[HariBhushan]

Quote:

 
More or less back on topic, my DT990/600 will have more than 100 hours of burn in by the time I get home from work tonight, so the face of will begin.

great !
 
can't wait

 

[dub Beatz]

Gaming. Let's not go off topic again like in the HD555 vs AD700 thread. We don't want to have all of our incredibly detailed posts deleted, nor do we want another member to go on "vacation." Go for 100% Gaming! Just kidding. There are plenty of headphones that do all three categories incredibly... Sort of like... MY DT770/80! I'll be a fan for life now. Thanks again MLE.

 

[maverickronin]

So, anyway...
 
I stayed at work far too late because I needed to make up for all the time I spent writing too many rambling posts on here.  While doing all that, I spent nearly 9 straight hours listening to the D2000s with almost no fatigue.  I got home wondering if 100+ hours of break in had changed the DT990/600s for the better.  Short answer: No
 
I listened to some Lordi, which less bright than I remembered.  Seemed good.  Time to try something with a lot more treble.  ALI Project.  I put the felt back in, for the best chance of success.  Seemed ok at first.  I turned it up to where I liked the bass and it didn't seem nearly as shrill at all, more then the D2000s but I thought I'd be able to live with it for a few hours in exchange for the rest of the package.  Then suddenly, VIOLIN SOLO!  Squinting of eyes, grinding of teeth, and whipping the 990's off my head as fast as I could immediately followed.  Long answer:  A little better, but not nearly enough.
 
Its a shame really.  They succeed everywhere else, but there's just too much treble for me.  If you're a real treble head then these will fulfill all 3 roles perfectly.  If you're a bit more tolerant of treble then I am, or less of a bass head, then these may fill the gaming and movie roles with their great soundstaging and deep bass.  If you want not just deep bass, but strong and loud bass, then you'll have to put up with piercing highs as well.  I just can't do it.  It literally hurts to listen to some of my favorite tracks.  I'm too sensitive to treble.  If you, however, are not then you really should check out these 'phones.  They'll probably make good all-arounders for you.  I'm going to have to return mine however.
 
The D2000s on the other hand, have after 3 straight days of listening at work, passed the music test with flying colors.  Highs are just a hair more then I'd prefer, but not enough to make a big difference.  They aren't as crisp or clear as the 990s, but it's close enough for my tastes.  Some people find the mids on the D2000s to be recessed, but a bit of quick experimentation with the headroom graph and a tone generator shows my own personal hearing sensitivity curve compensates almost perfectly.  Is that lucky or what?  In any case the mids are very smooth, in a similar league as my SE530s.  The bass ranges for adequate to where did misplace the subwoofer, depending on the amount of bass boost applied.  In addition the drivers don't distort until a ludicrous amount of boost is applied.  I haven't had a chance to test them with movies or games just yet, but updates will keep coming as long as anybody's interested.

 

[NapalmK]

Thanks for the impressions. The treble on the D2000s should soften up a little in time. I find the bass on the Denons very fitting to the music but of course I like a bit more bass than what I imagine is neutral so I could be off. I'm still debating on whether or not to keep my DT990 for gaming and movies. I really hate to limit a pair of cans to one specific task though. Guess I'll know after the truckload of cans I just ordered comes in. Great impressions so far. Thanks!
 
Have you experienced any sibilance with the Denons?

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NapalmK /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I'm still debating on whether or not to keep my DT990 for gaming and movies.
 
snip...
 
Have you experienced any sibilance with the Denons?

 
I can't really afford to keep another set of high end 'phones.  One for mobile and one for home is all I can justify.  Got to return one.  Plus I want a cheapish tube or tube/hybrid amp.  I think it will help to gloss over the imperfections in alot of the music I listen to, which isn't isn't even available in CD quality.  Hopefully I'll be done after that.

I've heard some sibilance, but so far only on tracks I'm pretty sure have it in the recording itself.  It's weird though.  On some tracks it softens it, but on others it exaggerates it.  I'm not sure what to make of that.  So far I haven't heard any sibilance with the D2000s I haven't heard on the same track with other 'phones though.

 

[12thgear]

 
Quote:

Some people find the mids on the D2000s to be recessed, but a bit of quick experimentation with the headroom graph and a tone generator shows my own personal hearing sensitivity curve compensates almost perfectly.  Is that lucky or what?

This. I find having a tone generator an indispensable to quickly gauge headphone/user compatibility. Certainly frequency sweeps don't tell you everything about a headphone, but they give you a baseline to help determine whether certain faults you're hearing might be caused by the gear or recording. 
 
My hearing seems to match Headroom's graphs pretty well, so I guess my physiology is pretty average. So I still heard the recessed mids of the D2000, but they don't ruin the enjoyment of the sound. Harsh highs can be fatal for me. Interestingly, my high frequency hearing is still in great shape too, and I also think the Denon treble is pretty smooth. On tracks with sibilance, the Denon will display that, but in my experience not excessively. My K702 can be positively brutal in comparison. 
 
When I had my D2000 I found them very easy to listen to for long periods of time and they were also satisfying at lower volumes. Damn comfortable too. 

 

[maverickronin]

You ruined it for me NapalmK!
 
Now that I'm looking for it, the D2000s have little bits of sibilance everywhere!  I don't suppose that gets any better with burn in, does it?
 
Sigh...I wonder if I'll get used to it again or if this will keep bugging me.

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

You ruined it for me NapalmK!
 
Now that I'm looking for it, the D2000s have little bits of sibilance everywhere!  I don't suppose that gets any better with burn in, does it?
 
Sigh...I wonder if I'll get used to it again or if this will keep bugging me.

 

Sorry. Hopefully, the highs will get smoother with burn in as they did for me. The Denons are the reason I believe in burn in. I remember being a little disappointed when I first got my Denons but now there are almost perfect for me. I do hear some slight sibilance but it's pretty rare and doesn't interfere with music enjoyment.

 

[maverickronin]

I think it's just because my SE530s are supernaturally smooth, so maybe it is in the recording after all.  The 990s are packed up and I don't want to get them out again to test.

 

[HariBhushan]

Quote:

 The 990s are packed up and I don't want to get them out again to test.

lol.
 
just got an awesome deal on a pair of mint HD650's that had only 15 hour useage. They should be here in a week. I can't wait

 
I'll post some impressions on how they compare to the 880/990's. If all goes smooth, bye bye beyer

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

lol.
 
just got an awesome deal on a pair of mint HD650's that had only 15 hour useage. They should be here in a week. I can't wait

 
I'll post some impressions on how they compare to the 880/990's. If all goes smooth, bye bye beyer

 
Yeah I'm thinking about trying out the 650s next.  I may order a pair to compare to the Denons after I get my refund for the 990s.
 
I seem to be getting more indecisive by the day.
 
Either these D2000s are changing for the worse with break in, or my opinion is changing for no good reason.  These don't seem nearly as smooth as my SE530s anymore.  I'm going to have to do some serious A/B testing at home with my Maverick D1, the new opamp I just got for it, and the D2000s.  Unless I'm imagining things, the D2000s sound better on my total bithead, which is a bit disappointing.  I thought they made my SE530s and a few other pairs of cheap 'phones I tried better.  Maybe it's synergy?

 

[HariBhushan]

Maverinion,
 
why don't you try the ATH-m50's first? I have read their treble can be a little rolled off, but is generally tight over-all.  They are also forgiving with sibilance, peaks, highs, and anything else i forgot to mention.
 
And since you seem to favor more bass/ clubby/fun type cans, you should definitely try the M50's out before spending the extra $$$ on the Senn's.
 
that's just my 0.02

 

[maverickronin]

That may be worth a try, but I think I'm going to have to change my primary requirements, and add smoothness to the top of the list.
 
That's the first thing I remember about the 650s.  I'll have to check my notes from canjam later to be sure.
 
I hadn't listened to my SE530s for nearly a week, and was honestly shocked when I did an A/B between the D2000s and the SE530s with just one track this morning.  I vastly prefer the D2000s over the 990s, but I like my SE530s over the D2000s by that same margin.
 
Playing with the difference graphs at headroom, =843&graphID[1]=853&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones]the 650s look closer =843&graphID[1]=&graphID[2]=&graphID[3]=&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones]to my SE530s =843&graphID[1]=183&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones]then the M50s.  The D2000s were great in the background at work, but I just couldn't lie down and relax with them.  I think I'm going to go trough every full size phone on headroom and see what matches the SE530s best.  Ideally, I'd prefer something with a modest bump in the bass and just a hair more treble compared to the SE530s, but I'll have to make due with 'phones that actually exist.
 
EDIT:
 
Yep, as far as I can tell the HD650 is the closest full size to my SE530s, FR wise anyway.

 

[dub Beatz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 650s are incredibly more neutral than both DT990 and D2000? I couldn't see myself purchasing a pair of HD650s when 95% of my music is hip-hop and electronic dance music.

 

[maverickronin]

The 650s are a lot more neutral than the 990s which are "revenge of the smile curve."  If you want tons of bass, you'll get tons of treble, whether you want it or not.  I would say the bass on the D2000s is only a hair or two above neutral on their own.  Don't let the treble heads tell you otherwise.  You can EQ the bass to insane levels without distortion though.  With my D2+'s  Mach3 bass boost at 10/10, and +12db@80hz, amped through my bithead, they literally vibrated on my head.  The ratchet adjustment was buzzing quite audibly, like loose body panels on a car with 1500 watts worth of subwoofers.
 
I'd say they're quite the bass head can.
 
I'd like more bass than the 650s have, but I think I'd rather have the smoothness.  I couldn't lay down and relax with either the DT990/600s or the D2000s, the way I can with the SE530s.  I'm going to order some HD650s when I get my refunds for the DT990s and D2000s, unless someone has another good suggestion.