[Ham Sandwich]

In the case of the Denons I think it would be better to get the D2000 and a reasonable amp than to get the D5000 and not have any money in the budget for an amp.  The Denon does want to have a suitable amp driving them.   Doesn't need to be a fancy amp, just suitable.  Straight from the onboard headphone jack my D2000 gets a harshness and emphasis in the highs, the bass gets looser and more sloppy, you lose some dynamic punch and impact and the ability to properly do the dynamic peaks, and you lose some soundstage width.  You're gaining more by getting an amp than you are in the difference between a D2000 and D5000.

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

In the case of the Denons I think it would be better to get the D2000 and a reasonable amp than to get the D5000 and not have any money in the budget for an amp.  The Denon does want to have a suitable amp driving them.   Doesn't need to be a fancy amp, just suitable.  Straight from the onboard headphone jack my D2000 gets a harshness and emphasis in the highs, the bass gets looser and more sloppy, you lose some dynamic punch and impact and the ability to properly do the dynamic peaks, and you lose some soundstage width.  You're gaining more by getting an amp than you are in the difference between a D2000 and D5000.

X2. I agree 100%.
 

 

[leeperry]

IME, the d2k had grossly recessed mids and a very dull sound(some say that the $30 RX700 kills it), the HFI780 had a very impressive SS but as uncomfy as can be and pretty mushy mids...haven't heard the A900.

 

[Duckman]

IMO if you are not a 'basshead', avoid the D5000. The bass is VERY exaggerated and overpowering. I purchased one after reading rave reviews and was highly dissapointed. With so much bass (and this was with the MarkL mods), I found it hard to take seriously, unable to imagine how anyone could enjoy it (but some do, I know).
 
My Beyer DT250 is IMO a superior headphone. It's still a slightly bassy phone, but the bass is even and under control. Other frequencies are really nice, nice timbral accuracy  - great all-round headphone and extremely well built/tough.
 
Improves with a good amp, but not essential.

 

[leeperry]

yeah, if you go for the denon...getting it from a shop w/ a return policy might be wise.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Quote:

I know the Denon 2000 headphones are very neutral which is great. But I want a pleasurable sounding headphone. Not a headphone for sound monitoring.

You also made a similar comment bout the FA-003.  Neutral doesn't equate to pleasurable or unpleasureable sound.  Whether a headphone has a sound that is pleasurable (however you want to define pleasurable) is influenced by many other sound characteristics than just whether it is neutral or not.  Characteristics like whether the sound is light and airy or whether it is full will be much more of a factor.  Characteristics of the soundstage presentation, the dynamics, the behavior of transients, and things like that are much more important to me in whether I find a headphone to be pleasurable or not.
 
Neutrality is vague anyways.  There's flavors of neutral; dark neutral, bright neutral, neutral neutral.  There's a range in there to allow for a pleasurable neutral as well as the analytical neutral.
 
I'm listening to Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Ragged Glory" right now on my HD600.  The HD600 can be considered neutral and I find them to be very pleasurable to listen to.  Neil Young's electric guitar is doing very nice on the HD600.
 
Headphones that I personally don't find to be so pleasurable are the K701 and Sony V6.  For me those headphones don't manage to tickle the pleasure center in my brain.  My HD600 and D2000 have what I consider a pleasurable sound.
 
I consider the D2000 to be neutral but with a full bass and a recessed midrange.  The recessed midrange kind of kills a proper neutrality.  But it's fixable with EQ.  The recessed mids can make for a dull sound though.  Caution is advised there if you are going to be using them without EQ.  My comments about the D2000 sound are with them EQed (see my sig for my EQ curve).  Some people notice the recessed mids more than others.  Some music is more damaged by the recessed mids than others.  The electronica style music, hip-hop, dubstep styles will probably be OK without the EQ.  The indie rock, reggae, and soul will benefit from EQ to fix the mids.

 

[JonnyShaw]

Right I've bought them. Initial impressions......There good! haha
 
I dont think the bass is too much at all. Not for me anyway. I'm running them unamped.
 
If what you say here is true then I cant wait to hear them with a decent amp:
 
"Straight from the onboard headphone jack my D2000 gets a harshness and emphasis in the highs, the bass gets looser and more sloppy, you lose some dynamic punch and impact and the ability to properly do the dynamic peaks, and you lose some soundstage width."
 
I listen to a lot of electro house and tracks like this sound amazing:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLACQY3Umbs
 
( Sorry about the low quality youtube video. You really need to find a decent lossless/ or high bitrate version of this artist to get the benifit. The Denons do well to recreate the punchy bassline and drums without sounding harsh. The mids and trebs sound really nice.)
 
I watched Band of Brothers blu ray. plugged in through my headphone jack in my TV. Really really nice. Again I'm sure could be improved greatly through amping.
 
All in all though. I think these headphones are perfect for me. I love bass and these do it well. They do everything else well too.
I'm sure there are better sounding headphones in the same price range. I'm sure when we really dive into it we can find things this headphone doesnt do as well as some other mega high end phones. But all in all I dont believe I could honestly say they do anything wrong or bad. I use these at work in a games studio as well as at home and travel which means I needed a closed back headphone. For a closed back headphone with overall really nice treble,mids and bass these are great. Really really comfy as well. You all know this from reviews about these headphones though, and of course if you have heard them. Just need to save up now for the amp now which will no doubt really bring out the full potential of these headphones. As I said before I think these are great headphones and I believe I've made the right choice. One last note about the bass. I used to have a pair of closed £70 Sennheisers years ago. Completely forgot which ones now. But I do remember the bass on those phones been fairly heavy ( which I liked ), but also remember at high volumes were quite harsh and hurt my ears when listening to anything with a punchy beat. The D5000's seem to deliver acurate heavy bass, with the same punchness but at the same time not so harsh it hurts or destorys the mids or treble. All in all these are nice.
 
Jon

 

[erod]

It's great to read this review, as I'm also trying to decide between the D2000 or the D5000.
 
I already have the D1100 and was looking ofr a dedicated, good quality home headphone.
 
Even though people get good results from D2000, I am leaning towards saving up and getting the D5000.
 
Your musical tastes are similar to mine, so I;m glad you like them.
 
Would be great if you got your hands on the D2000 for a comparison.