[skidu]

So I've had them for just over a week now, burnt in with pink noise etc and frankly they're a bit disappointing.

I'm not getting this overwhelming bass that everyone speaks off, if anything i actually prefer my 1001's in terms of bass quantity/slam.

I think because the drivers are placed further away from the ears there's a larger perceived "sound stage" but i can't help feeling it just sounds a bit hollow and transparent. As if the mids are just floating around, the bass is just politely tapping away in the background and the treble just keeps me edging closer to the volume control when it all gets a bit too harsh.

They sound nice enough for pop, rock, alternative music but lack any sense of satisfaction when listening to DnB, Trance, Hip/Hop, House etc.

Without modding/recabling or throwing money at an amp, is they're much else i can do to improve them is it best to just spend my money elsewhere?


(Btw the source is X-FI XtremeMusic playing FLAC's, they sound even worse on the 3GS.)

 

[mritt400]

Too bad you don't like them, I love mine. If you are not amping them, you are not doing yourself or your D2000's any favors. I don't think they are overpowering bass-wise, amped or otherwise. I do think that the bass is full, or rich - but, certainly not overpowering in my estimation.

 

[Ilovebeef]

Skullcandy.

 

[jsplice]

You might want to consider getting some kind of amp if you really want to hear what those cans sound like.

 

[skidu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ilovebeef /img/forum/go_quote.gif Skullcandy.

Heh, i'm tempted to get a pair of XB700's actually just to see how low they actually go.

Btw i see you've got a pair of HD650 paired with a Xonar Essence STX, you planning on buying an amp or are you happy enough just driving them from the sound card? The Sennheiser's would actually be my next choice (i know they're not bass monsters, but FWIR they have that rich, dark sound that i love on my IE8's)

 

[Ilovebeef]

I'm planning on getting an amp when I've got the money for one.
They don't sound bad at the moment but I'm sure they'd improve with more power.

 

[Necrolic]

The only thing I can think of that would cause that situation is the fact that they're unamped. Honestly, I don't find the D5000 (same as D2000 with different cups and cable) to be TOO overwhelming in the bass when properly amped, although it does overshadow the mids somewhat.

But by no means are they LACKING bass...

 

[sampson_smith]

I agree with everyone here but the OP.

Even out of my iPod, these cans sound great and excellent with genres like trance and hip-hop. Slightly less with rock. Out of a GLite, as best I recall, they are amazing. Even using a D10 portable amp, they are very nicely rounded out. To each, a zone, I guess...

 

[sling5s]

I did the markl mod to control and tighten up the bass and did the ear cup stuffing to increase sound stage but in the end sold them because of their recessed mids. I'm mean, the treble and bass is important but they play a supportive role to the mids. It's the mids that are the center of the music and I found that with the denon models (tried ah-d7000 also), the recessed mids compromised and undermined the music too much for me.

I say go for grado's for the upfront mids or the akg's if you can deal with the lean bass. I rather have less bass or even less treble than less midrange.

 

[sampson_smith]

Which Grado variety would you recommend, sling5s? I take it you now have a favorite or two.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skidu /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I've had them for just over a week now, burnt in with pink noise etc and frankly they're a bit disappointing. I'm not getting this overwhelming bass that everyone speaks off, if anything i actually prefer my 1001's in terms of bass quantity/slam. I think because the drivers are placed further away from the ears there's a larger perceived "sound stage" but i can't help feeling it just sounds a bit hollow and transparent. As if the mids are just floating around, the bass is just politely tapping away in the background and the treble just keeps me edging closer to the volume control when it all gets a bit too harsh.

That is the general character of the mids in the D2000. An amp won't change that. The D2000 don't change that much when amping them with big muscle. The common DIY mods don't change that to any significant degree. A cable mod will not change that to any measurable degree. If you don't like the sound of the D2000 now the mods and an amp aren't going to change the D2000 enough to make you happy.

The only way to change that character would be to EQ, preferable with a parametric EQ where you can zero in on specific frequencies in the midrange (around 2 to 2.5 kHz) that are a little hollow.

The harsh highs can possibly be tamed with a proper amp and possibly a better source. But what's harsh to one person may be tame or tolerable to another. Your ears may just not like the highs of the D2000.

Sounds like you want a different kind of sound than the D2000 gives. Maybe one of the Ultrasone flavors?

 

[HeyItsBattleKid]

To the OP: I can understand where you are coming from. First thing I found about any decent headphone is this: if the song asks for bass, the headphone will deliver. As for the D2000, the bass is there and I find it more detailed and present in the mid-bass range, but low bass is rather loose for me. With the Ultrasones, the best word to describe them is bass extension. I find myself constantly underestimating where exactly the bass is going land on the frequency scale.

If you want something a little more, Ultrasones will deliver in that regard. You will definitely be missing the sound stage you are getting with the D2000, but the music will feel much closer to your ears. My Ultrasone HFI-780 is still burning in, and have a ways to go I believe, but if you don't care as much about soundstage, you may need to give them a try.

I also recommend giving a couple Bass Mekanik songs a listen if you want to rule out the song not asking for bass. I really just use their music as a gauge for low-bass response for headphones.

 

[sling5s]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which Grado variety would you recommend, sling5s? I take it you now have a favorite or two.

I believe the grado sr225i is more around the price range of the ah-d2000.
For me, I tried several and chose a used pair of grado rs1.

 

[moonboy403]

I'm in the OP's camp here. IMO, the D2000 has flabby bass and overwhelming at times. The mids is most definitely recessed while the sibilance is amongst the worse I've experienced from a headphone. The D7000 fixes or improves on most of these flaws.

 

[sling5s]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonboy403 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm in the OP's camp here. IMO, the D2000 has flabby bass and overwhelming at times. The mids is most definitely recessed while the sibilance is amongst the worse I've experienced from a headphone. The D7000 fixes or improves on most of these flaws.

I found the D7000 an all around improvement , but still found the mids on the D7000 too recessed for me.