I plan on attending. I do not plan to bring anything.

saulodourado:   Thanks for your further inquiry--it was the goal of this post to get people thinking more deeply about quality.   As per my comment, I will elaborate in greater detail what I mean.    It has to do with the product development cycle, and how the end product is a...

fuzzyash: I actually agree with you on the point about the Beats not inspiring mechanical confidence.        In general though, once again, I don't want people to think I am advertising the Beats or even particularly like them. I chose them as a comparison point for 2 objective...

@saulodourado   While I won't contest your visual aesthetic taste preferences, I disagree that there is anything wrong with comparing the Denons to the Beats from a construction perspective.   I also disagree with your claim that the Denons are of made of higher quality materials. The...

@Nicholars: I appreciate the feedback, and it's true that not all audiophile equipment is neglecting of product design values.   Also to be clear, I was told prior that this was confusing, but I actually meant to describe a surface treatment often used on cars, but not limited to them. So...

@Lorspeaker: I think Grado's ultimate stubbornness to change their design has actually worked in their favor--Grados are iconic. I think the big opportunity in a redesign would be in the band & articulating joints (essentially OEM), and engineering a driver that sounds good with more ergonomic...

Quote:   I agree with you that having had hands-on experience would have added credibility to this review, and that I should add a disclaimer.   However, I did restrain my comments to visual properties encompassed by photos. I refrained from commenting on any ergonomics or perception...

@Tizzle: I have not had a chance to interact with this product first hand yet, and I'm sure Denon would not have sent me a sample to do this kind of review. However you are right that I should credit the photos I edited sourced from the Head-Fi unboxing on the home page. 

@obob: Yeah, I'm currently running Grado RS1's. They probably need a recabling not for enhancement but for survival, I can see dried woodglue outside of the target area, and the hexagonal pin in circular socket amazes me everyday.    But they are really good for shoegaze...  ...

I'm glad some of you enjoyed it. I try my best to make quality content.   Also, to be clear, I didn't write this article with the intention of promoting the Beats. I just wanted to point out that in the wake of the recent boom in popularity of the consumer headphone market, the poor quality...

Hey Head-Fi'ers   Decided to do a review of the build quality & design of the new Denon Music Maniac series. I am an industrial designer & enjoy doing aesthetic tear-downs. Please take note that I can not fully speculate the true intentions & rationale designed into this product--I am just...