Denon AH-D2000/5000 with Fiio E7 as a DAC and a Fiio E9 as an amp? - Page 2

Something with a low output impedance.  Off the top of my head, the Objective 2 (O2) is probably the best, especially considering price/performance.  It'll run you ~$150 assembled from JDS Labs, or you can build it yourself for ~$100.  It has no problems powering most headphones.  The Fiio E10 is also great, but it only has USB input.  I've heard really nice things about the HiFiMan EF-2 paired with the D2000s as well, especially if you want to bring out the mids a bit.

AFAIK, no one has measured the output impedance of the EF-2.  It's recommended for headphones with impedances between 32 and 300 ohms, but people have said that it works well with the D2000s.

 

The issue of output impedance is a bit tricky because a too-high output impedance isn't always bad.  Some people like the changes in sound that it can produce.  That's why I mostly use recommendations based on reviews of how certain components sound together.  I haven't heard good things about the D2000s and the E9, but I like them with the E10 (wouldn't work for you) and I've heard lots of good things about pairing them with the EF-2.  I've also heard good things about the D2000/O2 combo, though not as many people have that.  Based on specs, it's a good match, which is why I feel comfortable recommending it.

 

Edit: to clarify, "output impedance," as I use it, refers to an internal spec of the amp.  The lower it is, the better.  Some companies use the term "output impedance" to refer to the recommended range of headphone impedances - in other words, how much power the amp has.  If you see a range instead if a single number listed for output impedance, then that's what it means.

 

Edited by LimeANite - 2/6/12 at 11:34am

Heard plenty of good things with the D2K and E9. The same with the E9 and D7K, which gives it a fuller bass and mids. The E7 does sound more linear, but it behaves very well off the E9.

The D2K and E9 aren't an IDEAL combo technically as the E9 has a 10ohm output impedance which is technically proper for 80ohms and above. The D2K is 25ohm... much too low for proper damping. That being said, the Denons seem to handle it well, and the frequency doesn't go too crazy. It mostly just makes the bass a bit more loose which may actually be a good thing.

I'm powering my D2000s off of the E7/E9 as I type.  The combo is not bad.  The E9 does make the denons sound a little less natural than the E7, but I feel the difference is more than made up for in the fact that, overall, the cans sound better out of the E9 than the E7.  I know the output impedance makes the equation look bad on paper, but I can't say that the combo sounds bad.  In fact, I think it sounds very good.

 

That said, I am in the market for a new amp.

I like the sound of my D5000's off the E7+E9 combo.  Recently acquired a HA-160D, and while i feel it makes my HD650's worlds better, I almost prefer the D5000 off the E7+E9...sounds fuller, though I suppose the flip side to that is you might also say "less controlled".

Interesting. Amps are mysterious things.

Quote:

I had D2000 with my O2 and I could barely hear a difference in bass compared to stock Behringer UCA202 (~50 ohms!!). Found no difference between O2 and E10 as amps (using E10 as dac).

 

Disclaimer: consider me as a person trying very hard not to exaggerate differences.

You're not alone. Out of every device I've hooked up my headphones too, the headphones all sound 99% the exact same. People just blow their claims out of proportion, that's all. If you really want amps that will change the way a headphone sounds, that's what tube amps do. SS amps... they will all sound within arms length of each other. I'm convinced of this. This is assuming the headphones aren't underamped.

People just love to justify spending a huge sum of money for their 'vast improvements', which quite frankly is just BS to me. But hey, it's head-fi.

I'd get an Objective O2 and be happy with it. Or at least wait for the ODA/ODAC.

I myself used the D7000 with the Beyerdynamic Headzone (100ohms!), and used them in stereo mode for music. Nothing drastically different from unamped, amped with the Mixamp in stereo mode, E7, or E9. The main difference with impedance mismatching was the bass being a bit more loose, but I'm talking slight difference. They still sounded like the same D7000 I've loved since day 1, regardless of what I use them on.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 2/9/12 at 11:36am