[Hifihedgehog]

I've have been able to listen to both a HD650 and SR225. Both sounded very good to my ears, especially coming from an HD555. The SR225 was DEFINITELY NOT ugly bright (like an DT770-80 Pro), or bright to me at all. Sounded neutral, like a top-of-the-line pair of floor-standing speakers. The HD650 was darker, but showed a lot more detail than my HD555. However, it wasn't natural-sounding, and had a slight muting on the top-end.
Anyway, if I like both the HD650 and SR225, would the Denon AH-D2000 be a good headphone to buy?

 

[K3cT]

The D2000 has the same dark signature that the HD650 has though not as veiled so yes, I think you'll like it.

I can't comment on the SR225 having only heard the SR60 and MS1. These two Grado cans have stronger midrange and treble emphasis than the D2000 for sure.

 

[Vandal]

Interesting. When you say not natural sounding you mean congested. And the muting on the top-end is a result of improper amping. This does disappear, but you have to shell out in order to make it so...

 

[slowfreight]

At one point I had both the D2000 and the SR225. Although I enjoyed my Grados, the Denons won me over with better bass response. As a matter of fact, the D2000 sound amazing with a good solid state amp.

 

[myk7000]

i have the sr225 and the d2000.

Though I love the grado sound and they are great headphones,

Hands down my d2000 is my primary headphone. Never have I seen my sr225 as my primary. The d2000 is just an excellent headphone.

 

[Kitarist]

whats the price of them

 

[AzN1337c0d3r]

I have not heard the SR225, but I do own the HD650 and the D2000.

I bought the HD650 about 6 months ago. Before that I had owned the HD580 for about 2 years so I'm quite familiar with both their basic sound signatures. However, this was driven unamped from weedy ipod/sound card/portable amp outputs.

About a month ago, I also decided I wanted to give the D2000 a try since I've decided I needed a headphone while I'm at school that won't disturb everyone around while still retaining the ability to hear my music decently.

The bass response on the D2000 is epic. I've never heard even subwoofers than can extend as low as they can, and they do that effortlessly although with just a tad bit of flab.

Not soon after, I thought it would be pretty cool just to get an entry level tube amplifier and see what the HD650 can do with tubes. So I bought a used LittleDot MKIII from the BST boards here. Amazing, the veil has all but disappeared (the extreme top end remains muted to my ears however) and the low end "almost" extends as low as the Denons now. But with the added benefit of not having the in your face treble and the liquid smooooth treble. I tried amping the Denon, but besides the VERY slight tube coloration, it didn't really do any magic to the sound.

So to sum it up, when I'm home, I prefer the HD650. When I'm out at the lab I wear the D2000 (only because they're the only tolerable pair of headphones with sufficient isolating capabilities I can bear to wear for 4+ hours)

Side note: Today my SE530 just arrived and so far listening to them, they resemble the unamped HD650 in so many ways, sometimes I forget I have IEMs on and not my HD650. But the amped HD650 still wins hands down.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Are my ears broken, or what? I listened to the HD650 at Gramophone of Detroit, a place for millionaire audiophiles (seriously, I was in blue jeans and everyone else in silk suits!). Anyway, I listened to them on their expensive multi-thousand dollar amp, and they sounded muffled. They were MUCH better than the HD555s, which sound like listened through cotton balls, but a little rolled off.
So, I went to Gramophone of Ann Arbor, another place for audio snobs. I listened to the Grado SR80 and SR125, and yes, those were as bright as the HD650 were the little they were dark. I then listened to the SR225, and I was FLOORED! Yes, it was a tad bright, but the closest to neutral I had ever heard! To make sure I was right, I listened to their $30k pair of floor standing speakers (yes $30,000), and I was right. I could details I never heard in the HD650, HD555, and SR80, SR125! Its superior balance allowed me to not only hear the subtle vocals at the beginning of "I Say a Little Prayer" by Burt Bacharach, but breathing of the singers, swallowing, etc. But this was the with ALL the songs on hand, a balanced pure sound I only have heard in ultra-high end speakers.