Just about to Pull the Trigger on DENNON AHD2000
Jun 11, 2010 at 9:17 PM Post #16 of 60


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Different people hear differently. It's one great things about this hobby. It's very subjective. What sounds incredible to one person may sound like utter garbage to another.


+1
 
Jun 13, 2010 at 10:15 AM Post #17 of 60
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The mids do suffer with the D2000.  Fortunately it is mostly fixable if you use a parametric EQ or a graphic EQ with lots of bands.  Without any EQ the mids are definitely not flat and it is definitely noticeable in a bad way.
 
I do like the overall sound of the D2000 and like it for music listening enjoyment.  The overall sound enhances the music for me even if others consider it bloated or messy or full of distortion.  I'd rather have the Denon sound for music enjoyment rather than the thin accurate soulless noneness of a K701.  The K701 might be "better" but I certainly don't want to listen to music with it.  So pick your poison, pick your sound.


 
I really enjoyed listening to the D2000 when I had them. The only thing that annoyed me was the recessed midrange. The D2000 definitely needed EQ to sound its best, and I didn't have the luxury of being able to run an EQ with all my sources. If it wasn't for the midrange attenuation, I'd probably still have the D2000 as my go-to headphones. 
 
I ended up with the Ultrasone HFI-680, which has proper midrange and is pretty neutral overall, but without the absolute bass extension the Denon had. 
 
Jun 13, 2010 at 12:35 PM Post #18 of 60
The bass is nowhere near as bloated as some of these blokes would have you to believe. Don't be confused, like how some people complain that the headphones are too big, or too small, or sweating; this only seems to be the case if you're obese. Lose some weight and you won't sweat. Jeez, I was confused in buying the D2000 before I joined these forums, and was even more confused after making a similar thread. Some of these guys just tout bull**** without owning a pair. Take it from me, the bass is controlled and defn alot better then my old pair of senn 650's. Mids are a little recessed... SO WHAT? There has to be compromise, and it doesn't detract a bit from the listening experience.
 
Jun 13, 2010 at 8:54 PM Post #20 of 60

 
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I really enjoyed listening to the D2000 when I had them. The only thing that annoyed me was the recessed midrange. The D2000 definitely needed EQ to sound its best, and I didn't have the luxury of being able to run an EQ with all my sources. If it wasn't for the midrange attenuation, I'd probably still have the D2000 as my go-to headphones. 
 
I ended up with the Ultrasone HFI-680, which has proper midrange and is pretty neutral overall, but without the absolute bass extension the Denon had. 


I don't like that the Denon needs EQ either.  EQ isn't convenient and isn't always available.  When I don't have access to the EQ I miss it and find that I get selective and try to pick music that will sound good without the EQ or I switch over to the HD600 or the Grados.
 
When I travel and take my headphones as a transportable I use my iPod as a source to my amp.  That means no EQ for the Denon.  I also bring my HD600 along and it doesn't need any EQ so all's good.
 
A headphone that needs EQ, especially in the midrange, isn't ideal.  I'm still on a search to find a headphone that gives me what I want without needing EQ.  I haven't found it yet.  I might maybe get the ATH-M50 for the away from EQ listening.  I'd like to get a listen to the Fischer Audio headphones first though.  The Ultrasone's I've tried haven't agreed with me.  I haven't tried the HFI-680 or the PRO 750 yet though.  I'll find what I want eventually, but for now the D2000 does it as long as I can EQ it.
 
Jun 13, 2010 at 8:59 PM Post #21 of 60


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The mids do suffer with the D2000.  Fortunately it is mostly fixable if you use a parametric EQ or a graphic EQ with lots of bands. 


Ugh
 
 
Jun 13, 2010 at 10:02 PM Post #22 of 60
 
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A headphone that needs EQ, especially in the midrange, isn't ideal.  I'm still on a search to find a headphone that gives me what I want without needing EQ.  I haven't found it yet.  I might maybe get the ATH-M50 for the away from EQ listening.  I'd like to get a listen to the Fischer Audio headphones first though.  The Ultrasone's I've tried haven't agreed with me.  I haven't tried the HFI-680 or the PRO 750 yet though.  I'll find what I want eventually, but for now the D2000 does it as long as I can EQ it.


I have the Pro 750 too, and I like the sound of the HFI-680 better. The Pro 750 isn't quite as smooth across the frequency range in head to head testing. I think the D2000 is smoother than the Pro 750 too. The 750 does do the midrange better than the D2000. When you decide to audition an Ultrasone again I'd suggest starting with an HFI-680 or maybe the Pro 650, which I've heard and liked, but haven't compared head to head. 
 
Jun 13, 2010 at 10:43 PM Post #23 of 60
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I have the Pro 750 too, and I like the sound of the HFI-680 better. The Pro 750 isn't quite as smooth across the frequency range in head to head testing. I think the D2000 is smoother than the Pro 750 too. The 750 does do the midrange better than the D2000. When you decide to audition an Ultrasone again I'd suggest starting with an HFI-680 or maybe the Pro 650, which I've heard and liked, but haven't compared head to head. 


Does the 750 have better/more forward mids compared to the 680? I owned the 780 and loved it for it's bass energy but the mids just weren't as forward as I like, this was the same reason I had for not keeping the HD580s, K701, D2000s and so on.
 
Jun 13, 2010 at 11:08 PM Post #24 of 60
 
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Different people hear differently. It's one great things about this hobby. It's very subjective. What sounds incredible to one person may sound like utter garbage to another. What someone feels is bass light another may come to the conclusion that there is plenty of bass. Heck, I don't agree completely with what Beam and Graphicism think about the D2000s but that's what they heard. Everyone hears differently so it's really about figuring out what you like. I've read numerous reviews but in the end it comes down to taking the plunge and trying out the can for yourself.
 
I'd probably go ahead and get them from Amazon as I believe they have a good return policy. Also if you can find a place near you to audition some cans to get a rough feel for what you want. What are your music preferences?


like this man says, its quite the subjective experience. I currently own a pair of D2000. When I was researching them, I perused a lot through the pages here. The general sense I had was that the bass was going to be HUGE. I think because people built up the bass sound so much, I was expected a bigger bass than I heard. I can almost guarantee that if I didn't read any "user" reactions/reviews on this site, just the normal reviews on CNET, etc, professional reviews, upon the first note struck, my thought would have been "wow this is big and nice."
 
To be honest, I was a little DISAPPOINTED with the bass, and I came from an open-back Audio Technica ATH-AD700, which has a much reduced bass in general. Because its a big purchase (all you high-rollers look away), it's hard to just buy it to "try it out"; I understand.
 
It has a very nice bass that DOES extend very low. That is impressive. I cannot imagine how other people could rave, either positively or otherwise, about its bass so much. For me, I noticed that the tippy-top highs seemed pretty harsh on the Denons, which I dialed back just a bit to combat.
 
Just thought it may be useful hearing the opposite end of the bass argument/opinion. 
 
Jun 14, 2010 at 4:47 PM Post #26 of 60
The Denons seem to be pretty love/hate around here.  I've been listening to my brand new pair of D2000s  (just delivered this morning, from amazon) for a few hours now and I'm enjoying them a lot.   Impressions so far...
 
The bass isn't the tightest I've ever heard but it's hardly bloated or muddy.  There is definitely more than some people will prefer, but they're hardly bass cannons.  The mids are pretty smooth, and not recessed to my ears.  The treble lacks the sparkle that many people like, but that makes 'phones fatiguing to for me to listen to, so that qualifies as a plus for me.  All this may be subject to change with break in though.
 
If you're looking for looking for lots of tight bass plus some serious sparkle then I'd recommend the DT990/600s.  I loved everything about them except for the excessive (to my ears, anyway) treble.  I'm most likely going to return them soon and keep the D2000s.
 
Also I'd say EQ is something to use to make 'phones you already like even better, and not to 'fix' something that you really don't like at all.  That's because it's not always convenient or even possible to apply a good EQ to every source you might listen to.  If you use EQ on your favorite and easiest to EQ source, like for example your computer music player program of choice, then you'll end up hating the sound on other things.  Movie player?  Probably not as easy to EQ and you'll most likely have to use a different EQ anyway.  Your DAP?  It most likely has an inferior EQ.  A fancy SACD player?  You'll have to shell out for a hardware EQ.  Video game consoles?  Same thing.  It also usually takes a good parametric EQ to fix something like a resonance peak, but usually a dinky graphic EQ can give you a little more bass, or treble, midrange depending on your preference.  I like using EQ.  I think it's quite helpful a good deal of the time, but its not a panacea.
 
Jun 14, 2010 at 5:50 PM Post #27 of 60
Personally I don't mind the mids at all. It is recessed indeed but I feel you guys are exaggerating a bit. Same goes for the bass. If you're coming from Senns or AKG I understand but still..
 
Biggest problem I have with D2000 is the sibilance. I don't think I'd recommend it to someone who mostly listens to harsh, female vocals.
 
Jun 14, 2010 at 6:10 PM Post #28 of 60
I don't think there is any exaggeration going on, I think it all comes down to price over performance. Much like Bose are slammed around here not simply because they sound bad but because they come with a high price tag. I've said before the Denons are a $30 headphone in a fancy shell... if they were priced at $30 I would change my tone, I'd even go as far as recommending them.
 
Jun 14, 2010 at 6:35 PM Post #29 of 60
I am was looking at the D2000. I have the DT770/80 Pro which has a lot of bass. They are used mostly for gaming but they are not bad with rap ,hip hop, etc. So it got me thinking what else is out there that might be better musically with good bass. So if you were going to steer someone away from the D2000 what would you say they check out instead?
 
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I don't think there is any exaggeration going on, I think it all comes down to price over performance. Much like Bose are slammed around here not simply because they sound bad but because they come with a high price tag. I've said before the Denons are a $30 headphone in a fancy shell... if they were priced at $30 I would change my tone, I'd even go as far as recommending them.


 
 
Jun 14, 2010 at 7:02 PM Post #30 of 60


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I am was looking at the D2000. I have the DT770/80 Pro which has a lot of bass. They are used mostly for gaming but they are not bad with rap ,hip hop, etc. So it got me thinking what else is out there that might be better musically with good bass. So if you were going to steer someone away from the D2000 what would you say they check out instead?
 

 

JVC RX700. I'm pretty sure this was what Graphicism was referring to when he said Denons were worth $30.
 
 

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