[size=small]Denon D2000 vs. D5000[/size]
Many people have asked me what the differences are between the D2000 and the D5000. Well before today, I couldn't really say as I had not yet received one for modification. Now that I've dissected it, mod-ed it, and had a chance to do some listening, I finally have some answers.
From a physical/construction standpoint, here are the differences that I can verify:
1. Cable is different (duh, we all knew this).
2. Cup material is different (double duh).
3. There is a circular strip of material that resembles fiberloft within the D2000 cup (triple duh, we've all seen the pics elsewhere). Of course, in doing the mod, we remove this attempt at damping anyway.
4. However, the D2000 cup is unique in that it has a large circle in the middle of it of extra-thick plastic that makes the cup more rigid than the wooden cup of the D5000:
5. The plastic cups of the D2000 have more deeply recessed screw holes which requires longer screws to attach the ear-cup to the assembly. This means it's unlikely the wooden cups of the D5000 will fit onto a D2000.
So, that is the extent of the physical differences (obvious to the naked eye) that we can easily see. Yet, as the good folks at Headroom have shown using their elaborate dummy-head measuring system, there are significant differences in the frequency response of the D5000 and D2000:
Do you believe that changing the material of the ear cup, and changing the cable would create this wide a diversion between the two? If so, what we see here is partial "proof positive" that a mere cable swap can radically alter frequency response of a headphone. Headroom have inadvertently proven something cable skeptics have been asking for for years.
Me, I don't think these minor physical differences can account for both the measured and audible differences between these two cans. I strongly suspect that there are actual physical differences between the drivers used in the D2000 and D5000.
Why? Because what you actually hear when you compare the two head-to-head, is *exactly* what Headroom shows. The D2000 is noticeably darker than the D5000, and the bass of the D2000 is audibly lower in level than that of the D5000, just as the graph shows.
I've seen some talk regarding the D5000, including that from the manufacturer themselves, that the wood used in the D5000 contributes to their sound quality. Denon sez:
Quote:
| The enclosures employ housings made of natural wood Mahogany with superior acoustic characteristics that are rich with a broad, natural sound. Mahogany is a very popular material for drum making and guitars because of its great integrity and capability to produce very dark, warm tones compared to other more common wood types like maple or birch. Along with its acoustic characteristics, mahogany's light weight makes it an excellent headphone material as well. |
A large part of what makes the mod successful is reducing vibrations within the headphone itself. There's a philosophical debate here which boils down to-- should the enclosure create "pleasant" resonances much like the body of a guitar or violin, or, should they be acoustically "dead" and disappear like all speaker designers hope to achieve with the design of their cabinets?
In any case, even after damping the plastic cups of the D2000 and the wooden cups of the D5000, and thus removing a large part of the difference between the two and thus (largely) removing the difference in cup material as a potential variable, there are still clearly audible sonic differences. Does the mod completely damp the cups and totally make the difference between them 100% controlled? No, if you hold your hands up to them you can still easily feel the vibrations through the wood and plastic.
However, the mods ought to eliminate (let's say) at least 50% of any sonic differences between the two, yet they remain fairly stark.
What am I getting at? Again, as much as I believe in the power of wires to change the sound, there is something more profound happening here. I strongly suspect that the D2000 has a different driver than the D5000.
Given the choice between the two, I would much rather listen to the D5000. The D2000 sounds "thinner", a bit more "rinky-dink" and "headphone-y" than the D5000. The D5000 has more body, and the appearance of more extension up top (the D2000 technically has more volume at extreme treble, but the D5000 has several more dbs of emphasis on the upper treble where more musical action actually happens), which gives them more air and sense of space. Soundstage is slightly smaller on D2000. The bass on the D5000 is noticeably lower in volume level, but still wobbly and loose on the stock phone. I am using a different strategy to mod this phone as it does not require as much damping or bass attenuation as the D5000. The D2000 appears to have a bit of a mid-range suck-out, which you can see in the graph, and I think that's the crucial difference. It's a question of EQ, and that means it's largely a question of taste and system matching. Like I said, I prefer the D5000 on my system.
I don't want to leave you with the impression that the differences amount to polar opposites, it's hardly that at all. They don't sound like two different headphones from different manufacturers; there is an obvious family resemblance. But I think most folks would appreciate the D5000 a bit more.
Cheers. |
