[Max Minimum]

Great review Pataburd! Thanks for all the great insight.

Golden Monkey, I see you have the HD590s. I found their mids to be recessed as well, though I did enjoy them. Assuming you agree that their mids are recessed, would you say the D2000 mids are more or less recessed than with the 590's?

 

[Golden Monkey]

Ooh, good question. I haven't listened to the 590's side by side, but compared to the D2000's they are much more recessed and laid back across the whole freq range, IMO. A very relaxing phone, and no where near as agressive as the D2000's. The Denons are much punchier and colored, and yeah, I'd say the mids are recessed a bit on the 590's. I don't know if they are more recessed than the Denons, but they are definitely more recessed than the 650's, that's for sure. I'll A/B/C compare and post impressions here later.

 

[pataburd]

When I really want to enjoy MIDS done right, I instinctively reach for the K501: IMHE the most coherent midrange I've had the pleasure to hear thus far. : )

 

[donunus]

How are your hd600s coming? what can you say about them against the d2000

 

[Shakey27]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif How are your hd600s coming? what can you say about them against the d2000

i am very interested as well. i have the 580 (not quite the 600 but similar enough) and have been looking into the d2000 for quite some time now. if you think they perform better overall than the 600, i just might have to pick up a pair.

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shakey27 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i am very interested as well. i have the 580 (not quite the 600 but similar enough) and have been looking into the d2000 for quite some time now. if you think they perform better overall than the 600, i just might have to pick up a pair.

Sh27,
The HD600 need about 150-200 more burn-in hours, then I'll be ready for some serious a/b-ing. I left the D2000 at home today and I must admit that I missed them.

I need some time to get reacquainted with the HD600 after sufficient burn-in (they really are a nice-sounding set of cans in their own right). Today, at work, I tended to keep the K501 on my head longer than the HD600. Right now, I favor the more vibrant and less dark presentation of the D2000, though, while admitting that I'm still in a bit of a "honeymoon" period with them. : )
PAB

 

[Shakey27]

i see that you're using the bada ph-12 to gather your impressions for posting. have you spent any time with the denons through the dv 337? i just got the 336i and was wondering if you enjoy the d2000 through the darkvoice as well. also, since you are switching out different tubes to tame the "tubby" bass and possibly attempt to let the mids shine through, do you feel as though you would eventually like to apply the markl mod or is that too far down the road to think about at this point with more burn-in time to come? thanks for posting your thoughts on these phones...very helpful in trying to decide whether or not to go for them in the near future.

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shakey27 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i see that you're using the bada ph-12 to gather your impressions for posting. have you spent any time with the denons through the dv 337? i just got the 336i and was wondering if you enjoy the d2000 through the darkvoice as well. also, since you are switching out different tubes to tame the "tubby" bass and possibly attempt to let the mids shine through, do you feel as though you would eventually like to apply the markl mod or is that too far down the road to think about at this point with more burn-in time to come? thanks for posting your thoughts on these phones...very helpful in trying to decide whether or not to go for them in the near future.

Shakey27,
Actually, the Darkvoice isn't due to arrive until next Tuesday (6/17); a classic case of counting my chickens before they hatch, or adding an amp to my signature before the FedEx man arrives.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that I am eager to hear how the D2000 fare with the DV337! The previous owner of the 337 said that he drove his D2000 with the Darkvoice, and had very positive things to say about this match-up. Needless to say, I can't wait! : )

I am really enjoying the D2000 stock, although that floppy lower mid bass still crops up once and awhile and keeps the D2000 (at least in my mind) from attaining perfect execution of its design. [Note: More often than not, the bothersome bass response is traceable to poorly recorded bass on the cd, though.]

From having read some of the threads already out there, certain D2000 owners claim that the Markl mods become moot with an amp like the DV337; another stated that the APS V3 re-cable obviated, in his mind, the need--or at least quieted the urgency--for modding.

Left up to me, ideally, there would be no stone left unturned; that is, I'd pair the D2000 with a nice amp (which is what I am in the process of doing now), get the APS V3 re-cable and do, or have done, the Markl mods. But if I were to expend all those resources on the D2000, perhaps I'd better go out and "get it over with" and simply "max out" (in the Head-Fi idiom) the D5000 (i.e. amp, re-cable and Markl mods--the works).

This can be an excruciating hobby, can't it?!? : )

PAB

 

[Shakey27]

pataburd,

oh the waiting...........

i hope you like your 337...i know i'm loving my 336i so far, even with stock tubes (which are ok at best). it can only get better with some quality tubes and your 337 will no doubt be a treat as well.

i hear ya with the whole "get it over with" and "max out" idea as i've thought about going straight to the top myself. i just might go that route sooner than later as long as i keep hearing some good things with the denon / tube amp combo. however, it's always a mixed bag when searching for opinions on this topic. some have suggested that a solid state amp is the way to go with these phones, and even though there is no one opinion to end all opinions, it makes me second guess the denons after investing in the 336i. have you visited this thread? thought you might be interested...

Good Tube Amp for Denon D2000/D5000?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I like the Woo WA6 and the DV336i with my D2000.

 

[pataburd]

I've driven the D2000 with the hybrid Bada PH-12, and with the headphone out from the (SS) Denon AVR-1905, both to very satisfactory effect. The SS receiver does seem to exert better control over, as well as impart more overall umph/slam to, the D2000, though. But the 3x 6SN7 used in the Bada sure are beautiful-sounding tubes!

Having previously owned (and thoroughly enjoyed) the 336i, I can attest to its driving capability. In fact, as I recall, the 336i had tighter control over my K701 than did the Bada, bringing more punch and vibrancy, whereas the PH-12 brought better detail, resolution and soundstaging characteristics. I always attributed the DV's firmer grip to the 6AS7G.

It's almost 4:00 a.m., and I've virtually had to tear myself out of an extended listening session, away from the D2000/Denon AVR-1905 combination (with the RAM-modded Samsung HD-841 universal player). Over the past few days, I've had the D2000 running 24/7 out of the receiver (the FM tuner) and am noticing signal improvements: soundstage is really expanding; highs are further extending, smoothing and filling out; mids are opening up and breathing quite nicely--suck out? What suck-out?--; the bass response is unbelievably extended, fast, well-controlled and better integrated with the mids. As I try the D2000 with more and more tracks, I am becoming more and more convinced that their [the d200's] sometimes sloppy rendering of the lower mid bass is an artifact of the recording/mix.

Wow! The D2000 mined so much musical treasure from Have A Nice Decade: The '70s Pop Culture Box, disc 5--I think! (Rhino). "Seasons in the Sun"--such an unlikely candidate for anything special to come about from, in my mind, at the outset--sounded absolutely incredible: with Terry Jacks' spine-tingling close-miked vocal, tightly regulated, well textured and extended bass, smooth, airy detail and massive soundstage.

So full of wonderful surprises, these cans, with all their quirky loose screws and slipping adjustment and unwieldy cotton-wound cable that looks like it belongs on the world's first telephone; all these idiosyncratic qualities that make the D2000 a target for complaint or the butt of sarcastic jokes on some of these threads; what to some are little, bothersome foibles have become to me endearing intimacies, completing the unsuspecting portrait of one of the most exciting and finest-sounding headphones I've ever heard!

The Denon AH-D2000 decisively decimate the Proline 750, ATH-A900LTD and even the K340 in my mind now. These cans are a force to be reckoned with! And I, for one, am willing to reckon with them any time, any day and with any musical genre you care to throw at them . . . : )

 

[donunus]

overall, do the d2000s beat the k701s? Think as if the k501 didn't exist, which can would you keep among the 2 in stock form?

 

[Tiemen]

How are the Denon D2000 handling s and t's?
Do they emphasize them, or mask them.
In other words, are they sibilant?

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif overall, do the d2000s beat the k701s? Think as if the k501 didn't exist, which can would you keep among the 2 in stock form?

donunus,
IMHO, the D2000 better the K701 with respect to frequency balance, dynamic balance and overall coherency. In addition, the Denon traverse more deeply and more articulately in the nether regions, are less apt to be strident (while remaining comparatively detailed) in the upper frequencies, and exhibit a more open, developed, smooth and organic midrange.

In short, I think/perceive that the D2000 sound both more open and at the same time more "together" than the K701. They [the Denon] have the apparent ability to credibly convey both clarity and warmth, but without lapsing into either undue brightness or darkness in the process. The 2000--and this is what makes them special--also maintain their superior integrity with a liquid transitionality from top to bottom.

(Aside 1: And while perhaps conceding to the likes of the K340 in terms of absolute quantities of detail, the D2000 convey better coherency and clearly superior bass characteristics [than the K340], IMHO. Aside 2: Alas, while the D2000 must yield to the K501 in terms of critical midrange integrity--where the latter gains the pivotal and decisive edge, albeit more narrowly than widely, they [the D2000] yield nowhere else [to the K501], IMHO.)

Therefore, in stock form I unhesitatingly and uniformly prefer the D2000 to the K701.

And please remember, this is but one, abject Head-fier's lowly (but contented) opinion. : )

PAB

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiemen /img/forum/go_quote.gif How are the Denon D2000 handling s and t's? Do they emphasize them, or mask them. In other words, are they sibilant?

Tieman,
When the D2000 do--and it's not often--exhibit sibilance, IMHE, it is source- or recording-dependent, not an extraneous secretion from the headphones themselves. For example, Vicki Lawrence's voice sounded a touch sharp and edgy on Rhino's re-master of "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," but on that same Rhino collection, Terry Jacks' vocal on "Seasons in the Sun"--as close-miked and upfront as it could be in the studio mix--manifested no harshness or sibilance to speak of.

Again, reiterating an observation I made earlier in another post, the D2000 have the curiously pleasing ability to be both apparently forgiving of "old" recordings but simultaneously more detailed and revealing, while revitalizing such recordings with a naturally-occurring (as opposed to an artificially induced or inordinately foisted) sense of warmth. In the former aspect (i.e. "forgivingness" apparently wrought with finer detail and more musical information), the D2000 do what I remember the K340 also doing; but in the latter aspect (imparting a credible/natural warmth or low end life to the recording) the D2000 succeed at doing something which the K340, IMHO, either could not do altogether, or at least could not do quite nearly as well.

Got bass? : )

PAB