[Dazedy]

Hi folks, 
Last time I was on here for a while, I decided to buy some ATH M-50's.  They've made me very happy, and showed me just how much I was missing in the world of audio.  So, now I'm getting a nagging itch in the back of my head - wondering what a slightly larger investment would net me in terms of quality.  
 
Looking around on the forums recently, the Denon D2000 and D5000 caught my eye as possible upgrade candidates.  I don't currently have a dac/amp setup, running my audio directly from the back of my desktop right now for the most part, but if I were to get one of those two, I would probably invest in some soon after.  If I were to get the D5000's, I'd probably buy them refurbished from Dakmart for $390 (please tell me if this is a terrible idea, someone on the forum mentioned them and to me it looks fine), and if I were to get the D2000's, well, somebody has a lightly used pair for sale right here
 
Although I plan on using them primarily for music listening, does anyone know how these headphones fare for gaming? 
 
Which do you guys think is the smarter investment right now? I've got about $500 to spend, but I want to be sure that I'm spending it in the right place because that's a significant investment for me.
 
 

 

[yd2zhang]

i upgraded to the sr-325i's from the m50's and never looked back, they're easy to drive, and are great with classic rock and jazz (what I listen to mostly). Keep in mind that they are open and do not isolate at all, and have a very different sound signature than the M50's.

 

[Dazedy]

I'm not sure that I'd like open headphones - I like my bass too much.  I might be alright with a bit less bass than the m50's if it was made up for elsewhere in the sound spectrum, but I don't think I'm ready to get fully open headphones.  
I listen to a variety of music, so it'd be nice to have the bass there for the songs that use it.
Also - my girlfriend would get mighty pissed off if she had to listen to everything I was..

 

[TMRaven]

M50 to D2000 is a seamless upgrade.  The mids are less forward but more refined and detailed.  The soundstaging is miles better, and so is comfort.  

 

[Dazedy]

Quote:

M50 to D2000 is a seamless upgrade.  The mids are less forward but more refined and detailed.  The soundstaging is miles better, and so is comfort.  

that's pretty much what I've been seeing about the D2000 from my thread searches.  What about the D5000? From what I've read, I'd need to buy a matching dac/amp if I wanted to get it to show its potential, and the D2000 doesn't need one. Is this true?
 
I take it m-50 to D2000 is what you did, from your signature.

 

[Coq de Combat]

Yeah, the D2000 will make you happy. But they're nowhere near the M50 in terms of isolation and leakage, just so you know. I think they're a good upgrade from the M50 in most ways.

 

[TMRaven]

I went from AD700 to M50 to DT990 600Ω to D2000.  HE-400 might be next in line, but gotta see about used prices and impressions first.
 
D2000 and D5000 should be same when it comes to dac/amp.  They'd both like one but don't need one.

 

[Dazedy]

 
I don't need perfect isolation - I have IEM's when I absolutely need it, and I'll still have my m-50's around for when I travel (they REALLY can take a serious beating...)
But what do you guys thing D2000 vs the D5000? 

 

[Coq de Combat]

Well, the D2000 will already be an upgrade in sound quality. So whichever you choose will do you good.
 
However, if you can afford it - why not go D5000 from the start?

 

[Dazedy]

Because what I don't spend on the headphones I'll probably spend on a dac/amp.  If I get the D5000's I'd have to save a bit more to get them.

 

[tdockweiler]

Maybe try looking into the DT-990? They're open and not too expensive.
 
BTW if anyone knows, does the DT-990 have more forward (sounding) mids than the M50? M50 mids kind of just don't do it for me..
 
I had the DT-990 Pro for awhile but never liked it. Preferred the DT-770 600 ohm (bass light) I had at the time.
 
Believe it or not I had the DT-990 for 3 years once but totally forget how it sounded compared to the M50. I actually don't even remember it being bass heavy?!
 
Pretty sure it was the 250 ohm version.

 

[TMRaven]

No, they're more distant.  At the same time they're also more separated within the layers of the soundstage than the M50.  The ability for the DT990 to convey a center image vocals compared to the rest of the sound is far superior to the M50.  On the M50 the mids are stronger and more up-front, however-- partly because of mid strength and lack of soundstaging.  The premium version of the DT990 isn't bass heavy to me, but supposedly the pro version is pretty bass heavy.

 

[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

Because what I don't spend on the headphones I'll probably spend on a dac/amp.  If I get the D5000's I'd have to save a bit more to get them.

Okay, don't go overboard with the amping and DAC.The D2000 and D5000 are very easy to drive and doesn't really benefit that much from a super amp, from my understanding. In my opinion a FiiO E10 will do just fine.

 

[yd2zhang]

off topic, but can you do a comparison between the HD25's and the D2000's?

 

[e2pathos]

I am also making this same upgrade, M50 to D2000 as I hear that the D2000 sounds very similar to the D5000, however the sub bass hits harder and tighter in the d2000s than the d5000s (from what I've heard so far.) And I'm a basshead for sure but mids and highs cannot lack and I've deduced that the d2000s are definitely the best choice for me right now, as far as amping the E7/E9 combo should fit your budget along with the cans and I've read from many sources that they drive it just fine and really get the job done, hope I could help.