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Shure SRH840 vs Denon AHD2000?

post #1 of 35
10/12/09 at 11:52pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking for a high quality, full-sized, and closed-back set of headphones for my ipod and am having trouble deciding between the Shure SRH840 and Denon AHD2000.

The Shures seem a bit more convenient and easier to drive straight out of an ipod touch, but the Denon's have a certain aesthetic appeal to them that I like. The Denon's are more highly regarded on Headroom, and here as well, from what I've gathered, but I haven't seen the Shure's ill-regarded much, if at all either.

Would anyone here happen to have experience with both?
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post #2 of 35
10/13/09 at 1:23pm
Why do you want closed back? If it's for isolation the Denon's are not for you. The sound is good, but the isolation is minimal.
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post #3 of 35
10/13/09 at 2:46pm
Most of the comparisons I've read on here from people who own or have owned both favor the 840, as it's bass is tighter and it has better isolation. The SRH 840 Impressions thread has a lot of discussion on it. I am sure the D2000 has its advocates though - both are great cans!

Ultimately, if you prefer a neutral, balanced sound, want portability and isolation the 840 is probably the better pick, while if you are a bass fiend, value comfort or aesthetic more than isolation, the D2000 is probably the better option.

When faced with the same question after demoing both, I opted for the SRH840, but I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for choosing the D2000s.
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post #4 of 35
10/13/09 at 2:55pm
I've heard the D5000 and 840 and did a side by side comparison and prefered the D5000. Waiting for mine to arrive shortly. I did order the 840 immediately after the meet since the price was so tempting (around 140 bucks). But cancelled the order once Shure delayed it and now have no regrets as such.

For the price the 840's are pretty good, they are very versatile, do nothing wrong, but at the same time dont have anything they are fantastic at. They are fairly comfortable, built decently, and have a nice flat response all around, but nothing stands out as awesome or terrific. They also give a good sense of the source and changes in the source.

The D5000 OTOH have a lovely mid range, affected a little bit by the bass, but the midrange is fluid and immediately makes you go wow. The highs were a little bit extended and clearer on the D5000's compared to the 840's. But I must say, bass is tighter and a bit more focussed on the 840 compared to stock D5000.
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post #5 of 35
10/13/09 at 3:57pm
I can't comment on Denons, but 840s are outstanding straight off an iPod.
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post #6 of 35
10/13/09 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing View Post
I've heard the D5000 and 840 and did a side by side comparison and prefered the D5000. Waiting for mine to arrive shortly. I did order the 840 immediately after the meet since the price was so tempting (around 140 bucks). But cancelled the order once Shure delayed it and now have no regrets as such.

For the price the 840's are pretty good, they are very versatile, do nothing wrong, but at the same time dont have anything they are fantastic at. They are fairly comfortable, built decently, and have a nice flat response all around, but nothing stands out as awesome or terrific. They also give a good sense of the source and changes in the source.

The D5000 OTOH have a lovely mid range, affected a little bit by the bass, but the midrange is fluid and immediately makes you go wow. The highs were a little bit extended and clearer on the D5000's compared to the 840's. But I must say, bass is tighter and a bit more focussed on the 840 compared to stock D5000.
Do you mean the Denon D2000's or the D5000's?
Comparing the D5000s with the Shures wouldn't be fair, the D5000's are at least 3 times the price of the Shures.

(we only have to wait till someone visits this thread and claims: "The 840's blow the D5000's out of the water!")
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post #7 of 35
10/13/09 at 5:34pm
There were some people who preferred the 840s over the D2000 and then again there were those who had it the other way around. Have a look through the 840 thread as there were some mini reviews comparing it to the D2000. One thing you really should factor in is the price.
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post #8 of 35
10/13/09 at 7:42pm
Yes I was talking about the D5000. Since its widely known around here that the difference between stock D2000 and D5000 is not very big, I think its reasonable to be able to draw a conclusion from a comparison between the D5000 and 840.
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post #9 of 35
10/13/09 at 9:53pm
I have had the D2000's for a year now, and the 840's for a month and I think they both bring something to the table. I actually prefer the bass on the D2000s, which is more extended. I actually don't find the D2000s to be bass heavy and find its bass to be relatively balanced to the highs, whereas the 840 definitely has a sloping down frequency response from the midbass all the way down to the upper highs.

Whereas the D2000s can sound a tad bit peaky in the high, almost Grado-like, the 840 is exactly the opposite, they almost sound too laid back in the highs. That crisp metallics of a cymbal or high hat is a bit too recessed sounding compared to the D2000.

I think I prefer the 840s overall for their overall smoothness in their sound which works better with the vast majority of my music (some of which isn't mastered well), The D2000 would still be keepers if I didn't have the D7000 already. The 840's lose out in that they are still very closed sounding, the Denons sound spacious in comparison.
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post #10 of 35
10/14/09 at 12:35am
Are you planning on using the headphones as an actual portable or more of a transportable (ie. listen on the go or more transportable to listen stationary at home, work, coffee shop, etc.)?

Any plans to use a portable amp?

The D2000 are not very portable friendly. They are big. The construction of the swivel that holds the ear cups is not something you'll want to subject to portable abuse. The cord is long and stiff and very inconvenient for portable use. As a transportable headphone they would be OK if given due care during transport. As a real portable they are going to be very inconvenient.

The D2000 is not so good straight from an iPod. You can plug them in directly to an iPod and they will work. The sound will be reasonably loud enough but you'll still be able to max the volume to 100% without it being too loud. The problem is that the headphones will sound under-amped. Dynamics suffer, bass control suffers, soundstage spaciousness suffers. It's just less fun to listen to straight from an iPod compared to a suitable amp.

I have not heard the Shure 840 or 440 at all. Can't comment on their sound or how they compare directly from an iPod. I own the D2000 and an iPod Classic. I never run the D2000 straight from the iPod, it's not the right can for that.
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post #11 of 35
10/14/09 at 3:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing View Post
I've heard the D5000 and 840 and did a side by side comparison and prefered the D5000. Waiting for mine to arrive shortly. I did order the 840 immediately after the meet since the price was so tempting (around 140 bucks). But cancelled the order once Shure delayed it and now have no regrets as such.

For the price the 840's are pretty good, they are very versatile, do nothing wrong, but at the same time dont have anything they are fantastic at. They are fairly comfortable, built decently, and have a nice flat response all around, but nothing stands out as awesome or terrific. They also give a good sense of the source and changes in the source.

The D5000 OTOH have a lovely mid range, affected a little bit by the bass, but the midrange is fluid and immediately makes you go wow. The highs were a little bit extended and clearer on the D5000's compared to the 840's. But I must say, bass is tighter and a bit more focussed on the 840 compared to stock D5000.
price of the D5000 is way beyond the srh840 as well :/
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post #12 of 35
10/14/09 at 4:13pm
I own both the D2000s and SRH840s. The Shures are more neutral and have tighter bass and better midrange but the Denons have deeper bass, better treble and better soundstage. Overall the Denons sound more "dramatic" and wow me much more. My Shures are still breaking in and have impressed me more in the past few listens. Many call the Denons bass loose, I don't think it is. It's deep but tight, musical if you will. The Shures bass is tighter though, sometimes tight at the expense of musicality. Some songs call for atmospheric bass, some for tight bass. The tight bass is where the Shures shine. I think the Denons shine all around in the bass, although on the rare occasion can be a little too pronounced. I definitely don't need the bass boost on my XM5 with the Denons.
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post #13 of 35
10/14/09 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing View Post
Yes I was talking about the D5000. Since its widely known around here that the difference between stock D2000 and D5000 is not very big, I think its reasonable to be able to draw a conclusion from a comparison between the D5000 and 840.
Ok, fair enough, if the D2000's sound very similar to the D5000's than i wholeheartedly recommend the D2000's over the Shures.
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post #14 of 35
10/14/09 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by warpdriver View Post
...I actually don't find the D2000s to be bass heavy and find its bass to be relatively balanced to the highs, whereas the 840 definitely has a sloping down frequency response from the midbass all the way down to the upper highs...
...whereas the D2000s can sound a tad bit peaky in the high, almost Grado-like, the 840 is exactly the opposite, they almost sound too laid back in the highs. That crisp metallics of a cymbal or high hat is a bit too recessed sounding compared to the D2000.
Then could someone please explain this graph?
The graph shows indeed the mid bass peak of the Shures and the much more even curve of the D2000's
But I don't see any serious treble peak in D2000's curve...the Shures on the other hand...

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post #15 of 35
10/15/09 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing View Post
Yes I was talking about the D5000. Since its widely known around here that the difference between stock D2000 and D5000 is not very big, I think its reasonable to be able to draw a conclusion from a comparison between the D5000 and 840.
There is a noticeable difference between the D2000 and the D5000. The D5000 actually has a soundstage and it sounds more balanced from low to high compared to the D2000. With that said, the D2000/D5000/D7000 pretty much all present the music with a "V-shaped EQ curve" sound signature. It just gets more refined as you go higher up the model range.

From what I've read, the 840 seems to be more neutral (and perhaps more tonally accurate) in presentation of the music as recorded.

In choosing, would be an issue of which approach to the sound you're looking for.
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