TH-X00/TR-X00/E-MU Teak/Denon biodynamic general discussion

Congratulations, hope it is something.
Find a pity that on the page is not mentioned what cable is used.

You mean at HartAudio? I emailed Them and asked - they are making it custom - The connectors are roughly 45% of the total cost. But still much less (over $100 less) than the Fostex replacement cables and I will have both SE/BAL options so figured it was worth it.

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I kind of want the TH610 to try some mods, but I’m still undecided. Why did you choose it over the other similar ones?

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The Teak arrived yesterday, and I’m pleasantly surprised. The highs are much tamer on this one than on any other variant I have tried so far, at least that’s how it sounds to my ears. I don’t want to be confusing in case someone reads this before pulling the trigger, so let’s get one thing clear, I like sharp highs quite a lot, but I had problems with the highs of the th-x00 the entire time I had it, and I wasn’t successful in pinpointing which frequencies sounded displeasing to me ultimately, so it’s not even necessarily about the highs being tamer, but they are definitely different, and in a good way for me. This was a huge win if you ask me.
The vocals sound somewhat more natural on this one, that was clear from the get-go, however, I liked the special characteristics of the vocals that the Ebony provided, it felt like you were present at a concert venue instead of the music being directly channeled into your ears, and I appreciated that illusion a lot, so even though the Teak has many upsides over that one, I wouldn’t necessarily call it better. I’d say I personally prefer the vocals on the Ebonies, but that would never keep me away from the teaks.
Now onto the lows. I think they are less controlled compared to the Ebony cups, and that’s something I wanted to avoid, it’s going to take some time to get my thoughts together before I decide what to do with this, and I might end up ordering another pair of Ebonies just to do A-B testing, because obviously my previous headphone had the Lawton tune-up, so the cups weren’t the only thing different, and I was using my Sundara between the selling of my x00 and the arrival of the Teak, so I might be biased.
(Oh, I forgot to mention, but I bought the Sundara after it was recommended to me here in this thread, it arrived 3-4 weeks ago, huge thumbs up for that, it was a great recommendation.)

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My criteria for picking out a headphone to mod was A) I wanted something new because I do not plan on selling it. B) I wanted something with detachable cables so that I can have options for running SE or Balanced - and to get cables shorter than 9ft (3m). C) Price. I want to keep the entire budget for this project to @$1500 or less. That means I need to stick with E-MU Teak or, TH-610.

I chose the TH-610 after having a conversation with Mark at LawtonAudio and describing the HP I have now (Denon d5000), what I liked and what I would change. He Advised me the Teak is very similar to the d5000. The both have a prominent Vshape to them and that if I was looking for something that would bring out more mids, that the 610 though still Vshaped, is more mid forward. Not wanting duplicate what I have and wanting a “Different” sounding Lawton mod - I opted for the 610.

I need to add this - IF you are just looking for an HP to try out some mods - Look for something used as your starting point, not new. Or you will overspend. I am not a good example to follow in that regard.

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Yes you are right.
Is very noble that Mark has helped you there.
Everything about the headphones is influenced by the type of wood, which is remarkable.
I found the mahogany to be the most horrible sounding and was happy with the Ebony conversion.

So if you don’t feel like buying Lawtons later and it doesn’t exactly fit the budget, the Emu cups would definitely be an option price-wise to upgrade to Rosewood or Ebony.

I have never seen that the teak can be a “D5000”.
You forget that quite quickly, just like the D7000.
Nobody talks about that today.

Also you’re right about the cable.the Fostex as well as Denon cable 3 meters or longer to offer for what?
Annoys me again and again.
I have already fefrat in the audio store whether you would körzen it, but were too stupid for it.
Wanted rather that I buy something.:grin:
Ansich it is easy to tinker a cable if you have the peace for it.

Nothing against Hartaudio I find no residence nor infos what cable is used.
I mean I can also offer cables beautifully pack and sell for 10 times :blush:.

We have one here in Germany that makes no secret of it.if you understand.

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They want to keep it secret. But I believe it’s some kind of mogami or canare. Probably 24 AWG (maybe 26AWG). So nothing too fancy but high quality cable.

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I am not the best writer, and I did not include enough clarity/context. Mark was helping me to understand the differences between the Teak/610 because I had asked which one he thought might suit me better based on other information I provided earlier in our discussion. To help me understand this, he used a known reference, the d5000 which I have, then compared it to the two options I told him I was interested in. Hopefully he does not mind my sharing.

"This could be easy for you, if you already know that you enjoy the sound of the D5000.

Of all the newer Fostex-branded versions, it is E-MU which sounds most like the original phones they made for Denon like the D5000.

If that’s what you like, go for that.

TH-610 is also a fantastic headphone, and not all that different from E-MU, heavy family resemblance between all variants.

E-MU was designed with more of the V-shaped curve of the original Denons, where the TH-610 is relatively less V-shaped.

If you listen to D5000 and desire a bit more presence through the mids, TH-610 is a great choice.

Some would say, yes but this can come at a slight cost of some of the “fun” of having a V-shape frequency response of E-MU."

It was from that exchange, that I came to the conclusion for myself, that if I got the Teak, I could end up with pretty much a duplicate of what I currently have. So, I chose the 610 because I am not trying to replace the Lawton I have now, but rather, I’m building a new headphone that will give me another variety of “Lawton” sound. Not unlike those who may have for an example, a ZMF Eikon and also a Verite in their collection.

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Hello, I’m considering to buy e-mu teak or denon 7200 or denon 5200. Are the denon 7200 better or worse than e-mu teaks? Their price is similar, but e-mu teaks are much harder to get, I can’t recieve response via email for like 15 days, and there might be some additional troubles with customs. I can get 7200 locally. Also a question for anyone who bought teaks directly from e-mu - how much value did they declare to the package?

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They declared a considerably smaller value, less than half of the original price.
I have only ever heard the 5200, and it was similar in some aspects, but it was too long ago, you’ll have to ask the others :smiley:

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I would ask mark Lawton if the 5209 and 7200 are even compatible. I think they are still the same driver and all, but they may have changed the frame in such a way that the chambers might not fit.

Also, welcome to the HiFi guides forum.

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Hello and welcome to the forum.
I had the Denon D7200 recently still in possession.
I sold it because I could no longer do anything with him.
Mainly after I modded the Denon D2000 and Fostex Tr x00 are simply better in comparison.

At the Denon D7200 I liked the processing very much and the pads.Overall very well done.
In the sound, the mids and highs were also very good.
Only with bass I did not come so right.
Either he bleeds constantly in the mids pure, or then when the punch is required meehh.
That is simply better with the old driver generation, since nothing bleeds purely, the bass bangs. and is vorallem more authentic.
And if you have both in front of you, you’ll notice that over time.
It just bothered me in the end.

Therefore, I would rather reach for the Emu Teak than the Denon D7200.
The tuning is simply better there.
And I think that’s exactly the problem with the Denon D7200 it’s not bad but it simply lacks what made the pre-series.
Even an old Denon D2000 is much more pleasant to listen to.

I know it’s a bit of a wait with Emu but it’s worth it.

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The problem is that if e-mus declare too much value - the headphones will be costing aroung 700-800$ - the fedex in my country is the worst express courier with corruption schemes with customs post - if they ever see high value on product they will do anything to make it even higher, its doesnt matter if I can show them proofs of purchase.

I already got x00 purpleheart and d2000, and was looking for something to replace d2000, but I guess I just should try to restore them. I did some cups from Beech (Fagus) tree myself in the past for them, and also some modding with dampening and removable cables, but the problem is that headband is flaking so much, and I can’t really work with leather to sew a new one, and it will be hard to replace because of old screws - they are licked (not sure this is the right word, english isn’t my native language) - basically its almost impossible to unscrew those.

Atleast I know now that 5200 and 7200 aren’t good enough to be blind purchased. I think I’ll wait for e-mu response for another 2 weeks.
Sorry for bad English, thank you all for replies!

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Wild Ziricote Type 5 Lawton Cup
 VERY different

Much less bass overall and what’s there is super tight and extends low. More forward mid range and top end - much more vocal oriented. No sharpness in treble but definitely brighter but not too bright.

So far favourites are Wild Chechen (Type 4) followed by Black Limba (Type 1). Black Limba was much much warmer and fuller sounding. More listening to be done!

TH610_Wild_Ziricote_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

TH610_Wild_Ziricote_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

TH610_Wild_Ziricote_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

TH610_Wild_Ziricote_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

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Hi, @Hilton. These posts about your Lawton journey are really great. Thanks for doing them. They might be better positioned and easier for readers to find if you moved them and put future thoughts on our official Lawton mods thread:

Keep up the good work! Cheers!

Ok Will do after this post. The rest of my thoughts will go into the Lawton thread.

TH610 swapped over to Flame Marble Walnut Lawton Cups


Ahhh thats better - a bit of warmth has come back as well as punch and depth to the bass. Very nice.

TH610_Flame_Marble_Walnut_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

TH610_Flame_Marble_Walnut_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

TH610_Flame_Marble_Walnut_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

TH610_Flame_Marble_Walnut_Lawton_Cups by Hilton, on Flickr

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How many cups do you have?

He bought 4 sets. Just scroll up. They’re beautiful.

I imagine we may need to give @Hilton an honorary “Zeos hype-up” award.

All kidding aside - that is the beauty of this forum community. Everyone on the forums, not just this thread, shares a common passion for HiFi audio gear and the music we listen to with it, and that energy and enthusiasm is quite “catchy”.

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More thoughts over in the Lawton thread.