Which is better : Denon AH-D2000 or Sennheiser HD650 headphones?

[scorpuk]

Been reading posts on the above two headphones and can't quite make my mind up as to which one to go for.


My main use is going to be listening to MP3's on my computer, but I will use it to watch Bluray films / HD-DVD's too.


Was originally looking to go for wireless, but come to realise that you get more bang for your buck if you go wired.


Or is there something better than these two I don't know about?


Preferably under £300

[audionewb]

well, i may not now much about audio when it comes to it but i know that you should not buy such expensive equipment if your main usage is going to be listening to mp3 quality music, if you were top say lossless audio or cd quality fine but what is the point of buying such expensive headphones if your source is terrible?

[Scottyyy]

I've had both and I prefer the HD650s for what music I listen to.

The D2000s are better for rock/metal as they're faster and have better (not more, but better) bass. The HD650s though, are slower but more involving and have a much better midrange. I listen to a lot of vocal and acoustic stuff and the HD650s sound wonderful with this type of music.

Originally Posted by audionewb

well, i may not now much about audio when it comes to it but i know that you should not buy such expensive equipment if your main usage is going to be listening to mp3 quality music, if you were top say lossless audio or cd quality fine but what is the point of buying such expensive headphones if your source is terrible?

This is true. HD650s need an amp to sound their best. Switching between my EMU 0202 USB (which I use as a DAC, but it has a half decent headphone amp) and my Darkvoice 332 headphone amp is quite a change with the HD650s. Not so much with the D2000s though, as they're only 25 Ohms, they hardly benefited from an amp. D2000s do need a good source though. Switching from my computers onboard sound to my EMU 0202 produced a similar improvement to the HD650s amped vs unamped.

[scorpuk]

I understand now about mp3, but I do want high quality for listening to HD movies on my computer: my computer has a X-Fi sound card so has better than onboard output.

When my computer is at home I have my Creative Gigaworks S750, which gives adequate sound output, but while at work I live in a flat and so cant have loud speakers and therefore need a good set of headphones when I watch an HD film (bluray or HD-DVD), or listen to music.


Should I still go for one of these or is there something else I should be looking at?

[Scottyyy]

Originally Posted by scorpuk

I understand now about mp3, but I do want high quality for listening to HD movies on my computer: my computer has a X-Fi sound card so has better than onboard output.

When my computer is at home I have my Creative Gigaworks S750, which gives adequate sound output, but while at work I live in a flat and so cant have loud speakers and therefore need a good set of headphones when I watch an HD film (bluray or HD-DVD), or listen to music.


Should I still go for one of these or is there something else I should be looking at?

Straight out of your X-Fi, I wouldn't even consider the HD650s.

D2000s would still be good though. Probably the best in the price range for unamped headphones.

[audionewb]

hmm, if the s750's(i own those) give you adequate sound then you do not need nowhere as expensive earphones as the S750's are pretty bad for music, great for games though and will not need that great audio equipment to be surpassed IMO.