Denon AH-D600

 

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I went into a local business that had these on display, and after trying them I decided I enjoyed them more than enough to get them . . . assuming I could get them substantially under MSRP which I did.  Let's get started on the good, the bad, and ugly.

 

Good:

 

Very easy to drive, you won't need an absurdly powerful amp to drive these and get the best they offer.  The bass is strong and punchy while avoiding one note syndrome, listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers with these is an absolute joy.  I've found these place emphasis on the bass, but tend to avoid messing up the mid-bass drastically leaving vocals mostly unaffected for music I've played with it.  Of course electronic and metal has also benefited from this.  One would expect the treble to suffer, but it's one of the first cans that I've found with an enjoyable sparkle that is non-fatiguing.  The treble strikes me as more present than my K702s.

 

Build quality seems reasonable.  The cable is removable which is always a good sign.

 

The style is very modern.  It will obviously resemble Beats some, but the leather pad stitching and white accents adds very distinctive flair.

 

Very comfortable, especially for those with large heads.  I have a XXL head according to my hat size, and I'm only a couple notches or so out on each side.

 

Bad:

 

On sound I discussed the bass and treble some.  With how the headphones are tuned it seems to thrown the balance off some.  While separation is good and everything still sounds coherent, the mid-range tends to sound smooth without any emphasis in its own right.  Depending on what you tend to focus on when you listen to music, the bass and treble may come off as merely distracting from the rest.  I feel it captures a more "live" sound for what it's worth - but it's worth watching for.

 

The weight of these cans can take getting used to.  I have a pair of Monitor 10's at this time, and the weight is around that territory.  For a plastic can this comes off as unexpected, but it seems that the weight was increased to help increase reliability all around.

 

Not particularly portable, the size of the cans and the above pretty much shows why.

 

Ugly:

 

Those with small heads likely need not apply.  This can seems to be distinctively made for those with medium to XXL heads.

 

MSRP too high for regular purchase.  The D5K justified its price a bit more due to its reference qualities, as a fun can this justifies about ~60% its asking price.  I'd only purchase this after having experience with real reference cans and knowing exactly what you're looking for and enjoy in a "fun" can.

Bought these used off the FS forums. I had been interested in these since release, but due to negative reviews did not think it was worth pulling the trigger when they sold for $500. At the price I purchased them at, I am quite happy with them. So long as you know what you're getting, I believe the D600 is a headphone that pleases.

 

The lower end has a very significant hump that can sound exceptional with certain recordings. I've heard details in the bass on certain songs that I never heard before because it is so audible on the D600s compared to the rest of the frequency range. It also makes you want to groove when you listen to dance-ish songs. You can definitely put these on your to-buy list if you enjoy a good time with a colored sound and a bumped bass. Do not expect strings to sound sweet and rich - midrange/upper mids seem to be somewhat lacking on these headphones. They sound significantly further in the background on recordings than more neutral headphones like the Paradox present violins/violas/etc. Female vocals sound natural but slightly recessed.

 

They may not be power hungry, but respond very favorably to amplification. I find that driving them out of the Cowon J3 alone delivers a somewhat lacking sound. Adding a PA2V2 seemed to help tremendously. Classical, orchestral and a capella recordings are not unlistenable, but definitely are not a strength. They are significantly heavier than I had expected them to be from pictures! However, comfort is excellent so long as your ears don't get heated. Denon includes a 3 button cable that is clearly intended for use on the go, but I honestly doubt you'll want to take them outside for a walk. If not because of the heat (sweaty ears are a blechy sitaution!), the weight alone will dissuade all but the most masochistic of headphone fans.

 

Probably the most interesting thing is how favorably the average music listener respond to these. I've given them to three coworkers of me, two males (Beats and Klipsch Image One users) who are absolutely bassheads with metal and rap, and a female who enjoys kpop. All three were thoroughly impressed by the D600 when I let them listen to them. Both males expressed an interest in purchasing a pair at the price I paid for them. The female, despite having listened to headphones I've brought to her such as the HD 800, the Paradox, and the LCD-2, believed these to be her favorite pair and the one with the best sound.

 

Overall, a reasonable purchase for bass lovers everywhere! If you have a chance to listen to them, do give it a go. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

EDITED!

Picked these up for a special price after listening in store and liking what I heard very much. A clear, clean sound with a really fun bass response. A very different sound compared to my HD 800 and I liked the idea of a headphone that made you tap your feet.

First of all the Denon D600 is an extremely comfortable headphone. The pressure on the head is spot-on for a closed can and the well shaped, memory-foam earpads feel wonderful. Only a slight headband pressure and heat issues usually present with closed headphones keep them under a solid 5 on that one.

This is a fast, clear sounding headphone. They sound open and airy for a closed can, which I feel is their main accomplishment. The bass is very powerful and very well extended. It's not extremely tight though, compared to better (and some cheaper) headphones. It has a wobbling nature too it, which I think is because of a resonance in the upper bass. The bass - midrange transition sounds natural though (usually), unlike the flagship D7100.

The treble is a bit uneven. The lower treble is a bit recessed and the higher up they are a bit bright and sparkling. The treble doesn't sound muddy, closed in or piercing - which i absolutely hate. These seem to be tuned to moden music genres with what I hear as a U-shaped response.

It's a fun, vivid sound, but I can sometimes feel the midrange is slightly low in level compared to the somewhat bright treble and earth-shattering low end. Deep vocals easily get to bassy and the sound is just not as coherent as the D2/5/7k. They do sound cleaner than the D2k and D5k, but they are not very accurate.

Compared to a cheaper headphone, the Sennheiser Momentum (my current reference portable), the D600 midrange sounds thin and grainy in comparison. The midrange is also definitely thinner sounding than that of the D5000 and D7000.

This is a headphone for electronic music. While the bass is pretty well integrated into the midrange for a bass-heavy can (which I definitely think these are) and the speed and clarity of the sound are great, I do think you can get better for less money. $500 feels too much. Luckily, I paid significantly less than that, but I still feel my Momentum outperforms it in every way except for soundstage openness.

If anything these are fabulous movie watching cans thanks to the excellent comfort and deep, rumbling bass. If only the midrange could've been richer, the bass tighter and the treble a bit more balanced hey would make a great mid-range audiophile headphone as well, as I do think the clarity and speed are there. But as they are, I would rank them as a headphone for just rocking out, rather than for analytical listening. If you like your music slammin' without having to deal with a muddiness, they may be for you.

Oh and about the design? I'm not sure. They are not ugly headphones by any means but it's just impossible not to think of Beats or the Ludacris headphones hen you see the chassis, or the red storage box. On the plus side they feel solid (if somewhat plasticy) and look like they could take a fair amount of beating. I'm more and more liking the color-scheme and they do look cool on your head, even though they stick out a bit more than I would prefer.

The choice between a short, non-microphonic cable with remote and a longer, sturdier one for home use is a nice thing as well.

These do not need an amp, you can use them with a high-quality mobile source like the iPad or iPhone and not feel you're missing anything.