[Makiah S]

Had a pair of D2000s (with a FiiO E10) for a few years and been really happy with them apart from a metallic sound they produce often, which puzzles me. Because I don't know how to fix them, I'm tempted to just upgrade to better headphones. As a preface, I've been under the mindset not to go AH-D5/7000 mostly because those aren't made anymore and seem hard to find unless buying used and at an inflated price.

I mostly listen to electronic music: Daft Punk, Royksopp, Bonobo, Classixx, etc. I do also greatly enjoy film scores, particularly ones with an electronic push, and sometimes hip hop. Really into gaming as well, but I don't throw my headphones on for that as much as I do music.

I'm a real headphone rookie, only barely familiar with a lot of the terminology so please bear with me. I've enjoyed the low end punch of the D2000s, but wonder if I might be happier with a wider soundstage? I have nothing to compare the D2000s to other than my Sennheiser PX-100s.

I was looking at the Sennheiser HD 700 and HD 800s, but iirc the latter might not produce the powerful low end that I've been fond of? The 700s are on sale for $550 right now, and I've heard the 800s can be had for around $1k when on sale.

If only because the HD 800s put my brain in the budget range, Id like to try and not spend more than $1k. Any other headphone recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Inflated Price? Not at all, you can find a Stock D7k for around $700 which is less than what it cost new, this is assuming you buy from the For Sale Boards here at Head Fi which is really the only place you'll find the D7k, the other route is to mod your D2k. I had a Modded D2k and I enjoyed it, and I'm now im the process of getting a Further modded D5k, granted teh D2 and D5 are some what the same headphone, in that they share the same Driver, so when modded the differances aren't to huge, but Modding the D2k can be had for around $500 is or you can find a fully Modded D2/D5 for around $600 ish 
 
So I would recommend going that route, the Modded D2k I had was dark, but still a fairly clean sounding headphone espically with the Lawton Audio Pads 

 

[keyweez360]

TH600s purchased from Amazon-fulfilled seller AudioDeluxe. Everything came in what looks like an actual Fostex-branded manufacturer to retail shipping box. Headphone box was inside of that. Anything I can check to verify authenticity?

Only had a few hours to listen, but my first impressions are as follows.

Against my D2000s I immediately noticed how powerful the bass sounds with the TH600s. It seems tonally more present in the mid-range and just a lot cleaner, less spread. Doesn't shake my ears as much as the D2000s but somehow sounds more grand, epic. Also seems to exhibit a larger spectrum of lower-end frequencies as I swear I'm noticing more bass tone variation. 
 
Separation and soundstage are also significantly improved, as I now feel a strange sensation of different instruments or tracks coming from different parts of my head and surroundings. The TH600s sound less congested than the D2000s as a result, a weakness I didn't even recognize in the Denons until making the comparison. For fun I also listened to QSound Labs' binaural barber shop demo and it actually scared the crap out of me.
 
One of my favorite changes in sound signature versus my D2000s is in the vocals. I always found my Denons to be a little sharp, sibilant even. But with the TH600s I'm finding I still get the same volume and clarity, but with less of an edge. So the experience has been less straining so far.

Only factor I'd currently leave in the D2000's favor are the earpads. They're not quite as comfortable or form-fitting on the TH600s, but that could change in time as they break in. Both headphones warm my ears up about the same though.

Side note, the E10K sounds much cleaner and tighter than the vanilla E10. No more distortion in audio or weird feedback when plugging in headphones, and no more audio cut off. Very welcome bump in quality.

Overall I'm quite happy with the Fostex TH600s so far. Got them running some burn-in right now but plan to play with them a lot more for sure. This is all assuming they're real of course...
 

 

 

[Makiah S]

  TH600s purchased from Amazon-fulfilled seller AudioDeluxe. Everything came in what looks like an actual Fostex-branded manufacturer to retail shipping box. Headphone box was inside of that. Anything I can check to verify authenticity?

Only had a few hours to listen, but my first impressions are as follows.

Against my D2000s I immediately noticed how powerful the bass sounds with the TH600s. It seems tonally more present in the mid-range and just a lot cleaner, less spread. Doesn't shake my ears as much as the D2000s but somehow sounds more grand, epic. Also seems to exhibit a larger spectrum of lower-end frequencies as I swear I'm noticing more bass tone variation. 
 
Separation and soundstage are also significantly improved, as I now feel a strange sensation of different instruments or tracks coming from different parts of my head and surroundings. The TH600s sound less congested than the D2000s as a result, a weakness I didn't even recognize in the Denons until making the comparison. For fun I also listened to QSound Labs' binaural barber shop demo and it actually scared the crap out of me.
 
One of my favorite changes in sound signature versus my D2000s is in the vocals. I always found my Denons to be a little sharp, sibilant even. But with the TH600s I'm finding I still get the same volume and clarity, but with less of an edge. So the experience has been less straining so far.

Only factor I'd currently leave in the D2000's favor are the earpads. They're not quite as comfortable or form-fitting on the TH600s, but that could change in time as they break in. Both headphones warm my ears up about the same though.

Side note, the E10K sounds much cleaner and tighter than the vanilla E10. No more distortion in audio or weird feedback when plugging in headphones, and no more audio cut off. Very welcome bump in quality.

Overall I'm quite happy with the Fostex TH600s so far. Got them running some burn-in right now but plan to play with them a lot more for sure. This is all assuming they're real of course...
 

 

Cool happy to hear your enjoying the TH 600 

 

[keyweez360]

So the Amazon-fulfilled seller I mentioned is apparently located in Tennesee, I am located in Arizona, and yet I notice there are CE markings/stickers on the manufacturer box, product box, and the headphones themselves.

Why is that? Did I somehow get a European version?

 

[KG Jag]

Also bought from a U.S. dealer, mine are the same.

 

[keyweez360]

So the metallic sound I mentioned with my D2Ks, I noticed I hear it in the TH600s as well, though definitely not as much. If I'm playing music for example and then instantly mute the audio via Windows 7 mute, or really just in some tracks without extra effort -- I can hear it. It's like I am hearing the residual compression sound or something after the drivers have expanded to pump out the audio. Exact same metallic tinge as my D2Ks, but it subsides much faster where as the Denons ring for just a few ms longer. 
 
Is this a fault in the DX000/THX00 lines, inherent nature of closed-back cans, or maybe just something my ears are sensitive to? Happens with or without my amp, regardless of audio source. The only other headphones I have are the Sennheiser PX-100s, and I do not hear this metallic sound at all with them.
 
As it was one of the primary reasons I decided to invest in the TH600s, I'm considering returning them now.

 

[KG Jag]

Have you tried these cans plugged into different devices?

 

[keyweez360]

I've tried on my pc with amp, pc without amp, and iPhone.

 

[KG Jag]

So you've tried it with your PC and a phone--probably using the same music files.
 
I'd try it on a different system (e.g. a CD deck with a headphone jack) using different files.

 

[keyweez360]

I can try my Clip+ and my receiver (with a Blu Ray) tonight, but I'm not sure the source is the issue.

 

[KG Jag]

Clip would be playing the same music files?
 
All I can add is that I have never had this issue with 5 different Fostex made cans, including the D2000 and TH600.  Until now I have never heard or seen such an issue mentioned.

 

[keyweez360]

I'll make sure to try different files with the Clip+.

I've sometimes thought I may have tinnitus, and this may be that, but why would the sound I'm hearing be completely absent with my PX-100s? They are a different type of headphone, but I'm curious.

Also as mentioned, not sure how/why the TH600s residual sound is shorter and less of a problem than my Denons. Makes me wonder if the sound will worsen with time and usage.

 

[KG Jag]

Another thought, especially in this case, is to bring in a friend and determine if he/she is hearing the problem as you do.

 

[jodgey4]

I personally would not have recommended the TH-600's, as the treble can be a bit metallic (not to my ears, fortunately, but I could understand why someone would say that). However, I don't understand the ringing you're hearing, so perhaps the problem isn't the headphones. The problem is, most headphones in your price range that are closed almost all have a slight V-shaped sound, save perhaps the planars (Alpha Dog, ZMF Vibro), but they are hard to drive and planar headphones sound quite a bit different from dynamic ones IME.

 

[keyweez360]

I'll try to ask other people to try the headphones.