups modular also, we will essentially have two versions that are easily interchangeable:

1. Open back cups + modded stock pads, raised
2. Closed back (possibly with markl mod) cups + stock or Jmoney pads, sealed

Very interesting idea! Keep us updated on this. I'll be sticking with velcro simply because I never foresee having to change the pads. The real key for me is figuring out a good way to reduce the some of the peaks in the upper mids and treble. It won't take much to make a big difference. Once I do that, they will be super, super awesome headphones.
 
Quote:

Hans, can you tell me which side of the cups you began the drilling? I'm not sure which side is the best for preventing cosmetic damage to the outside.

Once I figured out where the center of the cup was from the inside, I drilled a small hole in the cups from the inside. Once I had that, I drilled the actual large hole from the outside of the cups. Not only should that produce cleaner results, but it's just much easier to do it that way.
 

 

[thrillhaus]

Quote:

Once I figured out where the center of the cup was from the inside, I drilled a small hole in the cups from the inside. Once I had that, I drilled the actual large hole from the outside of the cups. Not only should that produce cleaner results, but it's just much easier to do it that way.
 

Did your stock cups have this extra round disc of plastic on the inside, surrounded by some fabric of some sort? Did you end up drilling through the extra plastic?
 

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

Did your stock cups have this extra round disc of plastic on the inside, surrounded by some fabric of some sort? Did you end up drilling through the extra plastic?

Oh, I removed everything from inside the cups before drilling anything.

 

[hans030390]

Ok, so I took a few hours and put some acoustic foam/sound dampening material in the cups and on the back of the drivers (as seen in the Markl mod). It's not Dynamat, but something normally sold for computer case.
 
I'll be posting more details and pictures later, but first impressions indicate that it definitely makes them sound even better. Slightly more refined and, most importantly, slightly less sibilant and bright. I'm still EQing them a bit around 4KHz and 7KHz, but I've found that I don't need to attenuate them as much as before to be satisfied. Even without EQ, they're easier to listen to.
 
I haven't done all the dampening I want to do yet, so this is just a marker for my progress.

 

[drummerman]

I find this thread amazing ... amazingly odd.
 
Has it ever crossed your minds that perhaps you have the wrong headphone?
 
Not just that but just moving headphones around your ears you can change sound considerably, more so than by adding stuff to your cans..
 
To go through so much trouble and then STILL have to equalize the phones is not exactly a result. Dont forget, music is not just recorded differently but different genres place different demands on phones so no one headphone will be perfect for everything.
 
You guys need to find a happy compromise and start listen to music again instead of making  'modifications' to headphones which, ultimately, perhaps create more problems than they solve, especially if you dont have the technical equipment to measure your 'progress'.
 
No offense to anyone by the way. It does make for funny reading.
 
regards
 
 

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

I find this thread amazing ... amazingly odd.
 
Has it ever crossed your minds that perhaps you have the wrong headphone?
 
Not just that but just moving headphones around your ears you can change sound considerably, more so than by adding stuff to your cans..
 
To go through so much trouble and then STILL have to equalize the phones is not exactly a result. Dont forget, music is not just recorded differently but different genres place different demands on phones so no one headphone will be perfect for everything.
 
You guys need to find a happy compromise and start listen to music again instead of making  'modifications' to headphones which, ultimately, perhaps create more problems than they solve, especially if you dont have the technical equipment to measure your 'progress'.
 
No offense to anyone by the way. It does make for funny reading.
 
regards

Right, so all of those people turning $75 Fostex T50RPs into amazing headphones with some modifications should all just consider that they've bought the wrong headphone? Last I checked, the only alternatives that match the T50RPs modded performance cost upwards of several hundred dollars. I guess it makes more sense to just spend $600-1000+ and not mod something than $75 + costs for mods.
 
I think you should listen to what some mods can do before calling people out on it. If I were to let you listen to the stock D2000 and my modded D2000, your jaw would probably drop and you would understand why people do it. Sometimes the best headphone for a person is something that only a modded headphone can do. It's not because we're all obsessive or unwilling to just find a better pair of headphones for our tastes. And we certainly aren't moving away from just enjoying the music. Far from it. We are bringing the music to life in ways that might otherwise not be possible (without spending much more money) because we love music.
 
My story is that I bought my D2000 and loved it. Then I tried out the HD598, because people were raving about it. Many people said the D2000 had recessed mids, and I didn't realize what I was missing until trying out the HD598. For a while, I thought my HD598s would replace my D2000s. So, right there, I did buy a new pair of headphones instead of modding mine. Then I read about an open D7000 mod and was intrigued by the findings. I tried it myself (because you can try it in a reversible way) and found something even better than my HD598. Do you really think it makes sense to NOT mod them after that? By your words, it would have made more sense to either keep my inferior HD598 (compared to open D2000) or sell them both off and find another pair of cans. I think the most logical solution here is the easiest one. Mod the headphones, because they obviously sound better that way to my ears. I had the tools, and the materials I've purchased in modding them are really, really cheap. I love music, and I love spending the time tinkering with my equipment to get every bit of life out of my music as possible.
 
Now, as for it causing more problems, I have said this is an ongoing process. Sometimes mods make things better. In that case, why not do them? It's more fun and exciting than buying new headphones (which you might not even end up liking). It's less of a hassle, and it's usually cheaper. Yes, sometimes they make things worse...but the experimentation was still fun! A smart person won't mod headphones in a way that is irreversible without testing/hearing what it will do first, because they know the risks. Sometimes the results aren't 100%. Sometimes you have to keep tweaking to find that sweet spot. And when you do, it's worth every hour you spent on it.
 
Either way, a small peak at 4KHz and 7KHz are my main problems, and those are REALLY minor. I'd say that's a pretty successful mod if I only have minor complaints. The complaints I have with it now are more minor than the ones I had with it being stock. I am well on my way to perfecting these headphones, and it will be 100% worth it.
 
I think you're missing the point overall. If you don't find enjoyment in modding things, then continue on buying new headphones whenever you aren't satisfied. But it sounds like you have little to no experience in modifying headphones. You'd have other words to say if you did. I couldn't care less either way and am not offended in the slightest, but I would suggest you keep your opinions to yourself on matters that you seem to have little experience in.
 
 
 

 

[drummerman]

I'd like to see your modded version measured vs. the original. 'Tuning by ear' is iffy, most leading headphone manufacturers spend good money on equipment and R&D. Changing cables is BS, the only useful things you can do is to reduce cup resonance and rear sound reflection. After that its the driver quality (or lack of it). Give a good driver a good enclosure and presto. It still wont be perfect for all and everything but its the best you can hope for.
 
In any case, from what I understand from your comments I'd suggest you try Sennheiser 650 even if you can't afford them immediately. Problem is, after drilling holes in cups etc it may be difficult to flog your current ones (which you probably never like, even though they 'only have a couple of response notches' other than if someone has a penchant for swiss emmental.
 
regards

 

[hans030390]

Well, yes, my mods are helping in reducing resonance and sound reflections. This is one of the most standard mods I've seen, and is usually cheap and easy to do. The Denon headphones in general seem to benefit from these types of mods.
 
I do agree that tuning by ear is iffy and that personal preference highly varies from person to person. I suggest the base of of the mod (open-back cups and raised earpads) as a place to start. It gets you 95% of the way there. Then the person is free to tweak it to their liking through modifications or EQ, both of which are quite common for almost any headphone. I think that desire to fine tune everything for your preferences comes naturally when one becomes an audiophile. Not always, but I think being an audiophile makes one more aware of the finer aspects of audio and how that relates to their personal preferences that develop through this understanding and critical (buy passionate) listening. No one person hears everything the exact same way (an exaggeration, yes), so I would say this desire to fine tune would naturally come from that. Hence, EQing and modifications. Yes, trying new headphones is important (and very fun), but mods can be just as exciting and fun (if not more so)!
 
I'd love to try the HD650, but have never wanted to shell out that much money for them. From what I've read, I'd probably like them. I'm sure I'll pick a pair up eventually. In my case, though, my open D2000s bested my HD598s in overall sound quality, so I went with my best sounding option at the time. 
 
Oh, and the guy who originally modded his D7000s like this compared them favorably to his HE-5s. Since I could try it in a completely reversible way, it made no sense to NOT at least try it. I'm glad I did.

 

[Hawaiiancerveza]

They taste sooo good!  Are you latin?
 
Quote:

 

Why yes they are.  I was cooking for some friends and made skirt steak with chimichurri, mexican street corn, and tostones.  Not a very focused menu, but fun as hell to cook and eat.
 
I think I prefer tostones made by other people, but mine weren't bad.  The techniques are simple enough to make something impressive with a modicum of effort.