Tibwolf
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2009
- Posts
- 8
- Likes
- 11
Hello everybody!
Today I will give you all an audio nub’s quick and easy comparison of the Audio-Technica AD700 and the Denon AHD2000. Hopefully, this will help anybody who is looking to possibly “upgrade” from the AD700 to the D2000, as is sometimes mentioned on these forums (I lurked aplenty and jumped on that wagon). I am running both of these off of my laptop through a line-out -> Fiio e5 (Bass boost is on). By the way, all of this is subjective.
Build Quality
The build quality and feel of these two cans are miles apart. The AD700 is light and flexy, in both the headphones and the cable. On the other hand, the D2000 is noticeably more stiff, probably due to the magnesium frame and stiff-as-wood cable. This makes the D2000 seem a lot more sturdy. If I had to assign a numerical scale for build quality, I would give the AD700 a 7 because of the generous use of plastics (Brownie point for being able to forget it is on while listening to music) and how easy it is to bend parts. The D2000 would get a 9 on the build scale because it is obviously built to be more sturdy but it has a tendency of shifting when I make dramatic position changes (leaning forward to pass out on a desk, etc.) and the cable is too damn stiff.
Efficiency
The D2000 is slightly more quiet at the same volume settings than my AD700 is. By the numbers, the AD700 has an impedance of 30 ohms and a sensitivity of 98dBmw, compared to the D2000’s 25 ohm and 108dBmw sensitivity. Running off the Fiio amplifier and my iPod Touch, I don’t have any problems running either of these headphones and both can get louder than the volumes I listen at. One detail that I don’t want to leave out is that the AD700 can pickup hiss (be it the noise floor or interference) at lower volumes then my D2000 can. Just because of that, I would say that the D2000s have the advantage in this area.
Comfort
I find that my AD700s are more comfortable than my D2000s. The AD700s have almost a transparent feeling in that I am able to concentrate on listening to music with more conviction than the D2000s. The Denons aren’t uncomfortable but they are heavier and they move ever so slightly when I am in motion.
Bass
The main reason I wanted to upgrade was because I felt the AD700 didn’t have enough lower bass with the music I listen to, which includes a lot of Drum and Bass (Pendulum), Electronica (Ayria), House (Deadmau5), and Rock (Kerli). The kick was there, but the driving basslines were disappointing. I could equalize everything from ~80hz and up down 6 decibels and get the kind of bass I wanted, but then I noticed that the soundstage suffered accordingly and I got to hearing the noise ever so sooner because of the additional power I’d need. It also didn’t sound the best.
When I went out and bought the D2000’s, the first thing I noticed was that I didn’t have to try too hard to notice the lower bass, a very welcome perk.
In the song “The Other Side,” by Pendulum, I have to turn up the volume to monolithic levels to hear my precious basslines with the AD700, and then I get attacked by ear-piercing highs. Not fun. When I listen to that song with the D2000s, I can immediately hear the lower bass. No EQ, mind trickery, or ear bleeding necessary.
The song “Rain (Epsilon Minus),” by Ayria, contains a sickening bass line, something which goes completely under the AD700. I listen to this song and feel like I am the butt of some cruel joke because the song feels sterile and lifeless. With the D2000’s, I feel like I am listening on my stereo system, woofer and all. If you don’t think you are missing any bass with the AD700, this song could very well push you towards upgrading.
The AD700s aren’t too bad when I listen to “Faxing Berlin,” by Deadmau5. They are actually really great when I want to escape into the music. My only beef with them here is that the bass impact rolls off too fast – I hear a thud, but no real fading of the note. Using the D2000s, I get more “oomph” from the bass notes. The difference could be heard as a V8 idling at low RPMS next to an econobox at a stoplight (Both can be heard, but the V8 is that much more satisfying and engulfing)
The AD700s sound great with rock, but when I listen to one lower-bass-heavy band, Kerli, I can’t bring myself to listen on the ATs because I know I am missing the deeper chunk of their works. In the song “Walking on Air,” I feel especially cheated. I can “hear” the lower notes fine but they just don’t seem right. The D2000’s help bring out the “creepy” feeling in this song (-little brother)
Other
Bass bias aside, I don’t feel that the D2000’s aren’t a complete upgrade from the AD700s. Firstly, I am aware that I have headphones at all times when I have the Denons on. Secondly, the D2000s have a tendency of giving me a mild headache after a little while, which leads to me taking them off. Thirdly, the price of the D2000s rose ($210 to $280 @ amazon) from the point I bought them, which would turn me to consider different cans if I wanted a cheapish upgrade. Finally, the D2000s aren’t as detailed as the AD700s (for better or worse), which one would at least expect for a suggested upgrade. The detail deviation isn’t as great as, say, ibuds to er6i’s, but I missed out on some fret board movements and the like.
Today I will give you all an audio nub’s quick and easy comparison of the Audio-Technica AD700 and the Denon AHD2000. Hopefully, this will help anybody who is looking to possibly “upgrade” from the AD700 to the D2000, as is sometimes mentioned on these forums (I lurked aplenty and jumped on that wagon). I am running both of these off of my laptop through a line-out -> Fiio e5 (Bass boost is on). By the way, all of this is subjective.
Build Quality
The build quality and feel of these two cans are miles apart. The AD700 is light and flexy, in both the headphones and the cable. On the other hand, the D2000 is noticeably more stiff, probably due to the magnesium frame and stiff-as-wood cable. This makes the D2000 seem a lot more sturdy. If I had to assign a numerical scale for build quality, I would give the AD700 a 7 because of the generous use of plastics (Brownie point for being able to forget it is on while listening to music) and how easy it is to bend parts. The D2000 would get a 9 on the build scale because it is obviously built to be more sturdy but it has a tendency of shifting when I make dramatic position changes (leaning forward to pass out on a desk, etc.) and the cable is too damn stiff.
Efficiency
The D2000 is slightly more quiet at the same volume settings than my AD700 is. By the numbers, the AD700 has an impedance of 30 ohms and a sensitivity of 98dBmw, compared to the D2000’s 25 ohm and 108dBmw sensitivity. Running off the Fiio amplifier and my iPod Touch, I don’t have any problems running either of these headphones and both can get louder than the volumes I listen at. One detail that I don’t want to leave out is that the AD700 can pickup hiss (be it the noise floor or interference) at lower volumes then my D2000 can. Just because of that, I would say that the D2000s have the advantage in this area.
Comfort
I find that my AD700s are more comfortable than my D2000s. The AD700s have almost a transparent feeling in that I am able to concentrate on listening to music with more conviction than the D2000s. The Denons aren’t uncomfortable but they are heavier and they move ever so slightly when I am in motion.
Bass
The main reason I wanted to upgrade was because I felt the AD700 didn’t have enough lower bass with the music I listen to, which includes a lot of Drum and Bass (Pendulum), Electronica (Ayria), House (Deadmau5), and Rock (Kerli). The kick was there, but the driving basslines were disappointing. I could equalize everything from ~80hz and up down 6 decibels and get the kind of bass I wanted, but then I noticed that the soundstage suffered accordingly and I got to hearing the noise ever so sooner because of the additional power I’d need. It also didn’t sound the best.
When I went out and bought the D2000’s, the first thing I noticed was that I didn’t have to try too hard to notice the lower bass, a very welcome perk.
In the song “The Other Side,” by Pendulum, I have to turn up the volume to monolithic levels to hear my precious basslines with the AD700, and then I get attacked by ear-piercing highs. Not fun. When I listen to that song with the D2000s, I can immediately hear the lower bass. No EQ, mind trickery, or ear bleeding necessary.
The song “Rain (Epsilon Minus),” by Ayria, contains a sickening bass line, something which goes completely under the AD700. I listen to this song and feel like I am the butt of some cruel joke because the song feels sterile and lifeless. With the D2000’s, I feel like I am listening on my stereo system, woofer and all. If you don’t think you are missing any bass with the AD700, this song could very well push you towards upgrading.
The AD700s aren’t too bad when I listen to “Faxing Berlin,” by Deadmau5. They are actually really great when I want to escape into the music. My only beef with them here is that the bass impact rolls off too fast – I hear a thud, but no real fading of the note. Using the D2000s, I get more “oomph” from the bass notes. The difference could be heard as a V8 idling at low RPMS next to an econobox at a stoplight (Both can be heard, but the V8 is that much more satisfying and engulfing)
The AD700s sound great with rock, but when I listen to one lower-bass-heavy band, Kerli, I can’t bring myself to listen on the ATs because I know I am missing the deeper chunk of their works. In the song “Walking on Air,” I feel especially cheated. I can “hear” the lower notes fine but they just don’t seem right. The D2000’s help bring out the “creepy” feeling in this song (-little brother)
Other
Bass bias aside, I don’t feel that the D2000’s aren’t a complete upgrade from the AD700s. Firstly, I am aware that I have headphones at all times when I have the Denons on. Secondly, the D2000s have a tendency of giving me a mild headache after a little while, which leads to me taking them off. Thirdly, the price of the D2000s rose ($210 to $280 @ amazon) from the point I bought them, which would turn me to consider different cans if I wanted a cheapish upgrade. Finally, the D2000s aren’t as detailed as the AD700s (for better or worse), which one would at least expect for a suggested upgrade. The detail deviation isn’t as great as, say, ibuds to er6i’s, but I missed out on some fret board movements and the like.
