[roker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbtruitt /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just ordered the D2000's after the price went down on Amazon to $199. I was on the fence, looking at these and also thinking about the Beyer DT 990s. I'm new to this forum, and to the latest phones, but definitely not new to audio. For the past 5+ years I have been using a pair of MDR-7506's, mainly for my studio work but also for music listening. While they are good, they are too bright, lack warmth and lower end, and are also highly fatiguing. I'm having a hard time these days being able to listen to music on my thru my speakers due to my wife, so my headphone time is increasing all the time So recently I decided to try a pair of Senn HD-555s as I wanted to find something warmer and comfortable/non-fatiguing - they fit the bill comfort-wise and had a mellow-warm sound, but are pretty muddy in the mid-lows, lack clarity and treble, and to my ears don't have much definition or good transient response (imho). So I sent them back, and decided to move up a bit. I haven't heard most of the phones out there now, all I had to go on was reviews and forums like this. I thought about the Grado's but thought they might be too bright (I have that now with the Sony's), and so the Beyers were high on my list - but when the price of the D2000's came down to $199 - I took the bait. I listen to a wide range of music, rock/pop, newgrass/acoustic guitar, and some jazz and classical - but I think a good pair of headphones should be good for most types of music, so hopefully my pick of the Denon's will be a good one. I've had alot of Denon audio-gear over the years, but have never heard any of their headphones before. One Question - My source is always CD, good receiver phone-outs - but most of the time my listening comes from the headphone out of a good Sony CD player with adjustable volume control (it has the cleanest sound). I don't know much about headphone amps - how much would they improve my D200s given my current source?

It might be fine. My opinion is that the D2000s are not hard to drive but are picky about their amping. Your CD player might have enough current to drive them, you'll find out by comparing the bass between two amps and listening for distortion. Remember it's not about volume loudness all the time, listen for clarity at high volumes and bass impact. I

 

[Mink]

My experience with the D5000's is that amping (or not properly amping) essentially doesn't affect their tonal character, so if you don't like their tonality out of cd player or headphones out of an integrated amp don't bother buying a dedicated amp.

But it can however affect the clarity, openess and tightness of bass and in a much larger degree the 'quietness' of the sound.
The biggest difference I notice when amped (X-can) compared to 'un-amped' (headphones out of integr. amp) is not an increased clarity but a more solid, stress-free, softer and quieter sound.
Not properly amped the sound is a tad harder and busier (nervous), which manifests itself after longer listening sessions, significantly more fatiguing overall.

Since the D2000 have the same drivers as the D5000's, I think my observations will count for the D2000's as well

 

[sbtruitt]

thanks for the replies.

Roker - yep, I'll have to check that out - the phone-out for both the Sony's and the HD-555s never make it past 50% in my listening- so I might be Ok level-wise with the D2000s. I like the Sony CD in particular for the clarity/cleaness of the signal.

Mink - you're right - just like for speakers, matching the amp/impedence and driving it right can definitely help open up and get a tighter sound.

I also have pretty nice Marantz and Denon CD players here but w/o volume control so that might another reason to check out a heradphone amp. I might start out by getting a used amp on ebay.

Any advise on a good model that matches the D2000 well?

 

[Jnesses]

I ordered the d2000's today and this would be my first pair of nice headphones. I have been seeing in order to get the most out of them I would need to buy an amp. I don't want to drop 70+ one. What is a good amp for less than that so I can enjoy my new headphones? I bought a fiio mini amp so I could get a feel for amps because I have never used one. Suggestions?

 

[Jnesses]

bump

 

[roker]

you could wait for a cheap cheap amp to pop up on the for sale forums or you could wait a month or two to buy a better amp. I think if you stretched your budget a bit you could find something for it (used).

 

[allupons]

Just got my D2000 in today. I currently have been using HD-650s and sr-225s for a few years now prior to receiving these denons, and all I can say during this first listen is WOW! The impact on the bass is incredible, yet doesn't overpower the rest of the sound spectrum at all. I can tell the mids are recessed a touch, but I always gravitate towards a rock EQ anyways, so it is simply more or less built in on these.

I imagine I will keep my HD-650s as I love their sound as well, but to me this is the exact sound I have wanted from headphones. I thought I should share and push anyone who might be on the fence with the current amazon price at $200 to give it a shot. I am incredibly happy I did.

 

[Jodet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by richierich /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^^^ lol yeah I know. But the hard part is getting the D5000s for a decent price nowadays.

$399 at B&H Photo Video.....

 

[dongringo]

I picked up my D5000 for $424 at Amazon. In fact I just unpacked them. They sure are beautiful to look at, but I had to shower after work so just waiting for the ears to dry. Then I'm taking these babies for a test drive until midnight.

 

[roker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by allupons /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just got my D2000 in today. I currently have been using HD-650s and sr-225s for a few years now prior to receiving these denons, and all I can say during this first listen is WOW! The impact on the bass is incredible, yet doesn't overpower the rest of the sound spectrum at all. I can tell the mids are recessed a touch, but I always gravitate towards a rock EQ anyways, so it is simply more or less built in on these. I imagine I will keep my HD-650s as I love their sound as well, but to me this is the exact sound I have wanted from headphones. I thought I should share and push anyone who might be on the fence with the current amazon price at $200 to give it a shot. I am incredibly happy I did.

That's how I felt when I first heard them. It's what headphones should've sounded like when I first put them on my head. I will say however that my Grados are still handy as a niche headphone. Sometimes I feel like Grado's do a better job of bring a guitar solo alive, but otherwise, the Denon is pound-for-pound better suited for my musical tastes.

 

[pp312]

Do you not find the Denon's bright? I'm still trying to burn the brightness out of mine, with little success.

 

[Folex]

What would be a good amp for the d2000's that would keep the bass nice, clean and hard hitting. Without a doubt the d2000's are the headphones for me and now its just a matter of slightly tweaking them.

 

[the search never ends]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Folex /img/forum/go_quote.gif What would be a good amp for the d2000's that would keep the bass nice, clean and hard hitting. Without a doubt the d2000's are the headphones for me and now its just a matter of slightly tweaking them.

I don't find the denons picky about amps at all, The pocket amp v2 even tightens the sound right up. Sounds about the same as they do on any amp, too bad.... I don't like them.

 

[Packgrog]

Strange. My experience has been just the opposite.

I tried the D2000 with my iPhone. Didn't like it AT ALL. Will probably stick with my Future Sonics IEMs for that in the future.

I tried the D2000 with my iBasso D1 with v2 opamps, which had previously worked fairly well with my Future Sonics Atrio. I found the D2000 to have flabby lows and harsh highs, whereas the highs with the Atrio were fine (not surprising with the Atrio's rolled-off highs) as was the bass (strange since the Atrio is even more sensitive to amplification of the lows than the D2000). The mids were recessed with both headphones.

When I upgraded the opamps in the iBasso D1 to the HiFlight TopKit, it was a whole different ballgame. The D2000 really started to shine, with a tighter bass, more present mids, and smoother but no-less-detailed highs. The Atrio, weirdly, got very flabby in the lows. These different opamps don't necessarily provide more or less power than the old ones, just a different and more neutral sound signature, which really does start to bring out some of the best of the D2000. So yes, the D2000 doesn't need much POWER for proper amplification, but proper matching is a must.

I also find it interesting that a friend of mine has found the D5000 to have obnoxious lows when running off of the headphone jack on his Benchmark DAC1. My stock D2000 had a remarkable improvement with just changing opamps in my iBasso D1, so I wonder if he might be able to have similar success with an upgrade to his DAC1. I did mention the markl mod to him, however, and he might try doing the mod himself if he finds the time.

But anyway, yeah, proper pairing of sound signature seems to be very important for the D2000. I kind of doubt the pocket amp will really be adequate. Keep searching.

 

[Necrolic]

Got my Kal Cedar cups for christmas for my D5000s, no damping done. Absolutely ADORE them.