[Beav]

Quote:

D5000 has 5db more bass according to Headroom's measurements. I hear more bass from the D5000 myself.

More bass, less bass...how about correct bass. And here we go again

what determines what is correct bass. I always thought the goal of a stereo was to reproduce exactly what is on the playing medium; be it CD, Vinyl, etc. Surprisingly the genre of music that generates the most intense bass I've heard is New Age music; specifically acoustic guitar players like Govi, Luis Villegas, and a real gem of out of this world bass called Gypsy Sun, Gypsy Moon by Sunyata. I'm very familar with these CDs on speaker systems, and though the Denon did not reach the level I know this recording goes down to, it was close enough to generate the sonic atmosphere I remember from my reference speaker rig. So, not perfect but certainly not "wrong".

 

[Philco]

I have found that headphones which exhibit a good low-frequency boost in their graphs often sound more like speakers, while most people call them "bloated", "slow", "inaccurate", "boomy".

When I listen to my speaker rigs and monitors, I hear plenty of good bass. When transducers are coupled to the ears, it has to provide more-than-flat bass in order to reproduce the listening effect of speakers.

Just my $0.02.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beav /img/forum/go_quote.gif More bass, less bass...how about correct bass. And here we go again what determines what is correct bass. I always thought the goal of a stereo was to reproduce exactly what is on the playing medium; be it CD, Vinyl, etc. Surprisingly the genre of music that generates the most intense bass I've heard is New Age music; specifically acoustic guitar players like Govi, Luis Villegas, and a real gem of out of this world bass called Gypsy Sun, Gypsy Moon by Sunyata. I'm very familar with these CDs on speaker systems, and though the Denon did not reach the level I know this recording goes down to, it was close enough to generate the sonic atmosphere I remember from my reference speaker rig. So, not perfect but certainly not "wrong".

 

[zeluiz22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beav /img/forum/go_quote.gif More bass, less bass...how about correct bass. And here we go again what determines what is correct bass. I always thought the goal of a stereo was to reproduce exactly what is on the playing medium; be it CD, Vinyl, etc. Surprisingly the genre of music that generates the most intense bass I've heard is New Age music; specifically acoustic guitar players like Govi, Luis Villegas, and a real gem of out of this world bass called Gypsy Sun, Gypsy Moon by Sunyata. I'm very familar with these CDs on speaker systems, and though the Denon did not reach the level I know this recording goes down to, it was close enough to generate the sonic atmosphere I remember from my reference speaker rig. So, not perfect but certainly not "wrong".

Correct bass is right. These phones give you a nice, accurate reproduction in all the frequencies, and because the lower registers are more complete, you get that nice, full, extended three dimensional bass note without losing detail in the remaining registers.

By extension you really get that nice full bass drum sound and sensation as well.

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've had about 20 of the D5000s now, and I have not observed this variation. However, the OP is 100% correct (IMO) regarding the differences between the D2000 and D5000. Those graphs from Headroom don't lie. As I've speculated in another thread, I believe we are talking about two different drivers; I am skeptical that a cable and ear cup material with a thin strip of damping could produce such different FR curves.

IIRC Ak-Zip said in another thread that the D2/5000 drivers had the same "product number"

 

[zeluiz22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurra1980 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IIRC Ak-Zip said in another thread that the D2/5000 drivers had the same "product number"

My understanding is that the drivers are the same in the 2 and 5. The difference is in the housings and the cable. I don't think I'm being controversial by saying the the housings can make alot of difference. The Sleek SA6's give us each our own little lab to prove that.

As for cables, I'm a believer, but there has been controversy.

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeluiz22 /img/forum/go_quote.gif My understanding is that the drivers are the same in the 2 and 5. The difference is in the housings and the cable. I don't think I'm being controversial by saying the the housings can make alot of difference. The Sleek SA6's give us each our own little lab to prove that. As for cables, I'm a believer, but there has been controversy.

I agree, from my own testing with different drivers and headphones most drivers can sound very bad to very good depending on the housing.

 

[b0dhi]

It's also interesting that the D2000 has lower distortion product measurements than the D5000, according to HeadRoom. Usually the higher up the product line you go, the lower the harmonic distortion.

 

[MuseMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's also interesting that the D2000 has lower distortion product measurements than the D5000, according to HeadRoom. Usually the higher up the product line you go, the lower the harmonic distortion.

The wood of the D5000 probably adds some tasty woody distortion that produces the illusion of a more 'natural' tone.

 

[Gurra1980]

 

[tev]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuseMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif The wood of the D5000 probably adds some tasty woody distortion that produces the illusion of a more 'natural' tone.

I'd also like to think that the wood makes a tonal contribution. Perhaps it does. But it's a little hard for me to imagine that a cup this thick really results in audible resonances that provide harmonic color. This isn't exactly a stradivarius! Instead, I have a hunch that the wood provides more of a dampening base, which is improved upon by markl's mod. In comparison, the Audio Technicas seem to have thinner wood walls, which are more likely to contribute to their woody sound.

I agree that the tone of the D5000's is quite tasty, distortion or not.