[StupidN00bie]

I mean higher end as I have seen what some of the high end on here costs. And at this point in time I'm not to wild about taking that plunge. But I did take the plunge yesterday when I managed to snag a pair of Denon AH-D5000s off of Amazon for about $315.00. This wasn't exactly a blind purchase as I have been lusting after the AH-D5000s for about a year now and I have done some reading on them here as well.  So what should my next step be? Should I have them re-cabled? Should I snag a new headphone amp? Or should I just quit as I fear that this hobby along with my two other hobbies (playing with planes and sports cars) might make me lighter in the wallet.

 

[winma]

There are good mods for them, check:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/299627/how-to-build-one-of-the-world-s-finest-dynamic-headphones-markl-denon-ah-d5000-mods
 

 

[Mr Joboto]

Whats your current source and amp like?

 

[Ypoknons]

lol you play with planes and sports cars and you're wondering if head-fi is too expensive? 

 

[Mr Joboto]

Unless they're model planes and sports cars XD

 

[KingStyles]

Get some J$ pads for them. They will help with the sound. The cable is fine. You will get a lot more for your investment to put your money into an dac or amp then a cable.

 

[StupidN00bie]

Quote:

Whats your current source and amp like?

RIght now my only source is an iPod touch. I didn't plan out this whole headphone thing as well as I did for my 2 channel stereo setup.
 
Quote:

lol you play with planes and sports cars and you're wondering if head-fi is too expensive? 

Yeah pretty absurd I know.
 

Unless they're model planes and sports cars XD

Nope not model planes or RC cars .
 
 
 
Oh thanks for the help so far guys keep it coming.

 

[Ypoknons]

Quote:

Unless they're model planes and sports cars XD

Maybe he meant playing with models, planes and sports cars 

 
Quote:

Get some J$ pads for them. They will help with the sound. The cable is fine. You will get a lot more for your investment to put your money into an dac or amp then a cable.

Definitely, the effects of putting drivers closer or further away are easily demonstrable, cables on the other hand ... hahaha. There's also the markL models to dampen the headphones. 

 

[khaos974]

First you need an amp, then a DAC, and if you really think you need it, buy new cables, not before.
 
Quote:

I mean higher end as I have seen what some of the high end on here costs. And at this point in time I'm not to wild about taking that plunge. But I did take the plunge yesterday when I managed to snag a pair of Denon AH-D5000s off of Amazon for about $315.00. This wasn't exactly a blind purchase as I have been lusting after the AH-D5000s for about a year now and I have done some reading on them here as well.  So what should my next step be? Should I have them re-cabled? Should I snag a new headphone amp? Or should I just quit as I fear that this hobby along with my two other hobbies (playing with planes and sports cars) might make me lighter in the wallet.

 

 

[Bigrock2150]

Time out! How in the F-ing Garden of Eden did you get the D5000 off amazon for only $315? Its been at $423 for months. 

 

[StupidN00bie]

It was a refurb that was put up on Saturday or Sunday via one of their warehouses.

 

[eucariote]

Quote:

First you need an amp, then a DAC, and if you really think you need it, buy new cables, not before.
 

X2.  Skip the cables altogether tho - that is pure placebo and money down the toilet.  
 
These threads will be relevant for finding a good amp & dac for your Denons:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/493215/dac-amp-for-denon-d2000
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/493589/please-help-a-lost-newbie-with-denon-d7000-amp

 

[Sophonax]

Quote:

First you need an amp, then a DAC, and if you really think you need it, buy new cables, not before.
 

 
I largely agree with this upgrade strategy.  An amp should be your first priority; I've tried the D2000s and D7000s from portable devices and their bass seems very muddy to me when they're not powered properly.
 
But I would probably say that before a DAC, you might consider doing / getting some markl mods done.  They really do wonders for the sound, tightening up the bass and bringing the mids forward.  If you don't want to do the mods yourself, or if you want some really nice-looking (and nice-sounding) ear cups as well, you might look into Lawton Audio:
 
http://www.lawtonaudio.com
 
The DAC would be the next thing to upgrade.  Last, you could do a cable upgrade, but it's very questionable as to whether it's worthwhile or not.  I would expect very minimal improvements at best.
 
Also as a note, you might consider upgrading the quality of your music files too, if you haven't already.  Using a lossless format such as WAV or FLAC, or even a high bit-rate MP3 like 320 kbps, can make significant improvements in sound (over the typical 128-192 kbps MP3).

 

[Young Spade]

Quote:

X2.  Skip the cables altogether tho - that is pure placebo and money down the toilet.  
 

Wrong. Cables provide an increase in SQ across the board granted you spend the money to get a good one; whether you think it's a good value or not is your opinion though but don't go and trash cables all together.
 

 

[eucariote]

^ As this is a dbt-free forum we can't discuss the issue beyond sighted impressions .  Tho, as you state above, it can cost a lot of of money to experience a difference.  We can all agree that the best bang for your buck will come from a well-engineered amp, dac and headphones.