[Vipers @ Zinc-HT]

I've been thinking for a while about getting some top notch headphones and I was made aware of the Denon AHD-5000 headphones on Monday when they won the gadget show shoot-out, I was wondering if anyone on here has got them and what was thought of them?

Thanks.

[pixelpidgeon]

I have the AH-D2000's and they sound very good indeed. I like to think of
them more like listening to a speaker on each ear rather than headphones, if that makes any sense at all
They just have that natural and open sound to them. Excellent build quality too and very comfortable. I cant remember how much i paid or where from, but i do remember they were on a very good offer.
They do however leak sound, i dont know if this is the case with the 5000's?

[geese]

Just bought the D2000. Amazing phones man....the bass is awesome and the sound is very open and honest...build quality top notch. D5000 is a bit better I hear.

[Reano]

Originally Posted by vipers

I've been thinking for a while about getting some top notch headphones and I was made aware of the Denon AHD-5000 headphones on Monday when they won the gadget show shoot-out, I was wondering if anyone on here has got them and what was thought of them?

Thanks.

What were the other phones in the shootout?

Ta

Ray

[Drubbing]

THe Denon is not one I'm familiar with, but its ohm and sensitivity specs are very similar to the AKG701, which is very hard to drive. Which means you'll need an amp with serious grunt to run them to potential, or you'll fall a long way short of getting your money's worth.

I don't know your gear, but an int map could do this, but the headphone outs, even on very good gear, can be poor.

Even if they didn't need an amp, at the price asked, you'd be short-changing them on delivering sound if you didn't use a decent one - and a decent source too.

[christam]

My experience is that the AH D2000's are not hard to drive. I've had mine two years and love them although obviously the sound is better with a better source. They're wasted on something like an iPhone 3gs, for example.

Early reviews when both the D5000 and the D2000 headphones were released suggested that, although the D5000 had the edge for sound quality, there was surprisingly little in it given the difference in price.

[dalvin]

Originally Posted by christam

My experience is that the AH D2000's are not hard to drive. I've had mine two years and love them although obviously the sound is better with a better source. They're wasted on something like an iPhone 3gs, for example.

Early reviews when both the D5000 and the D2000 headphones were released suggested that, although the D5000 had the edge for sound quality, there was surprisingly little in it given the difference in price.

could you explain what you mean by that please?

thanks

[pixelpidgeon]

I have the d2000's and they can be used with the ipod touch, laptop pc's etc and sound fine.
But i believe they sound better from my amp headphone out and the beresford headphone out. I presume the headphone outs of the latter two just have more power and are of a better quality?

Great headphones. very comfortable as well

[llama]

Originally Posted by dalvin

could you explain what you mean by that please?

thanks

garbage in, garbage out.

using portable quality DAC and headphone amplifier with "audiophile" headphones wont get your best from your headphones.

In the same way, if you use a £2 pair of headphones on reference equipment, they wont sound their best.

[llama]

Originally Posted by pixelpidgeon

I have the d2000's and they can be used with the ipod touch, laptop pc's etc and sound fine.
But i believe they sound better from my amp headphone out and the beresford headphone out. I presume the headphone outs of the latter two just have more power and are of a better quality?

Great headphones. very comfortable as well

They can be driven from such sources yes, but your not getting "the best" out of them. If they are perfect for your needs I wont try to say "if you spend £x they will sound x better."

The amplifier isnt just about making them louder, its about making them sound better, some amps colour the sound, if you have source that is very revealing, critical and polite, matching it with a warm sounding amp will give it a more balanced tone.

if you have the aggressive grado 325's for rock music (perfect for guitars) then you dont want a warm amp, as it defeats the point of the aggressive headphones.

etc

[Vipers @ Zinc-HT]

Originally Posted by Reano

What were the other phones in the shootout?

Ta

Ray

Hi Ray,

Here is a link from the Gadget Shows website with the top 5 headphones in their opinion :-

FiveFWD - Top 5 - Headphones video from The Gadget Show

Personally I'd like to compare the 5000's and 7000's to see what differences are evident, as you can get the 7000's for around £650 which for a product that is supposed to be a top headphone seems quite a reasonable price.

[pixelpidgeon]

Yes i agree. Its not unlike how a decent speaker/amp setup will hilight a poorly recorded cd...

Originally Posted by llama

They can be driven from such sources yes, but your not getting "the best" out of them. If they are perfect for your needs I wont try to say "if you spend £x they will sound x better."

The amplifier isnt just about making them louder, its about making them sound better, some amps colour the sound, if you have source that is very revealing, critical and polite, matching it with a warm sounding amp will give it a more balanced tone.

if you have the aggressive grado 325's for rock music (perfect for guitars) then you dont want a warm amp, as it defeats the point of the aggressive headphones.

etc

[christam]

Originally Posted by dalvin

could you explain what you mean by that please?

thanks

Sorry, I've only just seen this. After getting the iPhone I thought I might as well put some music on it so re-ripped a number of CDs in Apple Lossless. The sound quality through the D2000s is thin and disappointing but if I listen with Shure 530s it's full and rounded and not far in quality from the Sony players I've always used in the past. I used the Sonys with both sets of headphones but with the D2000 for preference because they're more comfortable and gave a warmer, richer sound.