Denon AH P372, exquisite budget portables
Pros: good instrumental separation, punchy bass, clear highs, prominent mid range, good looking, small, portables
Cons: bad quality accessories, tight fit, strong clamping force, plastics noises
Smallest Denon around, also a very good looking can. The folding mechanism is similar to the ATH FC700 but an extra hinge in the headband makes the Denon to fold into an even smaller package.
Specs:
Type: Dynamic
Driver Diameter: 38mm
Frequency Response: 10 ~ 22,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW
Max. power input: 1000 mW
Impedance: 35 Ohms
Cable: 0.5 m + 0.8 m extension DAP end is straight plug.
Weight: 140 g
Connector: 3.5mm mini-stereo straight.
Build and look:
When I first got my hand on these all I could thought was "oh my! what a gook looking bastard".
On further inspection I notice the plastic, is all plastic (except two screws in each hinge), which wouldn't be a problem but it doesn't feel like the good kind of plastic, feels flimsy and cheap, the kind of toasted plastic that breaks. and sometimes I can hear the plastic cracking when i have them on, Although they can be fixed with a combination of earcup positioning and headband adjusting, meaning: adjusting it to a tighter fit. But then it clamps too hard.
The headband is only plastic, the padding is on the top sides of it, which as you will read later is a comfort issue.
The earpads are soft vinyl and the stuffing is just the right amount. the pads fits tight in the cups, not so ear to remove but not hard to do so either.
As for the cable, from plug to headphones is extremely thin and its never straight, memory character.
Accessories:
Cable extension: The cable isn't much better quality here, it has a lot of memory character and feels flimsy. 0.8 meters, straight plug end.
Bag: small bag just enough for the P372 themselves and the cable extension, my clip+ fits there but i wouldnt bet an ipod nano will fit. (my zune8 was too tight inside). the bag is made from a light cloth and feels cheap, if I place it between me and the screen, I can see the light trough.
Comfort:
The clamp is strong, presses my ear in a bizarre way, from the bottom part, or the upper if i fix the headband to make it more tight, the padding on the headband is totally useless, these rest over your head with the middle part of it, which have no padding, my guess is because of the way it folds. Lucky me I have enough hair and it doesn't bothers me... but because of the clamp, I cant stand the AH-P372 for more than one hour on my head, Honestly, and speaking about comfort only, I feel some sort of relief when taking them off, however the fit has been improving by use, after 2 months is rather better, but still cant stand them for more than one hours.
Sound:
Well, here is where the AH-P372 shines. At first listen I couldn't help notice a prominent mid range with some sort of echoing or reverberation, but as they break in and/or I got used to it, I started noticing the qualities of its sound.
Highs are very clear and, I dare to say, same or more clear than my AKG K240's but lesser in quantity, with some sorts of music. because that is one thing about the AH-P372, they can shine easily with some genres but fail at others.
The one thing different about these is their mid range, specially the mid-highs. it is aggressive and clear, but also very articulate, easy to differentiate the instruments and goes extremely well with some voices, specially the hi-pitched metal-like singers (see the musical references), they also do well in instrumental complex music, that reverberation turns out to be killer for some guitar solos!, also does incredibly with piano and keyboards. sadly they get in the way when listening to calm, simplistic or minimalist tunes, and gives them a rare flavor, this mid range is a hit or miss and will depend entirely of the listener, for me, definitely a hit on some genres.
Now with the bass, most of the main words used to describe the mids would also apply here, clear and articulate, nothing bloated, but not light either, not a dark signature. something that stands up if the punch: strong, tight and sturdy. This goes incredible well with instrumental fast complex music, ie: instrumental metal/progressive metal.
All in all, a sound that grew on me for the best. very nice details and clarity for the price range, with a remarkable mid range that does wonders with my favorite genres. not the most friendly sound though. overall a hit or miss.
The AH-P372 is very loud, they dont lose clarity at higher volumes and is one of those headphones in which is hard to tell if you are listening at too high volume, until you take them off and get that feeling of "oh man, it was too loud".
