Novice Review: Denon AH-D2000
May 7, 2007 at 9:30 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 44

ecclesand

Headphoneus Supremus
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Posts
3,357
Likes
16
I just recently received my Denon AH-D2000 from PriceJapan.com. I had originally ordered from Audiocubes, but after 4 days, they couldn’t tell me when the cans would ship, so I cancelled my order and placed a new order with PJ on Thursday afternoon. I had them on my head Monday morning. PriceJapan simply rocks!

P1020639.jpg


DISCLAIMER: I am not now or have I ever professed to be an audiophile. These are simply my opinions based on my 41 year-old ears. I am listening with a modded Zhaolu 1.3 (AD1852 DAC) with LM4562 opamps and a Meier Headfive amp with the crossfeed on (I love this feature of the Meier amps). Oh...and excuse the crappy pics. My wife always tells me I suck at taking pictures!

Aesthetics:
The package arrived well packed. The AH-D2k comes in a flimsy plastic enclosure, but it’s adequate as nothing was damaged or even showed signs of damage or rough handling. The AH-D2K itself is simply beautiful. Rich supple leather on the headband and earpads. I don’t know the technical term, but the gizmo that attaches the cups to the headband appears to be all metal fastened with screws…no rivets or snap together plastic parts here. The cups can move up and down and side to side. The cover on the outside of the cups is a matte black finish…very nice. I’m sure the D5k with the wood cups is nicer but I really like this no frills look to the D2k. The headphone cable splits into 2 and attaches to each ear cup. I prefer the single cable, but no big deal. The cable is covered in some sort of fabric mesh…seems very durable but a bit stiff. Nothing to worry about as it’s definitely more pliable than the cord on my backup cans (HD595). I actually prefer this cord over the rubbery cord on the K701…doesn’t get caught on things as much. The plug at the end is 1/8 with a screw on ¼ adapter…what the hell were they thinking there?

P1020638.jpg

P1020636.jpg


Comfort:
These things are amazingly comfortable. I initially thought the leather earpads would make my ears sweat, but nope…very comfortable. I’ve had them on for 3 hours straight and no sweaty ears. The cans feel like they weigh more than the K701, but they feel lighter on my head. I can’t really explain it… There are absolutely no pressure points on my head or ears with these cans…they seem to simply float on my head. Out of all the headphones I have owned, these are the most comfortable…hands down.

Sound:
But how do they sound? Let me start by saying this is the first HP I have not had to use EQ to get the bass I like. In fact, the Foobar2K EQ is off and I am really digging the sound. I had not planned on writing anything on these until after 48 hours of burn-in, but after listening to them for several hours, I just had to give my impressions.

The bass is deep and powerful…probably the best feature of these cans. Right now it is a tad muddied/congested but is clearing up the longer I listen. I’m listening to symphonic metal right now and the D2k handles the double kick bass drums very well with decent impact….the bass impact at the lower registers was a little loose at first, but is tightening up nicely. In most cases, you can actually feel the bass. The mids are very smooth, but a bit overshadowed by the bass. Again, this is something that appears to improve with burn-in based on the fact that it sounds better the longer I listen. Could be just placebo…who knows. The highs are a bit rolled off which I actually like. No sibilance…even with some 128Kb MP3s that I have. The overall presentation is a bit forward…more so than the K701 which sounded a bit distant…certainly not in your face like the SR225 or 325i. The soundstage is OK, not as good as the K701, but it is a closed can after all. The separation is very good…better than I expected right out of the box. The cans lean more toward the warm side, but not much. The sound they give is very full-bodied with lots of texture. It just seems to envelop you. The detail is there, but not as much as the K701. If I were to give an area for improvement, it would be in the details. I’m hoping that the detail will improve the longer I listen.

So, there you have it. I embarked on a quest to replace my K701 with something similar but closed (and with more bass) and I think the AH-D2k fits my needs very nicely.

EDIT: I now have over 50 hours on these babies and I am just pleased as punch. The bass is tight with good impact. The mids are fluid with a little bit of airiness. The soundstage has opened a bit more and the details are much more present. Perhaps I'm simply getting used to the powerful bass and can hear them. The highs are clear and a little bit more extended now...just a touch of sparkle...perfect! I can easily listen to these for 8 hours (while working from home) and experience no listening fatigue whatsoever.

I realize I will never own one of the high end Grados or Sonys and that's OK. I would say that for me, these cans are the closest to perfection I have experienced since getting involved in this hobby.
 
May 7, 2007 at 9:42 PM Post #2 of 44
I want these... They seem to be the cure to the two flaws of my current MS-1s. I love my Alessandros but I'd love more bass and better comfort. Too bad I'd have to get a decent amp... and source... and pay for the phones... argh. Maybe I should get a summer job dealing smack.

Thanks for the pics, the last one was actually quite good (gasp, focus!).
 
May 7, 2007 at 9:47 PM Post #4 of 44
The last pic gives me the impression that the build quality is quite nice. That leather looks so comfy and inviting, I'm guessing it's all real leather and that the shiny parts are aluminum? What are the housings made of?
 
May 7, 2007 at 9:49 PM Post #5 of 44
The D5000 and D2000 both use real leather. And not cheap leather. It is REALLY nice, so soft, not sweaty or sticky, VERY high quality. Just as well on the headband as well. The D2k and D5k also use NO plastic at all. It's all magnesium. Everything. The only plastic, is on the D2000, the ear cups.
 
May 7, 2007 at 10:18 PM Post #6 of 44
Nice review! And I largely agree
smily_headphones1.gif
 
May 7, 2007 at 10:38 PM Post #7 of 44
Thanks, I enjoyed reading your early impressions on the new cans ecclesand, nice
wink.gif


Enjoy~

Slightly O.T. of the occasion, but of pertinence:

I'm now in queue at Audiocubes, after 5 days of being disappointed by audiodiscounters with their FALSE "In Stock" bait and wait standard proceedure of sales. I still haven't been returned my cash from them...BTW, their page now reads D5000 as being "In Stock' until I had a friend pointedly asked them in an email, how many truthfully they had in stock, did they reply: "We are awaiting for the D5000 to arrive soon".... FWIW~
 
May 7, 2007 at 10:54 PM Post #8 of 44
Quote:

Originally Posted by ecclesand /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The detail is there, but not as much as the K701. If I were to give an area for improvement, it would be in the details. I’m hoping that the detail will improve the longer I listen.


That was my biggest gripe as well. Burn in does help them to clear up some but they still remain on the soft side. Guess some silverish recabling might help with that.
 
May 7, 2007 at 11:35 PM Post #9 of 44
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Finthen /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks, I enjoyed reading your early impressions on the new cans ecclesand, nice
wink.gif


Enjoy~

Slightly O.T. of the occasion, but of pertinence:

I'm now in queue at Audiocubes, after 5 days of being disappointed by audiodiscounters with their FALSE "In Stock" bait and wait standard proceedure of sales. I still haven't been returned my cash from them...BTW, their page now reads D5000 as being "In Stock' until I had a friend pointedly asked them in an email, how many truthfully they had in stock, did they reply: "We are awaiting for the D5000 to arrive soon".... FWIW~



Has Audiocubes shipped yet? I was a little peeved with them because they told me 2 - 3 days shipping (I ordered last Monday) and then on the third day when I emailed them, they said they wouldn't be shipped until today...maybe. I then asked them to cancel my order and got no response for almost an entire day. I filed a Paypal dispute and had the money refunded within 30 minutes....seriously, it was that quick. I, of course, closed the dispute. I've had good luck with every other Head-Fi sponsor except for Audiocubes. Perhaps they were just having a bad week...
 
May 7, 2007 at 11:54 PM Post #10 of 44
i actually found these cans more detailed than the K701, although the stronger bass emphasis hides the details somewhat such that details are not as noticeable as on the K701. it is definately faster-sounding than the K701 and has sharper transients, and about equally resolving of individual notes. Basically both cans are on par at macro-detail, but in terms of micro-detail, these Denons are a league above the K701.
 
May 8, 2007 at 12:20 AM Post #11 of 44
These simply are the best all around headphones I have right now. The HD595's are good all arounder's and great at detail, but they had me pining for bass. The details really are there it's just that the bass is really strong, but in a good tight accurate way...to me. I for one love the bass. In some ways it's like my HD595's and Super.fi 5EB's got together and had the D2000.
 
May 8, 2007 at 1:28 AM Post #12 of 44
Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt /img/forum/go_quote.gif
i actually found these cans more detailed than the K701, although the stronger bass emphasis hides the details somewhat such that details are not as noticeable as on the K701. it is definately faster-sounding than the K701 and has sharper transients, and about equally resolving of individual notes. Basically both cans are on par at macro-detail, but in terms of micro-detail, these Denons are a league above the K701.


That's good to hear! I want to let them burn-in, but they sound so damn good that I can't take them off! I would agree that they are faster than the K701...the symphonic and death metal sound fantastic on them. There's definitely no falling asleep with these on!
icon10.gif
 
May 8, 2007 at 4:06 AM Post #13 of 44
Guys,

As you know we have been in the business as well as a head-fi sponsor for a while so although sometimes it may take a some time to ship an order, you know that you will always get what you paid for. With that said, the Denon headphones have been hard to come by in Japan and due to some substantial demand shipping time for the Denon headphones cannot be exactly pinpointed. We are adding a new system to our website so that you will see the approximate shipping time of every item. We hope this will take away some pressure that head-fiers always have waiting for their headphones to come in. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please also let us know.
 
May 8, 2007 at 6:15 AM Post #14 of 44
Quote:

Originally Posted by ecclesand /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I've had good luck with every other Head-Fi sponsor except for Audiocubes. Perhaps they were just having a bad week...


Just to counter this statement...

I'm not affliated with Audiocubes in any way and I've ordered many pairs of headphones from them over the years and their service has always been quick and excellent. In past when I've place orders, my shipments have reached my house within a week's time. As Kohn has stated, the Denon's are a hot commodity right now and are hard to come by. Luckily I ordered my Denon's before the mad rush for them started and I was able to place them on my head five days after I placed my order at Audiocubes.
 
May 8, 2007 at 6:21 AM Post #15 of 44
Not just a "bad week". Mine was ordered from audiocubes like 3 weeks ago, and it took 5 days just to process my order. My suggestion, Kohn, is faster processing and shipping.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top