This probably isn't the best "advice" but I I have been on this site for almost 10 years and have consistently been looking for the "best" closed headphone. If you end up looking elsewhere, I would like to buy your Denons.
Not saying your tastes mirror mine but I have tried and passed on all the big boys(L3000, R10, Ultrasone) However if you like a clinical sound there are definitely other options out there.
Closed as in actually isolate or closed as in we cover the back but ruin the isolation by poor clamping, seal and porting?
ED 8 do really isolate so it get quite a head start here.The other closed headphones I currently own that isolate is Pro 900 and DX 1000. Markl D5000, W1000x, CD 3000 all have one thing in common that they don´t isolate anything worth mentioning.
Isolation not an issue it is much harder to declare a winner though. There is an unholey mix of yin and yang going on here. Pro 900 is an excellent allrounder KeeS modded. CD 3K I haven´t had for that long but is very promising and appear to be aiming at the 900 primarily . Perhaps a tad to trebly but my ears are soar from wearing ear plugs all day so probably extra sensitive to treble at the moment. Like the Pro 900 do great with low level listening and certainly have enough soundstage which is often an achilles heal with closed headphones.
DX 1000 is the best woodie I have tried so far. The least reference of the bunch except for possibly bass but the presentation and character more then make up for it
ED 8 obviously the best all metal headphone.
Cd 3K/Pro 900 competing for best plastic closed headphone.
Undoubtedly the best closed cans would be the D7000 if you don't consider the ATH-L3000 or Sony R10. From what I've read, I think the Beyer T5p has got some pretty poor reviews.
After spending some time with D7000 & Ultrasone Ed. 8 i'll vote for the Ultrasones. D7000 are nice for their velvety, deep bass that makes a lot of music very satisfying but I find that their strong bass & treble can sometimes overshadow the middle frequencies and so is not optimal with some kinds of music (e.g. with a lot of instrumentation). Ed 8's greatest advantage is their overall balance. Not to say that they don't have extension in both high and low frequencies and deep, powerful bass. But they also have glorious, well proportioned mids that are well integrated with the other frequencies. They also have a very nice sense of space that seems a bit more defined than D7000, which can sound a little 'airy' in comparison. Like D7000, they do have pretty intense treble so I do find that they improve with certain tubes. But unlike D7000, tubes don't seem to diminish their sense of clarity & space, perhaps due to their directional drivers / s logic design.
The Ultrasones did not impress me to be honest and they are extremely uncomfortable since they sit on my ears rather than envelope them. I couldn't wear them for more than 10minutes without my ears hurting. Just my .02 cents.
The only Ultrasone I liked is the Edition 10; supreme comfort and unbelievable SQ but it's an open back can.
The Ed8 cups are on the small size for full size cans but for me they fit snug and I can wear them 8 hours straight no problem and soundwise I love them (they replaced L3000 that was too dark and LA2000 that had too recesed mids and too poor isolation)
From what I've read, the Edition 8s comfort depends on the size of the wearers ears, small ears being more agreeable. I look forward to trying them out at some point. Interesting you loved the SQ of the Edition 10s, brasewel. A very well respected head-fier at the recent NYC meet described them as "$2700 worth of crap", which I thought was funny. I didn't try them personally, so I can't comment. It just goes to prove we all hear things differently.
Thanks for your thoughts, redcarmoose. It pretty much mirrored my feelings towards the 7000s and the impression I got from my first meet. Listening to very high-end setups, I found less difference between the 7000s and other top-tier phones (HD800, T1, LCD-2, HE-6) on said systems. Maybe a slight V shaped sound on the Denons, which can be fun for certain genres of music. A mid range boost in the EQ and they balance out nicely. Right now I'm doubly happy with them.
Some people will tell me to quit talking about "low end Sennheisers", but I am still in love with the HD 203s. I can't believe how good these sound given they were $50.
I've also owned some more venerable closed ones, like the Sony MDR V6 and the Sennheiser HD 280 pro.
^ The problem for me with the low-end Sennheisers is that there are too damn many of them, and they all look alike, which makes it hard to get excited about a specific model (other than the HD 201 and HD 202, which are "universally recognized"). But if you are saying that the HD 203 is the best of the bunch, and can hang with the MDR-V6 and HD 280 PRO, I would pick one up for $30 from Amazon for sure.
^ The problem for me with the low-end Sennheisers is that there are too damn many of them, and they all look alike, which makes it hard to get excited about a specific model (other than the HD 201 and HD 202, which are "universally recognized"). But if you are saying that the HD 203 is the best of the bunch, and can hang with the MDR-V6 and HD 280 PRO, I would pick one up for $30 from Amazon for sure.
Head room has a lot of good to say about them: http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sennheiser-hd-203.php
I've owned the 201s (took em back), the 205s (gave them to my dad as a father's day gift), the eh 150s (still have em but they get very little use), the hd 218s and 238s (don't use the 218s much and I took the 238s back), the 428s (took em back), and the CX300s (took em back). I still own the 280s pro and the V6s. I've also owned a pair of Sennheiser PX 200s.
The 203s are better than all of them.
The V6's are pretty close and in fact I would say they are better, but they are entirely too harsh for me to listen to for very long. The 203s have such a silky smooth, dark and rich sound that I can listen for hours.
I'm a little biased given that I own the W1000X, but it seems like a pretty decent complement to your D7000 given their forward midrange. It's definitely not an upgrade though. From what I hear, they are at around the same level in terms of sound quality.
You could also look into the Edition 10 though those are like $1000 more expensive than the edition 8 lol
I do have to say that it's also a close call between the 203s and the 280 pros. I think I'd have to concede that the 280s give a flatter response, but the level of detail I get with the 203s blows my mind. Also, because the 203s are a lot more efficient and portable, I would give them higher marks for that. Also you DON'T need an amp for the 203s. They get plenty loud and sound just fine completely un amped.
But the 203s crush the 201s, and I haven't heard the 202s but I've heard that the 202s lack midrage detail, and the 203s have very detailed mids.
Yes, it is a big world out there and they keep making new headphones all the time. There could be another set which will blend in with absolute synergy into your rig, maybe even passing up the 7000s with the cables and your equipment. I would always keep the 7000s. Upon some changes in my system the foggy bass cleared up and I thought the 7000s started to show a whole new world of super detailed midrange. To a point the smile eq curve went away.
You have to remember I'm into rock. If I was to have my way I would tune my system to sound like a KISS concert. Everyone is looking for a different sound. The system sound for some in Head-fi is to have a concert arena for classical. I'm into a sound which is warm/dark and has authority. The lower mids in the guitar is what my system performs best with. The fact is I may not try any other headphones for five years.
From what I've read, the Edition 8s comfort depends on the size of the wearers ears, small ears being more agreeable. I look forward to trying them out at some point. Interesting you loved the SQ of the Edition 10s, brasewel. A very well respected head-fier at the recent NYC meet described them as "$2700 worth of crap", which I thought was funny. I didn't try them personally, so I can't comment. It just goes to prove we all hear things differently.
Thanks for your thoughts, redcarmoose. It pretty much mirrored my feelings towards the 7000s and the impression I got from my first meet. Listening to very high-end setups, I found less difference between the 7000s and other top-tier phones (HD800, T1, LCD-2, HE-6) on said systems. Maybe a slight V shaped sound on the Denons, which can be fun for certain genres of music. A mid range boost in the EQ and they balance out nicely. Right now I'm doubly happy with them.
Haha that was a nice way of putting it. Yes I agree it is not worth $2700 but I did like what I heard from the brief 2-3 minutes I got. I thought they had great smooth highs and good deep bass. Had it been priced at $1500 it would have been a much better buy. Regarding the Edition 8 I have big earlobes so that may well why I found them so uncomfortable.
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. Perhaps a tad to trebly but my ears are soar from wearing ear plugs all day so probably extra sensitive to treble at the moment. Like the Pro 900 do great with low level listening and certainly have enough soundstage which is often an achilles heal with closed headphones.
