[philipdharris1]

I'm paired up with a Fiio E07k, no adjustments to Bass/Treble. It seems like Fiio equipment overall is warmer-sounding. This I think is good as you get a good amount of bass and it reverbs nicely with the wooden earcups of the Denon. I find the Denon ah-m400 quite mellow with the fiio E07k. Non-fatiguing and easy to listen to all day, I use them hours at a time in the office.

 

[philipdharris1]

   
 
For whatever reason, I can't come up with track that has good upper range vocal. I need something sound "dry", not deep and high pitch. Not sure if "dry" is the correct word. I would say Celine Dion is slightly "deeper" vocal compared to Marial Carey, hopefully that help explain what I am looking for...
Any track recommendation? I would be open to good instrumental track without vocal to audition the higher frequency of the headphone...

Would Sarah Brightman be any good as a dry vocalist to you?

 

[ekolite]

Thanks a lot for those comparisons Yovar. I think if I go with a dap in the future it would be something like the astell&kern ak70 since those are going for 599 retail, but it is good to know there are cheaper options. I still prefer having a hard copy of my music though so still haven't gone that route. Have you heard the Audioquest Nighthawk headphones by chance?

 

[JaeYoon]

Thanks a lot for those comparisons Yovar. I think if I go with a dap in the future it would be something like the astell&kern ak70 since those are going for 599 retail, but it is good to know there are cheaper options. I still prefer having a hard copy of my music though so still haven't gone that route. Have you heard the Audioquest Nighthawk headphones by chance?

I was also interested AK70 would be really good offering for 599.
Would probably end up upgrading someday to ak70 or cayin i5

 

[yavormoskov]

I have an audiophile shop down on my street and I auditioned Audioquest Nighthawk for about 8 hours using their own amps. Very revealing and transparent and feather light on your head but it was very cold and sterile. It reminded me a lot to the higher end models of Beyerdynamic. Not my cup of coffee. By my opinion it requires serious amp and DAC with good EQ to sound its best.

 

[ekolite]

Yeah I heard very mixed reactions. I'll take your word for it.

 

[Romani]

I have an audiophile shop down on my street and I auditioned Audioquest Nighthawk for about 8 hours using their own amps. Very revealing and transparent and feather light on your head but it was very cold and sterile. It reminded me a lot to the higher end models of Beyerdynamic. Not my cup of coffee. By my opinion it requires serious amp and DAC with good EQ to sound its best.

I auditioned the Nighthawk for about 15 minutes a few months ago. Paired with my Fiio X3II, their sound strongly resembled that of the Denon. I couldn't do an A/B comparison though as I had my Marshall Monitors on me at the time. I actually liked them but couldn't justify the price difference. Maybe I needed a more upmarket DAC/DAP to fully appreciate their full potential.

 

[waveSounds]

The Denon's bear a strong resemblance to the sonic traits of the Shure SRH1540s to my ears. I bought the MM400s as a more portable solution and, frankly, I'm delighted they sound so similar. If I had to choose to keep one out of the two, it'd be the Shure's, though; they have a wider soundstage and are quite a bit more comfortable.

 

[Romani]

The Denon's bear a strong resemblance to the sonic traits of the Shure SRH1540s to my ears. I bought the MM400s as a more portable solution and, frankly, I'm delighted they sound so similar. If I had to choose to keep one out of the two, it'd be the Shure's, though; they have a wider soundstage and are quite a bit more comfortable.

Never came across those before. Just looked them up, they look nice, even though I like the look of the wooden earcups of the Denon, and in my case, I have no comfort issues.

 

[waveSounds]

It's not that the Denons are uncomfortable, they're not at all, it's more that the Shures are so comfortable. Both look brilliant, albeit in their own ways; the Denon is more modern retro, whereas the Shure are sci-fi/space age (although stop shot of being Star Trek, unlike the HD800s).
 
If you ever get the chance to audition the 1540s, take it! If you're a fan of the MM400s then they should be of similar appeal. Whether they are worth the additional cost, however, is another matter.

 

[Romani]

It's not that the Denons are uncomfortable, they're not at all, it's more that the Shures are so comfortable. Both look brilliant, albeit in their own ways; the Denon is more modern retro, whereas the Shure are sci-fi/space age (although stop shot of being Star Trek, unlike the HD800s).

If you ever get the chance to audition the 1540s, take it! If you're a fan of the MM400s then they should be of similar appeal. Whether they are worth the additional cost, however, is another matter.

Can't wait to try them. A place here in Sydney has them. Thanks for the tip off

 

[calmdown]

I pair my Denon with the Fiio X3II and the treble is spot on, even without any equaliser. If I use it with any of the smartphones we have at home, being a Sony Xperia Z2 or Huawei Mate 7, then it's a little too bright for my liking. So getting the right source is key. What are you using?

I'd most using my smartphone and laptop as source, as lately I'm not at home to listem them with my home systems.

I'm now more than tempted to buy a dap, just don't know which one yet, but I'm searching a dap that has stream possibility (Is a must for me).

 

[Romani]

I'd most using my smartphone and laptop as source, as lately I'm not at home to listem them with my home systems.

I'm now more than tempted to buy a dap, just don't know which one yet, but I'm searching a dap that has stream possibility (Is a must for me).

If streaming is important for you, I hear the Fiio X7 pairs equally well. More expensive than the X3II obviously so it all depends on your budget.

 

[JaeYoon]

If streaming is important for you, I hear the Fiio X7 pairs equally well. More expensive than the X3II obviously so it all depends on your budget.

Cayin i5 is around 549 on newegg. Good DAP for streaming services too.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/802382/cayin-i5-lossless-android-dap-with-akm4490-dac-supporting-32-384-pcm-64-128-dsd

 

[wilsongau]

Update:
 
I did the A/B/C testing again, this time is more detail. I came up with the same conclusion with my initial impression. The test was done with simply iPod Touch 2nd generation, no amp, all stock configuration, no cable/earpad upgrade..

Yamaha: The most comfortable among 3, good bass and midbass, a little bit too much for me IMO, but it would be good for certain songs. The upper frequency is bad, like really bad. It sound muddy and not open/clear at all. Probably good for hip hop and some genre, NOT for SQ for sure.
 
Denon: Good midbass, just enough. Good higher frequency as well. I think the most balanced among all 3, balanced in a way that it is good for SQ, yet pretty good for hip hop, will fit any genre. Pretty comfortable to wear for 2-3 hours, I have never wear it longer than 2 hours TBH.
 
GM: The most "neutral" sounding from all 3, a little bit lacking in bass and midbass I think, but I am a little basshead, so it might be how it should sound like. Although it is neutral sounding, I doubt it will be good for certain bass oriented music (hip hop). Not very comfortable to wear for extended time for sure.
 
One of my friend who are doing A/B/C testing come to same conclusion, he added that he think higher frequency of Denon is a little more fatigues, like the higher frequency is peak-ing, in comparison to GM.