[mink70]

 
Greetings headphone sages. I need your help with a quick question. Last night I got a pair of Denon D2000s (used and burned in a 100 hours, apparently) and they are not at all what I expected. Wonderfully enveloping, very detailed, very musical, but from what I read I expected them to be bass-rich and if anything, thumpy and bloated. This pair, on the other hand, strikes me as having a slightly spotlit lower treble, forward mids, an airy stage, and a very dry but slightly reticent bass. In comparison, my AT M50s are much, much bassier and thumpier. Do I have a bum pair or am I simply hearing a better grade of headphone. Or something else?
 
Thanks,
Alex

 

[nonsupremous]

I've had mine for about 4 years now....Many many many hours on them.  I would agree with you that the bass doesn't boom.  They have in my opinion great quality bass...it just doesn't thump.  You couldn't put them up against Beats for sure.  They would get trounced.  But they really replicate bass very nicely.  Especially if you're watching movies or playing games.  They really shine.
 
They reproduce very nicely.  You can put some Whitesnake on and really feel the air hitting your ears...but you could also turn around and throw on some classical and it will sound great.  They are definitely leaning towards bass but perhaps not like many describe them.  But then again...some people are so saturated in bass that it requieres more and more to please them...where as others find what I would consider minimal bass to be too strong. 
 
I would say if you love the size of the soundstage on these headphones stick with them.  That bass might grow on you yet.  I can say that since I bought mine I have had hundreds of headphones come and go...they are the only ones other my Edition 8's that I have never even considered getting rid of.
 
Hope you get to like them as much as I do. 

 

[mink70]

Thanks. I'm listening to lossless files via MacBook Pro->Amarra/iTunes->HRT Headstreamer, which produces a very nice, balanced sound with M50s and Grado SR-60s. Also tried Denons straight out of iPod, and am getting the same type of bass-light sound. I'm EQing more bass into them via Amarra, but things still sound a little threadbare. The bass is audible, but has no body or impact. 

 

[BleaK]

If you're after quantity of bass you should maybe look after a Beyerdynamic 770pro (80ohm) or Denon D1100.
 
The bass in Denon D2000 are IMO more detailed and textured when it needs to rather than boomy like the beyer and denon 1100.

 

[mink70]

Hmmm. Still, it seems as though I'm hearing a totally different headphone from other folks on Head-fi. The most common comment seems to be that these are fun but occasionally boomy, especially with insufficient amplification. Even Mark Lawton's site says that his mods address the bass rattling the diaphragms. These headphones not only have a very dry, distant, no-impact bass, but midrangey instruments like saxophones sound much less rich and more trebly than over the M50s. Even the grado SR-60s render the midrange in a richer way. Can these be the same headphones as everyone else is hearing? I'm not a basshead by any means.

 

[Trist]

I have the D5000 which uses the same driver. In my experience, these cans don't have big bass unless the song calls for it.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

you need burn in.
 
the d2000s have ample amount of subbass.

 

[mink70]

These have 100 hours on them.

 

[mink70]

And nothing even resembling sub bass.

 

[Fearless1]

I think your ears just need to adjust to the bass of the D2000.  The M-50s are an in your face can, where as the D2000s are more of an open sounding closed can where the emphasis is on soundstage and sq. 

 

[mink70]

Quote:

I think your ears just need to adjust to the bass of the D2000.  The M-50s are an in your face can, where as the D2000s are more of an open sounding closed can where the emphasis is on soundstage and sq. 

Well, they definitely have a very different perspective than the M50s. Much more open and airy and detailed. And on this pair, a much brighter tonality. What confounds me is that the treble seems out of proportion to the bass--it's all about treble right now, and the tone of the mids seems cold and threadbare compared even to the Grados. Would love some more richness and warmth, which is not something I thought I'be saying about the Denons. 

 

[irvin59]

I love the bass on these phones ( and just about everything else about them).

 

[TMRaven]

I think what you're hearing is right.  A lot of people on head-fi who prefer nothing more than neutral bass are quick to dismiss the D2000 as having bloated and boomy bass.  The reality of it is that it has a lesser quantity of bass compared to the M50.  The M50's bass is more bloated and boomy if you will-- it has less impact compared to D2000's bass.  I'm not quite sure what you mean by you're using the Music Streamer to listen to the Denon, but that's only a dac.  I've no doubt it's able to drive headphones by itself because it has a powerful line-out signal, but you'd want a separate amp as well.
 
On an iPod, the Denon's bass is noticeably looser, but on an amp it tightens up and hits harder.  So long story short: M50 has more bass quantity, the Denon has more bass impact.  Also, the Denon's bass might as well be a straight line down to 30hz, while the M50's has a noticeable bass hump in the mid bass that eventually rolls off into the sub-bass.  Even though it can produce a 30hz signal as authoritative as the Denon, it does so with a rolloff compared to its higher bass frequencies.  This can make the Denon seem like it has deeper bass in songs, because it doesn't have to compensate with a midbass hump because of its lack of natural bass rolloff.
 
 
It could also be that you're listening to the wrong songs as well?  Lossless doesn't mean much.  If the original song doesn't have much bass in it then the Denons won't give you much bass.  What songs in particular are you using?

 

[e2pathos]

I have had the M50s for a little over a year now and I absolutely love them and the sound that they produce, it really goes well for the wide variety of music in my library.
 
I ordered the D2Ks a few days ago because everybody said the bass would be a lot heaver than the M50s but also improve quality of mids and highs. So I definitely know what OP is saying about them supposedly having much boomier bass but very clean sounding as well. I'm quite the basshead so I was hoping that this would be true. I haven't received my D2Ks yet but I will post here when I get them with initial impressions then after burn in.
 
I will be straight out of iPod to start but soon I will have the money for an E7/E9 combo which I hear works very well for the denons. Hoping for good results, will let you know how mine sound.

 

[LithoJazoSphere]

What you may be looking for is a headphone with more mid-bass than sub-bass.  That should give you the thump that you're looking for.  The D2000 is pretty level in terms of mid-bass vs. sub-bass, but something like the Ultrasone HFI-580 or Pro 900, or Denon D1100 have a greater mid-bass quantity, giving a powerful kick.