[jonnieos]

Before I go into my question, I want to ask if this is the best pair of headphones for the money (for my situation). I like listening to hip hop, rock, any sort of pump up music (cuz I would listen to the music while gaming). I also want to be immersed in movies to the point where I would look down and laugh at people sitting in Imax theaters (if that's possible). I'd like to get the Denon D2000 because after a lot of research, it seemed to fit the bill perfectly for my price point, it's said to have fluid and dynamic sound punchy/strong bass (as long as it's amped). It supposedly has a huge soundstage that is neck and neck with the ad700/ad900. Please let me know if there's a weak point to these that would push me away from them.
 
Now my question: what do I get to accommodate them? I'd be buying them for $215.87 new at Amazon out of my $360 budget. This means I can afford a good quality external solution like the Musiland 02 USB for $130 new but I wouldn't quite have enough to get the ideal internal solution (with a decent built in amp/dac supporting up to 600ohms): the Asus Essence STX (which I found for $162.99 new). Would the Musiland 02 USB be at all dependent on the source (ie my onboard sound, which although is 24 bit/192khz, I'm sure isn't very good quality) or would do the audio processing all on it's own eliminating the need for a new internal soundcard? 
 
Let me know if I'm on the right track with my research, it'll be my FIRST jump to audiophile gear. So this is all my online research talking, so I really need good advice to solidify my plans.

 

[earthpeople]

That Musiland has a built in DAC, meaning it will handle the conversion from digital audio files to analog. You don't have to worry about your onboard sound. It's basically like an external sound card.
 
On the D2000s, I personally didn't like them that much. Even for hip-hop, I prefer my HD580s. I think many will disagree with me though. Timbre just seemed a bit off to me, bass was a bit uncontrolled and I thought it sounded weird.
 
Regardless, I think considering all the research you've done it would be safe to try them out. I really wanted to try them in the past but once I had the chance, I was disappointed. You may have a different experience than I did. And if in the end you decide you don't like them, they're easy to sell in the FS forum here.
 
Good luck!

 

[clou91]

The thing about D2000s though is that FWIR they have a lot of potential for upgrades later. You can upgrade the ear pads, the plastic cups to wood, get them recabled, and markl mod them. If you don't want to upgrade, then for your genres I'd probably go for the HFI 780s. They're especially good for pump up music.

 

[jonnieos]

Quote:

The thing about D2000s though is that FWIR they have a lot of potential for upgrades later. You can upgrade the ear pads, the plastic cups to wood, get them recabled, and markl mod them. If you don't want to upgrade, then for your genres I'd probably go for the HFI 780s. They're especially good for pump up music.

hmm, how is the soundstage and bass on the hifi780s?

 

[clou91]

The bass on the 780s is amazing. Sound stage is well defined and average in size, but nowhere near as wide as the AD700s. I've gamed with them though and have been able to do very well in MW2.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

 
Quote:

Before I go into my question, I want to ask if this is the best pair of headphones for the money (for my situation).
 

I love my D2000, but I'm going to have to say that the D2000 is probably not the headphone sound you're looking for.
 
The overall sound of the D2000 is laid back.  It's not aggressive.  It's not the best choice for pump you up get energized kind of music.  It's kind of the opposite in fact.  The D2000 is more for music that woos and swoons.  Music to sweep you away.  Music to relax to.  So just based on that the D2000 is not the sound style that you are looking for.
 
The D2000 also has a recessed upper midrange.  The midrange is where the energy is in music.  A recessed midrange sucks away some of that energy.  I EQ my D2000 to get some of that back.  But if you're gaming or watching movies it gets difficult to EQ properly.  Games don't have a good EQ built in.  Most movie players also don't have a good EQ built in.  Music players like Foobar allow you to use a good EQ plugin so the music will sound good.  But games and movies are going to be left out in the cold with no proper EQ.  No EQ makes for a sucked out D2000.

 

[Ashirgo]

Quote:

 
The overall sound of the D2000 is laid back.  It's not aggressive.  It's not the best choice for pump you up get energized kind of music.  It's kind of the opposite in fact.  The D2000 is more for music that woos and swoons.  Music to sweep you away.  Music to relax to.  So just based on that the D2000 is not the sound style that you are looking for.
 
The D2000 also has a recessed upper midrange.  The midrange is where the energy is in music.  A recessed midrange sucks away some of that energy.  I EQ my D2000 to get some of that back.  But if you're gaming or watching movies it gets difficult to EQ properly.  Games don't have a good EQ built in.  Most movie players also don't have a good EQ built in.  Music players like Foobar allow you to use a good EQ plugin so the music will sound good.  But games and movies are going to be left out in the cold with no proper EQ.  No EQ makes for a sucked out D2000.

 
A Grado fan, possibly? If you like a very upfront midrange, then D2000 is definitely not for you. This headphone has a very speaker like presentation, it is relaxed as far as "natural" goes.

 

[jonnieos]

I can get the Beyer DT 990 (600 ohm version), for $229.95, paired with the Musiland Monitor 02 for $122.99. Can I beat the value of this combo for my situation (budget is $360).

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Quote:

 
A Grado fan, possibly? If you like a very upfront midrange, then D2000 is definitely not for you. This headphone has a very speaker like presentation, it is relaxed as far as "natural" goes.

I do have an SR60 and SR325is.  But I'm not that much of a Grado fan.  I like the D2000 better than my Grados for most of what I listen to.
 
It's just that for the OP, I don't think the D2000 is the sound he's looking for.
I don't think a SR series Grado would suit the OP either.  Not the best "fit" for movies and gaming.  I wouldn't want to wear a Grado for an entire movie or a long gaming session.  The GS1000 or PS1000 could do it, but those are a whole different ball game (they're comfortable and their soundstaging is amazing).