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Best Amp for the Denon D5000?

post #1 of 25
10/8/08 at 8:55pm
Thread Starter 
Well, which one is it? I'm currently driving the D5000 with the Darkvoice 337, but don't think I'm getting the most from the Denon.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Denon AH-D5000 Reference Headphones
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post #2 of 25
10/8/08 at 9:12pm
Something that pushes up the midrange slightly, tightens and slams the bass, and something a little to the warmer side of neutral, but it also has to have very good attack and decay; fast tube amp good with low impedance cans.

I'm actually in the same hunt, because the D2000's are my favorite headphones, and I want to get a nice tube amp with the above qualities.
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post #3 of 25
10/8/08 at 9:20pm
Thread Starter 
Forgot to mention that the Bada PH-12, IMHO, does a good job with the D2000. When it's back from being modded, I can't wait to try the D5000 with it.

There is an exhaustive--that was the OP's intention, anyway--thread floating about, listing many amps that Head-Fiers have paired with the D2000:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/den...thread-342651/
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post #4 of 25
10/8/08 at 10:37pm
If you can find a Beta 22 floating around, I can tell you it does a superb job of driving the Denon's.
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post #5 of 25
10/9/08 at 10:23am
audio technica HA5000
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post #6 of 25
10/9/08 at 4:19pm
Look at whatever Rudistor is in your price range. But whatever you do, make sure to go solid state with the Denons.
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post #7 of 25
10/9/08 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by markl View Post
Look at whatever Rudistor is in your price range. But whatever you do, make sure to go solid state with the Denons.
RIGHT!

LARGE CURRENT OUTPUT solid state ,SILMPLE RA1（AC）
LL
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post #8 of 25
10/10/08 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone.

What about the Meier Corda Opera? Has anyone successfully driven the D5000 with this amp?
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post #9 of 25
10/10/08 at 10:36am

X-CANv8...

The MF X-CANv8 is exceptional with the D5000s - high current output and 2 ohm output impedance to match the high current requirements and low impedance of the D5000s. Somewhat better than the DV332 OTL tube amp with Denons. And... at $550 it is a supreme bargain - when used with Denons.

Yes... I would expect any good SS or hybrid amp with high current output and low impedance - would drive the Denons to perfection - such as the Rudistor amps, for which the reports are good, but at a fair price premium. Though, the GS Solo does not do well with low impedance phones - as it does with Senns and high impedance phones. So... I guess "any good SS or hybrid amp" is way too broad a statement. You really have to match the current output and impedance of the amp to the Denons / Grados.

But... I'm not sure how you "reconcile" the observations that the BADA PH-12 does not drive Grados (32 ohms) well... while... others suggest it does a fair job at driving Denons (25 ohms).

Apart from the mosfet issues, the major reason I've never tried one... are the reports that it doesn't drive Grados and low impedance phones well.
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post #10 of 25
10/10/08 at 10:50am
Thread Starter 
I've reported good success with the Bada and the 325i; ditto for the D2000.

That said, however, I have just recently learned how poor a match the DV337 actually is for the D5000, particularly given an a/b--on the 337--between the DT880/2003 and the D5000.

Fortunately, I am solidly convinced that the Bada fares very well with the K501. However, given my recent disconcertingly eye-opening experience with the DV337/D5000, I'm scratching my head a little, wondering exactly how much better the D2/5000--and by implication, the 325i--are capable of sounding with another amp. (It's not difficult for you to guess that I'm speculating "a whole lot better" at this point.)

Nothing like the "right cans, wrong amp" scenario, or vice-versa. : |

Ideally, the Bada will drive the DT880/2003 (in addition to the K501) very well. Then, I could sell the DV337 and use the proceeds towards an amp more suitable for the D5000.

Or maybe I'll just sell everything, abandon this hobby and tend to a Zen garden somewhere out there in an even more rural section of the universe . . . : )
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post #11 of 25
10/10/08 at 11:02am
I am currently using a millet hybrid starving student with mine. I think it works alright but can't help but wonder if another amp would do better. I will try and listen to my SOHA and compare soon.
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post #12 of 25
10/11/08 at 8:37am
Ok, so I did a quick listen. The SOHA sounds much more lush. The mids and lows are very nice and the highs are more mellow than the millet starving student. The millet seems to bring foward the treble more and possibly seems like more detail because of this. It still sounds good but not as buttery smooth.

The mini3 sounds good considering that it is running off a 9volt but it just doesn't have the juice to run these cans. The bass is a little anemic with the mini3 and if anything it makes the cans seem more boomy cause it doesn't get the low end enough, just some of the mid bass.

So no big surprise I guess. The starving student is good but not as good as the SOHA. The mini3 was included in my little mini review just because it was there but I didn't really expect it to compete with desktop amps. I wish I had a few more amps to try out.


PS: markl mentioned that you need to go solid state with these headphones. I am not sure why he says this but would like to know.
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post #13 of 25
10/11/08 at 9:29am
Thread Starter 
Took the D5000 out of the Darkvoice 337 and hooked them into the JVC MX-C330, a ten-year-old, nothing special component system.

The sound (of the headphone out on the cheap JVC) was much better, and much more indicative of what the Denon are capable of, than the Darkvoice. Big, authoritative, smooth and detailed.
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post #14 of 25
10/11/08 at 10:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pataburd View Post
Thanks everyone.

What about the Meier Corda Opera? Has anyone successfully driven the D5000 with this amp?
During the time when I had both, this was one of my all-time favorite combinations of amp and headphone. The Opera and the Denon are terrific together.
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post #15 of 25
10/11/08 at 10:35am
pataburd: I wish I could try the same with my Luxman amp that's sitting thousands of miles away in Australia....damn.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Denon AH-D5000 Reference Headphones
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