Need advice, denon d2000 or top tier universal iem?

Quote:

Originally Posted by farfly 

Hi, i would like to buy a headphone or in ear, i only want sound quality, i already have sennheiser hd25 and super fi 5, would be d2k a big upgrade from those two? I tryed westone um3x and i liked a lot, how is this compared to d2k? Could a top tier iem compare to d2k? Thanks and regards

Heya,

What music genres are we talking about?

What is your budget?

Do you have an amp?
What is your source?

Very best,

It really depends how you're going to use them.  If you want portability and something easy to drive, I'd go for IEMs.  If you want something that's less portable, headphones will generally give better bang for the buck.

I personally don't like the D2000s very much.  Just my personal opinion though.  Have you heard them?

(Also, bumping after only 2 hours is a bit rude.  Educated answers on HeadFi can take a day or two.)

Personally, I love my Denon AH-D2000's and you'll find they're a very popular headphone around here. Are they better than the HD-25-I II's? Honestly, I don't know as I've never heard them long enough to be that critical of them. Though, the one time I did spend a few minutes with them, I was impressed but this was a while ago.

Best bet is to head to a store and try them out. See what you think when you actually hear them.

As said by Barleyguy, they are not a portable headphone. At all. For a start, they may be closed-back but they aren't isolated very well. They aren't meant to be. If the price feels right to you (you can find them for around $240 on Amazon) and you want something for home listening then I would highly recommend them.

If you are going to use them somewhere that their size or lack of real isolation is a problem I'd say get a pair of IEMs.

Head-fiers tend to browse a lot. Don't worry if it's not answered immediately. ;)

I think you're safe in going with the Westones. I don't know what the HD25's are like in compared to the D2000's but if I were to guess I'd say they were of a relatively similar sound with the HD25's isolating better and, perhaps, being more analytical as that's what Sennheiser is known for. Denon seems to have a reputation for warmer sound.

Another reason to go IEM is simply because now you'll have a good set of headphones you can use primarily at home and a good set of IEMs to use while running around.

Though, I feel I should point out that for the price-range you mention you could get a set of 1964-T custom IEMs:

http://www.1964ears.com/products_triples.html

I've heard pretty good things about them, even though they are a "budget" custom IEM.

If sound quality is the only thing that matters to you and the um3x sound good to you then ill say,

GET THE DENONS, they are awesome.

I have the sm3 and IMO they are a slight microscopic notch below yet cost about $100 more.

I'm keeping both as denons is for home and sm3 is for on the go.

Lastly, I heard a decent of amount of full sized headphones (d2000, hd598, hfi780, dt770 pro, etc.) and a decent amount of iems (se530, fx700, ie8, ie7, etc.) so I will say that the denon's are the right choice for about $220 used. To me they sound a lot or up to a little better than all the iems I've heard. The sm3 comes close though but it is more expensive than a used set of denons. If money is no object and you may plan to use them on the go then definitely

GO FOR THE SM3.

To be honest either choice you wont be disappointed.

Weird. When I bought my Denons, I found them for $240 new. Now I'm not seeing anything below the full-retail.

What might be worth trying is ordering a set from Headphone.com:

http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/top-picks/denon-ah-d2000.php

You pay full-retail but if you find they aren't to your liking or you'd prefer a more portable headphone you can send them back for a full refund. At worst you pay shipping. Then, simply turn around and buy the IEMs instead.

I would still go used on the denons. You can always sell them at the same price you bought them for. But since the OP is not experienced with full sized headphones and liking the um3x then I would say it's impossible not to love the denons.

It is nice to know that I can sell mine for barely a loss. :D

They're definitely worth a look. I've never owned a pair, myself, but I've heard good things as far as budget custom IEMs go. Might be just a little beyond your budget with taxes and shipping, but might also be worth it.