[obobskivich]

It cannot change soundstaging or isolation, which are the biggest problems I'm seeing from his comments. That's simple physics. You want to change those, you buy another headphone.
 
Whether or not the computer's audio device is able to drive the D2000s is another question, but a DAC will not matter here. An amplifier will. This assumes the integrated solution isn't hemorrhaging noise, and if that's the case, from DAC to DAC you should (will, in most cases) see acoustic transparency. Throwing money at the problem and hoping it goes away is not logical; figuring out what is actually the matter and then addressing that on the other hand...well that strikes me as a novel idea. 
 
Quote:

Obobskivich, not to belittle anything you've said, but a competent and external dac will change everything the topic creator wants in the Denon.  He's already stated that he really enjoys the Denons out of an iPhone, and it just so happens that current generation apple anything are very clean sources.  It's also quite true that a heck of a lot of sources have severe bass rolloff, which is the reason why he isn't liking the Denons out of his computer.  As long as the external amp/dac is able to line-out via usb or optical, he should get a much better experience.
 
 
 

 

 

[TMRaven]

You havn't taken the time to read all the posts in the topic, perhaps.  The topic creator likes the sound of the Denons out of the iPhone.  And it's also not too rare to see any person wanting to bass to say that something isn't loud when it has little bass output-- even if the overall volume is high.  The whole vibration comment should have alluded you to that already.
 
Changing the source is every bit as important as the amp when the source is already bad.  I've taken my dedicated headphone amp to my old G5 iMac and I still get the same, horrible sound that I have already had with just the computer's dac/amp.  You're only amplifying what's already been amplified through the computer itself-- which is less than ideal sound with all sorts of problems within.

 

[grandehombre09]

Quote:

These are my first pair of audiphile headphones and I'm extremely unimpressed with the quality. I'm using onboard sound from my motherboard (Z68) without an amp, and got the 32 ohm version for $230 used. What I don't like about them?
 
- These were supposed to be closed headphones. I was standing next to my sister across the room playing a trance song at full volume thinking she couldn't hear it - took them off and she said she could hear every detail of the song quite easily.
- These sounds QUIET at full volume. I'm surprised at how low these sound with my volume set to max.
- The bass on these cans is not at all what I imagined... I don't know if it's because I need an amp, but some of my most bass heavy songs barely make the headphones rattle. Maybe I should be going for the DT770 Pro?
 
Is it possible that I need an amp to get the best out of these headphones, and possibly a soundcard? Perhaps I need to burn them in? I got them used off Amazon from electronics expo - supposedly these were a floor model. I really don't see how these are better than my $80 sennheiser IEM's.. those were much louder and made the music seem alive, despite having worse quality of sound.
 
I haven't tested them for gaming yet but I don't know if it's worth $230 for these to be quite honest..

 

Dang, it almost is as if you are all arguing now on this topic, I thought this was a friendly place?

To the original post, I think a simple summary is necessary for a simple issue you're having, although it must be noted that it can be a complicated hobby...

Initially, you don't like what you got.

SO

A. If you don't like them for their bass output/emotion/sound, get a digizoid zo2, and yes while tacking that on you may barely notice some extra hiss, I assure you they will transform the d2000 completely. Also looking at your previously mentioned budget, its a little on the high side, but, once again, I assure you they will literally and physically speaking, rattle the headphones off your head with the most powerful bass you'll ever hear. Just for fun I turned the bass contour to max,and at a decent volume, they started shaking in my hand due to the enigmatic bass reproduction.

*Note- I took into your account that you enjoy angelic, emotional, engaging electronic dance music. Hands down you probably won't be able to get a better setup for the price to listen to that genre of music. I personally have/owned most the fiio amps that have been recommended, and nothing really compares to the zo2 for this genre. The amp I'm recommending isn't just a simple bass boost, it does something that you truly must hear to believe. Not the purist solution, but definitely pleasing. Furthermore, gaming is sensational with this amp as well.

B. Try a new pair! Headphones, much like life, are an adventure Sell them off to someone that likes 'em, put 'em on sale here, or return them if possible!

Hopefully this helps you out! Or further confuses you...