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Denon AH-D5000 for sensitive ears? - Page 2

post #16 of 41
8/29/09 at 7:27pm
I had the HD650 and then the Denon's. The Denon's are brighter than any Senn I have heard for sure (but not bad to me). You need the Sennheiser HD650 or HD600 if you have sensitive ears and want high fidelity, IMO.
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post #17 of 41
8/29/09 at 8:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aimlink View Post
D5000 sibilant? Wow... that's a genuine surprise to hear. There's a likely amp pairing issue involved there.
I heartily agree. If the D5000 are not properly amped, they will sound thin, edgy and grating in the HFs. (This was my experience while driving them with the Darkvoice 337.) Properly amped, however, they will sound smooth, tonally vivid and nicely resolved in the HFs and mids. (This is my present experience while driving them with the hybrid Bada PH-12 or the SS AMC XIA integrated amp.) On the other hand, IMHE, the HD600 have sounded "bright" with certain source gear and amps, whereas the HD650 have never sounded bright to me under any conditions.
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post #18 of 41
8/30/09 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
To be honest I don't have any solid preferences in terms of music at the moment. I listen to everything from pop-rock the death metal and even some occasional acoustic and jazz. No isolation needed.
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post #19 of 41
8/31/09 at 12:27pm
Then maybe HD600 might be suitable for you, it is more upfront presentation than the HD650. If you want even more bite and kick, AT ESW9 is very good as well, I don't recall any sibilant there.
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post #20 of 41
8/31/09 at 3:12pm
I have sensitive ears and hate very high treble cans and have listened to the d5000's. I find them to be detailed but overkilled by bass extension. I like a full sound but with the detail to still be there and I felt with the d5000 you need to search for the detail. They are not to my ears though sibilant. I find the 701's sibilant. The 650's are another great choice but they require a more discerning amp. I found the bass thumb of the d5000's to be the most irritating to my ears.

The 650's are the safest choice, you could always headroom the d5000's and return em if need be.
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post #21 of 41
9/4/09 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
Sennheiser HD650 w/ 10 ft. of Blue Dragon on its way
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post #22 of 41
9/4/09 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by illy2k View Post
I have sensitive ears and hate very high treble cans and have listened to the d5000's. I find them to be detailed but overkilled by bass extension. I like a full sound but with the detail to still be there and I felt with the d5000 you need to search for the detail. They are not to my ears though sibilant. I find the 701's sibilant. The 650's are another great choice but they require a more discerning amp. I found the bass thumb of the d5000's to be the most irritating to my ears.

The 650's are the safest choice, you could always headroom the d5000's and return em if need be.
I wanted to take just a bit the bass on my D7000's out and didn't really want to do any permanent mods to them. I put some polyester fiber filler in the cups and it made a nice, but pretty subtle change. I may yet add some Dynamat to the back of the drivers and baffle if I decide I want to tighten them up just a bit more.

@ Mofferino, good call on your decision, I'm sure you'll be very happy with the HD650's.
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post #23 of 41
9/4/09 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopPop View Post
See below...



I strongly disagree. My hearing is very sensitive to lower and mid treble (read: my ears physically hurt when there's too much acoustic pressure in this region). For this reason, Grado's don't work for me, K-701 practically gave me a headache withing 30 seconds, and the 2003 DT-880 I used to own ended up not working for me, either.

I would add, however, that the D5000 (yes, even when modded) makes my ears/head hurt for this very same reason: they're just too hot in the lower treble. I believe this is what makes them sound "lively", in a similar way to Grado.

I ended up settling on Sennheiser HD-600, which never makes my ears hurt.
Hi:
I just thought I would interject here. I am Topops friend who has the D5000's I though I would say, yes he is telling the truth about my D5000's. Although just as an fyi, I modded them and then went so far as to tune them that way (though different padding adjustments) as that is what I liked. I also like the grado sound for example.

Although I would also like to point out that TopPop has yet to hear my D5000's since I got the new J$ pads installed (time for more beer Top ), they changed the sound quite a bit and lowered the overall mid-treble. While they lost some of the sound I liked in the mid treble what they gained far outweighed what I lost.

Although If the high frequency area is your issue the HD6X0's are a great choice and cheaper as well.
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post #24 of 41
9/4/09 at 4:41pm
A properly amped and recabled HD600 is a beast though, I've gotta give you that. It's slightly too laid-back for my taste though.
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post #25 of 41
9/4/09 at 5:01pm
Thread Starter 
What exactly does laid-back mean in terms of sound? I'm kinda new to the terminology
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post #26 of 41
9/4/09 at 6:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mofferino View Post
What exactly does laid-back mean in terms of sound? I'm kinda new to the terminology
Laid-back mean that the music is supposed to be somewhat farther, softer,warmer, more relax,on the dark side,less fatiguing but also less engaging, can be more boring for some, and usually less clear.

But the words definition is not the same for everyone.
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post #27 of 41
9/4/09 at 6:57pm
Is a Compass enough for a D5000 or D2000? Are D2K and D5K similar in terms of power requirements?
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post #28 of 41
9/4/09 at 7:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mofferino View Post
What exactly does laid-back mean in terms of sound? I'm kinda new to the terminology
"Laid back" is a relative descriptor, and may not translate to distant or unclear at all. For example, the D5000 sound laid back compared to the D2000, but the D5000 still come across as clear, open and detailed. (Overall, I'd say that the D5000 are fairly balanced in their attack.)

"Laid back" is usually juxtaposed to "forward", the former roughly means "you go to the music", the latter "the music comes to you". : )
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post #29 of 41
9/4/09 at 8:04pm
Thread Starter 
Cool. Thanks! Do you guys know of a glossery to help understand the whole audio-terminology better? I don't find the one here on the forum to be very good.
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post #30 of 41
9/4/09 at 8:06pm
Mofferino, you sound just like me, I have sensitive hearing and harsh sounds with shrill highs can fatigue my ears almost instantly.

I have said this before but the Denon AH-D1001K are the most comfortable for me. I can listen with them for hours on end without any ear pain and with no headache sensations. I usually listen to them through a Corda Arietta amp, but they are equally easy to listen to through other sources. They are not overly dark, and provide tight and structured bass. They can even tame notoriously harsh songs. Sibilance is very well controlled with these phones. I believe they have no annoyance in the bass ranges where higher priced Denon's may cause pain. They are excellent for most rock music despite their modest price. Trust me, you will be surprised.

DO NOT get the Sennheiser HD595's, I can no longer listen to these as they give me an earache that doesn't go away until a couple of days later. I can only tolerate jazz with them, and even then, in moderation. They are beautifully detailed, but waaaaay to biased to the highs and mids for me.
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