Updated audio setup!

[Wankerfx]

I know a lot of you guys don't pay attention to this stuff, but there surely has to be some interest on HWC. My current setup consists of:

FLAC files => Audio-gd Compass Amp/Dac [USB] => Denon D2000's or Grado 325i's

I'm totally enjoying my setup and have put countless hours on it! I may end up selling the Grado's and getting a set of Sennheiser HD650's though, so I can have a greater contrast in house sound between the two headphones. I had to sell my gaming machine to afford this stuff

[Bojamijams]

Thats quite a decent setup :)

The sennheisers I think will be a lot like your Denon's.. bass heavy with a veil... if the Grado 325's are too bright/harsh for you, then sell them and step down to the SR-225's.. those are the sweet mid point in that price range.. the smaller brother of the RS-1

It also depends on your music.. grado's are a godsend for classic rock, metal, any guitar driven genre..the Denon's will cover you for any bass driven music

Edit: Forgot to mention.. if you're on Head-Fi like it seems you are, you should REALLY look into doing the markl mod for your Denon's

[Wankerfx]

Originally Posted by Bojamijams

Thats quite a decent setup :)

The sennheisers I think will be a lot like your Denon's.. bass heavy with a veil... if the Grado 325's are too bright/harsh for you, then sell them and step down to the SR-225's.. those are the sweet mid point in that price range.. the smaller brother of the RS-1

It also depends on your music.. grado's are a godsend for classic rock, metal, any guitar driven genre..the Denon's will cover you for any bass driven music

Edit: Forgot to mention.. if you're on Head-Fi like it seems you are, you should REALLY look into doing the markl mod for your Denon's

From what I understand, the Sennheisers have a completely different sound signature in comparison to the Denon's. I don't find the 325i's bright/harsh/tiring, I just want to try something new . I find the SR225's are kind of boring compared to the 325i's, same with the RS2's; then again, I absolutely love treble! I already considered the Markl modification to the D2000's, but I like them the way they are, and don't want to risk killing them!

[Bojamijams]

You won't kill them and the mod is completely reversible.. well I suppose you can kill it if you're not careful because you will be opening them up but, well, you'd have to be pretty damn stupid and/or rough to damage them

The sennheiser has a slightly different signature but, its still a bass monster.. well not monster, but its got a lot of bass.. and its not overly controlled either unless its a tube amp which yours isn't... definetly try it out though, but I wouldn't go buying it without trying, unless you got some cash to play around..

Depending on how much you enjoy the D2000's (its sound signature) then the D5000 is something you should REALLY check out.. I mean really.. I've had both the D5000 and the MD5000 (markl modded D5000) .. both were an incredible experience with the MD5000 being even more so.. but I do know that the D2000 has a very crappy stock cable and its worth recabling it.. either with a D5000 table or an aftermarket one.. but then you're reaching the price of a D5000 if you sell your D2000 which is why I recommend that..

One can I would recommend is at audio technica ESW10JPN ... it was a limited production thats sold out now but you can find it on head-fi used for around $475-525 USD depending on condition.. and they are, without a doubt, the BEST portable headphones out there.. its not just my opinion, you'd be really hard pressed to find anyone to argue that.. but don't let the portable thing throw you off, thats a bonus..

My RS1 with the M3+S11 amp/power supply combo just barely.. and I mean BARELY sounds better then the ESW10JPN out of an ipod.. yeah thats right.. I said it.. because they're so efficient they don't need a dedicated amp to deliver their 'true' sound like .. well.. most other fullsize cans do.. they're gorgeous to look at even just as a house decoration and.. like I said.. portable so you can take it with you

I'll be soon selling my RS1 & M3+S11 combo as its worth about a $1000 but I get 99% of the enjoyment out of the ESW10JPN's and I can take them with me to boot.

[Wankerfx]

Originally Posted by Bojamijams

You won't kill them and the mod is completely reversible.. well I suppose you can kill it if you're not careful because you will be opening them up but, well, you'd have to be pretty damn stupid and/or rough to damage them

The sennheiser has a slightly different signature but, its still a bass monster.. well not monster, but its got a lot of bass.. and its not overly controlled either unless its a tube amp which yours isn't... definetly try it out though, but I wouldn't go buying it without trying, unless you got some cash to play around..

Depending on how much you enjoy the D2000's (its sound signature) then the D5000 is something you should REALLY check out.. I mean really.. I've had both the D5000 and the MD5000 (markl modded D5000) .. both were an incredible experience with the MD5000 being even more so.. but I do know that the D2000 has a very crappy stock cable and its worth recabling it.. either with a D5000 table or an aftermarket one.. but then you're reaching the price of a D5000 if you sell your D2000 which is why I recommend that..

One can I would recommend is at audio technica ESW10JPN ... it was a limited production thats sold out now but you can find it on head-fi used for around $475-525 USD depending on condition.. and they are, without a doubt, the BEST portable headphones out there.. its not just my opinion, you'd be really hard pressed to find anyone to argue that.. but don't let the portable thing throw you off, thats a bonus..

My RS1 with the M3+S11 amp/power supply combo just barely.. and I mean BARELY sounds better then the ESW10JPN out of an ipod.. yeah thats right.. I said it.. because they're so efficient they don't need a dedicated amp to deliver their 'true' sound like .. well.. most other fullsize cans do.. they're gorgeous to look at even just as a house decoration and.. like I said.. portable so you can take it with you

I'll be soon selling my RS1 & M3+S11 combo as its worth about a $1000 but I get 99% of the enjoyment out of the ESW10JPN's and I can take them with me to boot.

Ah, I may give the Markl mod a try then. I know the stock cable on the D2000's ispretty bad, but I doubt I'll be doing a recable unless I get one for free . At this point, I'm only selling and trading the stuff I already have so that I can upgrade, and I won't be spending anymore money [can't afford it because of school]. From what I understand, the only difference between the D2000's and D5000's are the cable and the wood cups, so you're right about going with that instead of a recable, as the price is only $100.00 USD more.

Wow, I'm going to have to give the ESW10JPN's a try. I'm going to Canjam next year, hopefully they'll be available to audition. The RS1 and M3/S11 combination must be awesome, I'm sure you're going to have a very happy buyer

[Wankerfx]

Bump for those who are interested.

[Empty_Quarter]

wow, those ESW10s look damn sexy!

Nice setup wanker

I am totally getting the D5000s as my next pair, I can't wait to get it :D

[Wankerfx]

Originally Posted by Empty_Quarter

wow, those ESW10s look damn sexy!

Nice setup wanker

I am totally getting the D5000s as my next pair, I can't wait to get it :D

The D5000's are pretty good. If you can find them used for ~$300.00USD, then go for it. It's basically a D2000 with an upgraded cable, and wooden cups [custom wood cups run you up ~$150.00USD+].

[Empty_Quarter]

So do you think that the upgraded cup and cable justifies the jump from the D2000 to D5000? I basically looking for a set of cans that is a significant upgrade to what I currently have (DT770/AD700/HD555), and the D5000s is probably the only headphones ~$500 new that seems to suite my musical taste (electronic). My other option really is just the HD650, but it seems the D5000 wins in terms of comfort and isolates sound since its closed.

[Wankerfx]

Originally Posted by Empty_Quarter

So do you think that the upgraded cup and cable justifies the jump from the D2000 to D5000? I basically looking for a set of cans that is a significant upgrade to what I currently have (DT770/AD700/HD555), and the D5000s is probably the only headphones ~$500 new that seems to suite my musical taste (electronic). My other option really is just the HD650, but it seems the D5000 wins in terms of comfort and isolates sound since its closed.

It really depends on the rest of your setup. Do you have an amp and/or a DAC? The HD650's are really picky with the rest of the equipment used, so you'd probably be better off going with the Denon's. In my opinion, I'd sell all your current headphones, and pick up the D2000's along with an Audio-GD Compass Amp/DAC like the one in my first post. You can get the D2000's for $200.00 USD shipped [used, but in perfect condition unless stated otherwise - www.head-fi.org], and the Compass for $380.00 USD shipped new [н¨ÍøÒ³ 1]. This totals you up to $580.00 USD, ~$670.00 CAD for a wicked audio setup. I'd say that the extra $170.00 you put on top of the MSRP price of the D5000's is totally worth it, because you'll have a WAY better experience when the D2000/D5000 drivers are amped.

I enjoy listening to LOADS of genres with my D2000's, and I couldn't be happier with my configuration. I might be selling off the 325i's in a few weeks to test out some Sennheisers with my gear. The D2000's are exceptional with electronic music, and I find that they're a good all-around set of cans. Let me know if you have anymore questions!

[Empty_Quarter]

I do not have an amp at this moment, however of course, with an HD650/D5000 or even D2000, I would have to get one. Since all of my current headphones are all below the 'amp required' league (I did that way purposely, couldn't afford a good amp :P), I don't have much knowledge in this matter. I am currently reading through head-fi nowadays to see what amp will best suite the D5000. I will probably be looking at a tube amp likely from wooaudio, they sound warm and are fantastic from what I hear, granted, I need to do more reading.

[Wankerfx]

Originally Posted by Empty_Quarter

I do not have an amp at this moment, however of course, with an HD650/D5000 or even D2000, I would have to get one. Since all of my current headphones are all below the 'amp required' league (I did that way purposely, couldn't afford a good amp :P), I don't have much knowledge in this matter. I am currently reading through head-fi nowadays to see what amp will best suite the D5000. I will probably be looking at a tube amp likely from wooaudio, they sound warm and are fantastic from what I hear, granted, I need to do more reading.

Ah yes, a tube amp would be good for the Denon's, but don't restrict yourself to them. A lot of people have had good experiences with Audio-GD equipment and Denon's, including myself. Either way, just go with your gut, people can't really tell you what you'll like or dislike, because audio is extremely subjective.