Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr enig 

it 

 

hey!

 

now that's interesting. D2k and D5k are, indeed, the same except the wooden cups on D5000 and also a different cable. I myself own them, and even though I was really new to Hi-fi when I bought them, I have noticed  an issue with D2k's when I was auditioning them. Sorry but I couldnt live with it. I consider myself a basshead and we all know that Denons are not exactly shy in this region, but the bass on D2k is late. Listening to some tracks I got a feeling that the whole bass range is detached and delayed. Was really confusing to listen to.

 

I am in no way saying that it lacked the impact. It was a lot of bass, but it was late. Am I the only one with this impression here?

 

these two are in no ways revolutionary different, but for someone considering the D2k's, I would definitely suggest to wait a little, save some more cash and go for the D5k's. Sound signature is similar, but definitely more refined on the bigger brother. Cant tell anything about the D7k's as I have not heard them by myself.

 

What slightly bothers me on the D5k's is the treble - I'd call it a little sibilant. But if to talk about your music preferences, Zoom25, it would not be such an issue. I also listen to a lot of electro, and I truly enjoy it through D5k's. It gets a bit out of control with rock music, but I feel it can get settled with choosing a proper amp. 

 

While we're at it, I must add that it is quite important to amp Denons properly. Yes, they are efficient, but you can feel the lack of power when running straight out of a head-phone jack. Maybe my laptop has a really crappy sound card (HP HDX18), but the difference between the built-in soundcard and even basic DAC and AMP is like a day and night. Yes the Denons DO sound good out of the jack, but just until you hear them fed by a better source. And yes, the 25 Ohm impendance makes it tricky to find an AMP which matches the cans well.

 

Regarding Sennheisers for your choice of music and your budget - I'd pass. I have auditioned both 600 and 650s, and also my friend has the 598. In Denons you do get better bass, the highs region is, as I have already mentioned, with some sibilance issues, but at least not veiled like it is at Senns 598 to 600/650.

 

The only advantage of Senns against Denon AH-D2k to 7k I see in the portability of Denons. Denons are extremely comfortable, but they feel a bit too fragile to be used as a portable can. And you would not like to scratch the nice finish on the wooden cups of D5/7k's, which would inevitably happen "on the go" :) Plus, the cable tends to twist and wrinkle a bit.. a minus for the portability. As about the Senn's - they feel a lot more durable and can handle a few more drops and slams. Go for AH-D1100 if you want unbreakable Denons, but then you must be a real bass-freak.

 

anyone with similar/opposing impressions?

 

So far I have taken the Sennheisers out completely. I am really considering the Ultrasone 900 based on all the other reviews for EDM. I have heard that the mids on ultrasones are bit recessed, but it makes up with the bass and while not killing the other details throughout the spectrum and being really clear throughout. With denon's I have heard in comparison that mids are better slightly but bass is not as fast or that deep, especially for EDM purposes in comparison to Denon's. From what I have gathered is that Denon would be the better overall for all genres but since over 80% of my music is EDM, the Ultrasone pro 900's would be the best choice. So I am still deciding between the various models of Denon (2/5/7 K) and Ultrasone pro 900, although leaning more towards 900. I have also put DT990 in the back there but at this time they are not really a big contender. I don't consider myself a basshead but still love deep clean bass while maintaining the high's, the details with clarity throughout, so that's why I am leaning more at 900 pro's.

Also, anyone with pro 900, how comfortable is it? I have heard that after a while it feels as if the weight is on top at centre. Also based on pictures (which I have heard are not doing justice), that the ear cups look rather small in comparison to Sennheissers especially and maybe the Denon's. I don't want the ear cups to be on top of my ear clamping on the ear itself but rather go around it and sit nicely. So if someone could clarify that with the size and comfortableness of the 900's it would help me out. Also with 900 I noticed that they can fold sideways/swivel. Does that bother when listening with them, do they tend to sometimes randomly swivel out and not stay in place? 

Well, so far in order:

1) Ultrasone pro 900 

2) Denon 2000/5000 maybe 7000 

3) Beyerdynamic DT990

If suppose I was to get the Ultrasone 900, what would I need for amp and dac. I will be running them out of two sources: 2010 Macbook Pro and Sansa Fuze V2. I have now figured that dedicated sound cards work well like of fiio e7 and combined with e9 for amp. Usually Dac's and amp for inbuilt pc/laptop as well as DAP are bad, but I have heard that generally the new Mac's are pretty decent and that the Sansa Fuze is especially one of the more decent ones out there in comparison to iPods and Cowon. Also would the E7 suffice, or would I really need the E7 and e9. If any other combinations comes to mind, let me know.

For both sources, could someone suggest what I would need for pro 900, I can't spend really more than $200 as I'm a uni student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluffygdog95 

The Pro 900 is quite comfortable. Pictures don't represent the size of it too well. I've worn it for a few hours in a row and I did not have any discomfort. 

 

For a universal unit, if my experience with my D6 is able to be related, the iBasso D2+ Boa could work well. It has a DAC and amp for use with your Mac, and it has the ability to be used amp only with your Fuze.

 

http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=42

i checked out your D6 as well as the IBasso D2+ Boa. The D2+ is cheaper and more in my price range in the moment. I noticed that they have the same DAC chips by wolfson and the versatility would make the IBasso D2+ at the moment the better choice for me. How would the dac compare to the E7 alone as well as the amp of E7 and Ibasso D2. Also what about the E7/E9 combo in comparison to the dac+amp of Ibasso D2+. Although I guess having both dac and amp as portable In Ibasso D2+ would be more helpful and portable then the E9 since it requires ac outlet (right?).

Also I ran into - NuForce Icon uDAC-2 (Black) Headphone Amp and USB DAC (24bit/96kHz) - this like the Ibasso D has 24 bit and 96kHz. Although I don't really know much about its dac and amp. How would this compare to the D2+ or the Fiio E7 either alone or combined with E9.  The Nu-force on amazon costs $129. It says its usb powered so It would be portable, I dunno if it has lithium battery or needs to be constantly plugged in with the a usb to work. Someone shine some light. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr enig 

looks like you have almost decided :) I can not comment on the Ultrasones as I have never even seen them. All I can tell about Denons is a) uber comfortable b) exceptional bass c) great detail d) dont get D2000 e) plan on amping them if you decide to get em d) sucks that you dont have a possibility to audition them

 

 

a) so I have heard

b) I heard it's really good as well but not as good as pro 900, especially for EDM dubstep related

c) I heard both denon and pro 900 have exceptional clarity throughout the spectrum except that pro are bit recessed in mids but then the bass is better

d) hmmm I read some other good reviews about D2000 but in this thread, they seem way worse than D5000

e) deff amping them if i get them (prolly still need it even with fuze)

f) yes it does...yes...it does 

It looks like it has come between the pro 900's and one of the denon's. Although at this moment still more lenient towards pro 900. Couple of good choices, gonna be hard to pick. lol if someone else suggests some other headphones and I also find them to be decent, then I am gonna be really confused...

Ahhh Amazon got me pretty bad, until today I was settled much on the Ultrasone pro 900, today I go on Amazon to just compare the prices of all the other headphones and the pro 900 went from being $305 to $479. I asked the original seller "BestSeller21", which are not selling today to see what the current situation is. Right now the best option I have is the Beyerdynamic DT990, and a pretty good one at that. Contemplating between the 250 and 600 ohm for this, although more lenient towards the 600 ohms. I have read the review: 

[GUIDE] Sonic Differences Between DT770-DT990 Models & More

  So the 600 ohm seems the right for me, although powering the 600 ohm will probably require me to spend more money on amp. I like the Fiio E7 option as a dac and docked to Fiio E9 for amp, I wonder if that combo will be enough for the 600 ohm. On the forum mentioned before, some people recommend a tube amp over a solid state amp. I'm not very familiar with the different types of amp, although from what I gather the tubes tend to colour the spectrum (sometimes turns out good) and offers more power than solid states. Again, I am not very familiar with amps, so anyone got any insights? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv014 

Technically, it is enough, unless you prefer a differently colored sound (i.e. tubes), or want to drive the headphones to their maximum power handling capacity (that is, very loud and probably distorted sound); the FiiO E9 can output about 80 mW on 600 Ohms. If you do not need a portable amplifier, and have a good sound card, you may skip buying the E7; also, a similarly priced sound card may have a better DAC than what is used in the E7.

 

In terms of coloration, I want to optimize the headphones for EDM related music. The two sources I will be using them with are my 2010 Macbook Pro and Sansa Fuze, so I guess the DAC of the E7 will improve the sound and E9 will be the amp. I am looking for a portable amp for pairing it with my sansa fuze, although I don't think the E7 can amp the DT600 probably but still need the E7 for DAC. Unless there are better options for similar price. If I was to colour it with a tube, it would be to enhance it for EDM

So far, I like the DT990 but one place where I have read mixed reviews is with the treble being too harsh, I want the treble to have some energy but not overdose it as I have read sometimes with DT990 - and this would either lead me to one of the Denon's, and starting a loop again. Hmm, in comparison to Ultrasone pro 900, which only has recessed mids but no problem with treble and the best bass for EDM purposes.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv014 

Probably that is why many people prefer them with tube amplifiers, which often have slightly rolled off treble, while the E9 has a fairly flat response. Although for coloring the sound, one could also just use equalization.

 

Yea I guess then If i get the 600 ohms, I'll use the E7/E9 combo to power it for desktop use and then just EQ it with from my macbook pro or sansa fuze. The Ed/E9 combo seems like a good combo for desktop but don't know if the E7 will be good for portable purposes. I may need to consider other combo's for both desktop and portable.