[Darkblade48]

I know this topic has been discussed to death, but I just wanted to see people's opinions on this matter.
 
I have the D2000 and I do enjoy their sound signature and since the Denon 2000/5000/7000 have been discontinued (see http://www.head-fi.org/t/607132/denon-ah-d2000-ah-d5000-ah-d7000-headphones-officially-discontinued), I was thinking about picking up either the 5000 or the 7000.
 
Now, I understand that price wise, the improvements of the 7000 would not be worth approximately double the price of the 5000, however, that is only if the prices are new.
 
As I live in Japan, I have some sources that sell the D5000 for 20,000 yen (246 USD) and the D7000 for 30,000 yen (369 USD) (both used prices). With a smaller difference in price (120 USD or so), would it be worth the upgrade to the 7000?
 
Another ting to consider is that to use the D7000, I would need to go from the standard plug 6.35 mm (1/4") plug to a 3.5 mm (1/8") plug, which would require an adapter, which may make the D7000 plug unwieldy to use....
 
Thoughts?

 

[juantendo8]

For that difference, I would have no doubt in my mind that the D7000 is the better purchase. You will doubt your decision your whole life if you don't jump on the top of the line, considering the tiny price difference. Just make sure to quickly pick one of them up, as the Denon Dx000 series is being discontinued.  

 

[Darkblade48]

I'm just wondering if there is any real difference between the D5000 and the D7000 line though. I read that there is a small bass hump that is eliminated in the D7000, but that is about it.
 
The other issue is the 6.35 mm jack...it cannot be used with my source (laptop through E17), so I would need a 6.35 mm to 3.5 mm jack...would this alter the sound in any way (not to mention the fact that the jack would be unwieldingly large)
 

 

[theBigD]

There is definently a difference in sound with the D7000 and D5000.  The D7000 is tighter in the bass and faster with more impact.  The D5000 is more relaxed and bassier.  I found the D7000 to be better with metal and rock than D5000 and the D5000 to sound more natural for jazz, R&B, Classical.  I used to have D7000 a couple yr. back my roommate had D5000.  I liked them both.  This go around it wasn't worth the difference in price to get the D7000.  Also if you intend to Mod, the D7000 starts to feel pretty heavy.

 

[olegausany]

Since difference so small you should get d7000

 

[WiR3D]

I'm in the same boat, D5k or D7k.
 
The most important for me is level of clarity, and having a smooth sound that I can listen to for hours, like the D2k.
And At the moment I can get both for cheap, but I have a feeling that I will always be wondering about the D7k if I buy the D5k

 

[Mishalex]

It's interesting.  I have owned both, and comparing the two back to back (right before I sold the D5000s), I found the D7000s to be more clearly articulated in the upper midrange and upper treble, and a little more "organic" sounding in the bass region.  Naturally, I opted to keep the D7000s and sell the 5000s, which I felt sounded a little bit muffled by comparison.  Curiously, I talked to Tyll of innerfidelity at a recent headfi meet, and he told me that he personally prefers the sound of the D5000s, finding them to have slightly tighter bass response than the 7000s.  I guess it really is a matter of personal preference, but the vast majority of people I have talked to who have owned both (myself included) prefer the D7000s, so that's probably the safer bet. 

 

[MattTCG]

Here's what it came down to for me. I owned the d2k and liked them but wanted "more." While I feel the is a big jump from d2k to d5k, I also feel that the jump from the d5k to d7k is small in comparison. 
 
I could not justify the price. For you, price becomes less of an issue. You would get "some" improvement, so if you're willing to spend the extra cash and can live with the larger adapter then do it.
 
 
You do get nicer cups and and small cable upgrade I think. Not sure on the cable upgrade.
 
gL!!

 

[Mishalex]

Quote:

 
You do get nicer cups and and small cable upgrade I think. Not sure on the cable upgrade.
 
gL!!

 
More to the point, you get a small driver upgrade as well, with a more powerful magnet capable of slightly better data retrieval in the upper mids and lower treble.  For a really nice and detailed comparison between the three headphones, see Mark Lawton's comparison sheet below:
 
http://www.lawtonaudio.com/page45.html
 
 
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Oteil]

It's funny to me how many different opinions you can get from headphone to headphone. We all hear just a bit differently I have own all three headphones, enjoying mostly every minute that they have been on my head. The D5000's were the most disappointing of all the Denon's to my ears. The bass is a bit bloated and the treble just didn't sparkle they way I thought they would. Then I bought the D7000's, these exceeded my expectations. The treble is fantastic and non-fatiguing and the bass is well, fantastic! It goes deep and it is not bloated or flabby at all. I was totally impressed with these headphones. I love them and try to listen to them everyday. For me the upgrade from the D5000's to the D7000 is significant and well worth extra money, but we all hear different and have different expectations.

 

[Graphicism]

I really hate the D2000 and D5000, I find them sloppy and unlistenable with the majority of music I listen too, the D7000 were a breath of fresh air. So personally I would call it a big difference. I wouldn't pay more than a hundred bucks for the D2/5000s, cheaper, better, bass-head phones can be had.

 

[MattTCG]

You really shouldn't dump the d5k in the same category as the d2k. In your post you essentially describe them both and as "sloppy and unlistenable." Someone of your stature should know better. While the d2k is somewhat "sloppy" with the bass and accuracy, it is wrong to lump the d5k in that same category. The d5k is a very different hp. You are giving people here an inaccurate impression of a very nice hp. 

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

You really shouldn't dump the d5k in the same category as the d2k. In your post you essentially describe them both and as "sloppy and unlistenable." Someone of your stature should know better. While the d2k is somewhat "sloppy" with the bass and accuracy, it is wrong to lump the d5k in that same category. The d5k is a very different hp. You are giving people here an inaccurate impression of a very nice hp. 

 
Why not? Isn't it basically the same headphone with a wood mod? In other words the Denon D2000 came first, then Denon got wind of the LA2000 and made the D5000 which was just a modded D2000. Finally they revamped the headphone and released the D7000, then finding they hit a wall with the design (or costs) moved onto the D7100 range.
 
In my opinion the D5k is worse than the D2k simply because it has even looser bass, this coming from a neutral perspective. Moving from the D2k to the D5k the initial impressions are just more of the same. On the other hand if all you want monstrous sloppy bass then the D5k would be seen as an improvement, in which case I have nothing against peoples opinions.
 
And don't get me wrong, the D7k is also colored, just more to my liking.

 

[MattTCG]

I'm sorry but this is grossly inaccurate. I did not own the early versions of the Denon line but I have owned all three since Denon did a sneaky revision on the drivers a few years ago. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I have to strongly disagree. 
 
To my ears there is about a 10% difference between the d5k and the d7k. The 7k is more resolving and producers detail better and the bass has somewhat better texture with the right amp/dac... but honestly you really need a professional pair of ears to hear it. There is a select group of people who could get it right in a/b testing with the right equipment. I guess you must be one of them.  On the other hand most people would easily be able to flesh out the difference between the d2k and d5k. 
 
And then you put the d5k below the d2k...seriously? Again, you can maintain whatever stance you like. But I feel an obligation to help people who are new hear make choices about spending their hard earned money. I've certainly spent my fair share and freely give away my advice to help others. 
 
To the OP...given the small difference in price, it would make more sense to get the d7k. But for most the d5k is the best bang for the buck IMO.

 

[KG Jag]

I have all three and like each of them for what they are and in the context of the price of each.  For your relatively small price spread between the D5000 and D7000, I would go with the D7000.  The fact that all three are being discontinued reinforces this view--especialy if you plan to keep them for a long time.  You can buy a converter (Grado, Senn or other) for very little money.