I own the Image X10's; what next? - Page 2

The Denons and HFI-780 are both known for sounding fine with or without an amp. There are a large number of Head-Fiers who drive their D2000s through laptops and whatnot.

The Denons are going to be the most comfortable of any out of that list (My D5000s are supremely comfortable).

As to comfort of the HD25-I:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/sen...tml#post188909

Check the first post in this thread, HD25-I is on top of the list (Although I think we can all agree that almost every phone benefits from an amp):

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/deb...d-amps-313975/

And lastly, yes, the HD650 cable is compatible:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/sen...ecable-291169/


I do want to point out that the HFI-780/D2000 will give you more "room to grow" in the future with respect to amping/recabling than the HD25-I. Still, you have three very good options here.

The Denon AH-D2000 is the most comfortable of the three, hands down. My AH-D5000 is the most comfortable full-size headphone I've ever worn, as far as I can remember at least.

The Denon AH-D2000 or the HFI-780 are going to offer more room to grow than the Sennheiser HD25-I. You'd have to step up to at least the HD600/650 in order to get into a level of equivalent scaling, IMO. Not that I'm advocating that, just that if you like the Sennheiser sound it's really what you're looking at for a long term commitment and good returns on serious peripheral upgrades.

Now the question is, which of the two to get? (I'll let you do your own research on the HD600/HD650 other than to tell you the HD600 is brighter than the HD650 and preferred by many who find the HD650 "veiled" or unengaging)


Denon AH-D2000

Pros:

Most comfortable
Lawton Audio mods available: wooden cups ($230ish right now, can be installed yourself), markl mods (can be done yourself for $10-$20 for a substantial improvement. Also, 100% reversible)
Recabling options: Lawton Audio Jena Labs cable, APS, Moon Audio, ALO, many others. Substantial improvement from recabling, second only to the HFI-780 (The above mods make this phone pull ahead in the long run, but with a more substantial wallet hit)
Needs no amp to sound good, but scales well up the amp chain
Fits a large range of music
Scales the best over gear investment by all accounts

Cons:

Sound is considered unengaging or boring to some (not me, at least D5000s)
Many consider the Denon line to be poor at isolation (It's no IEM, but it's not horrible. It won't cut out loud noises for sure, though).
You can't find it under $200 new anywhere (no matter what Google tells you)
More transportable than portable
Somewhat fragile
Has fallen apart randomly at the ear pieces (Just make sure you tighten the screws on arrival if this is your choice) for more than one Head-Fier



Ultrasone HFI-780

Pros:

Engaging sound
Most bass punch (Okay, pro in my book)
Benefits the most from recabling (Comes to 90-95% of the Edition 9 with an APSv3/Jena Labs recable)
ALO Audio has extensive experience with this phone
Isolates very well
Cheapest phone to improve
Sounds great with many amps
You can actually find it in stock below $200
Actually portable. They fold up and IIRC they have a carrying case or something
Build quality is rather solid by most accounts

Cons:

Wonky burn in that lasts for 300+ hours, sometimes 450+. Worse, the burn in can at times make the headphones sound HORRIBLE. These are a "set on pink noise and forget for 2-3 weeks" phone. Removing the diode board inside the headphone helps a lot by all accounts (ALO Audio does this with every recable AFAIK) and can reduce the burn in needed substantially
Not as comfortable as some other options
Might make ears sweaty
Considered harsh by some
Does only a few genres really well (rock and the like) and falls short in other areas mainly due to its highly colored, energetic sound (Which many enjoy!)
Less detailed in the low end than the D2000, due to its extra punch primarily

Like.....what new questions.....?