[omniskillz]

I'm about to purchase a set because i've found it at a pretty low price of $585 US with 9 dollars flat shipping and no tax!. Its a reputable site electronics expo.  I got the price using the promo code LSDA1215 for anyone else interested.
 
This deal seems too good to pass up and its almost a impulse buy for me
 
My questions is how bad will this headphone sound if I dont have a headphone amplifier and or dac?
 
I would purchase a amp and dac in the future but i would be over budget as is with buying this. I understand maybe I should start small but haha thought id start high.
 
I also understand I should do more research but being its impulse im surprised im asking here anyway.
 
ready for flames and good advice.
 
cheers!

 

[DjAmTraX]

I am using a Bellari HA540 with great results. It's $219 shipped on eBay so it won't break the bank.

 

[omniskillz]

none listed on ebay right now i see you have the d7000. any regrets?

 

[vinnievidi]

From my experience with the D7000, they are completely fine out of a receiver or Mac.  The benefits to amping (to my ears) were that the highs were a bit less sibilant and the bass was a touch tighter.  With that said, I think they are enjoyable either way... and surely worth the price you found them for.  

 

[DjAmTraX]

none listed on ebay right now i see you have the d7000. any regrets?

It's my go to headphones. I like it more than my HD800. It plays everything I throw at it very well. It's not power hungry or picky.

 

[johangrb]

Definitely worth it @ that price. Go for it!

 

[richbass]

Build yourself Thunderpants !! They blow D7k out of the water !

 

[shane55]

That's a very good price for the D7k.
I will agree with everyone here who said that these are easy to drive. Like most cans they will improve with amping and you'll be glad you got one in the future, but in the meantime, you should certainly enjoy these without it.
 
What do you listen to and what will be driving them?

 

[SpoolinEclipse]

Hey omniskillz, thanks for posting this deal.  I purchased a pair.

 

[system11]

I'd be interested to hear how well they perform plugged straight into a good portable player.

 

[shane55]

Well... if you consider an iPod Classic or Nano a 'good portable player', then they perform quite well.
They are surprisingly easy to drive (not like the M50's, but not far away either). They don't have the punch and weight that they will with a good amp, but unlike some power suckers, they can be quite enjoyable with a 'good source'. Remember... all links in the chain are important. The recording, mastering, compression, software, DAC, amp, etc...all critical to the final sound.

 

[Chimera-se]

DO IT! That's an amazing price!

 

[Sophonax]

I'd say go ahead and get them -- they will perform adequately well out of a portable player.  In my opinion, though, I think they do improve quite a bit with solid amplification -- especially in the bass, which gets much tighter.
 
Another good amp to consider for Denons is the Schiit Asgard -- at $250, it's a relatively-inexpensive amp that performs very well with a wide variety of headphones, and it's really at its best with low-impedance headphones like the D7000s.  It did very good things for my Lawton LA7000.

 

[Chimera-se]

Quote:

I'd say go ahead and get them -- they will perform adequately well out of a portable player.  In my opinion, though, I think they do improve quite a bit with solid amplification -- especially in the bass, which gets much tighter.
 
Another good amp to consider for Denons is the Schiit Asgard -- at $250, it's a relatively-inexpensive amp that performs very well with a wide variety of headphones, and it's really at its best with low-impedance headphones like the D7000s.  It did very good things for my Lawton LA7000.

Hmmm...I might have to check the amp out. I have a new pair of D7000s but haven't found the right amplification yet.  I heard the Asgard at a recent meet, though, powering some LCD-2s and was BLOWN away by them! And I really would like to find something for the Denon's...they've been sitting so lonely lately

 

[system11]

Quote:

Well... if you consider an iPod Classic or Nano a 'good portable player', then they perform quite well.
They are surprisingly easy to drive (not like the M50's, but not far away either). They don't have the punch and weight that they will with a good amp, but unlike some power suckers, they can be quite enjoyable with a 'good source'. Remember... all links in the chain are important. The recording, mastering, compression, software, DAC, amp, etc...all critical to the final sound.

I ended up buying AHA100s instead after seeing positive feedback from other non-amped listeners.  Extremely happy with the result, they nailed what I was after and the player is having no problems at all driving them at my normal listening volume (only 10/40).  You're dead right on the source though, while they've made all my well mastered music sound fantastic (Bob Marley nearly brought a tear to my eye it sounded so good), a lot of newer recordings and remasters are now sounding blaringly loud and forced.  I have some old/new duplicates of some albums, usually original pressing and remaster - without exception the old ones sound far, far better than the remasters now.  I could tell the difference before, but the AHA100s are making the difference like night and day instead of shades of grey.