Reviews by My Little Phony

Intro:

I like to start my review with a compliment for AIWAs customer service. From the beginning you get quick and helpful assistance giving you a positive feeling that you have chosen the right brand.


Unboxing / Inside the box:

The Arc-1 comes packed in a sturdy natural colored carton.

Whats inside the box?
- nylon headphone case
- of course a small fluffy animal
- ARC-1 headphone
- braided micro usb to cable with gold connectors and red shiny housing 1,04 m
- basic rubber 3.5mm TRS headphone cable 1,22 m
- letter to the customer
- quick start guid
- service info card


Optics & Haptics:

The black nylon headphone case is very robust and protects the phones well. The zipper is easy running and the rubber zipper handle got the red AIWA logo imprinted.

The ARC-1 looks good. Black basic well done shaped headphone. The inner red accents of the earpads with L & R imprinted in white color are stylish and fit to the companies colors. In general i have to say that i dont like colored accents so much often reminding me of the fancy Pc-gaming products.

First thing you will notice is how lightweight the ARC-1 headphone is when you grab it. The leather headband is very nicely done. Basic shape and thats good. No fancy crackling complex headband construction. The small metal AIWA logos on both sides of the headband are showing their origin. If you dont know the AIWA symbol you are probably a very young peasant. Cution is soft and comfy.

It feels to me that my ears exactly fit into the earpads. Lets see how it feels wearing the phones after an hour. I survived the hour and my ears did not get too stresses comfortwise but its no match for example to the cosy and bearish cutions of a Fidelio X2. The cutions are soft and comfy like the headband. Im not sure if the ARC-1 will fit big ears. Cutions of the Meze 99 Neo headphones come to my mind.

The length adjustment of the hangers is a bit raw. You just pull them out with a bit of gentle force and stop when you think its the correct length. The hanger will stay in this position. There are no adjustment steps. I like clicky adjustment steps like those on the new Denon AH-D models. The chosen adjustment mechanism of the Arc-1 doesnt look promising to hold its tight fit for a long time and makes the impression of wearing out sooner or later. I adjust my headphones one maybe two times and leave it then but when i adjust my headphones there is always a click and i can be sure that it is locked in place.


Operation:

The Arc-1 came fully charged and ready for action.

Very easy and intuitive handling of the functions. I just quickly scanned the quickstart pages 3 and 4 with my very own eyes and it was all clear to me. If you wake me up at night i can confidently yell out how to operate the phones. Even under mature dehydration and pain.

I test the ARC-1 headphones with the tiny Shanling M0 player.

- i press the power button located at right headphone shell. A female voice says: Power on. I blush a bit and...
- press the bluetooth button to get the female headphone ready for some pairing action.
- i nice beep appears, green & white color changing led light up.
- i turn on bluetooth aptx of the M0
- it searches
- Arc-1 found
- paired.

Hold +/- to jump forward or backward to a song works nice. Takes a little time and attention to coordinate it when you lower/raise volume (quick button pushes) but its intuitive.

Bluetooth AptX range in my apartment (doors open no disturbing walls) was approximately 8 m.


Listening experience:

You can hear that the amp of the ARC-1 gets in action. Its a very audible hiss. You hear it every time you pause the music. If the M0 get into sleep mode the ARC-1 gets silent, stays connected but as soon as you wake up the M0 the hissing is back. You cant hear that hissing playing music at normal listening levels. This is my first contact with a wireless bluetooth headphone and i did not expect to hear the amp making any noise.

I used the +/- buttons located aswell on the right side of the headphones and lowered the volume. The hissing is now unacceptable present. A totally no-go for quiet parts in the music and overall quiet listening. Im not a low volume listener so it bother me not too much in action but only knowing that theres background noise of the amp bothers me.

Lets push the + button to the max... and here he comes the BEEP, the implemented headphone eardoctor says: you shall not pass this volume!!! Thats all i get? The max volume is around my usual listening. You cant crank up the volume further. Thats too less. Some songs must be heared loud.


Sound:

Testequipment:
- Shanling M0 player
- Flac & MP3 files

Highs:

The highs are not harsh but lack sparkle and could be more detailed.

Mids:

Mids are good and complement the highs.

Bass:

The bass is elevated. It is thumping nicely and on the softer side of presentation. Another reviewer called it creamy. It can go deep and often do so but i found some music tracks where i wished for more tightness and less boominess.

Soundstage:

Soundstage is good for a closed headphone. I could hear where the sound of an instrument is coming from.

3d-effekt / Spaciness:

If you go to the specs on the AIWA homepage you will find the words „technology: surround“. Dont be scared about your stereo experience. The Arc-1 got no elevated space. It sounds right. You will not get pumped into heavy surround sound 3d effected landscapes.

Voices:

High female voices wont pierce your eardrums. This phones are made for a non fatiguing listening experience. Voices are not pushed into your face and go along with mids and highs.

Overall presentation:

Bass focused. Can sometimes be too much. The highs are not fatiguing. The mids go well with the highs. Its a headphone for long listening sessions. You wont hear the crispiest sparkling highs and not the tightest mids but the frequencies get along with each other very well.


Conclusion:

The Arc-1 in its current state is not for me. The hissing of the build in amp is too audible and signature and some haptics can use improvement. The max volume is too low.


What can you do to make the Arc-1 better?:

- make it louder
- make the earcups a bit bigger
- satisfying clickable headband adjustment
- tame the lows a bit, convert some of the softness into tight striking tones


*** Note from the author: ***

This review reflects my personal experience with the Arc-1. Previous reviewers are blown away making you think buying a 1000 $ worth headphone. I show what i think is not good and how it could be refined. I appreciate if you have a different opinion and think: "what the hell phony..." this is not true. Leave me a message. Theres a promising Arc-1 product out there and its worth to be improved.


Visuals:

Unboxing / Inside the box:

The headphone comes in a sturdy carton box wrapped into transparent foil. One side of the box is closed by two magnets and it nicely folds open.

Now something i have to mention because of my experience with another headphone. The new box & headphone fragrance. The new scent your nose will notice after opening the box the first time is there but vanishes quickly.

Next you will see a well made pouch containing the headphone itself and the cable. It is a very solid case you can use for save transportation and storage of your headphone and cable and some other small accessories. The pouch can easily be opened and closed using the two smooth running zippers.

In the middle of the pouch, there is a round shaped small pouch hosting the detachable headphone cable and two adapters. The headphone cable is nicely braided with a soft kevlar thread beginning from the 3.5mm TRRS connector going up to the y-splitter of the cable. Outgoing from the cable-splitter the two cables for (L)eft and (R)ight are now covered by soft rubber. Between the splitter and the headphone-plugs there is also a remote with a play/pause function for mobile devices and a build in mic. I really like the slim and well done connectors of the headphone cable. They fit very well. Small thing but worth to mention.

Cable length including connectors is close to 1,45 m. Plugs of the cable are marked L & R.

You will not receive much microphonics while scratching the kevlar braided part of the cable with your fingers and the microphonics when touching the upper rubber part of the cable are also more than acceptable.

Enclosed to the small pouch you will get a 3.5 mm to 6.4 mm adapter and an aeroplane adapter.


Optics & Build Quality:

After opening the carrying pouch i just said „Wow“. Its black and beautiful and there is metal and screws. The Meze Neo just looks desirable in the box. Lets get it out of the box to throw an eye on the details.

Grabbing the cans out of the pouch you will notice how light they are. These phones are showing quality and provide good haptic out of the box. The metal detailes and screws are giving the phones a very reliable touch.

*** Important Note: The headphone is fully servicable in the case any part has to be replaced. ***


Wearing & Comfort:

Lets put the cans on and feel them. But first i have to find out whats the (L)eft and whats the (R)ight earcup. After a couple of minutes i still didn't get it and just plugged in the headphone-cable and played a left and right channel test file. Theres no marking for the (L)eft and (R)ight channel on the headphone.

The 99 NEO is a very lightweight headphone at 260gr.

Earcup size may not fit the larger kinds of ears. I think my ears are about average. After about an hour of wearing the NEOs i felt the earpads pressing unpleasantly against the lower part of my ears. Nevertheless they felt comfortable to wear at first.

The fit of the headphone is self-adjusting and similar to the one used on the Philips Fidelio X2. The clamping force of the headband is ok but a bit too soft for my taste.

If you make funny faces you wont hear any sound coming from the headphone-structure. Only if you nod your head heavily you can hear the headband doing spongy sounds while readjusting. You wont hear it while listening to music at all but i definitely prefer a step by step clickable headphone adjustment without elastic bands.

Overall comfort while wearing the phones it really good. Probably the headphones are wearable for hours without getting annoying if you dont have big ears.

The pleather earpads and inner memory foam are soft and comfy. But the foam material Meze is using for the cutions of the earpads is not a good choice. It makes a light crackling sound when you move your head. I first thought it was some kind of distortion noise (like rustling foil) coming from my player.


Sound:

Testequipment:

- Lake People G100 FE (technically close to Violectric HPA V100)
- JDSL Labs Dac
- Astell & Kern AK70 MK II
- Flac & MP3 files

Highs:

Detailed and not harsh or fatiguing. Not thin or edgy sounding. Highs and Mids play well together.

Mids:

The mids have a good body while being detailed.

Bass:

The bass is elevated. I tested the bass of a Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 32 ohm these days too. That was a no-go experience. Boomy and overshadowing the other frequencies. The bass of the Neo 99 does not bleed too much into the mids and highs. Its a warm presentation. Sometimes it can be a bit too soft and lose sounding. But i found this to be rare. Layered presentation is there but sometimes gets lost a bit.

Soundstage:

Soundstage is good. I could easily hear where the sound of an instrument is coming from.

3d-effekt / Spaciness:

Music tends to sound more 2D than 3D. Average spaciness presentation. I havent heared a closed headphone yet that takes you into mindblowing wide spacious landscapes. The NEO performs good here.

Voices:

Voices are pleasant to the ears and non-fatiguing or thin sounding. High female voices dont let your ears bleed.

Overall presentation:

Non-fatiguing and warm presentation that is predestinated for long listening sessions. High, mid and lower frequencies complement each other well but for my taste the sound could use a bit more refinement of the presented frequencies. I red that there are differences between the classic and the NEO model of the Meze 99.


Support Impressions:

Friendly, helpful and quick answering customer service. I think good support is very important and also a part of the produkt.


Conclusion:

The Neo 99 is a good looking and well crafted headphone. You can easily say its a piece of art.

The fact that its fully servicable is a great thing. The cans are made for long not fatiguing listening sessions. Comfortable and lightweight headphones for people with small ears.

Being realistic and keeping the price range in mind the sound presentation is good. Let your ears decide.

But for me the NEO is missing some of the magic that makes me foot-tapping and enjoying every part of the music plus i always hear the crackling memory foam of the earcups when theres no sound playing. For the next cans Meze should consider using other foam.

In another review someone said:“ I really wanted to love these headphones...“ but they're just not for me. I second this and have to say that I expected more. But i know that Meze got new hardware in progress and maybe there will be something for me in the future.

The Meze 99 series are good debut headphones doing many things right but also some things wrong. If the next models get refinement we will get really awesome headphones.


Visuals:

Introduction:

Many years ago the DT-770 Pro 80 Ohm was my first over-ear headphone that showed me that cans have bass after a bad experience with a „reference of radiostations“ AKG Monitor headphone that sounded unspectacular thin and boring.

The 32 ohm version of the DT770 Pro can not scratch a bit on the positive characteristics of my new daily cans the Denon AH-D5200. Yes its 5 times the price but its totally worth. So why did i test the Beyerdynamic anyways? Due to my first positive contact with a DT770 PRO 80 Ohm as a young boy and my present readings of reviews saying that with the 32 ohm model the harsh highs have been tamed and the bass improved to not bleed into/overshadow the other frequencies my interest were lit and i just wanted to experience the beyer-sound with my own ears. Again.


Optics & Build Quality:

I like the basic and dark optics of the DT770 Pros.

No crackling or other disturbing noise when moving the headphones on my head.

The headphone-cable is still not detachable. Should be a basic property of every wired headphone.

Very robust overall build.


Accessories:

- Nice nylon bag with a card-window to put in your adress.
- 3.5 mm to 6.4 mm adapter


Wearing & Comfort:

Headband is comfy and the cautions fit my ears well. Nothing to complain here. Still a good Beyer-Fit. As an upgrade comfort-wise i recommend the velours cautions.

The length adjustment of the hangers is very tight, theres no sastisfying click when you reach the next adjustment step. Kinda raw feeling. But it does its job and is very sturdy.


Isolation:

You hear your own voice muffled and it felt a bit claustrophobic first time i put them on. Like putting an glass over your ear until you get used to it.


Sound:

Testequipment:

- Lake People G100 FE (technically close to Violectric HPA V100)
- JDS Labs Dac
- Astell & Kern AK70 MK II
- Flac & MP3 files

Highs:

Very stressfull high soundsignature, sometimes shrill. Highs are thin sounding.

Mids:

The Mids are not tight and got no slam.

Bass:

Test song example „Aerochord - Surface“. Of course theres plenty of bass coming into your ears. But it feels stressfull and not very layered.

Bass is really too much getting into boominess. (no eq used). Its mostly muffled and muddy sounding. Bass quantity would have been ok for bassheads when the quality wouldn't be so bad.

The boomy bass works well for explosions. But thats all you get.

Soundstage:

Average, not too wide, you can make out the position of the instruments.

3D-Effect / Spaciness:

Music tends to sound more 2D than 3D. Average spaciness presentation. I havent heared a closed headphone yet that takes you into mindblowing wide spacious landscapes. The DT770 performs good here.

Voices:

Voice presentation lacks body.

Overall presentation:

For the most music-genres the overall presentation is an unenjoyable mash of frequencies not doing anything good. Not liquid and smooth sounding like other headphones. Boring mids without much body.

I listened to a few hiphop tracks too. If you know how a well-done headphone can sound like you wont find much music you can really enjoy with this cans. Bass capability is not everything. If the details get lost and its bleeding into the other frequncies and leaves you with a muddy presentation than its just not good.


Conclusion:

No cans for me.

Other ears got different impressions and like the sound presentation of the 32ohm 770. For me its a no-go.

I did not expect the DT770 PRO 32 Ohm to be so bad and dont understand that it received so many positive reviews.


Visuals:

Review Fiio BL35 3.5mm Male to 2.5mm Female Balanced Adapter


The Company / What about Fiio?

As i did before in a review i want to point it out when a company is caring about their customers and provide a very good support along with their products. This is one of the most important properties of a company to give the customer a good feeling. In these times this experience is not self-evident.

Its a great thing to have a friendly and helpful personal contact in the head-fi forum. Good job Fiio.


Optics:

Black & Beautiful Adapter. Fits well with headphone cables from the darkside using black connectors and wiring.

The plastic inserts of the connector-barrels are red colored. I personally would have chosen a black color to make it a complete Black Beauty.

Many headphone cables are made in a white/transparent style.

*** Note to Fiio: Lets bring out a color-variation of the adapter so it will also fit the bright side of headphonecables. But Don't use red as a color for the plugs plastic barrel. Don't use blue, yellow or green colors. The "gaming" industry is threatening us enough with this color combinations. Stay classic in regard of color design of adapters and cables and other accessories. An example: The small ring of the volume control wheel of my AK70 MKII player is blue colored. Blue and red. Thats a no-go.If the barrel of the BL35 was black it could be comnined to everything colorwise. ***

Build Quality:

Fiio did a great job with this cable. The old Phililips slogan „Lets make things better“ fits perfectly here.

Fiio listened to the customers and improved the predecessor L26 and brought us the BL35.

The total length of my adapter is 15,2 cm and 8,5cm measured without the connectors.

The wires are surrounded by a rubber jacket thats bends nicely but still provide good protection against over-bending the cable.

Quality of the connectors is very good. The tiny black spacers between T(ip), R(ing) and S(leeve) are worked very precise. The 3.5mm plug connects tight and secure to your devices. The 2.5mm female connector also holds the plug of your headphone cable save and secure.

The overall build of the adapter is very sturdy and promissing for a long lifetime and feels good.

The adapter does not look bulky when attached to a headphone cable and it is also lightweight.


Compatibilty:

The BL35 3.5mm plug works flawlessly and fits perfectly with:

- smartphones & tablets from apple & other brands with 3.5mm output
- all (highres-)players with 3.5mm output

To make it short. It fits well with any device that comes with a common 3.5mm TRS output.

The 2.5mm female connector of the BL35 fits with every 2.5mm TRRS balanced connector of a headphonecable.


Microfonics:

I can wiggle and scratch any part of the adapter. No audible microfonics with attached 2.5mm TRRS headphonecable into a closed overear-headphone.


Sound Quality:

No distortion or unwanted interferences detectable. The adapter harmonizes perfectly together with my balanced headphone cable and doesn't change the soundsignature. No snakeoil here. Just good quality components that are working well together.

My ears are happy and like what they hear.


Conclusion:

Awesome black adapter.

Is it worth the money? Yes absolutely. There are some two-ended adapter-plugs available without an additional cabel between the male & female connector but they are three times the price. Holding the BL35 in my hands and experience them in action i appreciate the haptics and design.

Im totally happy with my purchase.

If you got devices with 2.5mm and 3.5 mm outputs and want to use your one precious 2.5mm TRRS balanced cable with all of them than go for the BL35 adapter. Definitely a Must-Have item for our audiophile hobby inventory.


Visuals:

The Fiio-carton is a bit crumbled. This was provided by a creative postman who folded and pushed the package into my mailbox giving it a stylish used-look.

Enjoy...

The Company / Why Meze?

Meze Audio got an awesome caring customer support. Fast response time, always helpful and friendly if you have any questions or want to talk about their products. I point out the great customer support because besides providing a good product this is the most important property of a company to give the customer a good feeling. In these times this experience is not self-evident.


Optics & Build Quality:

The cable length is about 1,3 m. Thats a perfect fit for portable use.

I like the clean professional optics that stand out in a forest full of fancy colored, heavy paracord-braided aftermarket cables.

The soft rubber jacket gives the cable a very good protection against bending the cable too much without being stiff.

I like that the y-splitter is made of light plastic. One thing less that could scratch your precious high-res-player.

The connectors are awesome and its a very good thing that you can also buy them from Meze if you want to use them in on of your DIY-cable projects.

All connectors are very lightweight, slim and the headphone plugs are marked L(eft) & R(ight). White letters on black background. Well done.

Great choice of components. The 2.5 mm TRRS connector fits very well into the plug of my Astell & Kern AK70 MKII audio player. The fit of the mono plugs into the female connectors of the Meze 99 headphone or similar headphone models using this type of connection is tight and secure with a satisfying haptic feedback when fully inserted.


Microfonics:

There are some microfonics with this cable but they are at a very acceptable level and not disturbing the listening experience.



Sound Quality:

Does it improve the soundquality of the headphone? I can't hear any difference to the 3.5mm stock cable coming with the Meze 99 NEO or other compatible headphones.

No distortion or unwanted interferences detectable. This cable does what it was build for. Pumping the music out of your DAP into your headphones.

A benefit for me is the 2.5 mm TRRS plug that gives me the opportunity to use the balanced output of my Astell & Kern AK70 MKII player which is highly recommended and will provide the best possible performance.


Conclusion:

This cable is a keeper.

Is it worth the money? For me it is. If you have a look at the actual market for balanced cables you can either go with one of the few cheap stiff aftermarket cables that are heavily prone to microfonics or contact a custom builder to create cables exactly to your liking and spend more money. No limits there.

Im interested in DIY cables and of course i will build my own cables in the future. But delivery times of parts especially ordered from China can take a lot of time to reach my door.

For the meantime i can use this awesome headphone cable from Meze but i have that feeling that this cable will stay as my preferred one with its current connected headphone and portable dap. I just like the combination too much to change it.

Im totally happy with my purchase.

I highly recommend getting this cable if you want a good one using a 2.5 mm TRRS balanced to 2x 3.5 Mono plug. Keep in mind that the slim connectors will fit even the tightest space.


Visuals:

This guy got somehing for ya...



Enjoy...

Introduction:

I was looking for a new over-ear headphone i can use with my AK70 MKII portable player. In the meantime i sold my AKG K712Pro because i dint get along with their sound signature and prefered to listen to my Fidelio X2. I use the Fidelio X2 as a gaming headset with my Pc.

As i like a good amount of bass and searched the dedicated forum threads i often red about Denon and Fostex models. I put the Denon AH-D7200 on my wishlist but as i saw the younger brother AH-D5200 i had to order it and give it a try. And it turned out to be a good decission.


Unboxing & Content:

The headphone comes in a sturdy carton wrapped with plastic film. The headphone is embedded into a molded insert.

If you open the box you will immediately be threatened erm pleased with an awesome fragrance of new cartonage and Eau De Phone.

I grapped the phones out of the carton. Very light, nice looking and the upholstery of the headband is very soft.

But the new smell... i felt like being on drugs. (it vanishes a bit every day if the headphone is exposed to fresh air)

inside the box
- 3m soft braided headphone cable with slight microfonics but ways better than cheap chinese cables braided with stiff nylon. Nice quality cable, but too long for me as the primary use will be with a portable player where i prefer 1m length.

- 3.5mm to 6.3. audio jack adapter which is plugged (not screwed) and fits nice and tight

- brown basic pouch with a velvet inner that exactly got room for the 5200er. As im not using a headphone stand for the 5200 i just use the pouch as an underlay for it.

- 2 pcs. of small booklets


Optics:

- zebra-wood earcups

- the brown color of the earcups is very dark, the stripes are very hard to see on my model, looks like one color from the distance

- metal & wood looking good

- appealing headphone design


Buildquality:

- good and sturdy build, metal hangers

- soft pleather earpads & hadband (no additional plastic insert used in the 7200 model)

- theres a single headphone band which is not assisted and surrounded by any additional complex construction. Good design and easy adjustment.

- the connection of the handband to the earcups is very sturdy and well build (older comparable denon/fostex models earcups were connected with a single pin each side). Now you got two contact points on each side on the 5200.

- there is no squeaking or creaking when you are wearing the headphone. You can move your head or heavily grin and play with your cheekmuscles without getting unwelcomed noises from the hardware.

- the 5200 got a noticable "new headphone fragrance" and i dont think its the Hugo Boss kind. Its very raw and masculine got a bit technical-agressive note and stays in your nose for a while after you put the headphones to rest after the first use. If you are very sensitive to scents you might get some headache from it. Guess its coming from the pleather earpads. In combination with a large glass of redwine you might feel dizzy and muzzy. My recommendation for psychedelic trance music.

- got a small dent on one earcup on my model (as i sorted out the fotos of the headphone i recognized that there are in fact many small scratches on the wooden earcups aswell. I cant see the scratches at normal light conditions at home) Please note the following:

*** If the new toy is performing well and the only issue is a small dent i only see because i searched for it, i ask for a price-reduction, keep it and don't join the replacement lotterie to get a perfect piece i may never get.
I did this for a long time in the past being outrageous about every small thing not being absolutely perfect build. If you are in this circle of hell once it may take high level Zen-activities to calm down and accept small cosmetical differences in your further purchases.
Before purchasing the 5200 i wondered about why theres so much amazon warehouse deals on the bigger brother 7200. I assume these are returns because of the wooden earcups having cosmetical issues and the people send back the headphones to get their perfect one. If seller wouldnt have given a discount due to dent/scratches i would have sent it back. For me that was an ok compromise. But i can see many people returning the headphones because of dents and scratches. ***


*** Note To Denon: If you use wood for your prdoducts ensure to handle it with greatest care possible to avoid numerous returns ***


Headsize Adjustment / Wearing Comfort:

- manual adjustment, you can easily extend both sides of the headband in 9 steps, very satisfying mechanical clicky asjustment with the assistance of bearings

- very light and compact headphone

- the pleather earpads and headband are stuffed with memory foam and feel good while wearing

- clamping is not too high and not too low. The headphone would not fall off your head easily

- i can wear the 5200 for hours, very comfy


Testing Setup & notable experience:

Amp /Dac

- LakePeople G100 FE (technically close to Violectric HPA V100) / JDS Labs Objective Dac / Pc (3.5mm balanced output) -no EQ

Portable Device

- Astell & Kern AK70 MKII (2.5mm balanced output) -no EQ (of course not, its still not working)

(budget tip: Hidizs AP60 II, great sounding player with hardware buttons and enough power to drive the 5200 at high volumes. Shanling M0, awesome sounding very small player touchscreen focused, got enough driving power too)


Notable Experience

Its really necessary to relax and give yourself and the headphone time to get along with eachother. At the beginning i stressed myself too much on finding out everything about the phones within a short time.

At the point where i focused my listening to the singers voice obeserving if it comes perfectly centered i first noticed that i had to reconsider the way im testing the phones because i ended up thinking the phones always tend to place the voices a bit to the left, which turned out to be imagination because the „left-side-syndrom“ was saved in my brains storage maybe caused by some song and my overall tireness. (everythings fine, if the voice have been recordered in the center you will here it in the center)

I had to stop. So i gave my ears and the rest of my body some rest and continued listening the next day. It set my focus to just close my eyes, make myself comfortable, put on the phones and just listen to the music without pulling out a scalpel and analyze. Its very important that the ears get enough time to adjust to the headphone.

Im still astonished how easy it is to pick up all the fine details of a song without any effort.

The 5200 sounded great with every before mentioned source.


Sound(quality):

Bass

Not boomy, does not bleed into the mids. It can go deep, without distortion or oversteering at tracks with very deep bass tones.

Coming from the open Fidelio X2 headphone and having in mind that the older versions of the Denon Headphones were often called bassheavy my first impression was like: „ Where is that legendary bass quantity?“

The bassquality is very good. Its very tight, you can hear the details of the basslines. I find that the bass presentation lacks the last portion of slam and oompf in some songs. My ears were conditioned to the Fidelio X2s which add more softness and warmth to the bass which causes the bass sounding bigger.

After a few days i have to say that i really enjoy the nice bass presentation of the 5200. Its detailed, punchy and does not overshadow mids and highs. It merges into a very good symbiosis with the other frequencies.


Mids

- tight, not recessed mids with a good body, very detailed like all other fequencies, big plus of the 5200


Highs

Very detailed and not harsh


Soundstage

- Soundstage is accurate.

- No problem here to seperate and locate the instruments


three-dimensionality / spaciousness

- more 2D than 3D, sounds good to me


overall presentation

Guitars, drums and voices are enjoyable. I did not find anything that sounded artificial to me. No boring sound. Everything sounds good. For my ears its a very well balanced sound.

Everything is presented just right. I found myself foot-tapping to the beats. You can hear every detail of the high, mid and lower frequencies without having to deeply concentrate and search for them. You can just hear them.

Sit down in your favourite relax-chair, close your eyes, turn on the music, enjoy. The awesome presentation will let you hear every detail of the recording. Crisp, detailed, punchy. I found that no frequency is bleeding/overshadowing into another frequency. I said that i miss some impact of the bass. This feeling has been reduced to only a couple of songs/parts of some songs after my ears adjusted to the new sound signature.

The overall presentation plays its magic on me. I now can say that i really love the bass. Its punchy, clear, detailed.

Its not the widest and spacious presentation but every part of the presentation fits together. That makes it a pleasure for me to listen to the 5200.

The good tonality plays well with all kinds of music genres.


Isolation:

Without playing music wearing the 5200 i can hear my voice and writing on my Pc-keyboard, the children in the park and the wind, but its damped.


Comparison (to Fidelio X2):

Why do i take an open headphone to compare with the closed 5200? Because the Fidelio is currently my only other headphone i possess that i really enjoy besides an old AKG K26P portable headphone that cant compete soundquality wise. I owned Beyderdanymic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm closed cans many years ago. Too much time to remember how they sounded. Of course i could go to a local shop to listen to them on a presentationwall. The MusicStore in Cologne got a lot of popular closed headphones on their headphone-wall. I spoke to a salesman and he showed me the technic behind the wall. Expensive RME Fireface audio interface. At the end of my listening session i found that the complete range of Beyerdynamic sounded thin and boring and i took home an AKG712Pro which i have to say compared to the X2 and 5200 now sounds boring to me. I also listened to Sennheiser 600, Fostex TR-models and audiotechnica ATHs.

No headphone really excited me. I dont trust headphone-walls again. Theres no getting around trying out new stuff with your very own audio compenents in a stressless, quiet area (preferable at home) for a reasonable time.

The Fidelio X2 is an open headphone which is a choice of many people who want an fun-sounding headphone with nice bass capability. Add a V-Moda BoomPro Mic and you also got an awesome Gaming Headset for your Pc.

Comfort-Wise both headphones are very comfy. Thanks to the big velours pads the X2 feels like wearing a cosy teddybear.


Sound(quality)

- Bass of the X2 is softer, boomier (the bass tone runs out (lasts) a bit longer than the very tight and quick bass of the 5200), not in a bad way. Still highly enjoyable. Its like a slightly stretched „Booom...“ (X2) vs a quicker and tight „Bam!!!“ (5200)

- Mids are ways more popping out of the 5200er. Thats awesome sounding.

For example:

„L'Impératrice ♗ VANILLE FRAISE (edit)“ (can be watched at youtube)

Theres a nice part starting at 2:26. (however please start watching from 2:20... this is the face you make seing new audio gear, also outstanding dancing part) I found the presentation of the 5200 better than on the Fidelio X2. The clear popping sounds got more body and strength with the 5200er.

- Highs on the X2 are also recessed. You get more presence with the 5200 here.


The softer, boomier bass, recessed mids and highs make the X2 warmer sounding with less attack than the 5200er. The 5200 is tight sounding, without recessed frequencies. That does not mean its harsh or unnatural sounding. It got drive, power, crispness and good clarity. Very enjoyable symbiosis.

The X2 is an open headphone and i find it a bit more spacious sounding.

I like both headphones. Both make me happy when i place them on my head and listen to music. Everyday i think: Wow. Music can sound so good and detailed. I also have a good home theater/stereo system and good quality desktop monitor speakers but for pure music listening purposes these are forgotten as soon as i put on one of my headphones.


Conclusion:

Im really happy that i found another headphone i can totally enjoy after the good experience with the Fidelio X2. For now im satisfied every day with my listening experience the Denon 5200 provides. This is my new reference that i will use comparing to other headphones in the future.


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