Considering the Denon AH-D5000's, a couple of questions...

Honestly the D5000 does not sound better than the D2000, but it does cost twice as much.  I would suggest going for the AH-D2000 for $350 and then purchasing a Total Bithead for $150 more.  The total is still less than the cost of the D5000, but you are going to have a much more serious setup.  I will admit that the D5000 look a little more classic because of the wooden earcups, but the sound did not justify the cost when I did the A/B test against my D2000.

Both the D2000 and D5000 suffer from slightly boomy bass without good amping.  You may find this the case using your phone or portable player as the source.  An amp really helps the D2000/D5000 which is why I suggest the combo.

Hope that helps.

The from the number I've seen the iPhone 4S is a pretty decent source.

I can't find any specs but many pro audio interfaces like yours tend to have poor headphone outs with high output impedance which can be bad for low impedance headphones like the D2000/5000s.  If you thing the they sound better out of your iPhone than the Mbox something like the E7 with a low output impedance would be a good idea.

I've heard the D2000/D5000 don't really need amping. And IME a lot of people recommend amping when it's unnecessary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deutscher 

Hey everyone,

 

I'm considering a purchase of the Denon AH-D5000's

 

http://denon.ca/CA/Product/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?Catid=f28e56fc-7d35-4cf7-88d8-f6ce5abeb128&SubId=175b9aad-12a5-4ba1-9bc0-de397b66258a&ProductId=9626a80f-b109-4a3e-b9c1-87ef177af929

 

I tried to do a search in the forums but I couldn't find the answer to my specific question...

 

I listen to my music from my iPhone 4S and a 27" iMac with an Mbox2 hooked up to that.

 

I'm sure these aren't the best sources/DAC's but could you guys tell me what type of sound quality I'll be able to expect with these?

 

If I NEED an alternative DAC/AMP could you give me some recommendations that won't break the bank?  I'm kind of new to the whole DAC/AMP thing so please take it easy on me :)

 

Thanks in advance everyone.

Heya,

It will work great from any source. Works probably a touch better with your E7 which functions both on the go (phone) and at home (mac). I prefer the D5000 over the D2000 in every way. It's worth the cost difference. Mids are better, and it's warmer. It's not boomy, it's quite linear, all the way to 30hz. The extra cost goes to the wooden cups and the silver cable.

Very best,

It'd be cheaper/better SQ to mod D2000's than it is to buy D5000's