[Vee]

 
Hi,
 
I’m new to the forum and but have been searching the forum about some shortlisted head phones, if you could offer your advice please?
 
 
In Short:
Have HD570 need new & better ones.
Tried ADH-2000. No presence, a bit shrilly, no bass kick and too much sub-bass depth for prolonged listening.
How about DT-880 or DT-990?
 
 
In Long:
I have an old pair of Sennheiser HD570 which I’ve had for nearly 20 years and although still going strong feel its time to upgrade.
 
I listen to music at reasonable volumes in order of preference with a liking towards female vocals:
 

1. Hard dance
2. Pop
3. Trance
4. Country
5. Classical
6. Light rock

 
I’m currently running through my Harman HK990 & HD990 Amp/CD which gives a reasonably punchy tone (maybe to get a headphone amp in the future).
 
I have recently just auditioned a pair of Denon ADH-2000's and although I was reasonably happy they didn’t quite hit the mark, but shone against the HD570 which made them sound rubbish.
 
Pros and cons that stood out for me in order of notability:
 
Pros.

1. Smooth, exceptionally smooth.
2. Excellence bass depth (far far beyond my old HD570)
3. Treble was strong but never ever sharp.

 
Cons.

1. No bass kick at all.
2. Shrill spike (say around female scream frequency)
3. No presence (upper treble was weak)
4. Very very slightly recessed mids

 
The biggest disappointment was the lack of bass kick, although they really put the HD570 to shame in every other possible way.
The sub bass was too over powering for prolonged listening at reasonable volumes.  I love bass (I have 18” bass cabinets, but running upto 400Hz, tuned to go low but not to overpower everything else)
I would compare the ADH-2000 sound to a poor 2.1 speaker system with extended bass, but with just a single small full range driver.
 
So, I was thinking about the Beyerdynamic DT-880 or DT-990 32Ohm but not sure if the bass on the 990 would be too much again but the 880 to flat?
 
Or a 50Ohm Sennheiser?
 
Price wise i'm looking around the £200/$300 mark +/- a bit

 
If you could offer some advice please would be really appreciated, thank you.
 
Stephen.

 

[NA Blur]

I own both the AH-D2000 and DT990 ( 250 Ohm ).  The DT990 kick a bit harder in the low end.  The DT990 is a less upfront sounding headphone compared to the AH-D2000.
 
I would suggest the V-Moda M80 or V80 first because they are much more upfront sounding and built like a tank.  The DT990 is more particular with what amp you use to control the drivers and voice coils.  The V-Moda M80 / V80 sound awesome.  Especially so with the genres of music you like.

 

[Vee]

Ta, i'll have a look, but maybe the LP2's as they are over ear.

 

[JackeShan]

I think you would like Pro 900. But the mids are slightly recessed too, for me it's no problem but for others it is. It has a powerful low end and for that I enjoy it more than AH-D5000.

 

[Vee]

 
Hi,
 
I dont mind the slightly lesser mids on the D2000 so if the 990 are similar that’s fine.
Would you say the 990 have a more of a punchier bass than the D2000 (assuming these to be comparable to the D5000?)
 
It’s the lack of punch that probably makes the D2000 seem to over powering in the sub frequencies for prolonged and loud listening?
 
Cheers

 

[TMRaven]

Between the D2000 and the DT990, the D2000's bass kicks way harder.  Also, the lower the bass presence, the harder it will kick and feel visceral.  That's just the nature with things.  Now, you might be looking for an artificial mid-bass hump to provide visceral midbass when it isn't called for.  The DT990 has a midbass hump, but it still isn't as impactful as the D2000.  Also the bass on the D2000 can either be impactful or not very impactful depending on the amp.  Through my iPod or iMac its bass isn't very impactful at all, and can get a bit bloated.  Through my Little Dot it tightens up and gains impact.  I've heard it still has room for improvement for solid state amps via a better damping factor.  Through my speaker amp's headphone out, it doesn't sound as impactful.  I personally can't comment on the h&k amps, though.
 
The mids on the DT990 are about the same strength as the D2000, but the difference is in the soundstaging.  The mids on the DT990 feel a bit more separated and more in place compared to the D2000 because of its open-air soundstaging.
 
The highs of the D2000 and DT990 are hard to explain, they both can get very shrill in their own rights.  The D2000s have a slight ringing in the 8khz region which can cause for more sibilance with vocals-- especially females, compared to its amount of treble.  The DT990 has way more treble, and songs appear brighter overall, but at the same time it isn't as sibilant.  Both trebles extend pretty high, but if I were to give the edge I'd give it to the DT990, as its treble spike can make it seem like its treble extends higher.
 
I can't comment on the DT880, but supposedly the DT990 has a good amount of more bass and a huge treble spike compared to it, making it seem like the DT880's mids are much more forward.  I havn't heard the Pro900 either, but people say it has one of the most impactful midbass presences ever, maybe the most impactful.  People say it's more u-shaped than the D2000 though, that being its mids are even more recessed and its highs are even more shrill.

 

[Vee]

Thank you very much
A good brief

 

[Vee]

EDIT - noticed its Pro900 rather than the 990!!
Ok lets start again.
 
990's have a good hump where i'm looking for it but boy is the treble high and right where i dont like it, even more so with the Pro900's
 
I would like the lower half of the spectrum to be the 990 and upper to be the 2000.....
 

 

[TMRaven]

The graph isn't truly indicative of how the headphones compare, not for D2000 vs DT990 anyways.  In my experience it's more like this:
 

 
 
Also, a couple of people have noted that all ultrasones measure weird on the frequency response charts because of their S-Logic, so I wouldn't take them that close to heart either.
 
 

 

[Vee]

Ok, thanks.  I will have to to try a track some down for a listen.

 

[NA Blur]

Quote:

Ta, i'll have a look, but maybe the LP2's as they are over ear.

Whatever you do stay away from the LP2.  They sound terrible in comparison.  The M80 and V80 are really comfortable and do not leak sound.  I am a stickler about on-ear headphones like Grado products and the M80 and V80 did not bother my ears a bit.

 

[Sllow]

D5K have the punch you need, + subbass.
DT990,880 have only teh punch, no subbass. Also, their highs are tend to be much more sibilant than Denons.

 

[Vee]

Hi.
The D5k are a bit more than i wished to spend.
 
Sp, I've ordered the DT990 and keeping my fingers crossed................ and the returns label ready
They arrive Saturday

 

[Vee]

[size=medium]OK, just to let you I ended up with the D2000.[/size]
 
[size=medium]I found the DT990 similar’ish.  They did have a little bit more oomph, and an openness, but not much and the sound wasn’t as wide, nor as smooth or detailed.  Although the bass had a little more impact the overall quality of the reproduction and imaging of the D2000 outweighed the very slight bass gain.[/size]
 
[size=medium]The Pleather did concern me, although its been very comfy so hope it last ok.  The fabric covered lead can be awkward but I have no real problems with but again I’ll wait to see how long it lasts.  They’ll be sitting at home without any abuse so hope it been fine [/size]
 
[size=medium]I did find my HK amp did add a lot to the sub bass end which detracted from the kick I was/am looking for so they’re particularly well married. They sounded a lot better though the Squeezebox Touch or Sony MP3 player so I hope they shodl shine when I sort out a headphone amp.[/size]
 
[size=medium]On that note any suggestions that might suit my needs for under £100 please?? Any thoughts would be welcome [/size]

 

[BadFish81]

Quote:

Tried ADH-2000. No presence, a bit shrilly, no bass kick and too much sub-bass depth for prolonged listening.  
The biggest disappointment was the lack of bass kick, although they really put the HD570 to shame in every other possible way.
The sub bass was too over powering for prolonged listening at reasonable volumes.  I love bass (I have 18” bass cabinets, but running upto 400Hz, tuned to go low but not to overpower everything else)
I would compare the ADH-2000 sound to a poor 2.1 speaker system with extended bass, but with just a single small full range driver.

 
Quote:

[size=medium]OK, just to let you I ended up with the D2000.[/size]
 
[size=medium]I found the DT990 similar’ish.  They did have a little bit more oomph, and an openness, but not much and the sound wasn’t as wide, nor as smooth or detailed.  Although the bass had a little more impact the overall quality of the reproduction and imaging of the D2000 outweighed the very slight bass gain.[/size]

 
Hey Vee, just jumping in this thread but I'm a bit confused.  Your initial post you said you tried the D2000's and didn't like them and were looking for something else, then you followed up saying you bought the D2000's?  Or maybe I just misunderstood and you've had the D2000 all along and have just decided you like them more than the 8800 and are still looking?
 
I'm just curious because I have a very similar outlook on my D2000's, shrill highs, the mid-bass doesn't kick hard enough and the sub-bass is a bit bloated, I've been on the same search for sub-$300 headphones that have more the sound I'm looking for. Most headphones that seem to be described as having more punch in the lows seem to also be described as having even sharper highs.