punkaroo
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 2, 2009
- Posts
- 847
- Likes
- 38
Hey everyone,
This is a recap of my awesome afternoon hanging out with Canuck57 at his place. I got to try out his awesome assortment of headphones, amps, speakers...you name it, he's probably got it! Check out his profile to see his hi-fi goods!
I recently bought a pair of modded D2000s from Steve_72 on these forums. Note: this is NOT a full markl mod. The pads have been stuffed with fiberloft, the cable replaced with an APS V3 cable, and the cups have been replaced with markl mahogany cups. A very substantial, and absolutely gorgeous set of cans! I wasn't pleased with the SQ coming out of my D10. The D2k's sounded extremely quiet, and laid back. I know many people believe that because these cans are 'easy to drive', that any ol' amp can drive them. That may be the case, but the question becomes: can it drive them to their full potential? I had a feeling I might be a tube kinda gal, so off to Canuck57's I went!
The first amp I tried was the DarkVoice 337; I hooked up my MacBook Pro, external hard drive, and used my D10 as my DAC. As soon as I had it all hooked up, I hit play on Morrissey's "Now My Heart is Full", a very lush and richly recorded track. I was AMAZED at how my D2k's sounded: full, rich, forward and involving! Yes! I wanted to hear what other rock tracks would sound like, so I listened to another Morrissey track, "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side". This is an older recording, which required a slight adjustment of volume, but the Denons and the DarkVoice just nailed it. It was like having a studio in my skull! I also tested out "About a Girl", Nirvana from Unplugged. Beautiful presence. I would say that perhaps the treble is very slightly rolled off on these cans with the DarkVoice 337. But it's very slight. I tried out some more rock tracks, including The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter". That's when Canuck57 told me to try out his Millet Hybrid amp; small and unassuming, but man those green glowing tubes were enticing! Well, lemme tell ya...that little Millet Hybrid added such a stunning sparkle to the opening notes of "Gimme Shelter" that I abandoned the DarkVoice for the rest of my listening session!
The difference was amazing; I would say the Millet Hybrid has an even bigger sense of presence of soundstage; they're almost airy and atmospheric. I absolutely love this little amp, and it paired PERFECTLY with the Denons. I hope to buy this amp from Brian
I had the pleasure of testing out Brian's Sennheiser HD650's, recabled with a Cardas cable. I don't know what people are talking about when they say that these are laid back; I did not get that sensation at all. I was inside the music, and it was beautiful! I will go out on a limb and say the HD650's and these modded Denons are almost identical! Crazy, I know! The HD650's don't have quite the same bass extension, (but it's very close). I tested them with Madonna's "I Want You", with Massive Attack. It's a great track as it's got a killer orchestra. Now I know why these have a cult following! Also, I did not get a sense of the 'veil' that many people discuss. Perhaps it's all in the amp?
Now on to the Darth Beyers. These are bass heavy, skull pounding cans! You could press charges for assault!
And they're BEAUTIFUL! I put on some Massive Attack, "Antistar", and Madonna's "I Want You" again. I also tried out U2's "Do You Feel Loved" and "Mofo", both very bass heavy tracks. The bass was powerful and prominent! Brian and I agreed that they're not exactly audiophile cans, but man, I LOVED 'em! These would be awesome for drum 'n bass, or hip hop.
The Ultrasone HFI-780's were so bright and shrill that I could only stand them for a few seconds. Literally. To say they were fatiguing is an understatement! Brian told me that some felt placed over the drivers would probably tame that treble, but man, was it ever overpowering!
I also had the opportunity to try out the Larocco PRII. This is a HEAVY portable amp. Beautifully designed, very solid. And it's POWERFUL! I should have tried the HD650's with it, but I have no doubt that it would power them beautifully. I also really liked that it has a bass boost knob. Too bad the battery life on it isn't the greatest: it died on us!
On top of all this fun headphone and amp testing, I got to hear numerous turntable setups and vintage Marantz receivers and speakers. I got to hear The Doors on a DUAL CS5000, and some killer speakers (that I don't recall the name of, but I'm sure Brian will correct me). It sounded like Jim and the boys were in the room playing. Man, vinyl is just tool cool. I even listened to a vintage pair of STAX headphones, and the STAX NewSR3. Very neutral, natural SQ. For what these go for, I can definitely see why they're called "ear-speakers". I also tried the Sennheiser PX100, Koss Porta-Pros, Audio-Technica ESW9, Xenos X1HA-EPC portable amp. The assortment was dizzy-ing! Brian, you could open a MUSEUM with all your gear!
I had an awesome time hanging with Brian and listening to all his fun gear. I highly recommended listening to as much gear as possible. Not only is it a blast, but you get to hear nuances that different amps/headphones provide. It is truly amazing.
Thank you, dear reader. I hope you enjoyed this review as much as I enjoyed typing it this grey, bland morning!
This is a recap of my awesome afternoon hanging out with Canuck57 at his place. I got to try out his awesome assortment of headphones, amps, speakers...you name it, he's probably got it! Check out his profile to see his hi-fi goods!
I recently bought a pair of modded D2000s from Steve_72 on these forums. Note: this is NOT a full markl mod. The pads have been stuffed with fiberloft, the cable replaced with an APS V3 cable, and the cups have been replaced with markl mahogany cups. A very substantial, and absolutely gorgeous set of cans! I wasn't pleased with the SQ coming out of my D10. The D2k's sounded extremely quiet, and laid back. I know many people believe that because these cans are 'easy to drive', that any ol' amp can drive them. That may be the case, but the question becomes: can it drive them to their full potential? I had a feeling I might be a tube kinda gal, so off to Canuck57's I went!
The first amp I tried was the DarkVoice 337; I hooked up my MacBook Pro, external hard drive, and used my D10 as my DAC. As soon as I had it all hooked up, I hit play on Morrissey's "Now My Heart is Full", a very lush and richly recorded track. I was AMAZED at how my D2k's sounded: full, rich, forward and involving! Yes! I wanted to hear what other rock tracks would sound like, so I listened to another Morrissey track, "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side". This is an older recording, which required a slight adjustment of volume, but the Denons and the DarkVoice just nailed it. It was like having a studio in my skull! I also tested out "About a Girl", Nirvana from Unplugged. Beautiful presence. I would say that perhaps the treble is very slightly rolled off on these cans with the DarkVoice 337. But it's very slight. I tried out some more rock tracks, including The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter". That's when Canuck57 told me to try out his Millet Hybrid amp; small and unassuming, but man those green glowing tubes were enticing! Well, lemme tell ya...that little Millet Hybrid added such a stunning sparkle to the opening notes of "Gimme Shelter" that I abandoned the DarkVoice for the rest of my listening session!


I had the pleasure of testing out Brian's Sennheiser HD650's, recabled with a Cardas cable. I don't know what people are talking about when they say that these are laid back; I did not get that sensation at all. I was inside the music, and it was beautiful! I will go out on a limb and say the HD650's and these modded Denons are almost identical! Crazy, I know! The HD650's don't have quite the same bass extension, (but it's very close). I tested them with Madonna's "I Want You", with Massive Attack. It's a great track as it's got a killer orchestra. Now I know why these have a cult following! Also, I did not get a sense of the 'veil' that many people discuss. Perhaps it's all in the amp?
Now on to the Darth Beyers. These are bass heavy, skull pounding cans! You could press charges for assault!

The Ultrasone HFI-780's were so bright and shrill that I could only stand them for a few seconds. Literally. To say they were fatiguing is an understatement! Brian told me that some felt placed over the drivers would probably tame that treble, but man, was it ever overpowering!
I also had the opportunity to try out the Larocco PRII. This is a HEAVY portable amp. Beautifully designed, very solid. And it's POWERFUL! I should have tried the HD650's with it, but I have no doubt that it would power them beautifully. I also really liked that it has a bass boost knob. Too bad the battery life on it isn't the greatest: it died on us!
On top of all this fun headphone and amp testing, I got to hear numerous turntable setups and vintage Marantz receivers and speakers. I got to hear The Doors on a DUAL CS5000, and some killer speakers (that I don't recall the name of, but I'm sure Brian will correct me). It sounded like Jim and the boys were in the room playing. Man, vinyl is just tool cool. I even listened to a vintage pair of STAX headphones, and the STAX NewSR3. Very neutral, natural SQ. For what these go for, I can definitely see why they're called "ear-speakers". I also tried the Sennheiser PX100, Koss Porta-Pros, Audio-Technica ESW9, Xenos X1HA-EPC portable amp. The assortment was dizzy-ing! Brian, you could open a MUSEUM with all your gear!
I had an awesome time hanging with Brian and listening to all his fun gear. I highly recommended listening to as much gear as possible. Not only is it a blast, but you get to hear nuances that different amps/headphones provide. It is truly amazing.
Thank you, dear reader. I hope you enjoyed this review as much as I enjoyed typing it this grey, bland morning!