[fordgtlover]

I have been somewhat reluctant to start a thread dedicated to this issue, but after posting in three other threads and not having a solitary comment in response I thought it was about time I raised it more generally.

The issue I have is that while I think the Denon D2000 are a very nice sounding headphone, they just sound too loud at high listening levels. That is not too loud in terms of straight volume, but too loud in terms of their inabiity to cope.

I am a little unsure how exactly to describe it, but the best illustration of what I am hearing is to use the example of a PA that is driven at too high a volume for a given room; the cohesion of music just falls apart. Some of the frequencies almost disappear and others become overly dominant. It sort of turns into a wall of sound.

The volume I am talking about here is anything over 12 o'clock on my M³. It's is not something I do all the time, but I do like certain songs reasonably loud.

The D2000 have 50 or so hours on them. I have my PC as my source using a Monica USB DAC to either a Millet Max or 24v M³ amp. These components drive my K701 to levels that I would never use; the K701 retains its composure at any level I have listened at.

At low and medium listening levels the D2000 sounds very nice, but crank them and they just aren't enjoyable.

Has anyone else had this experience?

 

[Audio Jester]

I run mine through an Arietta and I have noticed some distortions at higher volumes. I put it down to the bass, as the songs I noticed it most were ones with very punchy beats. I could be wrong, but that's my take on it. In saying that I love my D2000's because they present a great sound at lower listening levels.

 

[stevenkelby]

What's your gut felling, they are a difficult load, needing lots of current, or they just can't handle the power full stop? Does it sound like the drivers are being controlled badly or are they being over-driven?

 

[fordgtlover]

Audio Jester, I too enjoy mine immensely and shan't be letting them go any time soon.

 

[silverrain]

.

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenkelby /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's your gut felling, they are a difficult load, needing lots of current, or they just can't handle the power full stop? Does it sound like the drivers are being controlled badly or are they being over-driven?

It doesn't really sound like distortion. I have been strugggling with trying to really get a handle on what is happening. The example I have used is about as much clarity as I have managed in order to describe it.

 

[stevenkelby]

If the problem is the same from both amps, I guess it's the cans. How loud are we talking about here?

 

[TMM]

I'm guessing it is some sort of resonance of the housing.

 

[stevenkelby]

Maybe try some sound deadening mat inside the cups? Jaycar sell good stuff.

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMM /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm guessing it is some sort of resonance of the housing.

This has crossed my mind more than a few times.

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenkelby /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe try some sound deadening mat inside the cups? Jaycar sell good stuff.

I might have to investigate.

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverrain /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are a multitude of reasons for the perceived problem -- but, most likely the bottom line reason there haven't been any desired replies before, is because peeps have said over and over that listening at volumes high enough to mess up a cans SQ, is gonna result in hearing loss, and nobody wants that to happen. Therefore, for most peeps, it is a non-issue, and it is hoped the over-loud listeners will get this message while they can still HEAR it. So, if anybody here is blasting their ear with damaging volumes, maybe you can help out this poster. As far as my D2000 and D5000 cans, I never heard any SQ troubles when I put the volume *briefly* at a too-high level, just to see if they could handle it with no problems, and they did -- until I turned them *really* high, and, like many other cans, (and speakers) they can be made to lose SQ compared to the norm. Remember, one of the standard sounds in rock music, is the sound of "over-driven" amps and speakers used with (usually guitars) for that "distortion" sound, especially in older recordings, made before all the later modern gadgets that put artificial distortion sounds in the signal path by design. Anything over-driven is gonna lose SQ, at some point in the volume. Amps. Speakers. Cans. No surprise. Turn it down. At the volumes I used to use for guitar distortion in live shows, even with the best available earplugs, it was damaging my hearing. Don't do it! It's fun for a while, but you will pay for the rest of your life. Rant over.

Thanks for the rant - in general terms I couldn't agree more. It's an important message that we all need to be mindful of. I'm pretty sure that the levels and exposure I'm talking about here are unlikely to do any permanent damage. I'm familiar with the issue and the literature. Using my trusty sound level meter, the volume I am talking about here peaks at 93.3db. That's less than a motor mower or subway. I have almost no other significant noise exposure other than regularly listening to music at very moderate levels, and at higher levels on occasions - I do manage my hearing (I use ear plugs on all long haul plane flights, for example).

As I stated previously, this is not my usual listening level. It is a level that I like to listen to the occasional song. Which might be once a week or less. My normal listening level is much lower than this.

There have been plenty of other people posting about how these cans sound great at high volumes. I am taking the position that my experience has been different, and trying to understand why my experience is different from others. My issue is that as much as I really enjoy these cans at low and medium levels, my experience hasn't been as positive as the volume goes up.

Unfortunately, in this instance the 'turn it down' advice isn't really what I need. None of my other headphones have this problem at similar levels.

 

[warrior05]

I'm certainly an advocate of reasonable listening levels but let's be realistic. We all love music here and once in a while you just want to turn it up. Done sporadically and as long as you are not cranking it up to the absolute extreme, no harm done.

So with that being said - I would tend towards unwanted resonances in the ear chamber is screwing up the sound. A cheap experiment would be some blue tak just to see if it makes a difference. If so, then you know you're on the right track. You can then try some heavy felt. Beyerdynamic uses different cuts and layers of felt with their DT880s and 990s and I've never heard any unwarranted resonances or distortions even when cranked. Try it out and report back. I love experimenting with this kind of stuff and always find it intriguing.

 

[markl]

It's funny you would use the "wall of sound" analogy, I used it myself to describe the stock D5000. There are two problems with these cans that I have addressed with mods:

1. Drivers are too close to the ear. Pad modding can fix this.

2. Overwhelming bass response causes vibrations and farting sounds that intrude into and interfere with midrange.

You may want to do a search on "markl mod D5000" for my thread on how to fix this. But be aware that I have not 100% finalized the mod, and that the latest and greatest instructions are buried in the rear of the thread (ignore the first post).

It will be another month or so before I can complete mod-ing of 2 more guinnea pigs to iron out all kinks.

However, the current mod as is made the D5000 sound so great, I sold my R10s.

Good luck!

 

[stevenkelby]

Rob, it's equal in L and R right?