markl

Good morning! LOL, re-reading in the cold light of day is educational. Went through a whole bottle of wine before I realized it last night when I got sucked in over here. Apologies for any off-color remarks (although I suppose I was getting into the spirit of the site which is, after all, 80% off-color remarks ). I see that I wasn't as articulate in expressing certain things as I could have been and got side-tracked; a case of what you mean and what you type aren't completely in sync. Let me try again. As for this post by me: The point I was attempting to make (incoherently), was related to the many remarks I've read here and in the past on this iste that I'm a shill or a paid stooge. That smarts, and that really does make me mad. If folks are going to make charges like that, back them up with some evidence. You can't because there isn't any because my opinions are not for sale. The puffery was a botched attempt to defend myself against these charges by presenting my "resume" of past activities to try to show that I'm not just some random guy who only showed up yesterday to shill for some company. People who have been around a while know me; if I was some kind of shill, I'd have been found out years ago. I would also not keep changing my gear around and discarding older stuff for newer stuff I liked better. I must be a very disloyal shill who abandons the gear he was paid to hype as soon as he hears something better. I mentioned my Positive Feedback gig to make the point that I was the one who came forward immediately and resigned due to my activities mod-ing headphones, a shill probably wouldn't have. I was looking forward to being a regular contributor there, it was going to be fun. They also didn't take me on because they thought I was some shill; they "hired" me because they checked me out and asked around. In any case, if I wanted to be some kind of shill and bash everyone else's headphone but the one I mod, I could have had a platform to do that, but I quit. As far as the comments about my being trusted by "many", yeah I read that now and see how that could be seen as ego-inflating. I do get asked every day for help with people's systems and direction and opinions, that is true. However, a bit immodest to have worded it quite so bluntly as above. Again, the point was not that I'm so great, it was to refute the idea that I'm a shill and provide more evidence that I'm not just some jerk with a keyboard and 20 bucks from a manufacturer to spam a website. A shill would be quickly found out, and no one would be asking his advice on anything. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- swt61, With all due respect, I think you've misread what I wrote in this other post that you seem to find so offensive. It wasn't about me and my "importance" (this time ), it was pointing out how important Head-Fi is (and this site, too, to some extent). I'll re-post it so you can see. I'm saying that *anyone's* posts on some new product can make or break that product, it may never get a second chance if the first guy to review it hates it. That makes that person, whomever he is very powerful. So is the group-think that can happen WRT to certain products, opinions that become inherited and passed around and become "true" just by being repeated. If there was no Head-Fi, for example, and only head case, Ray Samuels would likely be out of business due to the prevailing negative attitude toward his stuff here. That is power, gentlemen. I'm saying the things you say just in passing about a product can have a huge ripple effect you may not be conscious of. If you are a highly visible member of that community (and that goes for anyone, not just me), you are known to manufacturers, you better believe it. Which only makes sense, they are looking for influencers and someone well-known with a high-post count has more weight and credibility than a new name that just showed up that day to talk about their product. It's on that basis that folks (including me) get sent stuff for review. Did you read what he wrote about my review? Who was getting "trashed" by those comments? So I reponded. I simply said I was disappointed it seems he shows one face somewhere else and another one here. If he wants to critique my review I can critique his review of the TakeT. I din't name call or trash him personally in any way, in fact I said I liked him and admired his writing. As far as Head-Case, in general, no it's not really my style FWIW. It can be a bit "clique-y" and frankly a bit elitist, too. If you're not in the "club", watch out! It does feel to me like this is the place people go to talk behind the backs of other people in the community. I think the free-wheeling nature of the forum encourages people to say things to each other through a keyboard they'd never say to their face. Maybe I'm a bit square, but I actually like the (relative) civility over at Head-Fi, and don't mind the moderation. Your hobby should be something that you do to relax, not fight about. Head Case is not a relaxing experience for me. Also, from what I can see, the site is anti-cable, anti-subjective, possibly anti-audiophile which puts me on the outs. Is that a fair assessment, or have I just not hung out here enough? After a nice bottle of red wine, anyway.

Aaah, so that's why you're mad. I get it. Actual facts make you mad... Not my problem, though is it? It's your issue. It's a Barack Obama thing.

If I'm a MOT, or my posting is restricted here, please let me know, I don't want to violate any rules. So far, I've been encouraged to post.

Oy, well, that's a major part of the mod. Leaving out the wood is not one of things I do even in the 2/3rds mod.

1. Are there people who know more about how the industry works than others? Yes. 2. Do I know more about how the industry works than most? Yes. What are you arguing with?

You, too? Well, the point of fact remains, which is I can turn your Denon D5000 into a great headphone. No one who has had the mods done has said it was a bad idea, and no one has said the end result is worse than stock. Anyone who can see through the puzzling BS of the angry people here is welcome to contact me on Head-Fi. Cheers. Mark

You make me laugh, thanks EdipisReks. That's all you got-- a mama joke?

Hah-hah! When you are out of legitimate objections you resort to base name-calling. Next time I cash a check from "markl mods" I'll think of you and laugh.

Whether people here like it or not, I am contacted very often to review gear. Maybe you get twice as many offers, maybe not. That doesn't take away from the number of manufacturers who seek me out. It's not bragging; it's just a fact. If that offends you, I can't help that.

A "few times". How 'bout "all the time"? I don't and haven't claimed to be anything but what I am (read my replies before you fly off the handle). You seem to be bitter or angry for reasons who knows? You missed the main point which is, there are folks (apparently including you) who feel it necessary on this site to dis me for whatever reason. YOU are chiefly the one pumping me up beyond my importance. I didn't ask for it; I'm just observing fact that folks like you keep responding to me here as you have just done.

Ugh, more double-blind BS. I have a current customer that purchased both the Full Mod and the 2/3rds mod headphones at the same time. I am hoping he is willing to report his findings on these. Probably won't appear here, but on Head-Fi.

Is this one I modified personally, or someone else's attempt? Either way, knowing your biases toward the R10 (that I once shared), I look forward to your thoughts, purk.

Oh, ouch, you got me, it's over I'm dead. My "study" consists of listening to dozens of sources, dozens of amps, dozens of headphones, doszens of cables, etc. Take a listen to a markl mod-ed D5000 before you claim to have an opinion of it. You just might be surprised. Or, take a listen to all the satisfied customers as well as folks who have done the mod for free. There's been no one who claims the fully mod-ed phone is "worse" than stock. Gotta run, take care!

I am what I am, and my situation is what it is. If this is letting folks in and behind the curtain of Head-Fi, I guess that's OK. Want some truth? Want some reality? Want to know how it works, and how the reviews you see on Head-Fi *really* work? I have some real insight here, I'm an "insider" and I can share with you if you want. Want to know the secrets? I'll tell you. Makers of audio products are VERY VERY VERY interested in Head-Fi. Head-Fi is one of THE primary and most IMPORTANT audio sites on the web. Why? Because most of its audience is made up of younger people who have not yet made their minds up about any brand of gear. Convince them on Head-Fi and you have a customer for life. Don't be fooled, EVERY manufacturer of gear knows about us and is painfully aware of us and what goes on on Head-Fi. We MATTER. We are taste-makers and gate-keepers. The majority of folks coming into "hi-fi" for now and forveer are going to come in via headphones. We are the gate-keepers to "high-end" audio. Our attitudes and opinions matter, and matter more than they do on any other audio-related website (did you know Head-Fi is THE #1 audio website?). Those are REALITIES. I know it seems hard to believe it, but if you are a long-term contributor in the headphone community with a well-known name, you will be SHOCKED to know that manufacturers of gear you've never even heard of know who you are, and know that your opinion may be the gateway to their success. So, the point is, it's not that I'm some demi-god of self-importance. I've been around and I have access to parts of this world you probably haven't seen. You may be amazed at how much weight you're half-hearted, tossed-off comment about some DAC has if you're on Head-Fi. You may just be determining the fate of some small audio business....

Absolutely yes. Over the next several weeks there will be continued feedback on Head-Fi of my mods. Let's see what they say before we decide if they are worth-while or not.

Here's the rub. Yes, since I've gotten into business, the mod has progressed beyond what is posted. If you have a complaint here, really it's like resenting General Mills for keeping its full Cheerios formula secret from you (despite having posted instructions for you to make a generic version). Sorry, I have no sympathy for you here. Yeah; I have a "secret sauce" that improved on what I've posted publicly. Sue me, or send me your phone to be mod-ed. I have more "tricks" coming I expect I can't talk about that might be even better... Based on all the feedback here, I still feel very good and invite anyone curious about improving the D5000 to contact me via Head-fi. It looks like, despite all this, the basic premises of my mod are still valid: 1. The stock D5000 is flawed (it is, just listen to it). 2. The markl modified D5000 is an improvement over stock; don't take my word for it, listen to customers. 3. I may not approve of everything markl has ever posted, but it appears his mods for the D5000 work (based on feedback from folks that got the mod free, did it themselves and/or paid markl to do it for them). I'm confident whatever anyone's thoughts of me here, the fundamentals of the mod are sound, and worth paying for, if you feel you can't do it yourself. Mark

LOL, once you are the subject of such a thread, we'll talk.

No, it clearly isn't. But when I'm the subject of some discussion, I certainly am allowed to reply.

Again, this is what makes me so sad about this site; sincerity and honesty is automatically interpreted as lies and grabage. That's sad for this site, and says more about the interpreter than it does about me.

Thank you.

Like I said, I'm with you here. I can't imagine why anyone would bother to think enough about me to impugn my motives and consider me a fraud and a shill if I hadn't have come here first. The difference is I've spent some time and read a LOT of un-informed opinions about myself (in this thread and others), that tells me there is some misconception about me out there that should be addressed. If I didn't matter, and my presence wasn't somehow "controversial", why would there be so much attention paid to this thread? Why would you care what I typed? This thread is not the first one on me here, nor are the comments expressed here new at all. For reasons I can only just comprehend, it seems many folks here have an opinion of me and that is that I'm a shill or a fraud. Don't be mad at me, I would join you in your outrage at anyone thinking I'm some kind of fake!

Oh, you got me. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Dude, how many times do I have to type that I, just like anyone else in this economy (just like you, you're a prostitute too, you sell your time and services to whomever pays your paycheck), also work for A PROFIT. You bet! I'm making money off my mods! I get dollars for my mods! I GET PAID Y'ALL! woo-hoo-, I'm rolling in markl-mod dollas y'all! :D Call the communist police! Please tell us what you do for a living? Who pays you to prostitute your services and time and how much do you make? No one? You're independently wealthy? Or is this all about jealousy over someone else making some profit? Sorry, man but you made me go there...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Hey man, maybe that's one way of looking at it. For me, I don't like talking behind people's back, or showing one face when we meet in person and another when I'm away. I get that I go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the headphone world. To some extent, by virtue of the amount of involvement I've had in the community, and the amount of influence I can sometimes wield (which I don't take for granted, believe me), to some I may look like "the Man" or an "institution" that needs to be rebelled against (yeah, I do find that absurd, and wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen some of the comments here). But the reality is I'm just a fan and music lover like any other. No one can buy my opinion. I'm not rich, but I don't need any paltry kick-backs from some manufacturer to pimp their gear. That is utterly repugnant to me, and what's more, I've never ever even been approached by anyone to write something I couldn't stand by 100%, let alone been paid off for my review. Yes, I do get sent gear for to me to review. That is the result of having been around a while in this community and being a voice that is trusted by many. No, that is not a privelege offered to every single headphone nut, so I get the resentment. I can tell you, whether you want to believe it or not, I have never ever written a single syllable that I did not mean. There have been occasions (not many) when I received a product that I didn't find worked for me in my system that I simply sent back and did not comment on. Just because it didn't work for me in my system doesn't mean someone else might not find the very same product the ultimate NIRVANA they'd ever heard. In general, if it's some Mom&Pop outfit, I don't have time to sit there and slam their product and try to wreck their business (if it's some huge company like Sony, as you have seen, the gloves are off). I have instead tried to focus on those products I've found to be outstanding and that I want to alert my friends to. I was recently added as the resident headphone review monkey for Positive Feedback online, based on my reputation and past work. Here, I was going to be paid for my contributions (a nominal amount), but more importantly, I got the prestige of being a "real reviewer" for a much-read site. This was a significant feather in my cap as it would be for anyone. I had 3 reviews in the pipe-line for PF, but the moment I become a MOT for Head-Fi, I wrote management and resigned as there is no way I could possibly be their headphone reviewer when I sell a modified product I like better than the phones I would be reviewing. The point is, no matter what you may think, I am an honest guy, and no one buys my opinion, and I'm not some evil shill for any brand or product. Mark

Again, dude, the bulk of the mod has been GIVEN AWAY FOR FREE. People are replying without all the facts.