[tke398]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Figlio Perduto /img/forum/go_quote.gif GAH, they sound freaking incredible out of the receiver. the bass came forward and rocked. the highs kind of smoothed out. It was perfect to me. I'm so new to this. I didnt know thats what id get out of some amplification. Wow. Maybe i should keep them and save up for an amp. Anyway, yes. Do you think that perfection (to me) could also be had if i get an amp? Ibasso D3 maybe? thats what i had in mind anyway.

I listen to my D2000's using the D3 as a DAC which feeds the Little Dot mkIII and I an extremely happy with the sound. I did connect it directly to the D3 once and it tightened up the bass noticeably and overall presentation sounded more vice-like and focused. I do prefer the more natural, 'looser' sound of the mkIII. The voices sound like they are coming from real-sized people rather than emenating from a quiet background.

I would recommend the D3 since it will allow you to grow if you ever decide to get a headphone amp.

 

[Figlio Perduto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tke398 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I listen to my D2000's using the D3 as a DAC which feeds the Little Dot mkIII and I an extremely happy with the sound. I did connect it directly to the D3 once and it tightened up the bass noticeably and overall presentation sounded more vice-like and focused. I do prefer the more natural, 'looser' sound of the mkIII. The voices sound like they are coming from real-sized people rather than emenating from a quiet background. I would recommend the D3 since it will allow you to grow if you ever decide to get a headphone amp.

you know thats kinda what i was thinking too, everyone seems to really find the D3 to be an awesome dac, and since i need both an amp and a dac, that'd be a good place for me to start. thank you for that info. but can i ask, what does it mean when you say, or other people for that matter, that the bass is "tightened up"? or what does it mean to you?

 

[Rarach]

Anyone can make a quick comparision of D2000 with DT880 please? I found DT880 too bright and boring for me.

highs:
mids:
bass:
vocals:

electronica:
rock:
pop:
new age:

movies:
games:

unamped:

comfort:


Thank you soo much.

 

[tke398]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Figlio Perduto /img/forum/go_quote.gif you know thats kinda what i was thinking too, everyone seems to really find the D3 to be an awesome dac, and since i need both an amp and a dac, that'd be a good place for me to start. thank you for that info. but can i ask, what does it mean when you say, or other people for that matter, that the bass is "tightened up"? or what does it mean to you?

The bass notes last for a shorter duration. You hear the note and it decays quickly, it doesn't linger longer than it has to. Maybe less reverb would be a better way to describe it. The bass beats sounds more detailed and faster and as a result, it won't give you a headache from boomy bass.

 

[Figlio Perduto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tke398 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The bass notes last for a shorter duration. You hear the note and it decays quickly, it doesn't linger longer than it has to. Maybe less reverb would be a better way to describe it. The bass beats sounds more detailed and faster and as a result, it won't give you a headache from boomy bass.

ah, i understand, thanks.

 

[spaceways]

So I listened to a pair of D2000's at a store the other day, and I'm not sure I heard all of the bass everyone talks about.

Maybe I'm more of a basshead than I thought? I certainly hope not.

The CD player was a Linn (I can't remember the model, and I don't see it on their website). It didn't power the Denon's very well as I had to turn the volume up quite a bit to get it at a decent listening level.

Maybe the light bass could be attributed to the CDP and the built in amp not being powerful enough? I know everyone says the Denon's don't *need* to be amped...

Anyway, I did enjoy the smooth/warm and relaxed sound of the Denon's...and I'm wondering if I should give them a chance, however with a dedicated amp/dac combo for them. Then again, that's a lot of money just to see...

If anyone has any recommendations for an amp/dac combo, I would really appreciate it. If I do give these one last chance, I would be using my computer as the main source.

Maybe I should just stick with Sennheisers.

 

[Taikero]

spaceways, if you didn't hear the bass as much as you wanted, the D5000 hits the hardest of the Denon line. Even through the integrated amp out of my EMU 0404 USB 2.0 DAC the bass is very thick and meaty. I can't wait to see how much it'll improve when my Purity Audio K.I.C.A.S. amp comes in (about a month out or so).

I've also been keeping a close eye on the Audio-gd Compass DAC/Amp. It was apparently voiced with the D2000 and the Sennheiser HD650. Early reviews and impressions are starting to trickle in.

 

[spaceways]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taikero /img/forum/go_quote.gif spaceways, if you didn't hear the bass as much as you wanted, the D5000 hits the hardest of the Denon line. Even through the integrated amp out of my EMU 0404 USB 2.0 DAC the bass is very thick and meaty. I can't wait to see how much it'll improve when my Purity Audio K.I.C.A.S. comes in (about a month out or so). I've also been keeping a close eye on the Audio-gd Compass. It was apparently voiced with the D2000 and the Sennheiser HD650. Early reviews and impressions are starting to trickle in.

Do you think it could have been the case of the D2000's needing to be amped/the amp in the CDP not being enough to drive them?

Unfortunately, I think the store sold their D5000 demo pair...so I'll have to look around and find another place to demo.

 

[Taikero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaceways /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you think it could have been the case of the D2000's needing to be amped/the amp in the CDP not being enough to drive them? Unfortunately, I think the store sold their D5000 demo pair...so I'll have to look around and find another place to demo.

It could be that the internal amp wasn't powerful enough, or it could be that it just wasn't a good fit for the Denons. I've heard of a few instances where the Denons sounded like absolute junk out of certain amps (mostly tube amps), even very expensive ones.

 

[tke398]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaceways /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I listened to a pair of D2000's at a store the other day, and I'm not sure I heard all of the bass everyone talks about. Maybe I'm more of a basshead than I thought? I certainly hope not.

You know what...sometimes I'm expecting soooo much bass that when I put on my headphones they do not have as much as I was expecting. Sometimes when I'm not expecting lots of bass, they hit hard and loud. I think a lot of it has to do with our expectations or our memory. Perhaps from what you've read online you were expecting an ungodly amount of bass and when you actually heard them you just got a lot of bass but not nearly the expected amount.

Or I could be totally wrong

 

[spaceways]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tke398 /img/forum/go_quote.gif You know what...sometimes I'm expecting soooo much bass that when I put on my headphones they do not have as much as I was expecting. Sometimes when I'm not expecting lots of bass, they hit hard and loud. I think a lot of it has to do with our expectations or our memory. Perhaps from what you've read online you were expecting an ungodly amount of bass and when you actually heard them you just got a lot of bass but not nearly the expected amount. Or I could be totally wrong

I think it's a mix of this, and the internal amp of the CDP not being powerful enough.

The demo is their last pair, and I can get it for $279 (it's been sitting there for about 6 months, so I'm unsure as to how much burn in it's had).

If I did go for the D2000, what amp (preferably an amp/dac combo) could you or Taikero recommend? Ideally my budget would be around $200.

 

[K3cT]

At $200, I would go for the iBasso D3 having personally heard this with my D2000. This is a rather neutral amp with a touch of brightness which helps to lessen the darker feel of the D2000.

 

[Taikero]

The best value at the moment for a DAC/Amp combo is the Audio-gd Compass, which was built and voiced with the Denon AH-D2000 and the Sennheiser HD650 (I also think with the AKG K701).

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/des...ompass-385759/

It runs for about $258 + $50 shipping (to U.S., shipping varies by region of course). You won't find a better "starter" anywhere else right now. The only downside is you'll have to wait for a little while as more are built, but I promise it would be worth the wait and the extra money over the $200 you would have budgeted (e.g. Better to buy the phones and save up the extra hundred using the phones unamped/DACed until then than buy a lesser combination).

If you already had a DAC, I might recommend something else, but if you're looking to get a starter setup that's absolutely above the par, the Compass seems to be knocking them out of the park at its promotional price point.

 

[tke398]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaceways /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I did go for the D2000, what amp (preferably an amp/dac combo) could you or Taikero recommend? Ideally my budget would be around $200.

I can only recommend the Ibasso D3 since that's the only amp/DAC combo I have heard. I like the flexibility to be able to use it as a full time DAC for my home system AND my portable amp\DAC when I'm at work. It has a lot of value for my needs right now.

 

[cerviche]

I'm currently using an EMU 0404 USB along with Senn HD280's which sounds great to me. I'm looking to upgrade to the D2000's and want to make sure I can get the most out of them. Is the built in amp in the EMU 0404 enough for these or should I get an amp? Any recommendations?