[Jimster480]

I had the Denon AH-MM400’s. I gave them away as a gift and have regretted it ever since. They are good sounding headphones but D7200’s are their big brother they’re just not as portable. I may pick AH-MM400’s back up as they are a great portable option for those wanting a taste of the D7200’s sound. I’m still logging hours on my D7200’s and they are sounding better and better.

The D7200 doesn't sound anything like the AH-MM400. The MM400 is balanced and neutral, the D7200 is a basshead headphone with ultra bloated bass and recessed highs and slightly recessed mids. Also the horrible ringing sound..

 

[jmills8]

The D7200 doesn't sound anything like the AH-MM400. The MM400 is balanced and neutral, the D7200 is a basshead headphone with ultra bloated bass and recessed highs and slightly recessed mids. Also the horrible ringing sound..

So you basically saying ot sucks and dont buy it ?

 

[Slim1970]

The D7200 doesn't sound anything like the AH-MM400. The MM400 is balanced and neutral, the D7200 is a basshead headphone with ultra bloated bass and recessed highs and slightly recessed mids. Also the horrible ringing sound..

The AH-MM400's are the more neutral sounding headphone when compare directly to the D7200's. But there are traits of the D7200's in them is what I'm saying. The bass of the D7200's is not bloated to my ears. I'm comparing them directly to the T5P V2's and the bass on them is just as prominent. The T5P V2's bass is better defined but it hits just as hard as the D7200's. The difference to me is the T5P V2 has better treble clarity that offsets their bass better than the D7200's.

 

[HungryPanda]

That is absolute tosh, the D7200's are great headphones

 

[Jimster480]

So you basically saying ot sucks and dont buy it ?

That's basically how I feel about it at this point in time.
I mean if the ringing doesn't bother you and you like bass over everything then it can be a nice headphone.
There are a couple users who have done cool mods to make it better, but at the price point I think it's not acceptable.
Considering I have both headphones I think the very neutral MM-400 should be the 1000$ product instead, just with a bit better pads (the current ones are fine, just not for a 1k headphone).

My wife is a violinist and she also preferred the MM-400 as she said it sounds more balanced.

 

[zolkis]

The MM400 is balanced and neutral, the D7200 is a basshead headphone with ultra bloated bass and recessed highs and slightly recessed mids. Also the horrible ringing sound..

I agree with the recessed highs and midrange ringing that sometimes makes the sound a bit honky with instruments and voices.
However, I slightly disagree on the bloated bass - the FR follows a near-ideal downward slope line that is not too steep. The bass tonality is very similar to my reference e-stat headphones (albeit not that transparent) and I'd say it's very good.
There are people for whom the D7200 is good as it is, so it seems to be subjective.

When used with different pads (e.g. try the TH900 or TX00 pads or the Chinese TH900 pads), the D7200's transform a lot: there is bigger sound stage, much louder sound, more treble (depending on pads), and also deeper bass, all of which mask the midrange ringing to a level that is almost bearable. Whether that change appeals for people is different question, but there is a big change.

Those who are bothered by the D7200 issues above should try other, more shallow (in the back) pads with bigger inner opening and preferably not memory foam filling.

The midrange ringing comes from the cups design and the large port. Damping the cups and/or port will help the ringing but will also sound more constricted. Something for something. I hope Lawton will make alternative cups for these - actually this is the first time since the D7000 that I think after-market cups may bring a considerable benefit. However, I need to listen to the D7200 without the cups, to see whether the elevated midrange comes from the drivers or reflections from the cups.

Anyway the D7200 is arguably the best measuring closed headphone I've heard, but it sounds somewhat flat and boring in direct comparison with the (modded) TH900, which is still the closed headphone to beat. However, give it some brain-burn-in time, and apart from the midrange ringing (that I hope to satisfyingly fix), IMHO the D7200 is reference level headphone and I prefer it over some big names. Still haven't decided whether I like the linearity of the D7200 more or the pleasing but colored sound of the modded TH900.

 

[zolkis]

My wife is a violinist and she also preferred the MM-400 as she said it sounds more balanced.

Thanks, I need to check them out. They just seemed too small. Are they about the size of the PM3? (those were size-wise borderline for me). BTW have you heard the Oppo PM3 vs the MM-400?

 

[HungryPanda]

I had to send the MM-400's back that I bought as there was a channel imbalance, don't want to chance it again

 

[jmills8]

That's basically how I feel about it at this point in time.
I mean if the ringing doesn't bother you and you like bass over everything then it can be a nice headphone.
There are a couple users who have done cool mods to make it better, but at the price point I think it's not acceptable.
Considering I have both headphones I think the very neutral MM-400 should be the 1000$ product instead, just with a bit better pads (the current ones are fine, just not for a 1k headphone).

My wife is a violinist and she also preferred the MM-400 as she said it sounds more balanced.

Which styles of mysic have you used on the 7200?

 

[nicknack40]

What is the MM-400 like for deep house and vocals id be using them more with an Magni 3 then portable for desktop use. Was also looking at the oppo's

 

[ruhenheiM]

have any of you compared d7200 with jvc dx1000?

 

[phaeton70]

I have not followed this thread for a while, so yesterday I was lurking a little... well, I must say at a certain point in time I asked myself if my D7200 is somewhat defective or simply a different headphones with regards to what I was reading.

If I compare my D7200 with my Utopia, my HEKv2, my (just sold) Z1R, with friend's LCD4 and 009 and some other cans, even if I try hard I cannot hear ultra bloated bass and recessed mids. Gosh, I must be deaf, since I also cannot hear that so disturbing ringing. Actually what I'm hearing is a very musical, very engaging, neutral/bass-ish sound, detailed and trasparent, with linear and never disturbing highs. And this is with many amplifier I tried, my own Halgorythme 300B and 2A3, my own Auralic Taurus MKII, friend's Viva 2A3 and some others.

Sure everyone has his own ears and taste, but really we should all measure words and maybe put somewere an "IMHO" or a "for my liking", since someone who reads here could think that this D7200 is just a piece of garbage, which is DEFINITELY not.

You can like or not D7200, that's normal and for sure not debatable, but this is a great headphone, sold at a great price (with regards to what the market offers today). Again, you can like it or not, no question, but there are many people who likes it (like me) and consider this headphone the best bang for buck you can have below 1k$. To the point that I have sold my Sony Z1R simply because I like my D7200 much more (again, that's simply to my ears).

No polemic inteded with the above, just to write down some thoughts I got reading the last pages of this thread.

 

[makan]

I agree with your assessment. If it was not for my slight preference of my LCD-XC over the Denon, I would not have my 7200s up for sale. But I don’t hunk I have golden ears, and my ears are in their late 40s. In today’s crazy flagship prices, if you like the sound of the 7200s, you are one lucky headfier.

 

[zolkis]

I start to realize there may be bigger variations across stock pads on the D7200 than we'd assume.
1. The memory foam gets softer with heat and shrinks, hence it sounds a bit different after a few minutes of literal warm-up then when just putting on the headphones. If you press the headphones to the ears after warm-up, notice how the sound changes as the drivers get slightly closed to the ears and the air volume to be driven shrinks. With a given headphone there are settings/positions/warm-up states of the stock pads that sound better than others.
Even bigger changes happen with other pads that have different mass and mass distribution inside the ear pads.

2. Also, I have tried 3 pairs of foam dampers around the TH900 drivers and all sounded different. Unfortunately the Denon foam dampers are glued on the housing and I won't remove them, but there is a high chance that sample variation has an effect here, too.

So my theory for the rather divergent opinions about the D7200 is that this might be related to sample variation in the pads and in the foam damping around the drivers (also foam):
- The dampers affect how much midrange gets through from the cups, i.e. affect the midrange ringing/honkiness factor.
- The pads are more responsible for bass level, impact and sound stage changes.
There is enough variation that may be considerable from sample to sample. I have heard two samples of D7200, and they did sound slightly different, but it is still the same character. This is not enough to prove a theory, but I have a good confidence it's still valid.

Overall I prefer other pads, such as the TH900 pads with trimmed foam, or the Chinese pads when used with the trimmed foam from the TH900 pads . However, the headphones measure rather well with the stock pads, so I cannot complain much. Since the FR doesn't change as much with pad changes than the sound, I might order replacement Denon pads, open them and either trim or replace the foam in them to see what would work better: a modded Denon pad, or bigger inner/outer diameter pads.

Earlier in this thread somebody suggested the D7200 sounds better when rotating the pads so that the thicker part is in front (change the cables if you rotate the pads + headphone). I have dismissed that on theoretical grounds, but there is a change and it's indeed more pleasant with a wide range of music. So much about theory . Yet, I still hear the midrange problems I want to fix, albeit a bit diminished.

You can also try to rotate the pads backwards about 10-30 degrees, depending on your head shape, in order to obtain the best seal. I use it at about 15 degrees backwards and prefer it to the ones rotated 180 degrees.

The conclusion is that try to listen to the pair you are buying (it actually applies to all headphones, but especially to the D7200/TH900 types). It may be well worth, even if you pay more, since you can save a lot of tinkering time and will know for sure.

 

[phaeton70]

interesting... or maybe, but the net resul is the same, could be that the pads are made in a way so that the shape of the head near the ears is crucial for the correct and intended effect of the pads. if it so, it's really a bad design from Denon.