Here a short first-impressions-review of the AH-MM400.
 
First of all let me mention that I am very fond of the previous Denon top models, be it the AH-D7000 or the AH-D7100; as such my statements here might be slightly biased... anyway, I will try to be as objective as I can.
 
After unpacking I was truly amazed. The build-quality is far beyond anything I ever held in my hands with this price tag to it. If anybody would have told me, that it costs twice its price I would have believed so without hesitation. The AH-D7100 was critisised for the excessive usage of plastic. Well here, on the MM400 you will not find lots of plastic parts anymore. Just the silver ring around the wood-cups next to the pads (...and probably some bits and pieces inside). And of course the cable. Anything else is satinized or polished metal, wood with beautiful grain and pleather. WONDERFUL!!!
 
Here the MM400 shown together with other headphones to get a better impression of it's size:
 

 
 

 
...further below in the PPS you will find more pics with 1 to 1 comparisons.
 
Here the MM400 combined with the AK100II:
 

 
Also the hinges for folding the MM400 work great:
 

 
 

 
All in all a pleasure to handle!
 
It is perfectly comfortable. The pads are soft, they sit not too loose and not too tight, the ears are perfectly covered, no leakages in either direction. The pads even close very well around the side-arms of my glasses.
 
After a first basic break-in with white-noise (around 20hrs), I conclude as follows:
 
The typical Denon sound signature is (LUCKILY) still there. A bass with serious substance, combined with a clear and open mid- and high- range.
In comparison to the AH-D7100 the bass emphasis is placed a little higher within the frequency range and reaching further up into the lower mids. On the other hand it is not as dominant as the D7100's bass (...which I actually like a lot...), so luckily the lower mids are not veiled by the bass. Despite the bass emphasis there is no serious coloration recognizable.
 
With some music I found the bass slightly too present whereas other recordings gaind from it. Especially with orchestral the bass could be a little too full and bloomy, whereas rock, jazz and electronica get lined with the substance they need to sound ''serious'' via headphones. As such to some this might be an advantage to others a disadvantage...
 

 
 
Still, my experience with the D7100 tells me to wait for a final judgement in this respect, because the D7100's mids came more forward with extensive break-in; making the bass sound less dominant resulting in a more balanced sound. If the same is the case with the MM400 as well, then it might become a ''perfect'' allrounder (refer to "PS" below).
 
Very important to me: The sound is not fatiguing at all, I listened for many hours in one go and every new song is a new engaging & exciting expedition into sound...
 
Space is good, but surely not as far-projecting as for example a K-702 can be (...if amplified correctly). In comparison to such ultra spatial headphones with the MM400 the soundstage happens closer to headspace. But within this vicinity imaging is definitely very well spot on! In combination with the bass emphasis this can lead to a convincingly live-like sound impression.
 
The MM400 is easy-driven, whether Astel Kern AK100II, HDVD800, ifi micro iDSD, iPad, iPod classic & touch or any computer output, it worked great!
 
All in all it is a pleasure to listen to the MM400, together with my Shure SE535 they will make up a great team for my coming travels.
 
I will amend this review along the coming development of my impressions of the MM400.
 
Cheers!
 
 
PS: ...confirmed, after around 70hrs the mid-range (and high-range) is still coming forward more and more... it sounds pretty much balanced now, whereas if the music requires this headphone still has very substantial punch (as positive as this can be)... just now I listen to Mike Oldfield's "foreign affairs" and "in high places" as DSD (I recently digitize some of my LPs, more info here) and it sounds so good that this is already the 3rd time in a row now...
 
At around 100hrs I will try classical music again to see whether the MM400 became more of an allrounder and whether orchestral goes better...
 
Anyway, I am sure now that the MM400 will be one of my most favorite headphones, within the portables THE most favorite one; it is a keeper!
 
 
PS2: here some more pics with 1:1 comparisons, starting with the AH-D7100:
 
 

 
Here with the LCD-X:
 

 
Here with the HE400:
 

 
...and here the pads of the MM400 and the HE400 compared:
 

 
Actually the pads used on the Hifiman HE400 are Lawton Audio's angle pads for the Denon AH-D7000. But they perfectly fit my HE400 as well.
 
The cavity on the Lawton angle pads looks so much bigger (...and actually is so much bigger), but let me confirm, the AH400 pad cavity still well fits around my ears, and I am not exactly a small-eared person. So yes, it can be called a "full size over-ear". And despite the fact of not being as spacious inside the cavity as the other over-ear headphones shown above, it still is large enough to be very comfortable... at least for me.
 
 
PS3: I am at around 120hrs now and I come to the impression that the break-in period was over at around 100 hours. Not much change anymore since that. But until there FR has further flattened, for my taste I would call it an allrounder now. Over the past days I listened to SOAD / Mesmerize, Frank Zappa / Sheik Yerbouti, Rush / Moving Pictures, Bob James & Earl Klugh / Cool, Dead can Dance / Anastasis, Hilary Hahn / Silfra, Max Bruch / Violine Concerto... all with the same pleasure! Excellent!
 
PS4: Here, here and here some talk about maintenance of the MM400.
 

 
PS5: Now I own the MM400 since around 6 weeks and I am at about 200 hours. That seems quite a lot for such a short time, around 4.7hours a day... Of course I did not listen to it all the time, I let it run over many nights, breaking it in with pink and white noise.
In 3PS above, at around 120hrs, I mentioned that I thought the break-in process was finished. Well, sorry, I was wrong, and from my experience with the D7100 I actually should have known better.
 
In a nutshell, the MM400 further improved. Surely the changes are more subtle now. So the general sound signature remained the same: a substantial bass with punch, clear and open mids and highs; an all in all pleasant frequency response with low distortion leading to practically no fatigue and making it feasible for long engaging listening sessions.
 
Luckily all of that remained as it was. But the sound became even more refined now. In specific this improvement is in the fine-dynamics. The MM400 is now reacting extremely sensitive on even the finest dynamic oscillations. This has the effect that the music is flowing with a wonderful ease. And, if the recording is giving it, it really kind of excites the ear-drums in a most enjoyable way; it kind of tickles on your your ear-drums. I experienced this just yesterday with "Future Sounds Of Jazz Vol 11", DSD64 digitized LP, listened to via the AK100II.
 
Amazing headphones those are, indeed...
 
PS6: I can confirm, the FR settled. After now approx 300hrs ob breaking in (of course not only listening but many hrs with white and pink noise...), I can not recognize any further change. As such my conclusion remains as described under PS5... and I remain a happy owner...

Whereas I am also an old school hard-core vinyl aficionado, I (luckily) jumped the digital high-res train early enough to nowadays be equipped with the most necessary hard- and software to be able to really enjoy that playground.
 
After the rise of CDs in the early 80s I started to examine the options with Sony’s SACD as soon as it became available on the consumer market. And to a certain degree I still use SACD. Namely the SACD plugin (…or “add-on” or whatever…) for foobar2000 to play DSD via my ifi micro iDSD.
 
Concerning portable high res, earlier I “played” around with the AK100 (MK 1, the one with the rather high output impedance), I own a FiiO X5 and I had a loaner X1 for testing. I also use the Onkyo high res App for iDevices, but I am not sure whether this really brings high res to the output, or whether it downsamples to easier processing 48kHz/16bit… I’d rather guess so since when I compare higher res flac with wav on my iPods I frankly cannot hear a difference that could not also be created just by using a different player software / algorithm.
 
Design (Hardware)
 
First thing I need to mention: The design. I am a design fetishist and this passion certainly is having a share in triggering my purchases. Well, in the case of the AK100II I have to say: Close to perfect!!!
 

 
The AK100 Mk1 simply didn’t have the proportions. Also the weight didn’t fulfil the expectations I had towards a high end player. Sure, lightweight can be an advantage for mobile usage, but my haptic senses were absolutely not satisfied holding it in my hands.
 
The FiiO X5 & X1 come along somehow too “martial”. Especially the X5 could be a kind of a 1990s military walkie talkie design study. Well, there will be those who appreciate that.
 
Back to Astell & Kern. Even within the actual AK product range the AK100II is my favorite design.
 
To me the AK120II has a too high forehead (if you know what I mean)...
 

 
...and the stealth design of the 240 is just too much for me. Whether good or not, it is simply not my piece of cake.
 

 
So lucky me, that the one I like most is also the most affordable one, which surely made a purchase decision easier.
 
By the way, until today I simply reject to upgrade from my iPhone4 since I prefer its design to the younger versions by far!
Here a comparison of size AK100II to iPhone4
 

 
The AK100II feels great to hold in my hand, also the weight is what I expect. The sharp edges, the brushed aluminium surface and the postmodernist volume-wheel protection feature adds just the right pinch of spice to an otherwise slightly too reduced formal language.
 
Also the touch screen is the right size and well readable.
 
One of my conclusions from the X1 / X5 comparison was “Maybe the X7 will have a larger touch screen? …and WIFI (…)”
…and then the AK100II comes along and offers exactly this…
 
Design (Software / User Interface)
 
This leads us directly to the user interface. It is as nicely designed as the hardware.
Reduced to the minimum and necessary. Well readable. Self-explaining, just the way it makes it a joy to use it. This is actually one of the weak points of the FiiO X5. Harder to read, less comfortable to use and an issue with the volume buttons and skipping titles. All of that is by far better solved with the AK100II.
 
The “home button” integrated to the touchscreen is a very nice feature, and the volume knob a joy to use. It goes in 0.5dB steps. If you want to go faster you can also pull the spherical volume visualisation on the touchscreen for a convenient fast adjustment.
 

 
Sound
 
Anyhow, I actually preferred the rather hefty approach of the FiiO X5 compared to the AK100 Mk1. I also found the X5 more open and less coloured. But I have to admit that this might also have been owed to the fact that I had the AK100 Mk1 with the high output impedance and most of my cans are rather low in that aspect leading to a sub-optimal dampening factor. There was a Mk2 with a significantly lower output impedance but I never had the chance to hear that one, so now I have not the slightest idea how this (improved) AK100 Mk2 would stand against the FiiO X5 or against the latest AK100II.
 
But one thing is for sure, the sound of the AK100II plays in a different league compared to the X5; to be fair it is also in a different price-league. Who knows what the FiiO engineers would create with such budget given… but well, that’s another story then, maybe a X7…?
 
The first thing I recognized when auditing the AK100II was the openness, transparency and clarity of sound. It is so… “non-grainy” (…sorry, have no better word for that).
You might have guessed it, great detail, soundstage and separation of sound-sources are a direct result of such precision. I guess with this everything was expressed that is necessary to be said about the AK100II’s mid- and high-range.
 
What really surprised me was the bass, which is utmost precise and structured and as such goes perfectly well with mid- and high-range. But whats really great is the fact that it still has the substancial impact I expect.
I experienced with a lot of other equipment that precision of bass had to pay the price of lacking impact. Or the other way round, bass impact came together with a loss of contour. Not so with the AK100II. Here it just sounds right.
 
I just now listen to Symbion Project “Pawn To King 4” with the LCD-X. Wow, clear, fast & deep going along with the necessary impact and pressure.
Earlier today it was Philip Glass’ Akhnaten, Rush Moving Pictures and Thievery Corporation. All just as I like it.
 

 
Obviously, since the LCD-X is driven with ease, also the less demanding AH-D7100 and AH-D600 go very well with the AK100II, and my Monster Miles Davis Trumpet are plugged in anytime I use it mobile in the subway or whatsoever.
 
So I actually listened my digital music collection randomly up and down with the AK100II; and this I must say was a quite joyful trip...
 
The 7100 I do not use for travelling, the loss would be too high if lost…As such, for travels and hotel listening I will prefer the combination AK100 with AH-D600. Together with the short Denon cable for mobile usage this sounds simply fabulous!
 
Conclusion
 
I would call the overall sound signature “neutral”, but not the “dry” style of “neutral” which is in so many cases associated with the term, no, it is the natural aspect of neutrality. It simply sounds naturally neutral. Yes, that’s it!
 
Comparing the balanced and the un-balanced output with the SE535:
As expected the sound signature remains the same. Also power-wise I couldn't say that this makes a significant difference because the SE5535 obviously doesn't need a lot of it.
 
Still, the bass is now even slightly more structured and transparent (...I was surprised that a "more" was still possible...) and there is a hint of more open mids resulting in a marginally larger soundstage.
 

 
I didn’t try the streaming- nor the DAC function. I have great dedicated units for that, and I do not want to bother to connect it back to the main rig anytime after I used it mobile. So no use for me to really look into it.
 
So far from my side; a double thumbs up!
 
All I would have wished for is a slot for a second Micro SD card (so here X5 has a point; it can take two 128GB solid state drives)...
 
Cheers!
 
PS.: So what happens with my X5 now? It remains in my main rig as a digital High Res source, feeding the DAC there via coax cable… Here it is just perfect with its 256GB. As such I have a classical win-win situation  
 
PS: At the moment this is my most favorite portable combination: The AK100II with the AH-MM400:
 

 
More pictures here.

I received the Fiio X1 as part of the X1 world tour which I forwarded to the next in line after 10 days of extensive usage. I am in no way affiliated with FiiO; my impressions as follows:
 
Since there are more than enough reviews about the X1 describing its general qualities, I will mainly focus on the X1’s ability to drive different Headphones.
 
I limited myself to cans that are at least halfway ready for mobile usage; meaning they show electrical properties allowing them to be combined to DAPs. With mobile I do not necessarily mean walking on the street. To me this also means enjoying fresh air on the balcony, a evening in a hotel room on a business- trip or just a long weekend in a hotel as recently with my X5 and AH-D600, shown below.
 

X5 with AH-D600
 
 
I will compare such headphone/X1 combinations mainly with the same headphones and the FiiO X5 and occasionally crosschecking with the ifi iDSD Micro.
 
I copied two identical folders with some of my favourite tracks to the memory cards of the X1 and the X5:
 
FLAC
 
Jazz at the Pawnshop – Limehouse Blues
Rush – Tom Sawyer
Al Di Meola / Paco de Lucia / John McLaughlin – Friday Night in San Fransisco – Short Tales of the Black Forest
Oslo String Quartet – Schubert String Quartet No.14 in D minor D 803:III Scherzo. Allegro molto
Talking Heads – Listening Wind
Club d’Elf – Live at Lizard Lounge Cambridge, MA
Future Rock – Life at the Subterranean 2005
Sound Tribe Sector 9 Life at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park
Symbion Project – The Speed of Dark
 
WAV
 
Philip Glass – Akhnaten – Funeral Of Amenhotep III
SOAD – Dreaming
Van Morrison – Oh the warm Feeling
Beastie Boys – Sabrosa
The The – The Violence of Truth
Faithless – To all new Arrivals
Yello – Friday Smile
Nits – House of Jacob
SMV – Pendulum
Zappa – The best Band you never heard in your Life – Florentine Pogen
 
Headphones used
 
Audeze LCD X
Sensitivity wise on the higher side for a planar headphone, but that doesn’t make it generally easy to drive. It requires amps with low enough output resistance. The X5 drives it with ease, let’s see how the X1 is doing.
 

 
 
Denon AH-D7100.
In my humble opinion, given a very extensive burn-in, one of the best headphones on the market. Very high sensitivity and also concerning output resistance very easy to drive. There is a certain emphasis in the lower frequency range, but never covering the fluid and crystal-clear mids and treble.
 
Hifiman HE-400
Despite remarkably lower sensitivity than the Audeze or the Denon still easy enough to be driven by some DAPs. The X5 is driving it with ease, when combining with a iPod Touch, I add a FiiO e12. As such it surely is a candidate for mobile usage, even if more demanding than the other candidates here.
 
Monster Miles Davis Trumpet
Great in ear monitor. Despite smallest audio membrane ever it comes with very substantial bass, the mids and treble are smooth and balanced and make long time listening a pleasure without fatigue.
 

 
Here the test rig:
 

Top Left the AD-D600, the AH-D7100 and the ifi iDSD Micro, center the X1 and the Miles Davis Trumpet, bottom center the X5, bottom right the HE-400. More pictures here.
 
Sound
 
The efforts taken to achieve good sound are rather different in both players; this is what I can get from the FiiO web-page:
 
-The X1 utilizes a Texas Instruments DAC PCM5142 and a Intersil ISL28291 as (buffer-) amp.
-The X5 comes with a top notch Texas Instruments DAC PCM1792A and 4 OPA1612 used for current / voltage conversion and amplification and 2 LMH6643 used for headphone output.
 
…the larger housing of the X5 must be justified by something.
 
Most obvious difference in the performance data is the output power:
X5           460 mW@16Ω
X1           100 mW@16Ω
 
Besides the power of an amp the output resistance plays a crucial role. It defines the overall damping factor in combination with the headphone.
 
In extreme cases a mismatch could lead to sound coloration. Or in less serious cases just to a reduced transparency and resolution of the sound, or a bloated and imprecise bass. Here the X1 with its 2Ω seems on the safe side, still excelled by the X5 with its 0.26Ω. So no serious issues to be expected from here.
 
You might have already guessed where this is leading to:
 
Both players have a very similar all over sound signature (no wonder in times of OP AMPs). The differences are somewhere else.
 
With the easier to drive headphones as the AH-D7100 such differences are extremely subtle:
 
AH-D7100: The X5 has a larger and more stable soundstage and sounds a little more relaxed. On the first glance the X1 even seems to be slightly more detailed, but after longer listening sessions I recognized that this was rather owed to the fact that all over the X1 sounded a little more slender in the frequency basement what put the mid and high range more to the font; but I concluded that the X5 is not missing any details, it just presents them not so much on a silver-tray. Still such differences are not very obvious and it needs extensive comparison to clearly recognize and identify them. Less discerning listeners might even have difficulties in hearing such differences at all.
 
The Monster Trumpet is as easy to drive as the Denon. Still, in this case, the X5’s extra portion of heft in the frequency basement helps the small Monster to come up with little but crucial more of substance; which makes it sound bigger and in my ears more realistic and smooth. Still, I could imagine that some would even prefer the more stringy performance of the X1.
 
With the HE-400, the most critical headphones used in this review, all such differences becomes more obvious. Especially with high volumes (and I mean really high): Now in comparison to the X5 the treble seems to solve not as well from the membranes, the transparency starts lacking and sound becomes fatiguing. Here the X5 has considerably more headroom, more authority. This widens the choice of headphones to combine with the X5.
 
While the difference in upper bass impact with the Denon and Monster was still not too obvious, with the HE-400 the X1 was outperformed by the X5 with more punch. Also the X5 is forcing the HE-400 further down into the bass-basement. Owed to that, with the X5 the music has generally more substance. Bass control is good on both, whereas it is obvious that the X5 has approx. 4 times of the power of the X1 and sounds accordingly. The HE-400 at higher volumes displays the main difference between the two players: The X5 has more authority, which widens the choice of headphones to combine with and adds a certain audiophile extra to the sound compared to the X1.
 
With lower listening volumes the transparency and separation is closer to the X5, differences remain on a similarly low level as with the less demanding headphones. As such still very OK and enjoyable. If you are just listening on “reasonable” volume levels and rather prefer a more detailed than brawny performance, even this combination X1 and HE-400 could be called a match.
 
Combined to the HE-400, both of them (surprise surprise) were outperformed by the iDSD micro; the X5 by one or two hair’s breadth, the X1 rather more obvious.
 
Still, I have to say the X1 understands pretty well to hide its lower power-profile.
 
All of the above is in relative terms comparing the different players. But in absolute terms even the combination X1 and HE-400 is quite engaging and absolutely worth to give it a try.
 
The real surprise was the combination with the LCD-X. Not based on electrical parameters, here they match quite well. Rather because that little player looks so completely lost besides the LCD-X.
 

 
The sound was quite engaging and I wouldn’t have missed a lot (at least not along mobile usage) if there wasn’t the direct comparison to the X5 and ifi iDSD Micro again. This time it was not so much about heft, control or soundstage, it was just that… while I did the comparison, I recognized that I unintentionally used the X5 more and longer in average than the X1. The X5 was simply more relaxed. And this is the strongest statement I could make in relation to their sound quality with the LCD-X.
 
Sound / Conclusion
 
In a nutshell, provided well matching headphones are used, the differences between the two players are rather small and do not immediately become obvious. Considering that the X5 already is well worth its price, the far cheaper X1 provides an extraordinary value for money.
 
For a sound-wise demanding music lover that don’t mind if there is a still a better to the already very good, or for those on a budget, the observed sound-differences might not necessarily justify the additional price to the X5. But an audiophile on the quest for the better, willing and able to spend some more, will surely consider to take the step to the X5 and maybe even beyond...
 
Me personally, for the time being I am happy enough with the sound quality of the X5. Still, I surely would survive a 3 week holiday with the X1 and the AH-D7100...
 
Miscellaneous
 
Comfort and Usability
 
The smaller size of the X1 surely is an advantage if you are on a move. It is so much more comfortable to wear it in a trousers’ pocket.
 
The general usage is pretty much the same as the X5. Easy to understand, self-explaining and logically arranged.
 
Unfortunately the X1 has the same issue with the volume buttons as the X5. If the screen turns off and the key-lock settings become active, then the volume button only adjusts volume by multiple short clicks. If you press the volume button for longer to faster adjust volume, you will skip titles instead!
 
Now, if you take the X5 out of your trousers' pocket you naturally grab it exactly where the volume buttons are; and before the X5 is out of the pocket you already skipped the title… not good.
 
Strange enough: When using lockscreen setting 2 on the X5 respectively lockscreen setting 3 on the X1, the 2 buttons below the scroll wheel can be used to skip titles. But still the skip-title-function on the volume button stays active as well. Actually it could / should be inactive now so the volume button can be used to adjust volume only.
 
Now, with the X1 this issue is not that serious, because the volume buttons are lower on the body, so you can grab it in your pocket without touching them. Still, above the volume buttons is the power button. You will most likely touch it when getting the X1 out of the trousers' pocket; but then it didn’t happen that I accidently turned off the X1 because
 
a) the reaction time of the power button is long enough to get the X1 out of the pocket and
b) due to the smaller size of the X1 it is easier to get it out of the pocket; so you do not need to grab so hard and do not necessarily press the button.
 
Still I would prefer if the volume buttons remain volume buttons exclusively. Also in key-lock mode, because I want to adjust volume faster and easier than pressing a dozen of times...
 
So FiiO, I am waiting for a firmware update at least for the X5
 
Another issue, the writing on the screen (and the screen itself) is quite small. Even if wearing my glasses and the surrounding light is rather on the bright side, I sometimes had issues reading (and actually my eye-sight is seven without glasses is not that bad).
 
Would be nice if the text size could be adjusted in the settings menu. In combination with a ticker-style scrolling-text that shouldn’t be an issue, …
 
Maybe the X7 will have a larger touch screen? …and WIFI and can be used as a phone? …no, better forget that, at least the part with the phone…
 
Still, the volume button and the screen size are issues I could accept for the great given sound- and build-quality.
 
Cheers!

I owned the X5 since 3 weeks when I wrote this mini-review, and there is absolutely not regret in relation to that purchase..
 
The design is not really my piece of cake, but this is not supposed to be a judgement, because I can imagine that others will especially like the X5 for it's looks.
 
The sound is as good as you could expect it from a portable unit in that Price range. The sound stage is stable, the background as dark as I could wish, and there is no recognizable coloration and distortion. Just make sure your headphone is on the rather higher-efficiency side. So in-ears as i.e. my Miles Davis Trumpet obviously go very well, but also full-size cans as my AH-D7100 sound really great.
 
More about my impressions, especially concerning the user interface in relation to the volume settings and lockscreen here.

Yes, initially I also experienced what many others did: Excessive bass with related compression effects at higher volumes.
Still, after in between let's say 500 hrs the sound has changed dramatically. And frankly, Denon should burn them in at least 300hrs before distributing. They could avoid some irritation sides their customers. 
 
I really would like to know how the d7100 would measure now! The bass is still pronounced, but it integrates much better and  can I not recognize any compression effects anymore.

Anyway, recently the d7100 gave me some of the most impressive music- experiences I ever had with headphones. Claexico, Chambawamba, dEUS... and many more of the kind...

Why do most of us own more than just one pair of cans ...? Surely not because they all sound the same... in a "imperfect" world, where not all measures against a perfectly flat frequency response and where personal preferences vary, it simply seems likely that sound-reproduction parameters will differ in order to achieve best results.
So what "absolute" qualities remain in such a relative framework of requirements? To me, there is low-distortion, low-coloration, transparency of the entire frequency-band, dynamic musical reproduction independent of volume and last but not least the musical flow. All of such is abundantly provided by the d7100 .
 
The d7100 may not be feasible for all genres and tastes, and some headphones definitely cover a wider range of different recording qualities; but if there is a match between the 7100, the music and the equipment, the 7100 can be a real super-performer.

As such, to me it is absolutely worth the ~600 Euro I paid.

Cheers!
 
PS.: I used an HDVD800 to drive the d7100 when I wrote this review; in between, a year later, I even like it better out of an iPod touch with the Onkyo high res app, or the ifi iDSD micro... Killer combo!
PPS 28.06.2014: After several hundreds of great listening hours more, I would now also call it an allrounder. I wouldn't know any genre that doesn't sound fabulous....