Denon AH-D5000 Reference Headphones

Please note: this is a re-post of my original review from 2007.

This is the link to Denon’s website, if you read Japanese:

http://www.denon.co.jp/company/relea...2000_1000.html

I bought the D5000’s from Pricejapan.com for $553 shipped via DHL express. I received them within one week of order. Some immediate things I noticed:

1.They are perhaps the most comfortable headphone I have ever worn. I always thought Beyerdynamic headphones were unbeatable in this regard. The Beyers are supremely comfortable, but they clamp a little more, and are a little heavier, than the Denons. Note that I don't find leather "hot" like some people, though, and all my Beyers have leather pads.

2.While these are closed, the seal is not too good, but it isn't sensitive to placement in the ear. The way the earpads are there is really only one way for it to go over the ear, unlike a Beyer or AKG headphone where it surrounds the ear so much that it can be slid back and forth quite a bit, which does effect balance. They do not isolate as well as the 06 DT770's – a notable amount less. They are certainly not going to bother anyone next to you, but they do not block out tons of external sound.

3.They are very light, and they are much smaller in depth than the JVC DX1000 (but about the same diameter).

4.These don't do well un-amped. I know the specs say 25 ohm and 106db sensitivity, but to get the same volume level as an 80 ohm Darth Beyer required 30% more crank from my Meier Opera.

5.The cable is not microphonic at all, unlike the JVC DX1000 where the cable transmits quite a bit of noise to the headphone.

6.The driver sits VERY close to the ear, which undoubtedly has a lot to do with why there is a somewhat forward presentation.

7.The wood is very pretty, but not the most beautiful I have ever seen. It's most like Wenge - very dark brown wood with very little red in it. Pics below. The leather earpads and headband are awesome and very supple. Again, easily the most comfortable headphone I have ever worn.

Pictures:




Sound Quality

Overall, they sound very, very good. Very open mids, deep, well defined bass, and clear, clean, treble. This is not to say they are the best thing I have ever heard, but they are easily worth $500.

The highs are smooth, and there is quite a bit of treble energy - well extended and nicely detailed. I would not describe it as bright, but it isn’t laid back in the treble, either, though. It suits the overall response well. The treble is also quite transparent, which gives it a very open, natural quality.

Midrange is just slightly on the forward side of neutral, but highly transparent, and not edgy at all. The midrange is very alluring. I normally prefer a more relaxed midrange presentation, but because the Denons have powerful bass, the slightly forward mids do not make them annoying. There is enough bass power to balance the slightly forward midrange, and the transparency of the midrange make it very engaging. There is no glare, harshness or grain.

The D5000s have robust, powerful bass. They are headphones that a bass lover (like me) can really enjoy. The bass is not as strong as the older DT770’s, but on par with the new ones, and a little better in quality. Bass articulation, definition, and attack are very good, and way above average. It does bass very well, since the quantity is plentiful, and the quality of that robust bass is VERY good.

For soundstage...the D5000 has a slightly smaller soundstage than any of my Beyer headphones. It is less wide and less deep. However, image specificity is excellent - maybe a little better than any of my Beyer headphones. So there is a bit of a trade-off there.

I have listened to the Denons on a variety of headphone amps: Meier Audio Opera, Aria, HA-2 II/SE, and Singlepower PPX3, and ASL OTL mk III. I liked the Denons best on the Opera and Singlepower. I like a warm sounding headphone, and on the HA-2 and Aria I wanted just a little more warmth. The PPX3 did the trick for sure, and I swear everything seems to sound its best on the Opera .

Comparisons



For obvious reasons, I did some extensive comparisons to the JVC DX1000. These are both excellent headphones. The JVC has the deepest bass I have ever heard from a headphone, and the Denon didn't best it there. The Denon's bass is a little more robust overall, and both have among the very best in terms of bass articulation, definition, and speed for cans with a good amount of bass.

The Denon, to me, has the more natural midrange. It really excels here. The JVC always had just a slight nasal coloration to the midrange that keeps it from being a very top tier can. The Denon has no such coloration. It probably has the most neutral midrange of any headphone I own, right up there with the DT880 and the K701's mids.

The treble is a toss up, and neither is perfect. The JVC lacks the last little bit of extension and air, but the Denon may have just a tiny bit of extra sparkle. This may disappear with even more break in. Both have excellent treble overall, however.

The Denon images better. The soundstage is about the same width and depth, and image specificity is better. But again, both are very good.

The Denons are also more comfortable, although the JVC's are just fine. But I put the Denon's on my 8 year old son's head, and the first thing he said was "these are so comfy"! They really are. It's hard to imagine how a headphone could be more comfortable than the D5000.

I like both of the Japanese woodies a lot, and initially I thought I liked the D5000 better.  However, over time, I changed my mind about the JVC's mids, and the Denon's imaging. The DX1000's mids are a slight bit unique, but in the end they have an incredibly musical presentation. And the JVC's imaging is more holographic than the D5000. In the end, I ended up preferring the DX1000, so much that I eventually sold the D5000 (which I then replaced with the D7000!).

I compared the D5000 to the DT880/600, using the ASL MG-Head OTL mkIII. These headphones sound more similar than the D5000 and the Darth Beyers do, or even JVC DX1000's do. The Denons have more bass output, and a slightly more forward midrange than the DT880. The DT880's sound a little smoother, have a slightly more refined treble, and have a better overall soundstage. I slightly prefer the DT880’s treble and midrange, and I prefer the bass of the Denon. But they are very close.

I further compared the D5000 to the DT990. The tonal quality is very different of course. The Denon has slightly forward mids, and the DT990 slightly recessed. This gives the DT990 the feeling of having both more bass and treble, of course. I think that the Denon's mids are just forward of neutral. The DT990's are just recessed of neutral. So they sound pretty different. But anyone who wants a headphone with punchy bass but more forward mids than the DT990 has would do well with the Denon. The articulation of bass on the Denon and DT990 are fairly comparable, with the Denon maybe having a slight edge.

Finally, I also compared to the Headphile Darth Beyers, and the Denons are pretty different sounding. The Denons have excellent bass, but less midbass than the DB's. The Denons have a more neutral midrange, though, and are the more "accurate" headphone overall. They also have more detail. It's very difficult for me to say which I like better. The Denons are the first headphone I have ever had that had a really neutral midrange and detailed treble but still had enough bass for me, and that's why I am pretty enamored with them. I like them for the same reasons I like the 2006 DT990's so much. But the Denons ate the far superior headphone.  While the Darth Beyers are wonderful for a “relaxed listen”, that I still prefer them in some respects, the D5000 are better across the board. 

So, to sum up, the AH-D5000 is a very high quality headphone with some outstanding qualities, and is a great listen. It will appeal to a large number of music lovers, and is very fairly, even attractively, priced. Well done, Denon!

I purchased these from a fellow head-fier a week ago, and just got these in today. I got home at 3:30PM eastern time, and it's now 8:30 and apart from grabbing a quick dinner upstairs, these headphones have been glued to my head all day. I'd like to think I can give a fairly good review of what I've experienced so far.

Firstly, ergonomics: These headphones are comfortable as all hell. Coming from a pair of Grado SR80i's, comfort is a huge issue in the forefront of my mind. Whereas the Grados with stock pads would tire me out after maybe an hour of listening, these have nearly no clamping effect, and the pads sit comfortably like a big pillow against the sides of my head. Very comfortable. I notice very little sweating effect, either, which I was really concerned about with the fake leather pads. The long cable that comes with these headphones is both a boon and an issue at times. It's great for sitting down listening to my record player, which is about 5-feet away from my computer desk. Gives me plenty of room to not have to worry about accidentally yanking the plug out or damaging something. However, it also feels like I'm going to be rolling over it with my desk chair sometimes.

As for aesthetics: these headphones are sleek. The fake leather headband and pads are sleek and refined, coupled with brushed-metal accents on the headphone band and the great wooden cups. These look like 400 dollars well spent, which I would not be able to say if I had bought the Grado 325i's, for example.

Next, I'd like to talk about what I've experienced so far with sound quality:

So far, I've listened to quite a wide variety of genres in the short time that I've owned these, and I think it's given me a well-rounded opinion of what music they are good for and what music they aren't so great at. I'd like to say up front that I don't feel like any of the music I listened to has sounded "bad" on these headphones. There were a few that did sound like they fit better when listened through the Grado sr80i's that I used as comparison.

The first thing I listened to was Glitch Mob's "Drink the Sea" album on vinyl. Quite to my surprise, the bass I experienced wasn't as overpowering as many people claimed it was on these cans. I found it to be mellow, but present, and very accurate. The highs were also very forward and clear. The highs were as clear as on my Grados. Contrary to what some found, I thought the mids didn't sound "recessed" but more that they sounded that way as a natural effect of creating a "rounder" listening experience. I felt like each sound was represented as it should have been in a natural setting.

Next up was "Rumours" on vinyl, by Fleetwood Mac. I can't begin to say how much this album blew me away on these. You can hear every nuance in Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing. You can hear every strum and every finger slide, and it comes through so richly and warmly that I just feel like I'm hearing every note for the first time. Stevie Nick's voice sounds amazing and really shows off the treble on these headphones beautifully.

I listened to Prodigy, and found the bass very accurate and very booming. Will have to try some more later.

I read in a review somewhere that these cans aren't good at classical music, but I'm listening to Mozart's Requiem through my hisoundaudio Rocoo P right now and I find the sound to be very rich and detailed. The sound stage is excellent and the bass really enhances everything in a way that the Grados could never accomplish. Hearing the cellos and basses to the bottom of their ranges really enhances the feeling of "being there."

My experience with headphones is limited, and I'm by far no expert on the subject, but I find these headphones to give a very rich experience. The only genre I found them to be just "okay" for was listening to punk. I'll have to give this further investigation, but at first glance I seemed to prefer the Grados for their clarifying effect on punk vocals and the fast-paced attack of everything.

Personally, these were absolutely worth the price. Hopefully others will find this helpful and since they are now discontinued, prices will help bring more into the fold of these excellent headphones.

No complaints for this price. 

I purchased the Denon from Amazon in February 2012 for $465 and, of course, the price went down the next week. Regardless, this my first set of higher end headphones and they represent a very good value. After listening to them I can fully appreciate the difference between headphones in the $100-$300 range and the quality you get when paying $400 or more. It is well worth the difference. The analysis of the specific nature of sound reproduction of the D5000 is better stated elsewhere. If you are like me, you may have several headphones. I kept thinking there was a perfect pair of headphones in the $200 range. The message here is invest the money you would have spent on 4 pairs in the $100-$300 range, and buy the Denons. Absolutely wonderful.