[What do you think of "markl Mod for Denon AH-D5000" thread?]

You asked for it...

I'm so excited about this headphone mod, based on 4 days of listening to the result, I wanted to share with the board right away.

Initially, when I got the Denon D5000, I was pretty disappointed with it. As has been well documented, it has this flabby almost flatulent bass response that can sound like a giant farting sound or like a woopie cushion deflating. The other issue was that the wimpy, ultra-thin cushions on Denon?s ear pads insured that the drivers were practically sitting right on top of your ear drums. This made them somewhat obnoxious and overblown, pumping lots of vibrating air down your ear canal, muddying the sound, and harming the soundstage. Whatever its other charms, I couldn?t get past these things and didn?t spend a lot of time with them. So I put them aside to focus on my upcoming reviews of the Ultrasone ED9 and the JVC DX1000.

After adding 75 hours of burn-in and picking the Denons up again on a whim earlier in the week, I was quite surprised. I could hear there was an incredible amount of potential in these cans. It occurred to me that the main source of the issues was not the D5000?s drivers, but rather the flimsy and borderline pathetic construction of the rest of the headphone. I could feel the headphone itself vibrating radically in time to the bass notes; the powerful driver transfers a lot of energy to the rest of the assembly. I think this accounts for at least 75% of the problem with the Denon?s bass?there is no damping of vibration in the headphone, and this adds greatly to the illusion of a loose, stuttering farting bass response that rattles your skull. If you could start to eliminate the vibrations, you could go a long way toward correcting the problem. Hmmmmm?

Also, one thing the Sony R10 and the JVC-DX1000 (two of the soundstaging champs of all time, IMO) has taught me, is that one of the keys to obtaining a proper soundstage is to simply move the driver away from the ear. Both those cans have a lot of space between your ears and the driver, and this allows the soundstage to expand left and right and fill in that center gap in the image you get with many cans (including the D5000). Moving the driver away also can reduce the feeling of air being pushed against the ear drum which tends to localize the sound inside the ear cups. Because the driver is constantly reminding you of its presence, pumping and vibrating, it can spoil the illusion of a soundstage outside your head, always reminding you that you are actually listening to two tiny drivers strapped to your ears.

OK, anyway, so this mod has two parts, one to damp the vibrations in the headphone assembly, and another to move the driver further away from the ear. The results of this mod, IMO, are the following:

Advantages of this mod over stock:

--Tightening of bass response, to the point it no longer intrudes into the rest of the sound

--Slight attenuation of bass volume, allowing the mids and highs to bloom a little more, improving resolution

--Removal of a considerable amount of the vibration in the assembly, which yields a less ?farty? bass sound and less blurry image.

--Bigger soundstage left-to-right and up and down, plus greater soundstage depth

--Partial closure of the gap in the center of the image

--Blacker background

--Slightly improved isolation

Consequences of the mod

--In the process, you will rub off the lettering on the outside of the ear cups, an already noted problem with the Denons.

--You've got one or two chances to get this right-- the teeny tiny screws can be unscrewed once easily, after that you may have a hard time getting them to go back in securely.

--YOU. VOID. YOUR. WARRANTY.

What You Will Need

--2 standard 1/2" thick sponges

--Some cotton balls

--A set of tiny Phillips head screw-drivers like they make for glasses

--Some 1/2" electrical tape

--2 plastic cups with a 2.5? diameter at the top

-----------------------Procedure-----------------------

Step 1: Remove the Ear Pads.

--Place the flat of your palms firmly up against the ear pad, and applying even, firm pressure, twist the pad counter-clockwise. It will pop out of the assembly.

Step 2: Unscrew the Driver Assembly from the Headband Assembly

--You will notice 4 tiny phillips head screws, screwed into the metal. Unscrew them and set aside these screws, they are slightly different from the screws in the wood enclosure (see Step 3). The wooden ear cup and the driver will detach from the main assembly. Make a mental note of what the holes look like that you just removed these screws from.

--You will notice a foam ring that will likely fall out at this stage. Don't worry, it just sits in there loosely and can be re-seated when you are done mod-ing.

Step 3: Unscrew the Wooden Ear Cup From the Driver Assembly

--You will see 4 tiny phillips head screws that attach the driver into the wood of the earcup. Unscrew them and set these screws aside, keeping them separate from the other screws from Step 2. Remember which screws go where. Make a mental note of what the holes look like that you just removed these screws from, you will need this info later, and you will forget und get stuck unless you do so!

Step 4: Add Sponge Damping to Inside of Wooden Ear Cup

--Why sponge? It is denser than cotton (which likely wouldn't do much), and lighter than Blue-Tak and will conform nicely to the shape of the bowl. It absorbs a lot of vibration. It works.

--Take the wooden ear cup and place it on top of your sponge. Trace around the outside of the cup with a pencil to mark out a circle. Cut out your template. Cut some tiny indentations in each of the 4 corners where there are portusions in the wood that have the holes for the screws.

--Stuff the sponge into the inside of the earcup. Press down until there is no air between the sponge and the wood. You will need to do some slight trimming around the edges to get the sponge to fit, but try to get as much sponge inside the earcup as possible.

--The rear of the driver portrudes out into the ear cup. You will not be able to put the ear cup back onto the driver assembly without hollowing out a little space in the center of the sponge. There is no need to cut an entire hole in the sponge. Instead, take an x-acto knife and extend the blade approx one quarter inch and lock in place. Draw a circle in the middle of the sponge within the ear cup the size of the rear of the driver. Use the x-acto knife to cut a quarter inch into the sponge around the perimeter of the circle you drew. You may be surprised to find a layer of sponge 1/4" deep will peel away from the rest of the sponge leaving a 1/4" layer of sponge behind where the butt of the driver will rest. If it doesn'y all peel off, pick at it and scrape it carefully with the x-acto knife until you have created a hollow.

--The ear cup still will not attach fully to the driver assembly. This is because of the cables that attach to the back of the driver (see pic). The cord is thick and there is a little knot in it that rests inside the ear cup housing. You will need to cut a 1/4" channel in the sponge to match where the cable lays; again, no need to cut a full hole in the sponge. This will leave enough room for the cable so you can now put the ear cup back on the driver assembly.

Step 5: Re-Attach the Ear Cup to the Driver Assembly

--You will see 2 potential sets of holes into which to screw your 4 screws, and by this time you may have forgotten which was which. It's too hard to describe with words which set of holes is for attaching the wood back to the driver and which are for attaching the driver back to the headphone assembly, so you will have to make careful mental notes before you unscrew them back in Steps 2 & 3.

--Put the wooden cup in place up against the rear of the driver, making sure the wires fit squarely into the channels you cut for them in Step 4.

--Using the correct screws and holes, screw them back into the wood.

Step 6: Re-Attach the Driver Assembly to the Headband Assembly

--By this time there will be a lot of slack in the cord where you pulled the driver assembly away from the headphone assembly to do the work. Pull the cord atached to the rear of the driver back through the hole until there is no more slack and the driver fits back into place in the headphone assembly.

--Re-fit the foam ring back into the center hole if it has come out.

--Using the correct screws and holes, screw them back into the metal assembly.

--Voila! You have just applied a very effective amount of damping. I recommend getting out your most bass-tastic piece of electronica and listen to it before doing the mod. Place your hands on the earcups and then on the metal arms that attach the ear cups to the headband assembly. Try to remember how much vibration you could sense, and then repeat the experiment after the mods. You will notice at least a 50% reduction in vibration. Not perfect, but vastly improved.

Step 7: Stuff the Ear Pads With Cotton

--You will notice on the underside of the ear pads, there is a little white plastic ring that has notches in it that re-attach the pad to the headphone assembly.

--You will also notice that there is no direct way to access inside the pad where the existing padding is; it's been sewn shut. No problem.

--Take a cotton ball and pull it gently apart into a longer strip. Take the strip of cotton and stuff it up under the plastic ring into the space between the ring and the existing padding. You will be surprised how much space will open up in there and how much cotton you can get in there.

--Continue to stuff as much cotton as you can all along the outside edge under the plastic ring; you will need to kneed it and keep pushing it in with your fingers, and eventually you can get a fairly dense and thick layer of cotton in there. If the cotton seems to portrude out a little mnore than you'd like at this stage, don't worry (this is actually good), we will deal with that shortly.

--This step is CRUCIAL! You are about to tape the ring in place which means you cannot adjust it once you are done with the stuffing mod. You must now make sure all 4 of the little prongs are situated in the exact right place to make sure that the pad goes on correctly in the right position. Before you begin taping, the ring will readily move clockwise or counterclockwise within the ear pad. Rotate the ring within the pad, and keep experimenting with it in the assembly until you figure out exactly where the right position is so the pad will go on correctly when you are done. Once you find that position, make sure the ring does not move from it.

--Now for the electrical tape. Why electrical tape? It's rubbery and flexible, and adhere's readily to pleather and fabric and cotton. It is there to help contain the cotton.

--Cut 3/4" strips of your 1/2" electrical tape. Attach one end of one strip to the edge of the pleather pad, fold it over and tuck the bottom of the tape up under the cotton. You will find this step will help contain the cotton, and push it further under the ring in case you were worried you had too much cotton. Continue placing strips of tape around the edge of the pleather and tuck under the cotton. This will create a nice (but not sufficient, see next Step) wall/barrier that will keep the cotton contained and firmly together so it won't come out and cover up the driver.

--Take a plastic cup with a 2.5" diameter top. Cut away the rest of the cup, leaving a very thin ring of plastic. Place the 2.5" little ring of plastic inside the ear cup. If you've done everything correctly, this 2.5" ring will fit snugly up against the electrical tape and in combo with the tape, will be a strong enough barrier to prevent cotton from spreading into areas you don't want it to go.

--Situate the pad back on the headphone assembly, and using firm pressure with your palm, turn clockwiseuntil it snaps into place.

--Oooh, now lok how plump and full your ear pads are!

--But, uh-oh! What kind of headphone is this? Bye-Bye writing on the ear cups...

Conclusion

And there you have it! I'm confident you will find these mods very worth-while. It sounds a lot more difficult than it is (it's really easy), and I know I didn't take enough pics, but there ya go. :allteeth:

I always suspected this, but it's still really ear-opening to start to understand just how much the rest of the headphone outside of the driver actually influences the sound you hear. It's not enough to have a great driver; you can't get lazy and stop there like Denon did, who seem to have totally botched every other aspect of this headphone. The driver is a work of art, one of the best made, but the rest of the assembly fails to capitalize on it. These mods help!

Anyway, I almost can't believe how much I'm enjoying them now. My R10s are literally shaking in their boots. No lie.

[There's Something Disturbing About Ultrasone...]

Brief HF impressions, and a civil jab at Sovkiller.

Here let me reenact that for those who don't want to read the thread, Jack is on the left in this picture, Sov on the right.

[Who would win in a foot race?]

If I could change my vote it would be for Billy Bob. That guy's nuts!

Yeah, but when he plays Santa he's a falling-down drunk so I don't see him winning any races. Now, a rabid Bugs, that's a different story.

[The Headcase Stax thread]

i bet my power amp could drive them ok

Except that you've forsaken headphones in the name of other seductress...

[Who would win in a foot race?]

You mean they're not the same bunny? Damnit, why does TV keep lying to me like this?

Exhibit A: slow-ass Cadbury Bunny

Exhibit B: crazy as a mofo Easter Bunny

[There's Something Disturbing About Ultrasone...]

I vaguely remember KG talking about a portable stat amp over on HF at some point. Of course, it is entirely possible that I imagined that.

As far as I remember KG was promised some parts by a manufacturer who has yet to come up with them. I think there are threads here that mention it but I can't get them to surface via the search.

[Who would win in a foot race?]

Definitely not the bunny. Unless those Cadbury commercials are lying to me, the Easter Bunny just sits around and lays eggs.

Duh, that's the Cadbury Bunny, not the Easter Bunny.

[mmmmm... Donuts!]

It's going to be a gain of 10 effective (gain of 5 per board). That should give it the umph it needs...It sounded good to me out of my single-ended Beta22 with the zapped Opus, but I do listen a lot lower in volume than most people.

That's good to hear, holy shit a gain of 22 would have been epic though and ever so appropriate given the amp's name.

[Who would win in a foot race?]

Either that, or (a) he's confusing "Santa Claus" with the movie, "The Santa Clause", or ( he's utilizing the old spelling, Santa Klaus, which would mean that he's still misspelling it, or © it's against his religion to spell it correctly.

I bet Fredbot knows the answer.

[frontpanelexpress.com]

I would look around the net. You could do some comparison shopping.

Good God you're terrible.

[Who would win in a foot race?]

HOP-HOP FTW

[Recommendations for DIY cases that look like ARC amps?]

I like the case that HiFi2000 has in their banner, but I can't find it for sale on their site. =[

As far as I know it's just one of their Pesante Dissipante cases with a heavy front panel and optional handles. You'd just have to email them for more information, assuming this is what you're talking about.

[What is likely to be new?]

I personally am waiting until Spring for Senn (if not earlier). I am 99.9 percent sure come CanJam time, my wallet will be open.

See, now there's your reason for a beta22. The beta absolutely rocks with the HD650s, I can only imagine what it'll be like with the HD(insertnumberhere).

[mmmmm... Donuts!]

Jay,

If that beta was setup for a gain of 5 single-ended it has an effective gain of 10 balanced. And I hope Steve didn't have his beta setup for a gain of 11, jebus I can't imagine what would need a gain of 22. Touch the knob on that amp and Grado's would explode.

[There goes my iPod....]

Ah, got it. My favorite was when it first went in for repair because it wouldn't stay on for more than 5 seconds and wouldn't hold any charge. They returned it to me after replacing its battery, but never tested to see if that actually fixed the problem. And since I'm typing this, it didn't. Every time I take it back, I wonder why I didn't just get an Apple care for it.

Best Buy does have a lemon policy, you should ask about it when you get it back this time. They had to replace my D70 under that rule.

[There goes my iPod....]

Thanks for the offer, Nate. I had to send the iPod in so I don't have it anymore. I'll just have to contend myself with listening to my audiobooks at home (and listen to NPR during my commute), which really isn't a bad thing.

Oh, I mean when you get it back. Then you can say, "Look, I just had this thing fixed and now it's dead again." If this was the first time it'd had an issue I'd never suggest such a thing but given the craptacular history I'd say it's warranted.

[There goes my iPod....]

Let me know if I need to get out the welding magnets, you'll have a lemon on your hands in about 5 minutes. And let me know if you need a loaner pod. The Zune is working out great and my 20gig 3G technically still works.

[Post the last thing you bought!]

Also, let us know how it sounds.

Ok, so the HCT/Dared arrived this afternoon. Initial thoughts have me laughing Dr. Evil style that I paid as little as I did for it. For one thing it's in pretty good shape, just a minor mark here and there and it sounds pretty decent. There's something a bit artificial about it but I don't really care about its performance as a headphone amp, I'll be much more interested to get it home and see how it does driving a small pair of bookshelf speakers. I've got a little pair of Boston Acoustics HD-5s that are itching for something to shake the dust off them.

[What is likely to be new?]

Can we please have a fredbot smiley.

[What is your current project, or what will be your next project?]

should the pk1's be rewired for balanced 4pin in anticipation of mating with your mini3-2? or whatever jacks you decided on..

The mini3-2 will be getting the 4-pin treatment. I've been swayed, it's one less hole to cut and I'm lazy.

[What is your current project, or what will be your next project?]

All of the parts for the mini3-2 have arrived. Now if I could just get out of work before 9 tonight I might actually get to start something. :'(

[The truth about my amps.....?]

Haha wow.... this guy is crazy. \

At least the "newbie" title fits.

[Team Audio-Technica Unite!]

Pffft, don't feel bad Jack, I can't even afford the meetings!

[Denon AH-D2000--big disappointment.]

I can't wait till every D5000 thread contains some version of "Dude you haven't heard the D5000s till you markl mod them. They kill the R10s."

[Post what you're watching]

Sox vs. Rockies