[hans030390]

Quote:

I know old post alert lol. I find using the wood cups on the Denons seems to help with the tone (timbre). Even though its not closed back I feel it has a slight benefit with the grilled wood cups. Yet I still feel the biggest gain is from letting the drivers breathe so they open up. Also raising the cups so the bass is controlled; best mod I've done so far. Wonder what the TF10 remold will do?

TF10 remold?
 

 

[Taowolf51]

I don't have any Denon headphones yet (though I do plan on picking up a pair of D5000's soon), but I do have a pair of Pro 750's, and you gave me an idea. The pro 750's have the speedswitch pads, which connect using a series of tabs

Sometimes when I put my pads on, one tab doesn't connect like the others, and it's very noticeable. I decided to try something similar to what you did with the D2000's. I intentionally seated the pads so one tab on each pad wouldn't connect. It made it somewhat uncomfortable because of the extra pressure, so I modified it so both lifted tabs are right at the recess on your head that is right below the ears (where the Sternocleidomastoid muscle connects). It fits and is pretty comfortable.
The difference in sound is interesting, the soundstage is wider, the tone is more natural, and the mids come out quite a bit. The highs are too aggressive for my tastes, but it really helps in poorly mastered albums that lie mostly in the mids (for instance, pretty much every Mastodon album). With electronic music it is painful, I probably won't try that again. Though as soon as I get to my desktop, I'm going to test Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble (non-remastered version), which is my favorite album when it comes to mastering.
 
It isn't something I'd do permanently, but it was an interesting test, and may help with a few songs sometime in the future.

 

[lee730]

Good to here this mod works well on other phones.
Quote:

I don't have any Denon headphones yet (though I do plan on picking up a pair of D5000's soon), but I do have a pair of Pro 750's, and you gave me an idea. The pro 750's have the speedswitch pads, which connect using a series of tabs

Sometimes when I put my pads on, one tab doesn't connect like the others, and it's very noticeable. I decided to try something similar to what you did with the D2000's. I intentionally seated the pads so one tab on each pad wouldn't connect. It made it somewhat uncomfortable because of the extra pressure, so I modified it so both lifted tabs are right at the recess on your head that is right below the ears (where the Sternocleidomastoid muscle connects). It fits and is pretty comfortable.
The difference in sound is interesting, the soundstage is wider, the tone is more natural, and the mids come out quite a bit. The highs are too aggressive for my tastes, but it really helps in poorly mastered albums that lie mostly in the mids (for instance, pretty much every Mastodon album). With electronic music it is painful, I probably won't try that again. Though as soon as I get to my desktop, I'm going to test Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble (non-remastered version), which is my favorite album when it comes to mastering.
 
It isn't something I'd do permanently, but it was an interesting test, and may help with a few songs sometime in the future.

 

 

[ArTIkBaNAnA]

Today I finally got the chance to try the mod on my Denons and I have to say it sounds great!
The most noticeable thing for me is that they become more comfortable and much less fatiguing. Music that used to be annoying for me to listen to, is now perfectly fine.
 
The only cons for me are: The loss of isolation, which is quite important for me because I live in a quite noisy place and listening to music with my Denons will be hard that way. Too bad it isn't easier to take off the cups and put them back on.
The other con for me (not really a con actually) is that now I can listen to the Denons at higher volumes without my ears hurting!
 
Thanks for sharing this mod with us! I'll be enjoying it now =P  (Until it will get noisy here lol)

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

Today I finally got the chance to try the mod on my Denons and I have to say it sounds great!
The most noticeable thing for me is that they become more comfortable and much less fatiguing. Music that used to be annoying for me to listen to, is now perfectly fine.
 
The only cons for me are: The loss of isolation, which is quite important for me because I live in a quite noisy place and listening to music with my Denons will be hard that way. Too bad it isn't easier to take off the cups and put them back on.
The other con for me (not really a con actually) is that now I can listen to the Denons at higher volumes without my ears hurting!
 
Thanks for sharing this mod with us! I'll be enjoying it now =P  (Until it will get noisy here lol)

Glad to hear you're liking it! I find it surprising that you find them less fatiguing now, but everyone has different ears!
 
Unfortunately, all open headphones suffer from the isolation and leaking problem. It's just one of those tradeoffs you have to make.
 

 

[lee730]

Quote:

Quote:

Glad to hear you're liking it! I find it surprising that you find them less fatiguing now, but everyone has different ears!
 
Unfortunately, all open headphones suffer from the isolation and leaking problem. It's just one of those tradeoffs you have to make.
 

Yep I can clearly hear noise with the open-back mod. That is my biggest issue with them now. Its even worse than my vented IEMs lol. But it is so worth the trade off as the sound is so much better than stock. I'm wondering though if he unlatched his ear cups from the driver and is allowing them to just rest on the driver instead of being locked in place? I know keeping them latched with the cups removed would actually give a smoother sound but at the expense of speed and detail.

 

[ArTIkBaNAnA]

I did unlatch the earcups.
Maybe it's because I use my PC's onboard sound-card as DAC and amplifier, so I don't get all of the details.....The only reason I'm not getting an amplifier or a DAC is because I'm thinking about getting a better setup. (Will still keep the Denons though =D )
 
Another reason might be because I only had like 30 minutes to test that and most of the time I wasn't in a quiet enviorment, so it might've affected my listening experience.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

I did unlatch the earcups.
Maybe it's because I use my PC's onboard sound-card as DAC and amplifier, so I don't get all of the details.....The only reason I'm not getting an amplifier or a DAC is because I'm thinking about getting a better setup. (Will still keep the Denons though =D )
 
Another reason might be because I only had like 30 minutes to test that and most of the time I wasn't in a quiet enviorment, so it might've affected my listening experience.

Of course if you don't have a decent amp to drive those denons you'll be hindering them and they won't sound their best. The E9 is a cheap solutions and powers the Denons easily.

 

[ArTIkBaNAnA]

Yeah I know.....I'm planning on getting a Violectric V200 amplifier and a Violectric V800 DAC. I've seen many good reviews on those and that they pair well with the Denons and the HiFiMan HE-500 which I'm planning to buy.
 
By the way, when I unscrewed the ear-cups, the screws that hold the headphone swivel creaked a lot. I've also heard about many people having problem with those screws.
Have you thought about replacing those with better, more durable screws?

 

[hans030390]

I'm going to have to do something about my screws/screw holes. They aren't holding anymore. Not sure if the threads have worn out on the screws or the screw holes themselves. 

 

[Deathdeisel]

Heard good things about this stuff. 
http://www.amazon.com/Woodmate-2498-Grip-Screw-Repair/dp/B001B38ALG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324025674&sr=8-3

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

Heard good things about this stuff. 
http://www.amazon.com/Woodmate-2498-Grip-Screw-Repair/dp/B001B38ALG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324025674&sr=8-3

Cool, thanks!
 

 

[lemontree5544]

Hi, just wanted to chime in and continue to say that the modded headphones sound good with live music. 
 
Played it using my set-up, with a DVD live performance.
 
Cranked up the music to 'live' volumes and closed my eyes.
 
Amazing stuff. This is without my lambskin pads which will come in a month's time. 
 
 
 
 

 

[lee730]

Quote:

Hi, just wanted to chime in and continue to say that the modded headphones sound good with live music. 
 
Played it using my set-up, with a DVD live performance.
 
Cranked up the music to 'live' volumes and closed my eyes.
 
Amazing stuff. This is without my lambskin pads which will come in a month's time. 
 
 
 
 

Good to hear! Yeah they really do well on live recordings. Generally music with life in the track. I still can't get over how revealing these cans are though.
 

 

[ArTIkBaNAnA]

Ok, after some more time listening to them I found that they're now more sibilant and bright. It's not fatiguing for me, but it's definately annoying at times. Though not enough to make me stop listening to the song / lower volume / take headphones off.
They sound great this way. I might try take off the center paper...