[Canadian411]

With the budget of $1100, I will get Ultrasone Edition 8 from Amazon.com, $997.95 or audio Techinica ATH-W3000 ANV.
IMO, skip all these "mid-fi" headphones, trust me, you will save lot of money

 

[davidsh]

True i guess. I'm already going a bit fast IMO. Upgraded from ibuds to etymotic hf5 barely 2 months ago, bought a fiio e17 2 weeks ago, and today i have bought the AKG k702 for trial so far. It would be nice to have the tesla t1 instead, only 2 mid-fi headphones equals 1 tesla ya know... Auditioned them today, and really like what i heard, they are damn close to be doing everything to a satisfying level (soundstage, accuracy and freq. response) and honestly im not satisfied with the phones in the same price range as the k702, even though they are admittetly better than my etymotics in many ways (but seriously they are amazing for their price!!).

 

[Riker]

Quote:

Hey Riker,
 
For sound & comfort, my favourite can is the Denon D7000 (using my Meier Symphony) but they have way more high end than the Senn HD 650 which I like a lot as well, so after reading about your sibilance problem, I would recomment the HD650.
It is hard for me to recomment something, because I have no clue how the headphones will sound in combination with your other equipment...best advice would be to try them out, that could save you a lot of money.
 
ps. I am a bassplayer just like you, so you know advice on headphones is just as hard as advice on which bass/amp to choose

Hi Eddy,
 
Good to know, I'll do my best to audition a pair of D7000. The local reseller was telling that Denon is currently doing a refresh of their headphones and new models will be available in the near future. Not sure what that means exactly, time will tell.
 
Today I auditioned the Grado RS2i, which I found very uncomfortable to wear, sound wise they had aggressive mid range and thin bass (IMHO). Then I tried a pair of Beyer Dynamics T1. I really enjoyed them !. They were comfortable enough (not touching my ears) but a tiny bit too much clamping pressure, especially on my jaw bones. They sounded really good. I could have used a bit more "slam / impact" in the bass, but so far in the phones I listened to they are my favorite at this time.
 
They did not "blow me away" but I would certainly be happy with them. The 600ohm rating means not a good idea on my Ipod, but with my DAC / Head amp, not an issue.
 
I also tried the TP5 and I found the sound to be not as good as the T1, the comfort was pretty good, but that 24" cable is ridiculously short !! Not worth the price, which is the same as the T1.
 
Tried the DT990.. hated the sound, muddy bass, no mids, and harsh treble. Scratch them of the list.
 
I want to hear more phones such as Denon, AT, Shure, Sennheiser before making a final decision.
 
And yes I completely understand your statement about "best Bass and amp " etc. that is very true !! LOL
 
Cheers
Riker

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

Hi Eddy,
 
Good to know, I'll do my best to audition a pair of D7000. The local reseller was telling that Denon is currently doing a refresh of their headphones and new models will be available in the near future. Not sure what that means exactly, time will tell.
 
Today I auditioned the Grado RS2i, which I found very uncomfortable to wear, sound wise they had aggressive mid range and thin bass (IMHO). Then I tried a pair of Beyer Dynamics T1. I really enjoyed them !. They were comfortable enough (not touching my ears) but a tiny bit too much clamping pressure, especially on my jaw bones. They sounded really good. I could have used a bit more "slam / impact" in the bass, but so far in the phones I listened to they are my favorite at this time.
 
They did not "blow me away" but I would certainly be happy with them. The 600ohm rating means not a good idea on my Ipod, but with my DAC / Head amp, not an issue.
 
I also tried the TP5 and I found the sound to be not as good as the T1, the comfort was pretty good, but that 24" cable is ridiculously short !! Not worth the price, which is the same as the T1.
 
Tried the DT990.. hated the sound, muddy bass, no mids, and harsh treble. Scratch them of the list.
 
I want to hear more phones such as Denon, AT, Shure, Sennheiser before making a final decision.
 
And yes I completely understand your statement about "best Bass and amp " etc. that is very true !! LOL
 
Cheers
Riker

 
The T1 is damn good, just auditioned it yesterday. It has got all the good characteristics IMO

 

[Riker]

Yes I really liked the T1 as well and is the front runner at the moment.
 
I really want to try a pair of Denon AH-D7000 as they seemed to have the sound signature I like and apparently are very comfortable as noted previously (Thanks Eddy)
 
Riker

 

[Riker]

Quote:

Yes I really liked the T1 as well and is the front runner at the moment.
 
I really want to try a pair of Denon AH-D7000 as they seemed to have the sound signature I like and apparently are very comfortable as noted previously (Thanks Eddy)
 
Riker

Well, as long as the treble does not pose an issue with sibilance for me as Eddy pointed out a few post ago. I am still going to try to audition them if I can, the D7000 that is.. Maybe a D8000 is only a few months away ? ?
 
I like the T1 quite a bit, the sound is very good, maybe a bit more bass impact would be nice but otherwise, very enjoyable. My concern is the clamping pressure will bother me after 30 minutes or so. I was feeling some noticable discomfort on my jaw from the bottom part of the ear cushion. Maybe they loosen up a bit with time, or I can adjust that pressure, not sure.. but sound wise, very nice indeed.

 

[Eddy Flycatcher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riker /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Maybe a D8000 is only a few months away ? ?
 
 

You never know, but since Denon has recently released a whole new line including a D7100, I doubt that.

 

[Riker]

Today's round of audition included:
 
Sennheiser HD598
Sennheiser HD4XX something
AKG 701
Denon D600 (brand new)
Denon AH-D2000
 
My impression were: (and please don't be offended of my criticism of you happen to own one of those, only my personal taste and opinion)
 
From Bad / worse to Best / good.
 
It's a tie for worse between the AKG 701 and the Denon D600.
 
The AKG 701 had zero bass, a huge boost in the upper mids and shimmering / harsh treble. Bad soundstage, no detail retrieval and not all that comfortable. In other words, horrendous.
 
The D600 was not much better. Extreme Booming Bass, like BOOOOOMING ! not defined, not tight, not impactful, just plain booming mud and really overpowering. The mids were being drown out by the bass, the highs were harsh. And they were very heavy to wear, plus at their smallest size, they were pulling down my ears. The only plus, they looked pretty good, but overall BAAAADDDD.
 
The Senn 4XX something, don't remember but they were about $200 bucks. Fit and comfort was decent, sound was "ok" if you can't tell the difference between good sound and "ok" sound. For someone playing only mid quality MP3s they would do the job.But compared to anything higher up the food chain, umm..no..
 
The Sennheiser 598. They sounded pretty good, neutral ish..nothing over pronounced, but nothing magical either. No major complaints on the overall sound, but soundstage and detail retrieval was average at best Comfort wise, they were a bit tight on me. They are a pretty small "form factor" headphone. Small heads, children, it would work. Large heads / ears, not so much. But they were not "uncomfortable" (like the AKG) just too tight for me. I did not dislike their sound, but I know there is much better to be had. And at $550 CA, a bit pricey I think.
 
By far the best experience today was the Denon AH-D2000. The sound was exactly what I am looking for. Excellent Bass with impact but not over zealous or colored, just right. The mids were very nice and so was the highs, crips but again nothing over the top. Overall sound was excellent. And they are super comfortable to boot ! . The only reason why I could pick out some flaws is because a few days ago I auditioned a pair of Beyer T1s. So, the D2000 sounds really good, but.. the soundstage is no where near the T1 and most apparent is the detail retrieval, the T1s reach DEEP into the music and you can hear things that the D2000 simply cannot reproduce. Store is selling "my last pair" demo D2000 for $400 CA.
 
Now.. if someone has first hand experience with both the D2000 and the D7000 and tells me that the D7000 is everything the D2000 is BUT with excellent sound stage and deep detail retrieval..and is as, or more, comfortable..  I am ordering a pair right frigging now !!!
 
I really enjoyed the D2000 sound, more than the T1, but the T1's soundstage and details is just stunning and I want that as well.
 
Slowly but surely, I am trimming down the list !!
 
Cheers
 
Riker

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Today's round of audition included:
 
Sennheiser HD598
Sennheiser HD4XX something
AKG 701
Denon D600 (brand new)
Denon AH-D2000
 
My impression were: (and please don't be offended of my criticism of you happen to own one of those, only my personal taste and opinion)
 
From Bad / worse to Best / good.
 
It's a tie for worse between the AKG 701 and the Denon D600.
 
The AKG 701 had zero bass, a huge boost in the upper mids and shimmering / harsh treble. Bad soundstage, no detail retrieval and not all that comfortable. In other words, horrendous.
 
The D600 was not much better. Extreme Booming Bass, like BOOOOOMING ! not defined, not tight, not impactful, just plain booming mud and really overpowering. The mids were being drown out by the bass, the highs were harsh. And they were very heavy to wear, plus at their smallest size, they were pulling down my ears. The only plus, they looked pretty good, but overall BAAAADDDD.
 
The Senn 4XX something, don't remember but they were about $200 bucks. Fit and comfort was decent, sound was "ok" if you can't tell the difference between good sound and "ok" sound. For someone playing only mid quality MP3s they would do the job.But compared to anything higher up the food chain, umm..no..
 
The Sennheiser 598. They sounded pretty good, neutral ish..nothing over pronounced, but nothing magical either. No major complaints on the overall sound, but soundstage and detail retrieval was average at best Comfort wise, they were a bit tight on me. They are a pretty small "form factor" headphone. Small heads, children, it would work. Large heads / ears, not so much. But they were not "uncomfortable" (like the AKG) just too tight for me. I did not dislike their sound, but I know there is much better to be had. And at $550 CA, a bit pricey I think.
 
By far the best experience today was the Denon AH-D2000. The sound was exactly what I am looking for. Excellent Bass with impact but not over zealous or colored, just right. The mids were very nice and so was the highs, crips but again nothing over the top. Overall sound was excellent. And they are super comfortable to boot ! . The only reason why I could pick out some flaws is because a few days ago I auditioned a pair of Beyer T1s. So, the D2000 sounds really good, but.. the soundstage is no where near the T1 and most apparent is the detail retrieval, the T1s reach DEEP into the music and you can hear things that the D2000 simply cannot reproduce. Store is selling "my last pair" demo D2000 for $400 CA.
 
Now.. if someone has first hand experience with both the D2000 and the D7000 and tells me that the D7000 is everything the D2000 is BUT with excellent sound stage and deep detail retrieval..and is as, or more, comfortable..  I am ordering a pair right frigging now !!!
 
I really enjoyed the D2000 sound, more than the T1, but the T1's soundstage and details is just stunning and I want that as well.
 
Slowly but surely, I am trimming down the list !!
 
Cheers
 
Riker

 
HE-400s put the Denons to shame, just FYI. You get to save a bunch of dosh too if you are weighing the options of getting D5k or D7k.

 

[TMRaven]

I too would advise you to get the HE-400 if you really enjoyed the D2000.  About the only thing questionable would be if you found them comfortable or not.

 

[Eddy Flycatcher]

Riker, I agree with you on your findings of the headphones you tested! (ha! bassplayers unite!)

I have not heard the HE 400 (I see it's an open phone, the Denons are closed, but not 100%)

...but I do own both the D2000 and the D7000, the soundstage is the same on both, but the bass and treble are a lot better on the D7000, the bass is tighter and the highs are much more refined...imo
 

 

[Riker]

Quote:

Riker, I agree with you on your findings of the headphones you tested! (ha! bassplayers unite!)

I have not heard the HE 400 (I see it's an open phone, the Denons are closed, but not 100%)

...but I do own both the D2000 and the D7000, the soundstage is the same on both, but the bass and treble are a lot better on the D7000, the bass is tighter and the highs are much more refined...imo
 

Hi Eddy,
 
Do you find that the D7000 has more detail retrieval ? When listening to the T1 I could hear longer decays, more minute details in the recording that are not there with the D2000. I don't expect the D7K to have the same resolving power of the T1 but I do hope it's better than the D2K. Comfort wise, you were right, they are VERY comfortable. The T1 are "ok" comfortable and that's the one reason I have not jumped on them yet, I am not 100% convinced that I could listen to them for more than half hour, whereas the Denon I can see listening for many hours.
 
Glad we are on the same page in terms of findings ! Bass players unite indeed !
Riker

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

Hi Eddy,
 
Do you find that the D7000 has more detail retrieval ? When listening to the T1 I could hear longer decays, more minute details in the recording that are not there with the D2000. I don't expect the D7K to have the same resolving power of the T1 but I do hope it's better than the D2K. Comfort wise, you were right, they are VERY comfortable. The T1 are "ok" comfortable and that's the one reason I have not jumped on them yet, I am not 100% convinced that I could listen to them for more than half hour, whereas the Denon I can see listening for many hours.
 
Glad we are on the same page in terms of findings ! Bass players unite indeed !
Riker

 
I have never really understood what decay means. Is it like when the music fades out, and you hear it for longer?

 

[Hooster]

Quote:

 
I have never really understood what decay means. Is it like when the music fades out, and you hear it for longer?

 
Listen to someone on speaker phone who is talking in a reverberating space. Then you will hear the decay loud and clear.

 

[Riker]

Quote:

 
I have never really understood what decay means. Is it like when the music fades out, and you hear it for longer?

Yes that is essentially what decay is. Reverb depth and time. For instance, on one of my demo song (I am I from Queensryche - Promise Land album) the snare drum has a deeper, longer and clearer sound on the T1s than on the D2K. I can hear and feel the depth of the sound after the initial hit from the drum stick, that's the way the engineer recorded the sound but it only comes through on headphones or speakers capable of resolving that detail. It just makes the overall sound experience richer when details far in the background are actually heard, even if faint, they are there and add to the enjoyement.