[boatsnhos]

Hello everyone, I'm new to these forums. I was looking into investing into my first pair of quality of headphones. At first I was set on getting beats, but after discovering this forum I see that wouldn't be my best choice. Anyway's after doing some research on these forums I see both the D 2000 and SA 5000 are both good for electronic music. Primarily i listen to house, some trance, and  occasionally dubstep. I will not be using an amp and also will be using these for music production. Are there any forum members out there who could help me decide between these two pairs of headphones? Thanks for the Advice! 
 
 
 I assume someone will tell me to use the search function and I already did. Electronic music is an ever evolving genre and many of the threads on such topics are outdated in regard to the current music trends. 
 
Here's some examples of the music i listen to
 

 

[Graphicism]

It comes down to the kind of sound you're looking for... The Sony SA5000 are excellent at resolving detail, very spacious sounding albeit slightly bass-light which would be a big no-no for a bass lover. The D2000s have a lot of bass but it's muddy and not very detailed, okay for DnB and hip hop, less so for vocals and a clean mid range.
 
I'd suggest looking at Ultrasone for electronica, HFI-780 are decent all-rounders and have good bass definition. They're easy to drive but like most headphones will improve with a good amp.
 
This is the sort of music I enjoy with my HFI-780s:

 
Oh and welcome to Head-fi! 

 

[boatsnhos]

Thanks for the suggestion I'll defiantly  check out the ultrasone's

 

[misformatt]

I second most of what Graphicism said.  The D2000 will have more bass quantity, as well as extension, while the SA5000 will have better bass texture and speed.  The extremely fast transient response of the SA5000 suits electronica very well, but I fear they might be a bit too shy on bass to be satisfying for some listeners.  The D2000 will probably feed that bass craving, but at the expense of some low-end detail and clarity.  As Graphicism suggested, you might also be interested in the Ultrasone HFI-780.  You might also check out the other Ultrasone models (Pro 750/900 etc.).  If you're using these for music production, the D2000 has the flattest frequency response by far.  The Ultrasones and Sonys both have pretty jagged response curves.  The curves translate well when enjoying music, but it's probably not ideal for monitoring purposes. 

 

[boatsnhos]

Thanks again your knowledge is quite helpful! How would you say the SA5000's and D-2000 bass compare to monster studios beats. I have listened to music on a friends studio beats and just wanted to know how these headphones compared to them? Also are the ultrasones in need of amp? I already read both the d2000 and SA5000 sound fine without amps and I have no intention of amping my headphones. 

 

[Graphicism]

The beats are nothing more than a toy with a generic 20-20 speaker... if you're looking for some thunderous bass while sounding good (better than beats) overall I would recommend the Sony XB500. The Sony SA5000 isn't meant for an ipod or amp-less listening, you would be severely disappointed with it. The Denon will be better however unamped there are much better alternatives; the Ultrasone as I mentioned previously should be considered as should the ubiquitous Audio-Technica M50.

 

[misformatt]

Most devices should be able to drive the models you're interested in to acceptable levels.  All would benefit from an amp, but I wouldn't say it's a necessity to enjoy them.  I haven't heard any of the Beats series, but they're not very well regarded by many around here.  I've attempted to demo them at my local Best Buy, but every time I check out their stand every pair on display is broken in some form or another (take from that what you will).  I know the Beats series are tuned for boosted bass response, but you might find that it is muddy when compared to the others on your list.  The Beats studios also have significantly higher harmonic distortion than the others, which may be an inherit side effect of the noise canceling technology.

 

[boatsnhos]

Good to know about the SA's. What are the main differences between the Ultrasone 750's and 780's?  And is a pair of d 2000's at $230 a good deal or could I find better?

 

[Ford[S]]

if you can get the Denon's at $230 I would say go for it. Amp or no amp you will be very happy with your purchase, but as always an amp would make them better.

 

[pp312]

 
Quote:

I'll defiantly check out the ultrasone's

 
You should definitely do that.

 
 

 

[boatsnhos]

Arg the pair I was going to buy is out of stock. Is it recommended to buy off eBay? There's a few new pairs on there ranging from 225-270 but they're from china so don't know if that raises red flags for fakes.

 

[Graphicism]

Theres some reputable people/companies on ebay but the good majority of fakes come from there and Amazon market place. What phones were you looking at from 225-270?

 

[boatsnhos]

d2000's i want a pair but i don't know if i'd buy them at prices like $350 

 

[Amnesia87]

I'd definately recomend the D2000's I love mine, though I'm about to sell them because I loved them so much I gave in and ordered the D7000s lol.

 

 

[boatsnhos]

I know a lot of you have very negative views of beats but would a pair of pros still be out done by the denons? I know someone selling a new pair they dont want for 300 so that may be a possibility