[wovenhand]

Background:
I bought the D5000's just ~3 weeks ago, and while I think they're a perfectly stable can, their prominent low-end proved too much in the end.
Some recordings, Helmet's "Aftertaste" album for instance, got a lovely solid thickness which harmonized nicely with the music, but a lot of the time the sheer quantity of low-end just overpowered the mids too much.
That combined with the fact that their slow decay in said area made notes smear together in a sometimes non-musical way. It was more of a mass coming at you rather than defined notes.

This was my biggest beef with the D5000 and ultimately led to the upgrade. I am fully aware of the markl mod, but I prefer my cans to be unmod'ed. Nothing to discuss - I just do.

So, I sold the D5000 and purchased the D7000, which I received today, and I must say that I am impressed.
Straight out of the box, these sound wonderful. Everything I wanted corrected with the D5000 was corrected.
The lows are tamed, yet they still go deep. The D7000 is however by no means bass shy - it still has an emphasized low-end. The difference is that besides having less bass in quantity, it both hits and decays faster, eliminating that constant rumble the D5000 imho suffered from and thus resulting in better seperation.
Also, since the low-end is not as crazy as on it's little brother, the mids come out a lot more. Instrument separation is also significantly improved.

As far as highs go, I had problems with sibilance with my D5000's on some recordings, but so far sibilance is no where in sight with that I've thrown at the D7000's, yet I feel the highs are slightly more extended. Not night/day difference, but it's there. Mostly I just feel the highs are more neutral than the D5000.

These are, like stated, initial impressions but so far I'm very impressed. They're both fun to listen to as well as revealing detail I didn't even catch on my DX1000's or DT880 600Ω's (though I wouldn't say they're a detail orientated can per se).
It's hard to explain, but they're relaxed sounding without being sluggish.

I cannot fathom how someone would think the D5000 and D7000 sounds pretty much the same. They definetely share the same sound signature, but the D7000 is - as so many have posted already - an improvement in every aspect (and it should be, costing about twice as much).

Funny side note; I listened to the latest album I recorded/mixed and I swear it sounded as if the mix was custom made for the D7000's.

 

[Orcin]

Yet another review of the Denon D7000 that makes me think I have ordered the wrong high-end phone!

I love the sound of my D2000's. I really wonder (a) if the D7000's are that much better, and (b) if the D7000's would benefit from a cable upgrade?

Nice job on the writeup, and enjoy the music!

 

[wovenhand]

Thanks! Right now I'm enjoying me some Clutch - "Elephant Riders" a plenty!

Even if I had enjoyed the D5000 I would've always wondered how much of an improvement the D7000 was (if any). It's just my personality. I've stopped fighting it and just accept it.

 

[orkney]

Nice impressions -- thanks for posting. I agree with you that these are a significant step up from the D5000s. Faster, clearer, less congested, with no bass overhang to speak of.

best,

o

 

[Taikero]

I must be a freak of nature. I feel the D5000s could have more bass impact (Granted, I wouldn't mind more detail either).

 

[decur]

i just got my d-7000 back from headroom after having them re-cabled with cardas "fat pipe" with xlrs for my balanced max amp! the cable upgrade and going balanced really bring these phones to a whole new level!! the mids and treble are alot closer to my sony r10s in sq than single ended, and the bass quality is far superior than the r10s!

 

[wovenhand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by orkney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Faster, clearer, less congested

Thanks, clearer & less congested where the words I was searching for when writing but couldn't find.

 

[kg21]

It's interesting that there are so many positive reviews of the D7000(some have heard the other denons like the op and some haven't) but the people who say they are not much better or the same as the d2000 are usually the ones that haven't heard them. My impressions were pretty much the same as yours btw, these are definitely one of the best dynamics out there.

 

[kingmajix]

I was in Japan back in October and I got to audition several phones and got to A/B the 5000 and 7000. I immediately noticed that the bass was deeper and more controlled in the 7000 and all sibilance issues from the 5000 were gone.

My friend, a 5000 owner, was with me and readily admitted the 7000 sounded better than the 5000s. I've read a lot of things on websites about how similar the two phones sounds and, based on my experience, it's just not true. The 7000 is a definite step up.

 

[scytheavatar]

So, how do they compare to your DX1000?

 

[Zuerst]

here is my impression

 

[trickywombat]

IMHO: The D7000 is a huge step up from the D5000 in terms of transparency and clarity. The D5000 is a huge step up from the D2000 in terms of the midrange.

I've come close to buying a D2000 a few times, but after hearing the D5000, I find that I can't live with the D2000's missing midrange.

I then came close to getting the D5000, but after hearing the D7000, I keep dreaming about the D7000's transparency and soundstage.

It's not that some people can't tell the difference. It's probably that those differences don't matter to them. Like I know the D7000 is bigger and bulkier than my D1001, but given the difference in SQ I don't care about the bulk.

Taikero, you're not a freak. I too, crave more bass even for the Denons.

More Cowbell, More Bass.

 

[K3cT]

It'll be interesting to compare a MarkL'd D2000 with wooden cups and cable upgrade against the D7000 *wink wink HeadphoneAddict* since I reckon these two will be in the same price range. I know the TS doesn't want to mod the phone but I personally feel that the mod actually fixes the exact thing that he laments about: the overpowering of the mids by the low-end, having performed the procedure myself.

 

[xenithon]

More controlled bass, sweeter highs and less sibilance - that is about the exact checklist I made for improvements the D5000 required to be worth consideration.

Quick question: how is the fit/size of the D7000 relative to its D5000 sibling? I recall the D5000 being a little loose (too large) for my head - I have a narrow dome - so if the headband is a little tighter/smaller that would be ideal.

 

[wovenhand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif So, how do they compare to your DX1000?

I haven't done any A/B'ing yet, but my only real beef with the DX1000 is that honk in the midrange and the slightly cavernous quality. It's not something I think is downright atrocious, but more of a minor blemish. Almost kind of a charming blemish actually.

You get used to it pretty quickly too, so after a few minutes you hardly think about it.
They still sound spectacular, and even though the D7000 is more transparent and balanced, I have no plans on selling the DX1000. There's just something about 'em.