[Chris Kaoss]

A few days ago I had the opportunity to compare my approx 3 year old D7200 with a new one (09/2023). Old dark engraving, new light engraving. The new one has slightly less bass, but is more precise with more structure. The treble has also been slightly increased, so it tends to be a little more neutral and tuned towards the D9200, which I personally like better. The pads are identical, my old ones are not worn out as I don't use them that often, I usually listen with open phones.

Very interesting.
Could change my mind on the 7200 as the only closed back to add to my possession eventually, besides my PM-3. ^^
The Monitor 5 is on loan to my younger brother, for decades maybe. )

Thank you for the insight.
Will keep my eyes open to try a new one soon.

 

[shaafmasood]

Depends what you are after. If you are after analytical sound, very balanced and neutral then these are not for you.
If you are about non fatiguing sound with fantastic bass texture and very good timbre then these definitely yes.
For some these might sound a bit dark, that's why I use eq.

They can scale amazingly in terms of sound quality using the right tools: good amp, custom cable, EQ.
Then you have completely different set of headphones few levels higher.

Bro i also have audeze mobius and i wanted to upgrade to d7200, i wanted to know
Is the airyness, soundstage, imaging, 3d effect is better than audeze mobius on 3d mode in denon d7200 or is it not that good, if not that good how much is the difference
Thanks please clarify my thoughts

 

[shaafmasood]

Bro i also have audeze mobius and i wanted to upgrade to d7200, i wanted to know
Is the airyness, soundstage, imaging, 3d effect is better than audeze mobius on 3d mode in denon d7200 or is it not that good, if not that good how much is the difference
Thanks please clarify my thoughts

and also can anyone compare b&o h95 vs denon d7200?

 

[krenky]

Bro i also have audeze mobius and i wanted to upgrade to d7200, i wanted to know
Is the airyness, soundstage, imaging, 3d effect is better than audeze mobius on 3d mode in denon d7200 or is it not that good, if not that good how much is the difference
Thanks please clarify my thoughts

I did not hear Audeze Mobius but I dont think its going in the same ballpark with the D7200, depends what you are after.
Denon doesnt have any 3d effect or anything like that but its soundstage is very decent.
Especially the new units dated 2022+ have better upgraded driver and it sounds fantastic.

Denon is known for its great timbre and warmish presentation sound plus excellent bass reproduction.
Its bass (when properly powered) its very addictive same as the overal sound signature. They are never harsh or boring, they just really good.
The ultimate plus is that D7200 is great all rounder headphone suitable not only for all kinds of genres but its also superb with movies and gaming.

As I mentioned many times in here with upgraded cable, quality amp and a bit of EQ they can easily compete with the best closed back headphones out there and not only in sound quality, I have tried many great closed backs.

 

[shaafmasood]

I did not hear Audeze Mobius but I dont think its going in the same ballpark with the D7200, depends what you are after.
Denon doesnt have any 3d effect or anything like that but its soundstage is very decent.
Especially the new units dated 2022+ have better upgraded driver and it sounds fantastic.

Denon is known for its great timbre and warmish presentation sound plus excellent bass reproduction.
Its bass (when properly powered) its very addictive same as the overal sound signature. They are never harsh or boring, they just really good.
The ultimate plus is that D7200 is great all rounder headphone suitable not only for all kinds of genres but its also superb with movies and gaming.

As I mentioned many times in here with upgraded cable, quality amp and a bit of EQ they can easily compete with the best closed back headphones out there and not only in sound quality, I have tried many great closed backs.

What other closed back you have tried? And how d7200 compares to th900? And what portable amp is good for d7200? And hows the stereo image of d7200 ? Are the sounds just come from right and left or they also come from front and back also
Thanks bro for the help, appreciate it

 

[krenky]

What other closed back you have tried? And how it compares to th900? And what portable amp is good for d7200? And hows the stereo image of this headphone? Are the sounds just come from right and left or they also come from front and back also
Thanks bro for the help, appreciate it

The TH900 is excellent headphone but slightly more V shaped plus I think the detail retrieval was just slightly better on D7200 (when equed).
I heard many of great headphones but some of them only for brief moment so its hard to go into more details but I have also studied a lot of reviews and feedbacks.

Other great closed backs... Kennerton Rognir, GH50 | D9200 | ZMF Verite, Atrium but most of these are way more expensive than D7200.
I think the closest competitor to D7200 right now is ZMF Bokeh (havent heard) but I am sure its great.
For closed backs I would always prefer wooden cups for the best timbre and bass texture.
All of them are superb and quality cans. There are also other attributes to consider (comfort, price, drivability).

I like headphones were quality / price ration is out of ordinary that's why i own D7200 and XTC.
If you use EQ you can literally make a perfect headphones from any headphones until they have good technicalities and timbre.

 

[shaafmasood]

The TH900 is excellent headphone but slightly more V shaped plus I think the detail retrieval was just slightly better on D7200 (when equed).
I heard many of great headphones but some of them only for brief moment so its hard to go into more details but I have also studied a lot of reviews and feedbacks.

Other great closed backs... Kennerton Rognir, GH50 | D9200 | ZMF Verite, Atrium but most of these are way more expensive than D7200.
I think the closest competitor to D7200 right now is ZMF Bokeh (havent heard) but I am sure its great.
For closed backs I would always prefer wooden cups for the best timbre and bass texture.
All of them are superb and quality cans. There are also other attributes to consider (comfort, price, drivability).

I like headphones were quality / price ration is out of ordinary that's why i own D7200 and XTC.
If you use EQ you can literally make a perfect headphones from any headphones until they have good technicalities and timbre.

What portable amp you recommend? And can they be driven from iphone?

 

[krenky]

What portable amp you recommend? And can they be driven from iphone?

Im not good with portable gear. Maybe it could be better to use some DAP than phone with amp. They are easy to drive.
I do not think they need anything special but more power you give them the more they will shine especially in bass region.

 

[dougms3]

What portable amp you recommend? And can they be driven from iphone?

Most daps shouldbe able to drive them easily. I use a hiby r5 gen2 with mine and it has plenty of power with room to spare. I run about 35-40 volume on high gain I believe.

I've come to notice something though.

Even though on paper these dongles and other portables are quite powerful, it doesn't seem to yield the same performance as my desktop system.

It doesn't punch nearly as hard and its not as lively amongst other things.

I have the shanling up4, ua2, fiio btr5, hiby r5g2 and my desktop setup that you can see in my sig.

 

[ut99]

listening to WOW 1978 album in FLAC format, oh my god this is very good

 

[zolkis]

A few days ago I had the opportunity to compare my approx 3 year old D7200 with a new one (09/2023). Old dark engraving, new light engraving. The new one has slightly less bass, but is more precise with more structure. The treble has also been slightly increased, so it tends to be a little more neutral and tuned towards the D9200, which I personally like better. The pads are identical, my old ones are not worn out as I don't use them that often, I usually listen with open phones.

I confirm this, I have the same experience. It looks like 1-2 years back they have replaced the driver for the better one, more resolving. I have not heard any decreased bass but the mids and highs are significant improvement together with their detail retrieval. As soon as I got the new pair I had to reset my EQ settings.

I don't know the exact cause for this, but I'd like to mention I could make these same changes with slight changes to the original pads.
The changes resulting from pad variations is bigger than the ones coming from cable changes.
It is more likely they changed the batch for the internal foam, or the earpad supplier, rather than changing the driver mid-course.
But driver change is also well possible, given the amount of similar drivers available from aliexpress.

 

[shaafmasood]

I don't know the exact cause for this, but I'd like to mention I could make these same changes with slight changes to the original pads.
The changes resulting from pad variations is bigger than the ones coming from cable changes.
It is more likely they changed the batch for the internal foam, or the earpad supplier, rather than changing the driver mid-course.
But driver change is also well possible, given the amount of similar drivers available from aliexpress.

Are the drivers from aliexpress have same sound quality?

 

[zolkis]

What other closed back you have tried? And how d7200 compares to th900? And what portable amp is good for d7200? And hows the stereo image of d7200 ? Are the sounds just come from right and left or they also come from front and back also
Thanks bro for the help, appreciate it

We've been through these comparisons a couple of times. There are two main aspects: how good they are in stock form, and how much can they improve with minimal changes (ear pads and cables).
A very short recap IMHO.

In stock form, the D5200 might be the best buy, you don't have to mod them.

The D7200 in stock form is the best measuring closed headphone. Some D7200 were prone to midrange honkiness, but it could be fixed with ear pad changes. The apparent lack of treble is relative, the measurements show quite linear treble, but all other headphones tend to be bright in a way or the other (by measurements). After some ear pad optimizations (cut ~30% off the internal foam) the D7200 sounded better then a stock D9200. Some people still find the treble lacking, but I surmise they just might became used with other, bright headphones. Newer (1-2 years old) D7200 are reported to have improved on these accounts.

The D9200 are close to reference sounding headphones (open or closed). They have a slight brightness tendency around 10 kHz, it comes from the driver and it's hard to fix by other means then direct damping (thicker dust cloth) which will affect the rest of the spectrum as well.
When used with optimized pads (the same ones as with the D7200), the D9200 has better bass and midrange resolution, it is not a small difference. You hear more differentiated bass lines (acoustic instruments and electronic alike). The price for that increase is some treble hotness, which I am fine with, but others are not. The overall sound quality is closer to electrostatic headphones, but with better bass slam and depth (in most cases).

The TH900 are peculiar headphones. Their coloration is specific, a kind of W shape, but sound louder than either Denon, are brighter (around 9K) than either Denon, and have bigger sound stage and bass slam. In stock form they sound a bit honky IMHO. They need pad changes and eventually some different cups damping. In an optimized form, they sound acceptably linear, with a big-space bass slam (good for movies and games), centered around 40 Hz. The D9200 have a deeper thump (25-30 Hz), but dryer than the TH900, also more linear in the bass, and have better bass resolution. In the midrange, they have similar resolution, the TH900 is more laid back, but the D9200 has more complete harmonic structure. The TH900 coloration results in a pleasant, but kind of equalized sound.

I think the TH900 responds best to EQ, but all Denons fare also well. You will be fine with either of these headphones.
In stock form, all Denons have a smaller, more intimate sound stage, the TH900 sounds bigger. But those colorations were too much for me.

Note: I still have all these headphones, and since their utility value is far higher than their market value, I am keeping them (distributed among kids).

Today there are a lot of other options as well. One (not very good, but comprehensive) comparison video is here.

 

[zolkis]

Are the drivers from aliexpress have same sound quality?

No, they are different. Brighter for sure. I'd stick with the Denon drivers. None of them reaches the levels of the TH900 or D9200 drivers, they are more like D5200-D7200 level, even when they claim otherwise (they seem have the weaker magnets).

 

[shaafmasood]

We've been through these comparisons a couple of times. There are two main aspects: how good they are in stock form, and how much can they improve with minimal changes (ear pads and cables).
A very short recap IMHO.

In stock form, the D5200 might be the best buy, you don't have to mod them.

The D7200 in stock form is the best measuring closed headphone. Some D7200 were prone to midrange honkiness, but it could be fixed with ear pad changes. The apparent lack of treble is relative, the measurements show quite linear treble, but all other headphones tend to be bright in a way or the other (by measurements). After some ear pad optimizations (cut ~30% off the internal foam) the D7200 sounded better then a stock D9200. Some people still find the treble lacking, but I surmise they just might became used with other, bright headphones. Newer (1-2 years old) D7200 are reported to have improved on these accounts.

The D9200 are close to reference sounding headphones (open or closed). They have a slight brightness tendency around 10 kHz, it comes from the driver and it's hard to fix by other means then direct damping (thicker dust cloth) which will affect the rest of the spectrum as well.
When used with optimized pads (the same ones as with the D7200), the D9200 has better bass and midrange resolution, it is not a small difference. You hear more differentiated bass lines (acoustic instruments and electronic alike). The price for that increase is some treble hotness, which I am fine with, but others are not. The overall sound quality is closer to electrostatic headphones, but with better bass slam and depth (in most cases).

The TH900 are peculiar headphones. Their coloration is specific, a kind of W shape, but sound louder than either Denon, are brighter (around 9K) than either Denon, and have bigger sound stage and bass slam. In stock form they sound a bit honky IMHO. They need pad changes and eventually some different cups damping. In an optimized form, they sound acceptably linear, with a big-space bass slam (good for movies and games), centered around 40 Hz. The D9200 have a deeper thump (25-30 Hz), but dryer than the TH900, also more linear in the bass, and have better bass resolution. In the midrange, they have similar resolution, the TH900 is more laid back, but the D9200 has more complete harmonic structure. The TH900 coloration results in a pleasant, but kind of equalized sound.

I think the TH900 responds best to EQ, but all Denons fare also well. You will be fine with either of these headphones.
In stock form, all Denons have a smaller, more intimate sound stage, the TH900 sounds bigger. But those colorations were too much for me.

Note: I still have all these headphones, and since their utility value is far higher than their market value, I am keeping them (distributed among kids).

Today there are a lot of other options as well. One (not very good, but comprehensive) comparison video is here.

Good comparison
Thanks