Just about 7-8 months back I had got my first pair of audiophile grade cans . The Denon AH-D2000 . They were amazingly detailed , clear and yet very fun sounding . The D2000s had become a very important part of my life to the extent that all the IEMs had started envying all the attention it was getting.
Now like most audiofools (no offense meant
) , I too had sworn - I wont be spending on audio gear any more , this is my final purchase ! :bleh:
But then Mr. Benny Sachdev would keep telling me how awesome his D5000s sound , and one fine day when he tells me about a steal-deal offer for the D5K on Jaben forum .I just couldn't resist ! So here is it the Denon AH-D5000. Let the pics do the talking now.
Now since the D5Ks had arrived , it was time for the D2K to go . With a heavy heart I put them on sale and Paradh( DareDevil ) was the lucky guy who bought them . For almost 10-12 days I kept comparing the D2Ks and D5Ks and I realized I didn't want to let the D2Ks go cause they were special in their own way .With great difficulty and after keeping Daredvil waiting for almost 1 week ,I finally shipped the D2Ks to him .Before that , I noted down all my impressions of the comparison and here it is.
Bass : The Denon's DXK series are known to have some of the most heavy bass .The D2000s as Ive probably mentioned in some of my posts earlier , has an amazing bass both in terms of quantity as well as quality .Its definitely not for the light bass lovers . The bass is thunderous with a heavy slam and punch .Its well textured and full bodied unlike lot of other high-end cans . Its no slow coach either , its got great speed and attack and its probably one of the very headphones Ive tried that can produce sub bass without any difficulty. The bass is very tight and can be called a little boomy but not muddy or the kind of bass that will creep into the mids.For my type of music the D5Ks EQ-ed tight bass with the amazing punch and slam is perfect.
D2000s vs D5000 bass - the D2000s bass has better speed and attack compared to the D5000s whereas the D5K has less of mid bass and more of sub-bass compared the D2K. Other than that there isn't any major difference I could notice between the two.
The sub-bass can be annoying at times , especially when it hits you at times not needed. This is very specific to tracks and more noticed in EDM/bass heavy tracks only .Also a slight EQ-ing of the lower freqs. in foobar rectifies it completely.
Midrange :
This is where the D5Ks triumph the D2Ks by a good margin , not by more detailing but its the soundsignature and more of micro detailing of the D5Ks which make it better.Detailing wise both the cans are pretty close and I really can't imagine how better a headphones detailing can get after reaching this point .Having heard some of the other high-end cans from Brendon's collection of HD650 ,YH-100 and the famous Thunderpants loaner , I can say that these top of the lines cans like Thunderpants are more about the speed ,accuracy,soundstage and most importantly fine-tuned sound signature than the detailing .Ofcourse they are more detailed but the increase in detailing from what I could make out was hardly 15-20% .
Now coming to the D2K and D5Ks midrange . The D2Ks are known to have a recessed midrange .Its true but also blown out of proportion by a great extent ,especially for someone who hasn't heard it will surely believe they have a v-curved sound or something ,which is not true . The D2Ks midrange doesn't really have a huge drop or anything but its more because of the enhanced bass and treble which makes the mids sound less detailed/recessed . The situation is somewhat similar to the midrange of Ultimate Ears TF10 (Now that almost half the audio section regulars have it , I guess they can relate to it much better ).
The D2K mids have a dark yet close to neutral sound .They do sound recessed compared to some of the other mid-centric cans like HD650, Grados etc but it isn't too recessed . All I can say is the mids aren't the best trait of the D2K.
With the D5K , the mids completely change . I believe this is more to do with the Mahogany wooden cups on the D5K and supposedly better cables . The midrange on these woodies is butter smooth and lush with a hint of warmth in the vocals which make the D5Ks extremely enjoyable . The instruments , the vocals everything just sounds Sweeet ! Perfect mids for my liking I can say With the D5K the mids are definitely more forward than D2K and not as recessed.
Treble :
The D2Ks and the D5K both have extremely detailed and well extended treble. It can be termed as bright yet non-fatiguing .Its got the perfect spark a treble should have IMO . Not much sibilance expect for small peaks in a few tracks .Detailing and clarity wise again both almost on same level , but with D5K I can pick up the micro detailing and other small sects of music in the background with ease . The treble is well spread over compared to D2Ks I can say.
Soundstage / Imaging :
This is another section where the D5Ks provide a significant improvement compared to the D2Ks . The instrument separation is much better. Not that D2Ks soundstage or instrument is bad but D5Ks is better . As a matter of fact , both the Denons have the best soundstage and openness a closed headphone can have. They just don't sound like a closed can at all. The sound is more of 3D in D5Ks and well spread over. Also the cans are pretty light , which gives you a more open can feel than closed.
With the the D5Ks , I can notice the soundstage to have more width and slightly better depth than D2Ks . It could also be due to the more clear and warm midrange .The treble spreads all around my head and has a good 3D feel to it .Makes the music lot more fun then before.
As a Conclusion I can say that :
As most unconfirmed posts on head-fi say that the D2Ks and D5Ks have the same drivers .I can't confirm the same but I do feel that its possibly true . Yet the D5000 offers lot more than the D2000s mainly due to the wooden cups and a better cable(confirmed by a thread on head-fi ). Now if someone is to decide on the retail price, I will suggest the D5000s isn't the most value for money cans you can buy . The D2K anyday offers a better sound for the price and especially if you are brave enough to do the recable and try some of the mods you have a chance to buy one of the most VFM detailed fun sounding headphone which is as good as any other sub 500$ cans !
But no , wait I still want the D5000s ! In that case its best too look for some sale or a used deal in which you can the D5000s for a price less than that of new D2Ks in India. Just like I did . Now before anyone asks , I paid close to ~14.5k/15k for a 1.5 year old well maintained D5000s with brand new pads and a Hippo Large case free with it . That's what makes the whole experience sweeet and more enjoyable.
Had I paid a full retail price of ~400$ or 23k-25k to import these to India ,I definitely would't have been so happy about them .
This is it for now , I have already started working on the Denon AH-D5000 Lawton Audio mods and just finished the first stage an hour back . I can tell you , the results are pretty impressive Will post some snaps and a work-log later.
More to come in the making of one of the finest closed cans in the world -
1)Partial Lawton Audio mods for the D5K as per requirements and improvements after each stage.
The mods were performed as per the following guide -
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread...-dynamic-headphones-markl-denon-ah-d5000-mods
(*I won't be writing a big essay on how the mods were performed for that just please go through the guide and incase you have any specified query let me know)
The list of mods performed -
1) Taper mod on the pads (stuffing it with fiber loft)
2) Damp the wooden cups
3)Damp The Rear Of The Driver
4)Damp The Metal Headphone Assembly
The only mod that was left out was the dampening of the driver front side because it involved cutting/punching too many small holes on the Dynamit which when I tried to do didn't work out so perfectly Also the bass had already settled by a good margin by now .
Cost of mods -
Fiberloft from a pillow worth Rs.99.
Dynamat Extreme pair of 2 sheets ~500 bucks each sheet (1 sheet given to Metalspree )
Some images taken during the modding
The Dynamat cutting for the back of the driver + the wooden cups. The cutting was traced from the following link .
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/352109/markl-mod-made-easy-d2000-possibly-for-d5000-template
The stock wooden cups and wooden cups after dampening.
Filling the pads with fiberloft
^ Comparison of stock pads V/S the modded pads. (both the fat end and tapered ends )
2) Mogami 2534 recable with Neutrik plug .
The cable , sleeve and the Neutrik plug were all sourced from US , with the help of Metalspree .The cost of all 3 was about ~1500 bucks.
To start with , I first performed the mods on the pads .Filled it with fiber loft and made them really fat ! The most noticeable difference in sound after this mod was the widening of soundstage. Basically since the driver sort of moves away from the ears , the sound-stage becomes much wider than the stock cans .It just doesn't feel like a closed can any more . The other advantage was comfort , these cans have become super comfy now .The cans sit on the head without much pressure or clamping force on the ears. They are so comfortable that I can easily wear them for 4-5 hrs at a stretch without any discomfort.
The dampening mods on the drivers and the wooden-cups absorbs all the extra flab of midbass and make the bass a lot tighter . The bass impacts are more punchy now and have a much better texture .The sub-bass rumbles also feel more refined and you can't really feel the headphones move or vibrate even with the lowest of lowest bass frequencies.The bass quantity reduced to a good extent but the quality gets better . Now I can say that the bass on this is almost close to perfection . Someone who prefers even tighter and lesser bass could do the final front driver mods as well.
Also as a result of tightening of the bass due to dampening , the midrange and treble automatically get more attention now .The instrument separation , the detailing and clarity is noticeable better than the stock cans and the vocals sound even smoother now .The micro detailing has become insane and I can pin-point and pick even the slightest of slightest detailing in the background . Needless to say , I am hearing a lot detailing which Ive never heard before in some of the particular tracks . In some cases the micro-detailing which earlier wasn't so prominent or clear is more forward now.
The downside is the treble had become a little sharper after the tightening of the mods .At times I could hear sibilance in some tracks and I thought the treble has become too bright. I tried it for few more days with EQ-ed treble until I did the cable mod .
* The Mogami recable effect *
I wasn't really expecting a huge difference from the cables ,especially because the D5000 cables are supposedly better than the D2000 cables (*I personally didn't see any difference the cables ) . The re-cabling procedure was a bit tricky especially the way stock cable is routed in to the cans through the drivers . Overall spent about 4-5 hrs with dad doing the complete re-cable .
The most noticeable change straight after the recable was improved clarity and transparency .I could literally feel as if the noise has been reduced by a good margin and the overall sound is much more clear and transparent .The slight harshness noticed earlier had completely vanished .The complete sound has become very very smooth on the mids and treble. I just love the treble on these now .Not very bright to cause fatigue and not too dull to be called laidback ! The perfect sparkle. Also after the recable there seems to a very slight increase in bass quantity .Very minor but noticeable.
Overall the LA-D5000 have now turned into a completely different beast altogether. Wider soundstage ,tighter and more textured bass ,better clarity ,better instrument separation and detailing . Smoother mids and treble .They sound nothing like the stock D5000 and I I am pretty much in love with these. *sigh* Only if I could find more time to spend with them.
*Some more Snaps *
Now like most audiofools (no offense meant
) , I too had sworn - I wont be spending on audio gear any more , this is my final purchase ! :bleh:But then Mr. Benny Sachdev would keep telling me how awesome his D5000s sound , and one fine day when he tells me about a steal-deal offer for the D5K on Jaben forum .I just couldn't resist ! So here is it the Denon AH-D5000. Let the pics do the talking now.
Impressions :
Now since the D5Ks had arrived , it was time for the D2K to go . With a heavy heart I put them on sale and Paradh( DareDevil ) was the lucky guy who bought them . For almost 10-12 days I kept comparing the D2Ks and D5Ks and I realized I didn't want to let the D2Ks go cause they were special in their own way .With great difficulty and after keeping Daredvil waiting for almost 1 week ,I finally shipped the D2Ks to him .Before that , I noted down all my impressions of the comparison and here it is.
Bass : The Denon's DXK series are known to have some of the most heavy bass .The D2000s as Ive probably mentioned in some of my posts earlier , has an amazing bass both in terms of quantity as well as quality .Its definitely not for the light bass lovers . The bass is thunderous with a heavy slam and punch .Its well textured and full bodied unlike lot of other high-end cans . Its no slow coach either , its got great speed and attack and its probably one of the very headphones Ive tried that can produce sub bass without any difficulty. The bass is very tight and can be called a little boomy but not muddy or the kind of bass that will creep into the mids.For my type of music the D5Ks EQ-ed tight bass with the amazing punch and slam is perfect.
D2000s vs D5000 bass - the D2000s bass has better speed and attack compared to the D5000s whereas the D5K has less of mid bass and more of sub-bass compared the D2K. Other than that there isn't any major difference I could notice between the two.
The sub-bass can be annoying at times , especially when it hits you at times not needed. This is very specific to tracks and more noticed in EDM/bass heavy tracks only .Also a slight EQ-ing of the lower freqs. in foobar rectifies it completely.
Midrange :
This is where the D5Ks triumph the D2Ks by a good margin , not by more detailing but its the soundsignature and more of micro detailing of the D5Ks which make it better.Detailing wise both the cans are pretty close and I really can't imagine how better a headphones detailing can get after reaching this point .Having heard some of the other high-end cans from Brendon's collection of HD650 ,YH-100 and the famous Thunderpants loaner , I can say that these top of the lines cans like Thunderpants are more about the speed ,accuracy,soundstage and most importantly fine-tuned sound signature than the detailing .Ofcourse they are more detailed but the increase in detailing from what I could make out was hardly 15-20% .
Now coming to the D2K and D5Ks midrange . The D2Ks are known to have a recessed midrange .Its true but also blown out of proportion by a great extent ,especially for someone who hasn't heard it will surely believe they have a v-curved sound or something ,which is not true . The D2Ks midrange doesn't really have a huge drop or anything but its more because of the enhanced bass and treble which makes the mids sound less detailed/recessed . The situation is somewhat similar to the midrange of Ultimate Ears TF10 (Now that almost half the audio section regulars have it , I guess they can relate to it much better
).The D2K mids have a dark yet close to neutral sound .They do sound recessed compared to some of the other mid-centric cans like HD650, Grados etc but it isn't too recessed . All I can say is the mids aren't the best trait of the D2K.
With the D5K , the mids completely change . I believe this is more to do with the Mahogany wooden cups on the D5K and supposedly better cables . The midrange on these woodies is butter smooth and lush with a hint of warmth in the vocals which make the D5Ks extremely enjoyable . The instruments , the vocals everything just sounds Sweeet ! Perfect mids for my liking I can say
With the D5K the mids are definitely more forward than D2K and not as recessed. Treble :
The D2Ks and the D5K both have extremely detailed and well extended treble. It can be termed as bright yet non-fatiguing .Its got the perfect spark a treble should have IMO . Not much sibilance expect for small peaks in a few tracks .Detailing and clarity wise again both almost on same level , but with D5K I can pick up the micro detailing and other small sects of music in the background with ease . The treble is well spread over compared to D2Ks I can say.
Soundstage / Imaging :
This is another section where the D5Ks provide a significant improvement compared to the D2Ks . The instrument separation is much better. Not that D2Ks soundstage or instrument is bad but D5Ks is better
. As a matter of fact , both the Denons have the best soundstage and openness a closed headphone can have. They just don't sound like a closed can at all. The sound is more of 3D in D5Ks and well spread over. Also the cans are pretty light , which gives you a more open can feel than closed. With the the D5Ks , I can notice the soundstage to have more width and slightly better depth than D2Ks . It could also be due to the more clear and warm midrange .The treble spreads all around my head and has a good 3D feel to it .Makes the music lot more fun then before.
As a Conclusion I can say that :
As most unconfirmed posts on head-fi say that the D2Ks and D5Ks have the same drivers .I can't confirm the same but I do feel that its possibly true . Yet the D5000 offers lot more than the D2000s mainly due to the wooden cups and a better cable(confirmed by a thread on head-fi ). Now if someone is to decide on the retail price, I will suggest the D5000s isn't the most value for money cans you can buy . The D2K anyday offers a better sound for the price and especially if you are brave enough to do the recable and try some of the mods you have a chance to buy one of the most VFM detailed fun sounding headphone which is as good as any other sub 500$ cans !
But no , wait I still want the D5000s ! In that case its best too look for some sale or a used deal in which you can the D5000s for a price less than that of new D2Ks in India. Just like I did . Now before anyone asks , I paid close to ~14.5k/15k for a 1.5 year old well maintained D5000s with brand new pads and a Hippo Large case free with it . That's what makes the whole experience sweeet and more enjoyable.
Had I paid a full retail price of ~400$ or 23k-25k to import these to India ,I definitely would't have been so happy about them .
This is it for now , I have already started working on the Denon AH-D5000 Lawton Audio mods and just finished the first stage an hour back . I can tell you , the results are pretty impressive
Will post some snaps and a work-log later.More to come in the making of one of the finest closed cans in the world
-*UPDATED * 16/02/2011
1)Partial Lawton Audio mods for the D5K as per requirements and improvements after each stage.
The mods were performed as per the following guide -
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread...-dynamic-headphones-markl-denon-ah-d5000-mods
(*I won't be writing a big essay on how the mods were performed for that just please go through the guide and incase you have any specified query let me know)
The list of mods performed -
1) Taper mod on the pads (stuffing it with fiber loft)
2) Damp the wooden cups
3)Damp The Rear Of The Driver
4)Damp The Metal Headphone Assembly
The only mod that was left out was the dampening of the driver front side because it involved cutting/punching too many small holes on the Dynamit which when I tried to do didn't work out so perfectly
Also the bass had already settled by a good margin by now . Cost of mods -
Fiberloft from a pillow worth Rs.99.
Dynamat Extreme pair of 2 sheets ~500 bucks each sheet (1 sheet given to Metalspree )
Some images taken during the modding
The Dynamat cutting for the back of the driver + the wooden cups. The cutting was traced from the following link .
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/352109/markl-mod-made-easy-d2000-possibly-for-d5000-template
The stock wooden cups and wooden cups after dampening.
Filling the pads with fiberloft
^ Comparison of stock pads V/S the modded pads. (both the fat end and tapered ends )
2) Mogami 2534 recable with Neutrik plug .
The cable , sleeve and the Neutrik plug were all sourced from US , with the help of Metalspree .The cost of all 3 was about ~1500 bucks.
Impressions of the Mogami Re-cabled Denon LA-5000
To start with , I first performed the mods on the pads .Filled it with fiber loft and made them really fat ! The most noticeable difference in sound after this mod was the widening of soundstage. Basically since the driver sort of moves away from the ears , the sound-stage becomes much wider than the stock cans .It just doesn't feel like a closed can any more . The other advantage was comfort , these cans have become super comfy now .The cans sit on the head without much pressure or clamping force on the ears. They are so comfortable that I can easily wear them for 4-5 hrs at a stretch without any discomfort.
The dampening mods on the drivers and the wooden-cups absorbs all the extra flab of midbass and make the bass a lot tighter . The bass impacts are more punchy now and have a much better texture .The sub-bass rumbles also feel more refined and you can't really feel the headphones move or vibrate even with the lowest of lowest bass frequencies.The bass quantity reduced to a good extent but the quality gets better . Now I can say that the bass on this is almost close to perfection . Someone who prefers even tighter and lesser bass could do the final front driver mods as well.
Also as a result of tightening of the bass due to dampening , the midrange and treble automatically get more attention now .The instrument separation , the detailing and clarity is noticeable better than the stock cans and the vocals sound even smoother now .The micro detailing has become insane and I can pin-point and pick even the slightest of slightest detailing in the background . Needless to say , I am hearing a lot detailing which Ive never heard before in some of the particular tracks . In some cases the micro-detailing which earlier wasn't so prominent or clear is more forward now.
The downside is the treble had become a little sharper after the tightening of the mods .At times I could hear sibilance in some tracks and I thought the treble has become too bright. I tried it for few more days with EQ-ed treble until I did the cable mod .
* The Mogami recable effect *
I wasn't really expecting a huge difference from the cables ,especially because the D5000 cables are supposedly better than the D2000 cables (*I personally didn't see any difference the cables ) . The re-cabling procedure was a bit tricky especially the way stock cable is routed in to the cans through the drivers . Overall spent about 4-5 hrs with dad doing the complete re-cable .
The most noticeable change straight after the recable was improved clarity and transparency .I could literally feel as if the noise has been reduced by a good margin and the overall sound is much more clear and transparent .The slight harshness noticed earlier had completely vanished .The complete sound has become very very smooth on the mids and treble. I just love the treble on these now .Not very bright to cause fatigue and not too dull to be called laidback ! The perfect sparkle. Also after the recable there seems to a very slight increase in bass quantity .Very minor but noticeable.
Overall the LA-D5000 have now turned into a completely different beast altogether. Wider soundstage ,tighter and more textured bass ,better clarity ,better instrument separation and detailing . Smoother mids and treble .They sound nothing like the stock D5000 and I I am pretty much in love with these. *sigh* Only if I could find more time to spend with them
.*Some more Snaps *
