ecclesand
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Posts
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I just recently received my Denon AH-D2000 from PriceJapan.com. I had originally ordered from Audiocubes, but after 4 days, they couldn’t tell me when the cans would ship, so I cancelled my order and placed a new order with PJ on Thursday afternoon. I had them on my head Monday morning. PriceJapan simply rocks!
DISCLAIMER: I am not now or have I ever professed to be an audiophile. These are simply my opinions based on my 41 year-old ears. I am listening with a modded Zhaolu 1.3 (AD1852 DAC) with LM4562 opamps and a Meier Headfive amp with the crossfeed on (I love this feature of the Meier amps). Oh...and excuse the crappy pics. My wife always tells me I suck at taking pictures!
Aesthetics:
The package arrived well packed. The AH-D2k comes in a flimsy plastic enclosure, but it’s adequate as nothing was damaged or even showed signs of damage or rough handling. The AH-D2K itself is simply beautiful. Rich supple leather on the headband and earpads. I don’t know the technical term, but the gizmo that attaches the cups to the headband appears to be all metal fastened with screws…no rivets or snap together plastic parts here. The cups can move up and down and side to side. The cover on the outside of the cups is a matte black finish…very nice. I’m sure the D5k with the wood cups is nicer but I really like this no frills look to the D2k. The headphone cable splits into 2 and attaches to each ear cup. I prefer the single cable, but no big deal. The cable is covered in some sort of fabric mesh…seems very durable but a bit stiff. Nothing to worry about as it’s definitely more pliable than the cord on my backup cans (HD595). I actually prefer this cord over the rubbery cord on the K701…doesn’t get caught on things as much. The plug at the end is 1/8 with a screw on ¼ adapter…what the hell were they thinking there?
Comfort:
These things are amazingly comfortable. I initially thought the leather earpads would make my ears sweat, but nope…very comfortable. I’ve had them on for 3 hours straight and no sweaty ears. The cans feel like they weigh more than the K701, but they feel lighter on my head. I can’t really explain it… There are absolutely no pressure points on my head or ears with these cans…they seem to simply float on my head. Out of all the headphones I have owned, these are the most comfortable…hands down.
Sound:
But how do they sound? Let me start by saying this is the first HP I have not had to use EQ to get the bass I like. In fact, the Foobar2K EQ is off and I am really digging the sound. I had not planned on writing anything on these until after 48 hours of burn-in, but after listening to them for several hours, I just had to give my impressions.
The bass is deep and powerful…probably the best feature of these cans. Right now it is a tad muddied/congested but is clearing up the longer I listen. I’m listening to symphonic metal right now and the D2k handles the double kick bass drums very well with decent impact….the bass impact at the lower registers was a little loose at first, but is tightening up nicely. In most cases, you can actually feel the bass. The mids are very smooth, but a bit overshadowed by the bass. Again, this is something that appears to improve with burn-in based on the fact that it sounds better the longer I listen. Could be just placebo…who knows. The highs are a bit rolled off which I actually like. No sibilance…even with some 128Kb MP3s that I have. The overall presentation is a bit forward…more so than the K701 which sounded a bit distant…certainly not in your face like the SR225 or 325i. The soundstage is OK, not as good as the K701, but it is a closed can after all. The separation is very good…better than I expected right out of the box. The cans lean more toward the warm side, but not much. The sound they give is very full-bodied with lots of texture. It just seems to envelop you. The detail is there, but not as much as the K701. If I were to give an area for improvement, it would be in the details. I’m hoping that the detail will improve the longer I listen.
So, there you have it. I embarked on a quest to replace my K701 with something similar but closed (and with more bass) and I think the AH-D2k fits my needs very nicely.
EDIT: I now have over 50 hours on these babies and I am just pleased as punch. The bass is tight with good impact. The mids are fluid with a little bit of airiness. The soundstage has opened a bit more and the details are much more present. Perhaps I'm simply getting used to the powerful bass and can hear them. The highs are clear and a little bit more extended now...just a touch of sparkle...perfect! I can easily listen to these for 8 hours (while working from home) and experience no listening fatigue whatsoever.
I realize I will never own one of the high end Grados or Sonys and that's OK. I would say that for me, these cans are the closest to perfection I have experienced since getting involved in this hobby.
DISCLAIMER: I am not now or have I ever professed to be an audiophile. These are simply my opinions based on my 41 year-old ears. I am listening with a modded Zhaolu 1.3 (AD1852 DAC) with LM4562 opamps and a Meier Headfive amp with the crossfeed on (I love this feature of the Meier amps). Oh...and excuse the crappy pics. My wife always tells me I suck at taking pictures!
Aesthetics:
The package arrived well packed. The AH-D2k comes in a flimsy plastic enclosure, but it’s adequate as nothing was damaged or even showed signs of damage or rough handling. The AH-D2K itself is simply beautiful. Rich supple leather on the headband and earpads. I don’t know the technical term, but the gizmo that attaches the cups to the headband appears to be all metal fastened with screws…no rivets or snap together plastic parts here. The cups can move up and down and side to side. The cover on the outside of the cups is a matte black finish…very nice. I’m sure the D5k with the wood cups is nicer but I really like this no frills look to the D2k. The headphone cable splits into 2 and attaches to each ear cup. I prefer the single cable, but no big deal. The cable is covered in some sort of fabric mesh…seems very durable but a bit stiff. Nothing to worry about as it’s definitely more pliable than the cord on my backup cans (HD595). I actually prefer this cord over the rubbery cord on the K701…doesn’t get caught on things as much. The plug at the end is 1/8 with a screw on ¼ adapter…what the hell were they thinking there?
Comfort:
These things are amazingly comfortable. I initially thought the leather earpads would make my ears sweat, but nope…very comfortable. I’ve had them on for 3 hours straight and no sweaty ears. The cans feel like they weigh more than the K701, but they feel lighter on my head. I can’t really explain it… There are absolutely no pressure points on my head or ears with these cans…they seem to simply float on my head. Out of all the headphones I have owned, these are the most comfortable…hands down.
Sound:
But how do they sound? Let me start by saying this is the first HP I have not had to use EQ to get the bass I like. In fact, the Foobar2K EQ is off and I am really digging the sound. I had not planned on writing anything on these until after 48 hours of burn-in, but after listening to them for several hours, I just had to give my impressions.
The bass is deep and powerful…probably the best feature of these cans. Right now it is a tad muddied/congested but is clearing up the longer I listen. I’m listening to symphonic metal right now and the D2k handles the double kick bass drums very well with decent impact….the bass impact at the lower registers was a little loose at first, but is tightening up nicely. In most cases, you can actually feel the bass. The mids are very smooth, but a bit overshadowed by the bass. Again, this is something that appears to improve with burn-in based on the fact that it sounds better the longer I listen. Could be just placebo…who knows. The highs are a bit rolled off which I actually like. No sibilance…even with some 128Kb MP3s that I have. The overall presentation is a bit forward…more so than the K701 which sounded a bit distant…certainly not in your face like the SR225 or 325i. The soundstage is OK, not as good as the K701, but it is a closed can after all. The separation is very good…better than I expected right out of the box. The cans lean more toward the warm side, but not much. The sound they give is very full-bodied with lots of texture. It just seems to envelop you. The detail is there, but not as much as the K701. If I were to give an area for improvement, it would be in the details. I’m hoping that the detail will improve the longer I listen.
So, there you have it. I embarked on a quest to replace my K701 with something similar but closed (and with more bass) and I think the AH-D2k fits my needs very nicely.
EDIT: I now have over 50 hours on these babies and I am just pleased as punch. The bass is tight with good impact. The mids are fluid with a little bit of airiness. The soundstage has opened a bit more and the details are much more present. Perhaps I'm simply getting used to the powerful bass and can hear them. The highs are clear and a little bit more extended now...just a touch of sparkle...perfect! I can easily listen to these for 8 hours (while working from home) and experience no listening fatigue whatsoever.
I realize I will never own one of the high end Grados or Sonys and that's OK. I would say that for me, these cans are the closest to perfection I have experienced since getting involved in this hobby.
