You have a good memory, Chong! Derek Nimmo lived next door as well but you may not know him.
I've been on the hunt for a good closed back for ages but have been very unsuccessful. They usually end up being too boomy, bass heavy or just plain crap. That coupled to being uncomfortable.Me too, Chris. The best of the bunch for me has been the HD250II. Closed headphones seem to be a difficult area for listeners.
The Denon is still very new and not run in but I couldn't be bothered to wait this time. I'm listening as it wears in!!
What attracted me in the shop was firstly, the sheer comfort of the headphone. It's like having a pillow on your head.
Secondly, not the FR in the shop. (That was awful) but the amount of detail that I could hear. I think it's because I use headphones to hear details that I'd be more swayed by that than just tonal balance, I guess.
Once the manager owned up to skewing the response I realised that they were only reflecting exactly what he had done and extremely accurately too because he said that what I described was what he'd done on the equaliser.
So for the 'nasty' headphones like the Dre's, that was fine .... the added treble cleaned them up and the big boost in extremely low bass compensated for the fact that many headphones have a big mid bass so they sound big but not much very low down so boosting that end actually kind of helped them. (Which it did)
However, the Denons produce a healthy bass already and they go down a long way. (You can hear it) So if you boost the very lower parts of the bass, the Denon plays it ruthlessly and the boosted treble was over the top for them.
The manager was really surprised how accurately I described his tweaking but that's because I'm used to a fairly flat sounding K601.
The sound of them is very detailed to say the least. It's almost like the music is etched out in front of you. Chris, you may not like the big, hearty bass. It is a big, generous sound and Frans was right in that it could be perceived as 'flabby' with time. My feeling is that it could go flabby on a poor set up.
That's what I found in the shop. The bass was rattling my jaws and was so low that I couldn't actually hear what note it was. Getting it home onto a familiar set up cleaned the bass up a lot although it's still big and fruity. It's as though a subtle sub-woofer is present, so you may not like that Chris.
However, double basses are sublime. That's how I hear them live. Not only do you hear the rumble that comes from them, but you also get the bow 'scrape' because of the excellent treble response on them. Double basses do sound right to me. Deep and stringy.
I'd say that the bass is addictive and it makes other headphones seem a little inadequate in the low region. Again, Frans was right about the AKG lacking the extreme lows. It is there, but way back in the mix on them. With the Denons, it's most definitely there and as loud as the other frequencies. The effect is that they sound really full bodied and enthusiastic. Like you are listening to a very large speaker in a room.
Treble extends high and again the quantity is more than the Senn HD650. More on a par with the DT990. The DT990 has a 'u' frequency response which you're not so aware of until you change headphone. It's not a bad thing though and many headphones are tailored like this. (DT770 is too) The Denon feels more as though every frequency is more 'equal'. (If that makes sense) It seems more colourful. If you pick out the bass, or the mids or the treble, you'd say that it has lots. However, other frequencies don't seem relatively recessed in order to produce 'lots'. It's just a colourful headphone.
You'd be tempted to say it has lots of bass. Lots of treble and strong mids. However, it's all in balance and each part of the spectrum isn't pushing one out in order to emphasise another. It's really weird, but it just sounds big and colourful.
Anyway, getting it home got rid of the awful EQ work that the manager had done and they gave me a big surprise if I'm honest. I was more interested in their detail but at home the tone ........ wow!! To me, they lit up when I got home. Normally, I find that the shop has eq'd the fluke out of headphones so they sound glitzy and colourful there and flat at home, but this time, it was the other way round.
That's why Frans didn't agree with my first description. I was describing a skewed sound in the shop!!
They seem to extend further up and down than a lot of other headphones so if it's there, they play it. If it's not there, they don't and I think that's why I feel that they 'etch' the music out moreso than anything else that I have. You feel as though something has been added so I kept going to the HD650 to compare. What I found was that the HD650 was in fact, reproducing what I was hearing but not as plainly and in yer face!!
So both produce very good detail but I'd say that the Denons etch it out more clearly than the HD650. The Beyer DT990 gives that clarity in the treble and is closer in sound sig until you realise that the Denons are going lower and harder. Because it goes lower, the overall balance seems more relaxed but still more colourful.
I keep using the word colourful because to me, that's how they sound. I'm hearing lots of bass cross rhythms in Shpongle stuff that I never realised were there. The Senns do reproduce it, but it's not as obvious. Also, hi hat work is plain and in yer face!!
Which is more accurate, I don't know. Frans could say but the Denons are the most entertaining headphone I've heard in a long time. I'd say that the Senns are skewed slowly downwards towards the top end, the Beyers are 'u' shaped and the Denons may have a 'u' curve at the extremes. I'm not sure yet.
However it's not just an 'accuracy' thing for me at home. It's an entertainment thing and these light up the music big time.
The bass may be too much for some. I'm quite happy with the sub-woofer type of bass on a headphone because that's what I get live but I know some don't like it in a headphone. To me, it's really not over the top and on an amp, it's controlled and spot on in terms of quantity. It reminds me of the DT770 but is much more tuned so you hear the bass notes much more clearly defined and it's way more refined sounding.
The more I listen to the Denon, the more I think it's worth the price. I wasn't sure at first and knew very little about them. I've never considered a Denon before and knew nothing about them until I heard this one. The detail in the sound was the first thing that attracted me and then I started to think about timbre which is unusual for me - I normally work from timbre first and then detail.
I'm lucky and clearly got a bargain, but now I've heard one, I think I would pay the normal price for them. (If it's £199) The old price of £299, I'm not sure ......... but then, I've always had a barrier of about £200 for most headphones. After that, I've often felt you're chasing your own tail for minutia. I guess my limit may have been raised to £300 by the Denons, which puts it in the Senn HD650 bracket.
To me, it's a combo of the HD650 and DT990 with extra extremes. The fruity bass of the Senn with more extension and the glittery treble of the DT990 with more to go. It seems bigger and wider and I haven't even mentioned the imaging yet, which is the best I've heard in any closed headphone.
If these were higher impedance, I'd use them at work. Way better than DT150.
Impressive is a good word to describe their sound and has really put Denon (or Foster) on my radar for headphones in a big way.
I agree that the Denon AH-D2000 is a slightly better sounding headphone with a more refined and properly articulate treble, but the Denons (D2000, D5000, and D7000) are far from sealed. I love recommending the D2000 to audio professionals because they are articulate and clear, but I always have to warn that they really don't seal very well...hardly at all, in fact.Tyll reckons the D2000 as well although he mentions that he doesn't include them in his recommended 'sealed' headphones because they don't attenuate as much as many sealed 'phones. That's true. They're kind of semi-sealed.
Tyll was comparing it with the K550 and reckoned the 2000 treble was more refined and the K550 bass was less 'loose'. So Chris, the K550 may suit you better perhaps?
Good looking headphones:
Large earcups:
Size comparison with HD650:
Those gorgeous pads:
These headphones snap into focus at low volume as well. Listening again this morning - they are a lovely headphone. They kind of eliminate the weaknesses that I feel are there with HD650 and Beyer DT990. I hope a new set of problems don't emerge!! I don't think so though - I can normally nail a headphone pretty fast.
A truly full bodied sounding headphone and more 'professional' sounding than many that call themselves 'pro'. They give a really good insight into the mix and produce excellent musical sounds too.
I think this is the first headphone I've heard that fulfills both the 'pro' quality of sound while also working well in a home environment. The biggest problem for 'pro' is the impedance which isn't a problem at home.
I was asked about recommending Fanny Wang headphones and I felt embarrassed. With these, I would most definitely recommend them as a top notch headphone.
Full bodied, rich sounding. Very 'open' sound sig with a slight 'leading edge' on treble attack. Not unpleasant because the treble is actually very refined. You can plainly hear harmonics emanating from bass guitar strings which gives the music a rich, live feel. You can hear the effort that is going into the playing and the headphone doesn't mask as the HD650 can. The bass is deep and fruity. Not overwhelming at all on an amp. It adds a musical richness to the sound of music that I've rarely heard on a headphone.
I know the next question - how does it compare to the Senn HD650? I don't want to say too much now because it's a new sound sig to me but Frans put it well when he was eyeing up both imo.
Who'd have thought a Denon (or Foster?) would have played music so well? I know that Denon amps are rather nice but imo, they hit jackpot with the AH-D2000. I'm getting very pleasant surprises on all kinds of genres that I'm running through it.
Two things I could criticise -
a) Some may feel the mids to be a bit low perhaps. I don't. I tried an equaliser to see and I don't like them raised but I've seen it mentioned now I've looked around.
b) The cable is substantial and cloth. A bit like the pythons that Mike doesn't like.
This is a seriously good headphone - I'm sure of it. The last time I got this 'good' feel was the V2. Once you hear that gorgeous rubber band bass, other headphones sound piss poor.
I've switched over to the Neco Mosfet and it still sounds great. I do wonder if 25 ohms is a bit low for a V2.
Of course it's my ears and my head!!! I don't think I want them to burn in.