GeoffW
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2003
- Posts
- 253
- Likes
- 22
Hi,
I'm one of those guys who bought this headphone back around '01-'02, and never really strayed from it. I know it's old and hard to get or maintain these days, but I still love the sound. I recently experimented with modding it by simply applying duck tape to the the inside of the ear cups. Since there's a foam disk already in there (apparently to absorb sound), I suspected that more absorption on the earcup surface might be beneficial - and it was. It increased the detail and tightened everything up, noticeably across the board, but especially with things like cymbals, triangles, and drum hits. I had to EQ it a bit to compensate for some increased brightness, but it was well worth it. I also did the the earpad mod (similar to markl's D5000 mod) to angle in the drivers even further, and liked the effect. I suspect that adding a silver cable would increase the detail even further (as it did in my home system's speaker cables), but I haven't done that yet.
I listen to a wide variety of music - rock and pop, easy listening, vocal-intensive, and alot of classical and movie music. The CD3000 has been a great all-arounder, doing well with just about anything I throw at it. It excels with vocals and orchestral music - the glorious soundstage lets you pick out any instrument. Its age is definitely apparent in the ratty earpads and headband, but I could order new parts - or better yet, invest some time and make my own leather accessories.
I've heard that the CD3000 has the same transducers as the R10, so I'm wondering if, with the right mods, it can be brought up to a level approaching today's high-end phones (I haven't tried most of them). It would probably be cheaper. One of the great advantages of the CD3000 (besides comfort) is that it is so easy to drive, and it sounds wonderful even without an amp, allowing for a great match with today's mp3 players, which are so convenient to use (I have a sony A728 now, and am looking seriously at the new X1060). I don't think I'll ever sell the CD3000, but I'm wondering if there any new high end phones that sound good or better without an amp?
I'm one of those guys who bought this headphone back around '01-'02, and never really strayed from it. I know it's old and hard to get or maintain these days, but I still love the sound. I recently experimented with modding it by simply applying duck tape to the the inside of the ear cups. Since there's a foam disk already in there (apparently to absorb sound), I suspected that more absorption on the earcup surface might be beneficial - and it was. It increased the detail and tightened everything up, noticeably across the board, but especially with things like cymbals, triangles, and drum hits. I had to EQ it a bit to compensate for some increased brightness, but it was well worth it. I also did the the earpad mod (similar to markl's D5000 mod) to angle in the drivers even further, and liked the effect. I suspect that adding a silver cable would increase the detail even further (as it did in my home system's speaker cables), but I haven't done that yet.
I listen to a wide variety of music - rock and pop, easy listening, vocal-intensive, and alot of classical and movie music. The CD3000 has been a great all-arounder, doing well with just about anything I throw at it. It excels with vocals and orchestral music - the glorious soundstage lets you pick out any instrument. Its age is definitely apparent in the ratty earpads and headband, but I could order new parts - or better yet, invest some time and make my own leather accessories.
I've heard that the CD3000 has the same transducers as the R10, so I'm wondering if, with the right mods, it can be brought up to a level approaching today's high-end phones (I haven't tried most of them). It would probably be cheaper. One of the great advantages of the CD3000 (besides comfort) is that it is so easy to drive, and it sounds wonderful even without an amp, allowing for a great match with today's mp3 players, which are so convenient to use (I have a sony A728 now, and am looking seriously at the new X1060). I don't think I'll ever sell the CD3000, but I'm wondering if there any new high end phones that sound good or better without an amp?