New DENON "Music Maniac" & "Urban Raver" Lines: D7100, D600, D400 & C300 Appreciation Thread - Page 67

somebody mod the D600 already, lets see what we can get out of them. I suspect room for improvement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiR3D 

somebody mod the D600 already, lets see what we can get out of them. I suspect room for improvement.

I too suspect there's room for improvement; moreover, I suspect there's room for fairly big improvement--that's just a gut feeling though.  If someone could figure out a way to eliminate the odd and often obnoxious resonance in the sub bass area, I think these headphones would have a good shot at distinguishing themselves at their price point. But i gotta say, the market is becoming rather crowded with headphones in the $300 to $500 dollar price bracket, and as the headphone market matures, I suspect that consumers will become less forgiving of these types of problems. 

I'm keeping the D600's. I really like them--don't think otherwise! They do so much right (I can't stress that enough), but I also can't help but think that Denon cut corners with the D600, and probably with the D7100 too. More specifically, I suspect the problems I hear with the D600 (bass resonance and restricted soundstage) have a lot to do with its plastic headphone chambers.  That's just another gut suspicion though, so please, take all this with a grain of salt.  In the end, I guess it'll be up to you wily and sophisticated modders out there to demonstrate what these headphones are truly capable of. I patiently await your counsel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madmollusk 

 

I too suspect there's room for improvement; moreover, I suspect there's room for fairly big improvement--that's just a gut feeling though.  If someone could figure out a way to eliminate the odd and often obnoxious resonance in the sub bass area, I think these headphones would have a good shot at distinguishing themselves at their price point. But i gotta say, the market is becoming rather crowded with headphones in the $300 to $500 dollar price bracket, and as the headphone market matures, I suspect that consumers will become less forgiving of these types of problems. 

 

I'm keeping the D600's. I really like them--don't think otherwise! They do so much right (I can't stress that enough), but I also can't help but think that Denon cut corners with the D600, and probably with the D7100 too. More specifically, I suspect the problems I hear with the D600 (bass resonance and restricted soundstage) have a lot to do with its plastic headphone chambers.  That's just another gut suspicion though, so please, take all this with a grain of salt.  In the end, I guess it'll be up to you wily and sophisticated modders out there to demonstrate what these headphones are truly capable of. I patiently await your counsel.

I also like the D600 very much, but ended up returning mine due, in large part, to bass issues.  It's really a shame that a $400+ headphone should even need or benefit greatly from modding.  As you said, there is a flood of competition coming as soon as the next few weeks in this particular mid-range, closed circumaural headphone market from V-Moda, Sennheiser, AKG, Yamaha, Sony and probably others I am missing. I am expecting more than one of these to get it right out of the box as we should expect for this type of investment.

Just sitting here thinking of an LA600. That could be ... interesting.

I added some dynamat to the inside cups and noticed no appreciable change in sound or isolation amount (my main goal). I could add quite a bit more ala the LA mods. Sound leaks in from the ear pad area is my guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim3320070 

I added some dynamat to the inside cups and noticed no appreciable change in sound or isolation amount (my main goal). I could add quite a bit more ala the LA mods. Sound leaks in from the ear pad area is my guess.

isolation won't change, it leaks from the gap where the cups attach to the magnesium frame. you can try cover it up... I wouldn't 

Quote:

Originally Posted by noxa 

Looking forward to your findings Hawk

Have had the Denons for about 5 days, with about 40hours on them(been burning them in, so music has been playing for almost every minute since I've had them). Some preliminary thoughts based on what I've found out so far. The D600 has more recessed mids than the HE 400 or even the D5000. Highs on the D600 are harsher than the D5000 and the HE 400. Bass is definitely more than the HE 400 in terms of quantity but the quality of bass on the HE 400 is superior(in fact bass quality of the HE 400 is superior to that of the D5000 too in my opinion). The biggest problem with this headphone lies in the bass region for me, there just isn't a good balance to the amount of mid/upper bass to the amount of sub bass. There is plenty of mid/upper bass(maybe even more than the d5000, atleast as much as it), and much less sub bass. The D5000 has a much better balance of sub bass and mid/upper bass. Same goes for the HE 400, the amount of sub bass and mid/upper bass is balanced, unlike the D600. These have a brighter sound signature when compared to the D5000's much warmer and lusher sound signature. Compared to the HE 400 the D600 is harsher in treble region, with more bass and recessed mids.

But others have said Bass gets better with some burn in, i only have about 40hours on them, So i am gonna burn them in for atleast 100 hours before I form a final impression.

EDIT : I originally felt the treble was harsh, I dont why I thought that, the treble is not harsh at all but it is very thin. I still prefer the treble of the D5ks

I agree the sub bass is this headphone's weak point (in particular compared to D5000/7000) but I feel the treble is anything but harsh so maybe give it more time.

Last night I decided to compare the D600 with something other than the D2000, so I pulled out my travel headphones, the Audio-Technica ath-esw9. What I heard sort of shocked me: the esw9 had  better resolution, better balance, a bigger soundstage, more treble (in a good way), tighter bass, and a more articulate midrange; the only area the D600 sonically prevailed was with bass slam and depth. I knew instantly I had to return the D600 to Amazon. I say this with sadness though; I genuinely wanted to love the D600, but if a headphone that costs half its price can outperform them in almost every category (subjectively speaking), then I can no longer justify/rationalize my purchase. (I regret reporting this on the appreciation thread.) So I'm back in the market for a full-sized, closed pair of cans. 

Seems like Denon messed up big time with those new headphones sound quality wise FWIR. I was really insteresed in the D7100 too since I have the D7000, but the price at authorized dealers is too high right now, and I don't think it will go down anytime soon. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim3320070 

I agree the sub bass is this headphone's weak point (in particular compared to D5000/7000) but I feel the treble is anything but harsh so maybe give it more time.

Not saying treble is harsh or fatiguing, just meant it was more so compared to the D5000, maybe it seems like that cause of the recessed mids(in comparison to the D5000)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madmollusk 

Last night I decided to compare the D600 with something other than the D2000, so I pulled out my travel headphones, the Audio-Technica ath-esw9. What I heard sort of shocked me: the esw9 had  better resolution, better balance, a bigger soundstage, more treble (in a good way), tighter bass, and a more articulate midrange; the only area the D600 sonically prevailed was with bass slam and depth. I knew instantly I had to return the D600 to Amazon. I say this with sadness though; I genuinely wanted to love the D600, but if a headphone that costs half its price can outperform them in almost every category (subjectively speaking), then I can no longer justify/rationalize my purchase. (I regret reporting this on the appreciation thread.) So I'm back in the market for a full-sized, closed pair of cans. 

wow...wat are u listening thru on the esw9...i did enjoy this can...but never tot it was that clear. :P

This gotta be the last nail on the box on the d600..geez.

.

I really didn't want to say anything negative about the d600; in fact, I feel really bummed out about having to reverse my original opinion, which was fairly favorable. (And keep in mind, these are just my very subjective opinions--I'm not a golden-eared audiophile, so please take everything I say with a big grain of salt.) But after A/Bing these phones, I felt utterly deflated by the comparison.  Just to be crystal clear though: the esw9 didn't blow away the d600 by any stretch of the imagination, and some of the differences were subtle enough. But after two hours of comparing these headphones, I had no doubt--the esw9 (which I acquired for less than 200usd) delivered more upper-range detail, a cleaner mid-range and tighter bass to boot. (The D600 wins big time in the bass slam department, and may also be the most comfortable headphone ever made). Only now do I truly accept and understand what Tyll meant when he wrote, "the highest treble octave seems to have gone missing." If this experience has taught me anything, it's this: Trust Tyll.