[Totally Dubbed]

SEARCH IS OVER, bought the Denon D2k's for £179 and couldn't be happier (read page 7 for my initial impressions)

 
For future reference:
 
Hi there,
 
So recently I've been looking to invest some cash in some headphones.
 
-My previous/current/only headphones I have are the Sony XB700's = I bought them over 2years ago for £70, they are still going strong, and I love them to bits.
-I looked into the Beats pro's and after hearing them for a while, i decided that they were not for me (was going to buy them from the monster outlet store in the US for £115/$175), but end of the day, my XB700's did a better job, but more so, were super comfortable, unlike the clamped, small cupped beats pro's.
 
I am looking for headphones that are OVER the ear, not ON-ear.
I am looking for some that shake my head with bass (I love my TFTA-1XB earphones for example)
I will be driving the headphones through nothing more than my Samsung Galaxy S i9000 & my Logitech Z-5500
I listen to r'n'b, dance, and a little electro/trance - I love bass, but also don't want something to be muddy (as I've read the V-MODA's are...)
 
Things I DO NOT WANT:
-Small cupped headphones - put it this way, the beats pros had a small cup for my ears - yes I have HUGE ears
-To be paying more than £250/300€/$385 - won't be looking to spend more at all, the cheaper the better in fact.
 
 
Now the 2 headphones, after some research that might fit my bill are:
-Denon D2000's due to me loving the denon ah-c710 earphones + they can be upgraded in the future
-XB1000 due to the fact I love the Xb700's and reading a lot of reviews, they seems to be wider, still as comfortable, and deeper bass. Yes they might not give the same punch as my XB700's but that's not a HUGE issue.
Almost like saying the XB500's give a better punch than my 700's = this is in fact true, the 500's do give a better punch, but that doesn't mean that the overall representation fo the headphones are better on the 500's vs the 700's.
 
Where to buy from?
I have a permanent address in London, UK + I am currently on placement in Paris, France.
My auntie lives in the US, so she could buy them for me over there, and send them over.
 
Site I found for the D2000's are:
-HMV UK = £250
-Amazon UK = £250
 
CHEAPEST OPTION:
AMAZON DE = €200 = £170
 
BETTER authorised dealer option:
Peter Tyson = £175
 
--------------------
 
Sites I found for the XB1000's are:
-SONY USA (via eBay) = $300
-B&H = $300
-Accessory jack = $260
 
CHEAPEST OPTION:
AMAZON DE = €225 = £190
 
Looking at the price, accessory Jack would be the best place to buy the XB1000's, but for piece of mind, seeing as I have never heard of the company, SONY USA or B&H would be my next best bet.
Now for the Denon's I would go into HMV and pick myself a pair, would love to see the denon's at £200 instead though.
 
So my question here is:
-How do these compare?
-What other headphones, if any would you recommend, ad this price point (or less?)
 
 
Thanks for your replies!

 

[LithoJazoSphere]

I'd also take a look into the Ultrasone Pro 900.

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Quote:

I'd also take a look into the Ultrasone Pro 900.

 
Cheers for the recommendation, however I did look into these beforehand, they seem quite expensive, is my main issue.
As I said denon D2000's for £200 is what I really would like to pay, and paying £320 for the Pro900's seems too much for me to spend on headphones.
 
Unless they can be found for £250-200, I won't be interested in them...
 
 
EDIT:
Found them for £230 on EBAY
 
Then again how long will they be available for is beyond me.

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Note:
I don't mind buying off a head-fier either
 
But would prefer advice beforehand.
Found the ultra's for £200 or so on head-fi, but that said, it seems like they can't be driven well from an iphone, and thus won't be driven well out of my SGS either.
(I don't want to carry an amp)

 

[DVDRey]

I think D2000 ll be the best (all rounder) for you in your price range. Pro900 is excellent but more specific for a type of music, rap/hiphop/EDM...
 
For more than 300€ i'd have said Pro2900.

 

[joelpearce]

You have picked several headphones that really need an amp to shine. The XB1000 is a completely different animal than the 700 when it comes to amping requirements. Given your sources, think carefully about sensitivity

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Cheers for the replies guys - greatly appreciate it:

Now about sibilance/sensitivity:
I had a love/hate relationship with my denon ah-c710 earphones due to their sibilance.
I did love their clarity, but hated the fact they were so bright, shiny...well you get the idea, they were sibilant...
When i sold them and got the bass monsters/lord/gods (what ever you want to call them), the TFTA 1XB's, i didn't regret one minute selling on the 710's.
 
Now in terms of headphone wise I don't want the same to happen...
-U900's seem like they need to be driven
-XB1000's are huge with their 70mm driver, but at the same time, maybe feel that the bass isn't as good as on the ones of the 700's (by good i mean strong/present)
-D2000's seem like they have bass, but not TIGHT/STRONG bass
 
(Anyone else felt like they were counting here? 900,1000,2000...lol)
 
Driving wise:
I drive on the left side of the road.
I mean...I don't want to be driving any of my headphones.
I do have an internal amp on my phone, which is absolutely brilliant, but i don't want to give any headphones EXTRA POWER so to speak.
 
Also I need the headphones to have a 3.5mm jack - I think all 3 qualify for that, but just stating it just in case.
 
Joel,
In terms of the 1000's being an animal vs the 700's - you mean without an amp, they are not as good?
Or is it that they are better by default than the 700's but with an amp become crazy?

 

[lucozade]

Dubbed man,i have the pro 900 , they sound somewhat similar to the denon c710 in regards to the lower treble being very bright and prominent ,i love them for rock music as electric guitar really stands out on them ,but i fear that they are not going to satisfy you for bass quantity , they have a solid bass but my denon and hd650 both have more quantity and i always end up turning the bass control full on my Yamaha amp when i use them to get extra hitting power and balance out the sound with that very bright lower treble which balances out the sound to my ears..

 

[DVDRey]

 
Quote:

I had a love/hate relationship with my denon ah-c710 earphones due to their sibilance. I did love their clarity, but hated the fact they were so bright, shiny...well you get the idea, they were sibilant...

 
I don't know C710, but Pro900 can be very sibilant with some music.
 
 
Quote:

-XB1000's are huge with their 70mm driver, but at the same time, maybe feel that the bass isn't as good as on the ones of the 700's (by good i mean strong/present)

 
XB1000 is a very efficient headphone, even with a smartphone (for the volume not the dynamic), but they need effectively a good amp to shine.
XB1000 has not punchy bass like XB500, but a lot a sub bass. If you really want something of punchy, don't buy the XB1000. Pro900 is much more punchy.
 

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Quote:

Dubbed man,i have the pro 900 , they sound somewhat similar to the denon c710 in regards to the lower treble being very bright and prominent ,i love them for rock music as electric guitar really stands out on them ,but i fear that they are not going to satisfy you for bass quantity , they have a solid bass but my denon and hd650 both have more quantity and i always end up turning the bass control full on my Yamaha amp when i use them to get extra hitting power and balance out the sound with that very bright lower treble which balances out the sound to my ears..

My legend!!!!
Ok bro, so you own the d2000's too or?
I remember you talking about the d5000's but they are out of my limit/price range.
 
I see that the 900's seem to be bright, even you are saying it, so that's saying something to me = don't buy the 900's.
 
Bass wise, i would have thought the 900's had a good bass punch to them vs the denon's (simply due to their design).
 
Which headphones would you suggest for me?
Unlike earphones here, I actually want to focus on DEEP bass rather than punchy bass (such as the Xb500's or the TFTA 1XB's) and more so want something that's good overall, and especially has an incredible soundstage.
I love watching films, or late night gaming with my XB700's, literally hearing gun shots from the back of my head makes me wonder if someone is actually behind me lol.
 
I value your opinion, very much - cheers for helping me out brother!


Quote:

 
I don't know C710, but Pro900 can be very sibilant with some music.
 
 
XB1000 is a very efficient headphone, even with a smartphone (for the volume not the dynamic), but they need effectively a good amp to shine.
XB1000 has not punchy bass like XB500, but a lot a sub bass. If you really want something of punchy, don't buy the XB1000. Pro900 is much more punchy.
 

Sibilance puts me off the 900's, although punchy bass is probably due to the fact (I mean i don't know both headphones well enough to comment, but this is my guess) that the pads are MUCH closer to the ears than the 1k's more so, the 1k's driver is not 40mm, not 50mm, but a HUGE 70mm.
 
40mm = punchier, the more you go up, 100mm one day? LOL the less punchy bass you get - unless they are tuned ONLY for bass that said.
 
 
 

 

[lucozade]

Well i can not be of much help as i have not heard the sony you have ,it my be that the cans i have will have less or more bass than those i do not know and by punchier i guess you mean hard hitting than in my book that = lots of mid/upper bass .
 
I do not own that many full size cans and i do not own the d2000 
 
The following is the list of phones i own with the hardest hitting bass set at the top of the list
 
denon d5000 = hard hitting bass ,good soundstage
hd650          = a better mix of midd/upper/sub bass ,not quite as hard hitting as the denon ,larger soundstage
pro 900        = hard hitting but less quantity of bass than those above ,lower treble is the dominate frequency .smaller soundstage ,dont really notice  the s logic with music but works well with movies.
German maestro gmp 400 = high quality all rounder mostly sub bass ,a little mid bass ,not for you 
akg q701    = analytical sound great sub bass , not for you 

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Brand new wise...
I can't get the 900's at a good price...that's the problem.
I'm in no rush to buy either so I'll try to demo as many cans as I can before buying!
Going back to the UK for a week, so I'll try to find out if where I go I can demo the d2000's again - if I like them - I might buy them there and then.

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Here is a graph of the freq response:
 

 
 
Pretty much sums it up no?
-XB's very bassy, and not great in their highs
-900's sibilant, and powerful highs, not much mids
-d2k's very flat, not much impact on either side of the spectrum
 
Am I right in these statements or wrong?
 

 

[lucozade]

Quote:

Here is a graph of the freq response:
 

 
 
Pretty much sums it up no?
-XB's very bassy, and not great in their highs
-900's sibilant, and powerful highs, not much mids
-d2k's very flat, not much impact on either side of the spectrum
 
Am I right in these statements or wrong?
 

Sounds about right 
 

 

[shamrock134]

Just get the D2000. The Pro900 is over your budget and the XB1000 is like a novelty over-sized XB700 that has a bigger soundstage and less bass presence across the board.