Denon AH D400 Unboxing and Review Thread!
Aug 8, 2012 at 11:32 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 82

Viper2005

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I got my Denon D400's today in Hong Kong for the nice price of $2380 HKD which is about $300 US.  I actually wasn't intending to be buying a set of headphones today but when I auditioned and saw the price I couldn't resist!
 
Initial impressions are very good, the bass has a 'kick' to them that tickle the eardrums.  Compared to the Sony XB-700, this phone has much faster bass that punches, but doesn't seem to go to the very lower octaves that the XB700's do. 
Highs seem very nice, no sibilance at all. Vocals are more forward than on the XB700's and slightly more laid back than on the D5000's. 
Midrange is definately recessed, but not as much as I would have expected for a bassy headphone such as this. 
 
The blue glow on the side is tacky, and there's no way to turn off the LED but you can dim it, there are 4 levels of brightness.  The right knob is turnable and clickable for control of the ipod/pad/phone, although it doesn't control my android phone :frowning2:
 
Comfort is great, the pads are very plush and the clamping force isn't too excessive, but then again I have a small head!  Isolation is also excellent.
 
Here are some unboxing photos, and I will do a short and amateur review once I burn these in for a few days.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
Aug 9, 2012 at 11:53 AM Post #2 of 82
Making a slight correction here, you *can* turn off the tacky LED lights with a quick press of the left button.
 
Aug 9, 2012 at 1:21 PM Post #3 of 82
Awesome...will await your review :)
 
Aug 9, 2012 at 2:57 PM Post #5 of 82
I cant believe the 360 degree turn Denon have made with the headphone line, from the luxurious wooden cups of the D5000/D7000 to the "Urban Raver" Beats wannabe design. From what I am reading, the bass is still the strong suit of the new Denons, and so they continue the tradition set with the last line's sound quality however, the design is a different story.
 
Aug 9, 2012 at 5:16 PM Post #6 of 82
Quote:
I cant believe the 360 degree turn Denon have made with the headphone line, from the luxurious wooden cups of the D5000/D7000 to the "Urban Raver" Beats wannabe design. From what I am reading, the bass is still the strong suit of the new Denons, and so they continue the tradition set with the last line's sound quality however, the design is a different story.

 
360 degree turn would be a full circle, going in the same direction.  Yea, I'm hoping the excellent sound signature is also 360 degrees as well.
 
Aug 9, 2012 at 7:47 PM Post #9 of 82
Quote:
 
360 degree turn would be a full circle, going in the same direction.  Yea, I'm hoping the excellent sound signature is also 360 degrees as well.


My bad, I wrote that without my injection of coffee! But I am wondering on the sound signature also, D7000 were excellent.
 
Aug 9, 2012 at 9:12 PM Post #11 of 82
You can't have an appreciation thread for something that just came out.  That''s called a hype thread, because you can't appreciate something you don't know. 
 
Aug 9, 2012 at 10:10 PM Post #12 of 82
Quote:
You can't have an appreciation thread for something that just came out.  That''s called a hype thread, because you can't appreciate something you don't know. 

 
Lolz... :))) 
 
Aug 10, 2012 at 12:37 PM Post #13 of 82
Looking at this image (with the tacky lights turned off).... They actually look alright in that picture..... The sound signature of these sounds like the best of the 3 for my personal tastes (except for possibly recessed midrange - how bad is this compared to the D2000?) At least you can turn the lights off anyway! They look quite futuristic and cool with the childrens toy lights switched off... I like the sound of "brutile bass which is better than D2000" and also "smooth non sibilant highs"....
 

 
Aug 10, 2012 at 1:07 PM Post #14 of 82
Quote:
You can't have an appreciation thread for something that just came out.  That''s called a hype thread, because you can't appreciate something you don't know. 

 
Well the OP bought one and wrote a little bit, so I guess he has the freedom to start a review thread. 
 
They look slightly better in those pictures, which is kind of like saying a cold is better than pneumonia. Part of me wants these to sound good, only because they look so ridiculous.
 
Aug 13, 2012 at 8:35 AM Post #15 of 82
Quote:
I got my Denon D400's today in Hong Kong for the nice price of $2380 HKD which is about $300 US.  I actually wasn't intending to be buying a set of headphones today but when I auditioned and saw the price I couldn't resist!
 
Initial impressions are very good, the bass has a 'kick' to them that tickle the eardrums.  Compared to the Sony XB-700, this phone has much faster bass that punches, but doesn't seem to go to the very lower octaves that the XB700's do. 
Highs seem very nice, no sibilance at all. Vocals are more forward than on the XB700's and slightly more laid back than on the D5000's. 
Midrange is definately recessed, but not as much as I would have expected for a bassy headphone such as this. 

 
Thanks for the initial impressions! I came across the D400 a few days ago, and was quite intrigued when I finally saw them IRL. It's a shame since I didn't get a chance to audition them. Since you are comparing the D400 to the XB700, which of them has a greater mid-bass quantity?
 
I'm quite against the design of the D400, but I'm loving the colors - I've always loved the combination of blue and black. The D400 is certainly growing on me since Denon first introduced them months ago.
 

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