[thug behram]

Would going from the d2000 to he-400 be an upgrade? How do these two sets compare? Am I losing out on anything from the d2000 if I make the switch? Is a fair trade a good deal? Which one is worth more considering comparable condition?

 

[NA Blur]

Both headphones are great, but the midrange on the HE-400 has some issues. It sounds slightly muffled and tinny and without the velour pads they sound congested and somewhat one dimensional too. The Denon AH-D2000 is arguably the best dynamic headphone. It sounds quick, just bassy enough, and for a closed headphone obtains a great sense of balance from bass to table. It can sound bright to some, but with my setup I never had that issue. The bass is slightly boomy which is expected from a closed dynamic.

I think you would have to go to something open or the HE-500 to keep the quality at the level of the D2000. I settled on the AKG K712 and sold my D2000. The K712 is less boomy, more airy, and has the right amount of bass slam for my tastes.

 

[TMRaven]

I don't think the D2000 does anything better than the HE-400 other than being lighter.

 

[NA Blur]

Let me put it this way. Big Mike at Headroom owns two pairs of AH-D2000 because he puts his trust and experience in them. He does not own the HE-400. The D2000 responds extremely well to good amping. What gear are you testing both with to make you conclude that the D2000 does nothing to improve on the HE-400? Also, unless you think the HE-400 is an upgrade it is not helping the OP.

 

[TMRaven]

The gear I had at the time was the objective combo. 
 
I am flat out saying the HE-400 is an upgrade to the D2000.  However there are some scenarios in which case you might not want the HE-400 coming from the D2000.  If you want an even more bloated and distorted bass than the D2000, the HE-400 won't be for you.  If you want a lighter headphone than the D2000, the HE-400 will not be for you.  Being an open planar, the HE-400 will not only leak sound, but project it outwards.  The D2000 has some amount of isolation, albeit it doesn't really isolate very well for a closed headphone-- it's a semi-open headphone really due to its 'acoustic optimizer' slot.
 
Other than that, the HE-400 has significantly better bass that doesn't consume the lower midrange.  Because of that, the HE-400's lower midrange is far more present than the D2000's.  If you don't want an unnaturally resonant and tinny sounding upper midrange/lower treble, the HE-400 will be an upgrade over the D2000.  Both headphones have their issues in the upper treble though.  D2000 has a tendency to be harsh around 8k, while HE-400 is pretty harsh around 10-12k.

 

[thug behram]

my main issue with the d2000 is the hole in the upper mids and the instrument separation. 

the reason i am wary of the he-400 is the sibilance, lack of bass, and comfort (w/ glasses).

I'll try to go audition the he-400 soon.

 

[TMRaven]

Both the D2000 and HE-400 have a hole in the upper midrange, so there's not much the HE-400 will offer you there, although it has way better instrument separation throughout its entire sound signature thanks to a much cleaner bass.
 
In your particular case, the biggest reasons to move on from a D2000 to an HE-400 would be if you were unhappy with the bloated nature of the D2000's bass and its masked lower midrange.
 
HE-400 being bass-lite or not moving from the D2000 depends on you as well.  I personally used and loved my D2000 for a little over a year before I moved to an HE-400, and didn't find its bass lacking at all.  Some feel it's lacking though.  HE-400 is one of the bassiest and most impactful open headphones around though, so if you do happen to audition it and find its bass lacking, there won't be too many other open headphones that will satisfy you.
 
Comfort with glasses might be a potentially big issue.  The old velour pads are the go-to pads for the HE-400, but they have really stiff foam, which could press the glasses into your head more than you would like.  I have not experimented with the Hifiman focus-a pads with the HE-400, however.  

 

[thug behram]

  Both the D2000 and HE-400 have a hole in the upper midrange, so there's not much the HE-400 will offer you there, although it has way better instrument separation throughout its entire sound signature thanks to a much cleaner bass.
 
In your particular case, the biggest reasons to move on from a D2000 to an HE-400 would be if you were unhappy with the bloated nature of the D2000's bass and its masked lower midrange.
 
HE-400 being bass-lite or not moving from the D2000 depends on you as well.  I personally used and loved my D2000 for a little over a year before I moved to an HE-400, and didn't find its bass lacking at all.  Some feel it's lacking though.  HE-400 is one of the bassiest and most impactful open headphones around though, so if you do happen to audition it and find its bass lacking, there won't be too many other open headphones that will satisfy you.
 
Comfort with glasses might be a potentially big issue.  The old velour pads are the go-to pads for the HE-400, but they have really stiff foam, which could press the glasses into your head more than you would like.  I have not experimented with the Hifiman focus-a pads with the HE-400, however.  

I don't need bass on the level of the d2000. I already own the Fidelio X1 which has great bass. It's my primary headphone but sometimes its a tad too warm or laid back. so I reach for my denons. hoping the he-400 could compliment the x1 well.

 

[TMRaven]

I've not heard the X1 myself, but I can tell you that the HE-400 is extremely warm throughout its entire sonic signature, with the exception of its upper treble, which can randomly show up and be very aggressive and piercing depending on the track.
 
It sounds like you're after something with some forwardness to the upper midrange and treble alike.  I'd probably look elsewhere for now, but it still wouldn't hurt to audition the HE-400 if you could.

 

[thug behram]

  I've not heard the X1 myself, but I can tell you that the HE-400 is extremely warm throughout its entire sonic signature, with the exception of its upper treble, which can randomly show up and be very aggressive and piercing depending on the track.
 
It sounds like you're after something with some forwardness to the upper midrange and treble alike.  I'd probably look elsewhere for now, but it still wouldn't hurt to audition the HE-400 if you could.

yeah, i will audition it anyways to be sure. for a straight trade between the d2000 and he-400, who do you think is getting the better end of the deal?

 

[TMRaven]

From sound quality alone I think the person trading away the HE-400 is losing the deal, but from a monetary perspective I think the person trading away the HE-400 would be winning the deal.  HE-400 was 400 new at one point, but since then Hifiman has lowered its price to 300, and nobody knows yet if HE-400i will be better or worse than the HE-400.  When Denon discontinued the D2/5/7k line, their newer models were thought of as inferior to the older ones, so you saw their values of the older Denons rise a little in the for sale/trade section.  I think a used HE-400 should be worth around 200, while a used D2000 is worth around 250-300 depending upon the interest.
 
If the upcoming HE-400i is either inferior (most likely not) or different enough from the HE-400, and the HE-400 gets discontinued, then you might see a rise in HE-400's resale value, as some people might really be after its unique sound signature which the HE-400i can not provide.

 

[HeatFan12]

  From sound quality alone I think the person trading away the HE-400 is losing the deal, but from a monetary perspective I think the person trading away the HE-400 would be winning the deal.  HE-400 was 400 new at one point, but since then Hifiman has lowered its price to 300, and nobody knows yet if HE-400i will be better or worse than the HE-400.  When Denon discontinued the D2/5/7k line, their newer models were thought of as inferior to the older ones, so you saw their values of the older Denons rise a little in the for sale/trade section.  I think a used HE-400 should be worth around 200, while a used D2000 is worth around 250-300 depending upon the interest.
 
If the upcoming HE-400i is either inferior (most likely not) or different enough from the HE-400, and the HE-400 gets discontinued, then you might see a rise in HE-400's resale value, as some people might really be after its unique sound signature which the HE-400i can not provide.

 
 
LOL TM, you're on a roll.  Was just reading the 560 thread

....I remember the comparisons you did on these two phones a while back.  I also have a Denon vs. HE question, however don't want to thread jack.  YGPM in a few.
 
Cheers!

 

[thug behram]

Post it here, it may be useful to me too lol

 

[HeatFan12]

Post it here, it may be useful to me too lol

 
 
Hahaha.  Well, you're the OP so I guess I won't be thread jacking.  No biggie, just wanted to know if trading the D5000s for an HE-4 would be worthwhile.