Enthusia
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
- Posts
- 612
- Likes
- 17
[size=medium]Get ready to witness one of the most epic battle of all time[size=x-large] ![/size][/size]
Yeah I know what your thinking, the hd580’s and the hd600’s are practically the same headphones, why not just review the denon d2000’s with one of them. Well I like to do things my way and this is how it is going to be. The more information the head-fier’s get, the better the community is going to be!
Headphones
Denon AH-D2000 partially markl modded with some type of cryo copper cable and a vampire wire connector
Sennheiser HD-580 with Zu Mobius cable
Sennheiser HD-600 with Stefan Audio Art Equinox cable
Controlled Variables
Audio Player - Foobar2000 (asio)
Dac/Amp – Zero modified with Sanyo Os-Con Capacitors
Transport – Creative X-Fi Elite Pro
Songs – Basshunter, The Black Mages, Donald Fagen, and Radiohead
Reviewer – Enthusia
Build Quality and Comfort
Sennheiser HD580
The headphone casing seems to be made of mostly plastic. I bet I could drop these real hard a couple of times and it would still be fine. Their very lightweight, velour padding is good. Gives you this warm feeling, awesome during the Winter. They are very comfortable after breaking them in, although if you buy them new, which you can’t since they are discontinued, they feel like a death grip on your skull. I would let them stretch over some books for a couple of days, or else you would risk losing some blood going to your head.
Denon AH-D2000
Looks sleek with the metal. I’m loving the leather pads, they feel very nice and I prefer them over the velour of the Sennheisers, but it does feel funny when you begin to sweat in them. I have a big head and the Denon’s don’t even feel tight on my head, loose and comfortable. The cups are black, not really sure of the material, pretty sturdy, but it gets scratched very easily by the looks of it. They are very heavy, much heavier than the two Sennheisers, it is most likely due to the Dynamat Xtreme from the Markl Mods. The cups feel as though they will pop off the frame any second, be very careful while handling them. They shouldn’t be a problem if you take good care of your equipment, but I suggest you do not handle them roughly.
Sennheiser HD600
What can I say, the frame looks just like the hd580’s and hd650’s. Padding is also the same as the 580’s. But the finish is very different, it’s glossy and it looks like they are trying to replicate some type of stone. It looks cool to me, not sure what other people think. I would prefer this over the boring matte plastic of the 580’s. Also the grills on these headphones are metal unlike the plastic ones on the 580’s which is always a plus. That death grip is still there though, you have to break them in to get that nice fit.
Basshunter – Now Your Gone
A techno song with a lot of bass and singing.
Sennheiser HD580
The vocals are very clear and bright, almost piercing my ears. It feels spacious, as if I am listening to Basshunter live at a concert! It’s very bright especially on the part of the song where they are clapping their hands, it kind of tingles the ears. I like it, makes me want to get up and move around.
Denon AH-D2000
The vocals sound different than the sennheisers but it is also very clear. The big difference is the bass, I get this deep booming base from the Denon’s which the Sennheisers cannot produce. One thing with this song is that I feel as though I’m in a cave, I know the Denon’s are closed headphones but it just feels like I’m in a small closed off room. Not saying there are echoes or anything but it feels confined.
Sennheiser HD600
Has that Sennheiser sound like the hd580’s nothing that different, although the vocals and the bass are bit muffled, nothing blatant.
The Black Mages – Distant World
Instrumental music, pianos, violins, etc.
Sennheiser HD580’s
The instruments sound wonderful, I can hear each and everyone of them being plucked. The piano is very bright and I can hear the violin in the background. It’s like an opera hall, I’m loving it.
Denon AH-D2000
The piano seem to be overpowering the violin but its super clear and precise, I can still hear everything. I’m feeling a large space, not like an opera hall. But I’m feeling what the composer wants me to feel, like I’m in a strange world. It’s unbelievable. The hd580’s seem muffled now that I think of it.
Sennheiser HD600
Everything is balanced, all the instruments are playing at the same volume, it’s very calm. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not very exciting.
Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
Jazz, what more can I say.
Sennheiser HD600’s
I can really feel that Sennheiser veil now, it's as if I am at the bar listening to the musicians but I left my hearing aids at home. I can hear them all playing their beautiful instruments, but I am not getting that impact and feel that I want.
Sennheiser HD580’s
I’m getting that veil, although it is brighter than the hd600’s, I’m really not feeling the Sennheisers with this song, too much of a smokescreen.
Denon AH-D2000
Everything is so much more clearer than the Sennheisers, Sounds as if, I removed a blanket over my headphones and now I’m getting the full sound. Again each instrument is clearly presented and I can pick each and everyone of them out precisely. Exciting and it makes me want to get up and dance. What a beautiful world this will be doo doo dooo.
Radiohead - All I Need
Sennheiser HD580’s
Wow, Thom Yorke’s voice is so dominant in this song which makes the hd580’s the perfect match. His voice is almost ethereal, when I close my eyes and listen, it is as though I’m dreaming. He’s whispering in my ears. I can hear the drums playing in the back, its got this slam too it. The bass is a little on the dull side, nothing surprising. I feel very relaxed.
Denon AH-D2000
The bass is more pronounced and I can hear the cymbals now too. But I really don’t want to hear those. I prefer listening to the soothing voice. It’s their but it’s too clear, I don’t like it. Maybe there is an advantage to this darker sound or veil haha.
Sennheiser HD600
What can I say, sounds like the 580’s but more calm, probably due to the equinox cable, it is less piercing and bright. I would probably fall asleep to this song, no doubt about that and that is a good thing. It’s just so relaxing. It’s a gateway song.
Conclusions
And the winners are…
Basshunter – Now Your Gone
Sennheiser HD580
The Black Mages – Distant Worlds
Denon D2000
Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
Denon D2000
Radiohead - All I Need
Sennheiser HD580 or HD600
My Thoughts
Strange that a song with a lot of bass sounds better on the HD580’s than the Denon D2000’s when those are suppose to be the Bass Kings. The vocals in Basshunter just sounded so much better on the 580’s than the d2000’s and I felt seriously confined with the d2000’s in Basshunter. The black mages was a totally different story, I thought the Sennheisers would win it out by a large margin on this song, but the Denon’s just sounded so much more articulate and precise. The Sennheiser veil came into play with Donald Fagen, now I understand what they you all meant. Everything was just slightly muffled. Maybe it’s because I am using the Zero’s Headphone Amplifier, anyhow I can still turn them up to the same volume, but maybe I am not getting the full sound? I think that was most likely the case, but anyhow the Denon’s win the award this time. Also I think the reason the 580’s were brighter than the 600’s because of the Zu-Mobius cable, If I had switched them around and the 580’s had the Equinox then it would be a whole different story. But I still can’t figure out if the hd600’s sound just like the hd580’s, maybe if they had the same cables, but they don’t, oh well. So there you have it, if you want a good headphone that can sound awesome out of the Zero Dac/Amp then get the Denon AH-D2000’s, although the Sennheisers are not bad, but your going to need to spend a little more money on an amplifier.
Yeah I know what your thinking, the hd580’s and the hd600’s are practically the same headphones, why not just review the denon d2000’s with one of them. Well I like to do things my way and this is how it is going to be. The more information the head-fier’s get, the better the community is going to be!
Headphones
Denon AH-D2000 partially markl modded with some type of cryo copper cable and a vampire wire connector
Sennheiser HD-580 with Zu Mobius cable
Sennheiser HD-600 with Stefan Audio Art Equinox cable
Controlled Variables
Audio Player - Foobar2000 (asio)
Dac/Amp – Zero modified with Sanyo Os-Con Capacitors
Transport – Creative X-Fi Elite Pro
Songs – Basshunter, The Black Mages, Donald Fagen, and Radiohead
Reviewer – Enthusia
Build Quality and Comfort
Sennheiser HD580
The headphone casing seems to be made of mostly plastic. I bet I could drop these real hard a couple of times and it would still be fine. Their very lightweight, velour padding is good. Gives you this warm feeling, awesome during the Winter. They are very comfortable after breaking them in, although if you buy them new, which you can’t since they are discontinued, they feel like a death grip on your skull. I would let them stretch over some books for a couple of days, or else you would risk losing some blood going to your head.
Denon AH-D2000
Looks sleek with the metal. I’m loving the leather pads, they feel very nice and I prefer them over the velour of the Sennheisers, but it does feel funny when you begin to sweat in them. I have a big head and the Denon’s don’t even feel tight on my head, loose and comfortable. The cups are black, not really sure of the material, pretty sturdy, but it gets scratched very easily by the looks of it. They are very heavy, much heavier than the two Sennheisers, it is most likely due to the Dynamat Xtreme from the Markl Mods. The cups feel as though they will pop off the frame any second, be very careful while handling them. They shouldn’t be a problem if you take good care of your equipment, but I suggest you do not handle them roughly.
Sennheiser HD600
What can I say, the frame looks just like the hd580’s and hd650’s. Padding is also the same as the 580’s. But the finish is very different, it’s glossy and it looks like they are trying to replicate some type of stone. It looks cool to me, not sure what other people think. I would prefer this over the boring matte plastic of the 580’s. Also the grills on these headphones are metal unlike the plastic ones on the 580’s which is always a plus. That death grip is still there though, you have to break them in to get that nice fit.
Basshunter – Now Your Gone
A techno song with a lot of bass and singing.
Sennheiser HD580
The vocals are very clear and bright, almost piercing my ears. It feels spacious, as if I am listening to Basshunter live at a concert! It’s very bright especially on the part of the song where they are clapping their hands, it kind of tingles the ears. I like it, makes me want to get up and move around.
Denon AH-D2000
The vocals sound different than the sennheisers but it is also very clear. The big difference is the bass, I get this deep booming base from the Denon’s which the Sennheisers cannot produce. One thing with this song is that I feel as though I’m in a cave, I know the Denon’s are closed headphones but it just feels like I’m in a small closed off room. Not saying there are echoes or anything but it feels confined.
Sennheiser HD600
Has that Sennheiser sound like the hd580’s nothing that different, although the vocals and the bass are bit muffled, nothing blatant.
The Black Mages – Distant World
Instrumental music, pianos, violins, etc.
Sennheiser HD580’s
The instruments sound wonderful, I can hear each and everyone of them being plucked. The piano is very bright and I can hear the violin in the background. It’s like an opera hall, I’m loving it.
Denon AH-D2000
The piano seem to be overpowering the violin but its super clear and precise, I can still hear everything. I’m feeling a large space, not like an opera hall. But I’m feeling what the composer wants me to feel, like I’m in a strange world. It’s unbelievable. The hd580’s seem muffled now that I think of it.
Sennheiser HD600
Everything is balanced, all the instruments are playing at the same volume, it’s very calm. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not very exciting.
Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
Jazz, what more can I say.
Sennheiser HD600’s
I can really feel that Sennheiser veil now, it's as if I am at the bar listening to the musicians but I left my hearing aids at home. I can hear them all playing their beautiful instruments, but I am not getting that impact and feel that I want.
Sennheiser HD580’s
I’m getting that veil, although it is brighter than the hd600’s, I’m really not feeling the Sennheisers with this song, too much of a smokescreen.
Denon AH-D2000
Everything is so much more clearer than the Sennheisers, Sounds as if, I removed a blanket over my headphones and now I’m getting the full sound. Again each instrument is clearly presented and I can pick each and everyone of them out precisely. Exciting and it makes me want to get up and dance. What a beautiful world this will be doo doo dooo.
Radiohead - All I Need
Sennheiser HD580’s
Wow, Thom Yorke’s voice is so dominant in this song which makes the hd580’s the perfect match. His voice is almost ethereal, when I close my eyes and listen, it is as though I’m dreaming. He’s whispering in my ears. I can hear the drums playing in the back, its got this slam too it. The bass is a little on the dull side, nothing surprising. I feel very relaxed.
Denon AH-D2000
The bass is more pronounced and I can hear the cymbals now too. But I really don’t want to hear those. I prefer listening to the soothing voice. It’s their but it’s too clear, I don’t like it. Maybe there is an advantage to this darker sound or veil haha.
Sennheiser HD600
What can I say, sounds like the 580’s but more calm, probably due to the equinox cable, it is less piercing and bright. I would probably fall asleep to this song, no doubt about that and that is a good thing. It’s just so relaxing. It’s a gateway song.
Conclusions
And the winners are…
Basshunter – Now Your Gone
Sennheiser HD580
The Black Mages – Distant Worlds
Denon D2000
Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
Denon D2000
Radiohead - All I Need
Sennheiser HD580 or HD600
My Thoughts
Strange that a song with a lot of bass sounds better on the HD580’s than the Denon D2000’s when those are suppose to be the Bass Kings. The vocals in Basshunter just sounded so much better on the 580’s than the d2000’s and I felt seriously confined with the d2000’s in Basshunter. The black mages was a totally different story, I thought the Sennheisers would win it out by a large margin on this song, but the Denon’s just sounded so much more articulate and precise. The Sennheiser veil came into play with Donald Fagen, now I understand what they you all meant. Everything was just slightly muffled. Maybe it’s because I am using the Zero’s Headphone Amplifier, anyhow I can still turn them up to the same volume, but maybe I am not getting the full sound? I think that was most likely the case, but anyhow the Denon’s win the award this time. Also I think the reason the 580’s were brighter than the 600’s because of the Zu-Mobius cable, If I had switched them around and the 580’s had the Equinox then it would be a whole different story. But I still can’t figure out if the hd600’s sound just like the hd580’s, maybe if they had the same cables, but they don’t, oh well. So there you have it, if you want a good headphone that can sound awesome out of the Zero Dac/Amp then get the Denon AH-D2000’s, although the Sennheisers are not bad, but your going to need to spend a little more money on an amplifier.
