[kukrisna]

Hey All,

Yowza - so I was almost all set to purchase the K701 from Northern Sound & Light for a very attractive price of $244 + shipping, till I started reading about the D2000, which is a bit more than what I budgeted but here's where you get to tell me if it's worth it. BTW I am 100% getting a Presonus Central Station b/c best all-in-one esp since I have studio monitors too and want to get rid of my mixer.

K701 Pros:

- has a sound that I'm pretty sure I want (detail, soundstage, air, imaging, mids, and accurate natural bass)
- caters to the music I like (classical, jazz, soundtracks, etc. - not too much artificially added bass below 40hz though occasional pop and hip hop find their way onto my playlist but I don't look to those for audiophile listening so I don't really care)
- cheaper
- audiophile can

K701 Cons:

- open (not a problem now but when I go back to college with my roomate - didn't have a problem last semester b/c i also have MDR-7506 which I used when he slept and also for work purposes - be nice not to switch though not a big issue)
- headband really an issue?
- not a "full-bodied sound" though I like my K501 more than HD580 for audiophile listening even though I used HD580 more casually
- system synergy ain't great
- burn in

D2000 Pros:

- closed
- comfortable
- full body sound
- apparently doesn't take long to burn in sweetly
- great imaging, soundstage, details, etc.
- "closer-to-the-music" can
- easily driven and amp/source friendly

D2000 Cons:

- maybe I won't like the bass
- the DT990 doesn't appeal to me and if these are supposedly similar maybe I won't like it?
- FOTM
- more expensive


Basically I think I still would want to get the K701 but the Denon seems very appealing. However, as I said, I enjoy the K501 more than the HD580 for classical/jazz, if that says anything for house sounds. For more popular music, movies, games HD580 (which is why it gets more use - great great great all-rounder). I also am suspect to the Denon's goodness because it is FOTM right now so lengthy experience with it is up in the air.

Any insight from people who have or have had both would be most appreciated, and those from people with similar tastes and desires in cans heh.

Basically, I like AKG's house presentation of classical, so I don't know how good of a bet the Denons would be. I'm sure both are great all-rounders, but I look at the all-rounder aspect of a headphone as secondary. And I don't know if I want more of an "audiophile" can or a "musical" can. And yeah, HD650 - but that's for the future when I can afford the aftermarket cables at the same time (I think - besides I don't really like the house-presentation of Senns for classical).

Thanks! For helping me to destroy my wallet - thank goodness for 0% introductory APR for six months (oy...)

 

[CooLBieRe]

never try D2000... but from D5000 i have

the other good thing is they sound good unamped which K701's not.

just incase, you'll be on any trip without any portable amp.. that's the BIG pro's thing

 

[kamal007]

ive heard both...i like the denon d2000 more because im a basshead..i also have the dt990 and i like them too..the k701 lacks bass ..but from what i read, heed canamp gives them some more bass...

 

[spinali]

Quote:

K701 Cons: - open (not a problem now but when I go back to college with my roomate - didn't have a problem last semester b/c i also have MDR-7506 which I used when he slept and also for work purposes - be nice not to switch though not a big issue) - headband really an issue? - not a "full-bodied sound" though I like my K501 more than HD580 for audiophile listening even though I used HD580 more casually - system synergy ain't great - burn in

I'm in no postion to comment on the Denon, but...
...OPEN isn't an issue, you say, and I posit that it may be a sonc advantage.
...SLEEP is an issue for any headphone. I'd urge against leaving them on all night, and especially with closed phones.
...HEADBAND issues are easily allevieated (if they're a potential problem in the first place) with the automatic tension adjustment, or by tiilting the phones back a bit.
...FULL-BODIED SOUND is a very important issue. The K701 has a largely accurate sound; if you want full-bodied, or bassy, there are other nice headphones to sample.
...SYSTEM SYNERGY is always easier to patch over with a more bassy phone. Do you like accuracy and clarity (K701), or some other sound?
...BREAK-IN is no issue if you read the Break-in Guide below.

 

[kukrisna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinali /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...SLEEP is an issue for any headphone. I'd urge against leaving them on all

haha - i meant that when he went to bed, I would switch from an open can to a closed if i were listening to music and was not sleeping yet - i dont sleep with headphones

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinali /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...FULL-BODIED SOUND is a very important issue. The K701 has a largely accurate sound; if you want full-bodied, or bassy, there are other nice headphones to sample.

Don't get me wrong or anything I like 701 but just wondering one thing, how can a headphone be accurate when it is not full-bodied? To me, in reallity many instruments have a very full-bodied sound. such as bassguitar, drums and piano.

 

[Cankin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurra1980 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't get me wrong or anything I like 701 but just wondering one thing, how can a headphone be accurate when it is not full-bodied? To me, in reallity many instruments have a very full-bodied sound. such as bassguitar, drums and piano.

x2

I like K701's soundstage but it's special "AKG sweet mid" is nowhere accurate nor neutral for me and with it's overall dry sound which makes me crazy too......

 

[silverrain]

Get the D2000 -- I've had all the ones you mention, and the Denon's sound the best in every way -- and NO, they do NOT have over-blown bass! It is spot-on accurate, tight and a great pleasure to listen to music -- all is balanced sound -- bass, mids, highs -- all the details are there, too.
Even better than the DT990 (05).
My main cans -- open OR closed.

 

[kukrisna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverrain /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get the D2000 -- I've had all the ones you mention, and the Denon's sound the best in every way -- and NO, they do NOT have over-blown bass! It is spot-on accurate, tight and a great pleasure to listen to music -- all is balanced sound -- bass, mids, highs -- all the details are there, too. Even better than the DT990 (05). My main cans -- open OR closed.

just curious - what kind of music do you listen to regularly?

 

[kukrisna]

im still trying to get this through my head

basically i dont know what the musical tastes of the majority of d2000 owners is - i dont know how many of them really listen to things like classical, jazz, etc. - things that require a natural bass (i.e. i do not find the K501's that bass lite - they're a little anemic but almost, IMO, natural - while i find the HD580's have a bit of a low freq emphasis, good for pop/movies/etc, and a minor veil)

which led me to believe i would really love the k701

a lot of people say that the D2000 has a really full body and it really rounds out the bottom of violins and pianos to make them sound "realistic" however being a violinist myself, i can easily attest to the fact that so much is often lost after the first few rows and, live, can only gain that back via miking - even in good spaces - if you're all the way back you have lost a lot of body

in my opinion, while phones that sort of give "body" to these classical instruments might sound nice, i don't believe they're all that true to the instrument - and i feel that engineers would already have compensated for the loss of lows in various recordings

on the other hand - i sometimes like a rich sound - sometimes i want a really fat bass, yet i feel like i would rather not have that for my reference

im not 100% sure where i stand on the whole "body" thing - lots of people are saying the Denon is one of the best phones they've heard in terms of balance, detail, etc. - yet i dont know how much is just FOTM - and i also dont know what these people listen to primarily and what they look for in sound

from what i have read, and based on my tastes - i do think i would want that K701 - the only reason the Denon has piqued my interest is because of comparisons with the K701 (yet again, music and tastes) and also because it's closed

really wish i could audition both - dont suppose anyone in NYC has both and is willing to let me try out heh - but yeah im still a fence sitter between the two - will be running out of a Presonus Central Station

any help is, as always, very much appreciated!

 

[sghound]

i've got both cans, and listen to a wide variety all the way from classical to death metal. love the comfort and build of the d2000, though it has bass much better than my dt990, it creeps into the mids a little. amazing thing is that the closed denon doesn't reverberate as much as the open dt990 and is easy to amp. the 701 however is better for classical and jazz and is reverberation-free but is a bitch to amp. for the rest of the genres, d2000 is my pick. that's why both 701 & d2k cans compliment each other so well in a headphone setup for a wide music variety.

 

[kukrisna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sghound /img/forum/go_quote.gif i've got both cans, and listen to a wide variety all the way from classical to death metal. love the comfort and build of the d2000, though it has bass much better than my dt990, it creeps into the mids a little. amazing thing is that the closed denon doesn't reverberate as much as the open dt990 and is easy to amp. the 701 however is better for classical and jazz and is reverberation-free but is a bitch to amp. for the rest of the genres, d2000 is my pick. that's why both 701 & d2k cans compliment each other so well in a headphone setup for a wide music variety.

just curious as the how well the d2000 does classical/jazz - if it's pretty well balanced and almost as good as the K701 then maybe i'd spring for it

how well does the D2000 do things like movies/games vs. K701 (im assuming better since there's more weight)

and what do you mean by reverberation-free?

haha - thanks again

 

[kukrisna]

ugh - why do i feel like im going to end up buying both to try out...and probably end up keeping both - haha no i cannot do that - must sell the one i like less

another option is to replace my HD580 with the D2000 and just keep the K501 as my classical/jazz reference

though the whole point of the K701 was to just have one phone

but i suppose i can try both the K701 and the D2000 and sell the one i like less...ugh...decisions decisions

 

[kamal007]

buy both and let your ears decide..buy from stores that have 30 day guarantee policy.you only need to pay shipping back

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kukrisna /img/forum/go_quote.gif ugh - why do i feel like im going to end up buying both to try out...and probably end up keeping both - haha no i cannot do that - must sell the one i like less another option is to replace my HD580 with the D2000 and just keep the K501 as my classical/jazz reference though the whole point of the K701 was to just have one phone but i suppose i can try both the K701 and the D2000 and sell the one i like less...ugh...decisions decisions

I'm not kiddin, it will be very hard to sell one of them if you like both and you gona justify for your self that you need both. This happened to me with dt 990 and hd-650, but I returned the dt990 eventually, but just so I can get d2000 instead.

But I'm not you so you might be able to do it.