does anyone try the LA5000 or LA7000?

[d_rayman]

I am very curious about the LA7000 from Markl but can't find any reviews of it from our members.

Anyone tries it?

[ZephyrSapphire]

Wrong forum to talk about markl mods.

[Fungi]

Not really, you just won't find very many people who are interested enough to have listened. HC is (mostly) stern, but fair.

[GPH]

I'm not sure about the nomenclature behind markl mods, but if a LA5000 is the same thing as a markl modded D5000, I heard it at a meet and didn't like the experience. Here's my comments from the meet thread.

RSA Predator -> Modded Denon D5000

I didn't like this setup at all. First and foremost, I couldn't get past the bass presentation. Call it club bass, car subwoofer bass or whatever you want, but this is definitely not audiophile-quality bass. At the price they sell these phones and considering the fact that some people think they are R10 killers, I was expecting way more. No matter what kind of music I put on them, there was some sort of punchy attack on every bass note even when it's not supposed to be. Also, the treble was a little bit too aggressive and piercing for my tastes and the midrange was nothing special. I also tried plugging the D5000 in the X-Meridian and I thought it sounded better than with the Predator. The bass was tamed a little bit and sounded more natural and everything was smoothed out. Overall, it was much more enjoyable, but it's still not my flavor of headphones. I didn't have time to compare to the non-modded D5000 though, but I think a couple of people did that so maybe they'll share some impressions.

They are meet impressions so it's not 100% accurate, but these headphones didn't appear to me as refined or with a special characteristic that differentiates them from other dynamic headphones, other than a stupidly high price tag.

[swt61]

MarkL is a singular genious. So smart in fact that he's the only one who get's his mods.

[guzziguy]

MarkL is a singular genious. So smart singular in fact that he's the only one who get's his mods genius.

FIFY

[PFKMan23]

I'm not sure about the nomenclature behind markl mods, but if a LA5000 is the same thing as a markl modded D5000, I heard it at a meet and didn't like the experience. Here's my comments from the meet thread.

A Lawton Audio 5000 has the markl mod, the Jena recable and his aftermarket wood cups

[Smeggy]

A Lawton Audio 5000 has the markl mod, the Jena recable and his aftermarket wood cups

Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a decent set of phones in the first place? I mean, srsly.....

[Sherwood]

Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a decent set of phones in the first place?

Easier: Yes

More Cost Effective: Yes

Ultimately resulting in a better sound, both in absolute and dollar-for-dollar terms: Yes

Tweakier: No

Although I must say, taking such a stand against modified headphones is a bold move for the creator of the "Smegma Pro"

[Salt Peanuts]

Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a decent set of phones in the first place? I mean, srsly.....

What, you don't want to pay ~$950 in mods on top of paying $999 for a pair of headphones?

[Dreadhead]

I did a Markl mod to my D5000s and they improved a lot over stock but they are still bass heavy phones and are not as "audiophile" as others. As far as MarkL's prices they are flat out insane.

I still own the phones if you're interested PM me and I can let you borrow them if you like.

[d_rayman]

Many thank for your kind "Dreadhead".

I listened to the MD5000 in the past. The soundstage is really bigger and the bass is better. However, the high becomes harsher. The headphone becomes less comfortable so I sold it.

It is sad that right now we still have no LA7000's owner. I hope Markl will reduce the mod price. 950$ is really insane without any refund policy.

[Voltron]

It is sad that right now we still have no LA7000's owner. I hope Markl will reduce the mod price. 950$ is really insane without any refund policy.

Not sad, just smart.

[d_rayman]

I think Markl should have let us to try his LA7000 during a meet or a loan

[grawk]

Why? You're just encouraging him.

[swt61]

FIFY

That's definitely a better way to say it!

Ack! I misspelled genius too! That must be a Freudian slip.

Edited December 27, 2008 by swt61

[swt61]

Easier: Yes

More Cost Effective: Yes

Ultimately resulting in a better sound, both in absolute and dollar-for-dollar terms: Yes

Tweakier: No

Although I must say, taking such a stand against modified headphones is a bold move for the creator of the "Smegma Pro"

Smeggy understands very well that modding simply for modding, or monitary sake is not necessarily a move forward.

Edited December 27, 2008 by swt61

[Sherwood]

just bustin' balls for my own amusement. I eagerly await the chance to hear one of Smeg's beauties.

[Smeggy]

Heh, nothing like a bit of smeg on your ears to put a smile on your face

[Currawong]

The MD5000s still have the crazy EQ of the pre-modded phones, with excessive bass. I guess it's a taste thing though. I took the plunge and bought the mulga cups, as they reign in the treble and bass somewhat to give a more sane presentation. I'm not going to pay $500+ for a recable from him though, I'll DIY it myself for a couple of hundred less. You could argue that I'm insane for paying for the cups, but I like the result and the Denon "sound". Correspondingly, almost every other headphone I've used sounds boring to me, especially ATs, but Stax excepted.

As for paying insane amounts for headphones, I only have to say: Edition 9.

[purk]

My biggest problem with MarkL mods is the weak and recessed midrange. By increase the width of the soundstage while not attentuate the midrange, the vocal sounds recessed. Overall the sound is more airy with bigger soundstage. However, I found the bass to be a bit anemic as I think Mark modeled his mods after the bass light pair of the R10. What Mark should have done is kept his R10 and get a much better headphone amp to drive them. The MD5000 is definitely far from being an R10 killer in my book.

[mypasswordis]

Heh, nothing like a bit of smeg on your ears to put a smile on your face

There are so many wrong images flying through my head right now... Smegma Pro is the best name of any headphone ever.

[Deadneddz]

R-10 killer?

haha...wow

I know business is business, but wtf?

[padam]

A new custom title, I like this forum. Anyway, a new thread opened at the other forum here, somebody with 7 posts claims that the LA2000 trumps everything. I would certainly say so, but only in terms of the pricing, which is insanely high. He is waiting for a Rudi to drive it... These two really deserve each other...

[Aura]

A new custom title, I like this forum. Anyway, a new thread opened at the other forum here, somebody with 7 posts claims that the LA2000 trumps everything. I would certainly say so, but only in terms of the pricing, which is insanely high. He is waiting for a Rudi to drive it... These two really deserve each other...

Well the real golden pairing is Ultrasone + Rudi, but Lawton + Rudi can't be bad either...