Denon AH-D7000 In The Absolute Sound
Jan 6, 2009 at 6:46 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 29

donlin

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The AH-D7000 got a couple mentions as part of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest coverage in the February issue of The Absolute Sound. Neil Gader called them Best of Show Bargain Price and said they sound "very high end" also Steven Stone called them Most Exciting Product. I would have to agree. In the few weeks I have had mine, they continue to be the best I have heard.
 
Jan 6, 2009 at 6:49 PM Post #2 of 29
I will have mine very soon, too ^ ^
 
Jan 6, 2009 at 9:35 PM Post #3 of 29
Link?
 
Jan 7, 2009 at 2:53 AM Post #5 of 29
donlin- glad to hear you are pleased. I agree with the 'best I have heard' statement. I love that such an expensive pair of headphones were called Best of Show for 'Bargain' Price. However, considering that I have heard a few other more expensive headphones that I don't like as much as the D7000, I would say they are a relative bargain indeed.

How is the PS Audio amp with them? Have you tried them with other amps?
 
Jan 7, 2009 at 2:55 AM Post #6 of 29
That's true but they put any $1000.00 pair of loudspeakers to shame.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif
for a grand they better be very hi end..


 
Jan 7, 2009 at 3:03 AM Post #7 of 29
Quote:

Originally Posted by donlin /img/forum/go_quote.gif
That's true but they put any $1000.00 pair of loudspeakers to shame.


Bring 'em on over and we'll see
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jan 7, 2009 at 3:10 AM Post #8 of 29
Hi Gu Sensei,

The PS Audio is great. It is much better than my ECSS and Singlepower MPX3 Slam. It has great bass control and very smooth treble. This is actually the 2nd GCHA I have owned and it is much better built than my first one bought in 2005 and recently sold. I thought the 7000's would benefit from a great solid state amp and they do. Have you tried yours with the Yamamoto?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gu Sensei /img/forum/go_quote.gif
donlin- glad to hear you are pleased. I agree with the 'best I have heard' statement. I love that such an expensive pair of headphones were called Best of Show for 'Bargain' Price. However, considering that I have heard a few other more expensive headphones that I don't like as much as the D7000, I would say they are a relative bargain indeed.

How is the PS Audio amp with them? Have you tried them with other amps?



 
Jan 7, 2009 at 3:22 AM Post #9 of 29
stax phones typically starts around $2000 and runs into $5000
then you have to add a dedicated electrostat amp, which can double the phone price.

sennheiser used to sell a couple of electrostats for 1 to 2 grand, and this was back in the 80's and 90's, so much more in today's dollars.

then, there is the orpheus, which still lurkes around occasionally on ebay for the price of around $25k
now that's expensive.

at just $1000, the denon ah-d7000 is cheap if it sounds like the stax. besides, there are now plenty of cans around 1 to 2 grands, many sounding not as good as the denon 7k.

paul
 
Jan 7, 2009 at 3:53 AM Post #10 of 29
Quote:

Originally Posted by paulchiu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
stax phones typically starts around $2000 and runs into $5000
then you have to add a dedicated electrostat amp, which can double the phone price.

sennheiser used to sell a couple of electrostats for 1 to 2 grand, and this was back in the 80's and 90's, so much more in today's dollars.

then, there is the orpheus, which still lurkes around occasionally on ebay for the price of around $25k
now that's expensive.

at just $1000, the denon ah-d7000 is cheap if it sounds like the stax. besides, there are now plenty of cans around 1 to 2 grands, many sounding not as good as the denon 7k.

paul



Only 3 of the 30+ Stax headphones made currently sell for more than $1000 -- The Omega, The Omega II, and the 4070. Everything else can be had for less. Amps run from $200 to many thousands, but most are in the sub $1000 range. Certainly, a good Stax amp and a good headphone can be had for under $500.

From my listening time with the D7000s, they sound nothing like Stax. That's nothing against them, as they truly sound excellent, but it's a very different approach.
 
Jan 7, 2009 at 6:46 AM Post #11 of 29
i own and lived with a stax sigma system for 20 years, so i have some experience with stax.

first, you are misinformed with your cost assessment. you simply cannot get a decent stax system these days for anything near $500.

just check out this link for stax phones + dedicated Stax amps combinations that show over 15 well over $1500 already.
you are right about the lack of choices, but over the last so many years, there had been more mega bucks stax then under 1k ones.....

STAX - elusivedisc

then, after the money you have to spend on stax "transducers" and amps, you'll have to spend thousands on a quality power amplifier to drive the stax amp. don't forget that part!

here then, you stax centered system will easily run onto the 5000 to 10000.

nice.
certainly stax has it's signature sound, it is really not for all and many are addicted to it. i for one has stuck with them for 2 decades+

when you say stax sounds "nothing" like cans like denon ah-d7000.
well, let's not fool the children here.
stax DO NOT sound like ear-speaker, which they have have used to market since the 80's.
while they have a far more transparent sound, ideal for classical and jazz. in the end, they sound like headphones with a soundstage that is still mostly inside your head. the physics is still the same as in every other headphone.

naturally, i like the stax sigma and lambda sound, as i own and used them.
but, they are not portable (as in the top of the range ones). they must be placed near a top quality power amp, integrated amp, or kick ass receiver, in order to be played loud and free.

finally, the comfort.
while the lamdba and its off-springs are real comfy. the sigma line has been great for shorter length auditions.
my head has not allowed for longer than an hour with sigmas

there are moments with a pair of grado gs1000 or even sennheiser 650 and some cary tube amp where i get that "stax sound" without the stax.
now, i wonder if marrying the ah-d7000 with say a grace m902 will do the same.....

paul






Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Only 3 of the 30+ Stax headphones made currently sell for more than $1000 -- The Omega, The Omega II, and the 4070. Everything else can be had for less. Amps run from $200 to many thousands, but most are in the sub $1000 range. Certainly, a good Stax amp and a good headphone can be had for under $500.

From my listening time with the D7000s, they sound nothing like Stax. That's nothing against them, as they truly sound excellent, but it's a very different approach.



 
Jan 7, 2009 at 8:15 AM Post #13 of 29
Quote:

Originally Posted by paulchiu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
first, you are misinformed with your cost assessment. you simply cannot get a decent stax system these days for anything near $500.


I assure you, sir, I am not misinformed. A good used SRM1-Mk.2 and a pair of SR-Lambdas rivals any current production Stax headphone (with the exception of the O2, ofc) in frequency response, impulse, and whatever else you care to measure. This exact combination frequently sells on these very boards for $500. This is far more than simply "decent". User Donunus is currently selling a 2050 system for just north of $500, and that's current-production. That system is a pair of earspeakers and an amp, and while neither is top of the line I'll take them over most any dynamic any day.

While I cannot claim 20 consecutive years of Stax ownership (bravo!) , I am quite pleased to inform you that on the head-fi market, Stax are selling much cheaper than you seem to think.

Your original post suggested that Stax headphones (the headphones themself, mind) started at $2000. This is simply not true. American distributors of the Omega II mk.2 sell that model new for slightly more than $2000, but it is the only model at that price. The other 6 earspeakers in the current Stax lineup all sell for 3/4 of that, or less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulchiu
check out this link for stax phones + dedicated Stax amps combinations that show over 15 well over $1500 already.


Do you consider the black and the silver version of an amp to be different systems? You obviously have to, or else you would count 7 systems over $1500, not 16. Your first post states that Stax headphones go for between $2000-$5000, let alone amps. The most expensive combination here is less than $5000, and that's for both a headphone AND an amp. It is you who are mistaken on the pricing of Stax, sir.

As far as the semantics of what sounds "nothing" alike, please spare me. ipod earbuds out of a crystal radio sound remarkably similar to an Orpheus on a BHSE sourced by EMM labs gear, in real terms. We are not interested in the broadest picture, here, we are interested the little differences. If you can get "the Stax sound" out of an HD 650 and a Cary amp, then we clearly have a different view of the Stax sound.
 
Jan 7, 2009 at 8:20 AM Post #14 of 29
Quote:

Originally Posted by paulchiu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
then, after the money you have to spend on stax "transducers" and amps, you'll have to spend thousands on a quality power amplifier to drive the stax amp. don't forget that part!


The only Stax amplification that is driven by a power amplifier is an "energizer". The last energizer (Srd-7/mk2) was produced 22 years ago. Every Stax amplifier on the page you linked, and in fact every Stax amplifier since the late 80s, has provided its own power, without assistance of a power amp.

Please, this stuff is confusing enough without new members spreading misinformation about it. Take a few days and read the 750+ accumulated pages of Stax information on our two dedicate Stax forums and get back up to date.
 
Jan 7, 2009 at 8:26 AM Post #15 of 29
Klipsch stopped being an audiophile loudspeaker about 5 years before it started being carried by Ultimate Electronics. I'd take the D7K over that mess any day.
 

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