Brief Denon AH-D7000 Review

[sweetben]

I've run my new pair of D7000's for about 30 or so hours and finally had a chance to sit down for a good long listen. Without a doubt these are my favorite headphones yet.

I've had a pair of Sennheiser HD650's, a pair of AKGK701's, and pair of Grado GS-1000's and i can say with conviction that the Denon's have come closet to recreating the experience of listening to a truly full range speaker. In fact I think they sound very similar to my old Dynaudio Focus 220's (but maybe go a tad deeper). The bass of the D7000's is, as i read some place, so deep and textural without being the slightest bit flabby. They also poses a very pleasing midrange and extended highs that don't seem overly harsh to me...just very detailed...in a fun way.

i've fed the Denon's with a PS Audio headphone amp connected via USB to my iMac. All the music is Apple Lossless. I've listened mostly to bands like Radiohead and Pink Floyd...with a healthy does of Kanye and El-p...the deep beats of hip hop and techno are super fun through these headphones.

So summing up, i really love the Denon's...in my opinon the Grado GS-1000's come in 2nd, i did like them a lot...but still the Denon's sound a bit better to me and are more comfortable to boot.

Thank you and goodnight.

[1Time]

Very nice review. Thank you. Please be sure to follow up with your impressions after considerably more burn in.

[Gu Sensei]

Thanks for chiming in sweetben. I hope more D7000 owners do so too.

I love them and am having trouble keeping them off my head. I agree with your assessment, especially about the full-range speaker description. That thought had already crossed my mind as well.

I am a very big fan of the GS1000 and could not imagine that they could be knocked off their perch as my 'Top Gun' but the Denons just may have done it. If I were asked to choose only one headphone to keep, I am pretty sure I would say the D7000 at this point.

[kool bubba ice]

Originally Posted by Gu Sensei

Thanks for chiming in sweetben. I hope more D7000 owners do so too.

I love them and am having trouble keeping them off my head. I agree with your assessment, especially about the full-range speaker description. That thought had already crossed my mind as well.

I am a very big fan of the GS1000 and could not imagine that they could be knocked off their perch as my 'Top Gun' but the Denons just may have done it. If I were asked to choose only one headphone to keep, I am pretty sure I would say the D7000 at this point.

Are these under retail? I'm going to be selling one of my HDTV's.. & Will either get the 7000 or the Audio purity amp or Headroom Ultra DAC.. I should have around 600 or so...

[Mecc]

I wonder what the street price is for the AH-D7000. A lot of places have "AHD7000" for about $500-600, but all these places are out of stock as far as I can tell. I'm hoping they show up on eBay for $500-600 so I can take advantage of ms cash back. Guess I'm going to be patient. I contacted some of the vendors just to check for availability. The ones without a lot of shady feedback...

I also have the GS1000 and I love them. The highs can be a bit harsh sometimes, but the rest is gravy. Sound stage, detail, comfort and fun. Makes the Senns HD650s sound bad. Dull, bloated, slow in comparison. I think I need more powa (waiting for my balanced cable).

I'd love to hear more in detail on why you guys prefer the the D7000 over the GS1000. Another phone I'm interested in is the JVC hp-dx1000, but not so much.

[WittyzTH]

Gu Sensei, how do you compare D7000 to ATH-L3000?

[jenneth]

Originally Posted by Mecc

I'd love to hear more in detail on why you guys prefer the the D7000 over the GS1000. Another phone I'm interested in is the JVC hp-dx1000, but not so much.

I, too, would be interested in hearing more about this.

[kevinvisionm]

does it worth the different between d5000 and d7000? how would you guys compare it to the edition 9?

[padam]

Originally Posted by kevinvisionm

does it worth the different between d5000 and d7000? how would you guys compare it to the edition 9?

Unless you are using a very expensive desktop amp and DAC, it doesn't worth it. Or you can buy a D2000 and upgrade the cable and the cups to wood later on and in the end you'll end up with something that is much better than the D7000.

[Sony_R10]

where did everyone buy your D7000?

[Gu Sensei]

Here are some quick responses...

vs GS1000
I love them both. They excel in similar areas but offer different presentations. The GS1000 is much more airy, slightly more detailed and brighter with a somewhat bigger soundstage. The Grado's sibilance is occasionally a distraction to me, depending on the music. There is no such distraction with the D7000s as they rarely display sibilance even with tracks that are almost unbearable with the GS1000. I have no plans to get rid of my Grados. It is is just if I could only have one, the D7000s are more versatile and handle poorly recorded material better.

vs L3000
I owned the L3000 for a period of time but do not have them to compare now. I look forward to reading what owners of both have to say. However, the L3000 bass is possibly the gold standard. It is very fast, detailed, controlled and hard-hitting. In comparison, the D7000 is somewhat less for all of those factors, but perhaps not by too much. Also, the D7000's is big and gorgeous. Magnificent seems an appropriate adjective that captures both of those qualities. Along these lines, the D7000 might just trump the L3000. Again, it is difficult to judge without them both side by side. However, I adore the D7000 bass and think this will quickly be considered one of the bass legends.

vs Ultrasone
I have never had the Ed9 but have heard it a bit at audio stores and do have the HFI-780. The 780 does have a slightly faster bass, but is outclassed in every other way. The bass of the 780 is good, fun and fast, but seems somewhat artificial and unusually emphasized. Against the Ed9, it could be a matter of preference, but I would be very surprised if I took them home and preferred them to the D7000.

vs. D5000
I owned the D5000 and liked them a lot. The bass was an occasional troublespot though. They share similar sound signatures, but the D7000 seems significantly superior to me in every possible way. I think the D5000 is a great headphone with a significant flaw in the bass. The D7000 regularly drops my jaw, has no significant flaws, and seems a few *minor* tweeks from being perfect for my tastes.

vs. Mods
I have never heard a modded Denon so I cant compare. It is difficult for me to believe that the typical damping and recabling would make up the difference that I hear. I do hope to have a chance to compare at some point. I am not ruling out the possibility of doing some modding in the future. I think the bass could be just a tad faster and restrained, but I am not completely sure either. It is spectacular as is and I might miss something if it is altered in any way. Considering Denon's track record, I am not exactly rushing to void my warrenty as well.

I am sure there will be some healthy debate about how the various stock and modded versions can be ranked. I do hope that fanboy-ism will be reserved enough to help others make informed decisions. :-)

I picked mine up in Japan, but they were having supply issues here as well.

I will try to get a full review up before too long.

[WittyzTH]

Thanks for your quick impression.

[Bostonears]

Originally Posted by padam

Or you can buy a D2000 and upgrade the cable and the cups to wood later on and in the end you'll end up with something that is much better than the D7000.

Have you directly compared the D7000 to D2000 with upgraded cable and wood cups?

[JayG]

I would just like to say thanks to Gu Sensei for providing concise, useful impressions. After reading so many of the reviews here, you would think that in the comparison of two high-end headphones, one must be incredible and the other must be terrible. In my experience, headphones of this caliber all have their strengths and weaknesses, and it does no good to claim that one does everything much better than the other (especially when the person talking hasn't even listened to one or both for much time, if at all - padam's comment would seem to be a good example of this if, as I suspect, he has not heard both).

Impressions like these, however, which point out what are the good and bad things about each pair of phones, from someone who owns or at least has real experience with all of the models discussed, are very refreshing.

Thanks again, and keep them coming as you listen more.

[padam]

Originally Posted by Bostonears

Have you directly compared the D7000 to D2000 with upgraded cable and wood cups?

No, I didn't. Sorry, you have a point there, but I'd also like to point out that there is a certain reason why the "D7000, the truth revealed" topic was removed (deleted) from the forums: Denon didn't like what was written in it. (it still available at Lawton Audio) Most of the reviews or impressions agree on one thing: it is a slightly improved D5000 at a much higher price (and still not made by Denon).