[djdunn]

Indeed, the AH-D9200 is a genre-neutral master - it fares really well with a wide spectrum of music types.

The oft-used figure of speech - "Jack of all trades, master of none" - doesn't really apply to the AH-D9200, IMO. Whilst it is indeed great at myriad genres of music, the Denon actually excels in some of them, too. EDM, for instance, sounds absolutely fantastic with this headphone.

the thing about the saying "jack of all trades, master of none" is it doesn't really hold the intended meaning because its usually missing the third line, "but better than a master of one."

its how i view the 9200's you can find any headphone that beats it in any one category. but when comparing it to them in whole the 9200 slips ahead.

 

[SQ13]

I love your comparisons. When you published the "9200, Z1R and VC comparison", I thought: ok, 1088 € the Denons -you know, I finally got them for that price- + around 1600 € the Z1R = around 2500 € for the VC (or more here in Europe). That's another tag that I put in the comparison, the "value (price/performance)" because I think in all categories that you published the Z1R + 9200 best the VC, maybe not in the mid section (but both of them complement the same aspects that the VC shine on).

I think is a good way to "mind-discard" headphones and orientate your savings... Now I'm planning a Rögnir "mind-discard" strategy

agreed, once i factor in the price tag difference, it’s a interesting decision and may be a no brainer for some. i am waiting for the rognir before i decide

 

[tudedude]

I'm a little confused, did the 9200 completely replace the 7200? I thought they just added this headphone to the lineup but Denon's website no longer lists the 7200. Any rumors of a new 7200? There's a big gap between the 5200 and 9200 right now in my opinion.

 

[Malevolent]

I love your comparisons. When you published the "9200, Z1R and VC comparison", I thought: ok, 1088 € the Denons -you know, I finally got them for that price- + around 1600 € the Z1R = around 2500 € for the VC (or more here in Europe). That's another tag that I put in the comparison, the "value (price/performance)" because I think in all categories that you published the Z1R + 9200 best the VC, maybe not in the mid section (but both of them complement the same aspects that the VC shine on).

I think is a good way to "mind-discard" headphones and orientate your savings... Now I'm planning a Rögnir "mind-discard" strategy

Yes, to be honest, the price-to-performance correlation is not entirely true - more expensive headphone isn't necessarily better. Case-in-point, the Vérité Closed and the AH-D9200. The latter is $900 cheaper than the ZMF flagship, but there is almost no performance delta between the 2. They trade places in many aspects, and in incremental improvements on a minor scale, too.

In the grand scheme of things, the AH-D9200 is either (terribly) undervalued, or the other headphones are (horribly) overpriced.

In any case, having both in my collection has afforded me the luxury of appreciating the subtle nuances of either headphone. Ultimately, I'd pick the Denon over the Vérité Closed 6 times out of 10. It has grown to become my absolute favorite headphone.

 

[Malevolent]

agreed, once i factor in the price tag difference, it’s a interesting decision and may be a no brainer for some. i am waiting for the rognir before i decide

I am also (very) interested in the Rögnir, but from my experience with planar headphones, the bass texture is not comparable with a well-tuned dynamic. A planar-magnetic driver has its strengths, and they are plenty, but it doesn't achieve top-level status in the low-end presentation, IMO. That honor goes to the best dynamic headphones on the market, such as the MDR-Z1R, the AH-D9200, the TH900 Mk2, and the Vérité Closed. All of these headphones are supreme masters of bass, an aspect of sound that planar headphones struggle to compete in.

 

[musicasmedicine]

Yes, to be honest, the price-to-performance correlation is not entirely true - more expensive headphone isn't necessarily better. Case-in-point, the Vérité Closed and the AH-D9200. The latter is $900 cheaper than the ZMF flagship, but there is almost no performance delta between the 2. They trade places in many aspects, and in incremental improvements on a minor scale, too.

In the grand scheme of things, the AH-D9200 is either (terribly) undervalued, or the other headphones are (horribly) overpriced.

In any case, having both in my collection has afforded me the luxury of appreciating the subtle nuances of either headphone. Ultimately, I'd pick the Denon over the Vérité Closed 6 times out of 10. It has grown to become my absolute favorite headphone.

Yeah honestly at this price range, I don't consider it too much.

In Australia, the D9200 is actually 2800 AUD whereas the Sony Z1R can be had around 2000. I'm definitely paying more to switch from the Z1R to the 9200. In comparison, the VC is 3850.

 

[djdunn]

im going to try out a DN8pro-XL see how it is for my 9200, should be arriving today

 

[Deolum]

Yes, to be honest, the price-to-performance correlation is not entirely true - more expensive headphone isn't necessarily better. Case-in-point, the Vérité Closed and the AH-D9200. The latter is $900 cheaper than the ZMF flagship, but there is almost no performance delta between the 2. They trade places in many aspects, and in incremental improvements on a minor scale, too.

In the grand scheme of things, the AH-D9200 is either (terribly) undervalued, or the other headphones are (horribly) overpriced.

In any case, having both in my collection has afforded me the luxury of appreciating the subtle nuances of either headphone. Ultimately, I'd pick the Denon over the Vérité Closed 6 times out of 10. It has grown to become my absolute favorite headphone.

Clearly other headphones are completely overpriced. The more i dive into hifi pricing vs studio pricing the clearer it becomes how absolutely ridiculous it is what some headphones cost compared to what they deliver.

 

[Malevolent]

Yeah honestly at this price range, I don't consider it too much.

In Australia, the D9200 is actually 2800 AUD whereas the Sony Z1R can be had around 2000. I'm definitely paying more to switch from the Z1R to the 9200. In comparison, the VC is 3850.

The MDR-Z1R at AUD 2,000? That's a real bargain! It works out to be about $1,530, so that's nearly $300 off its regular MSRP. On the other hand, the AH-D9200 at AUD 2,800 is quite insane, considering its lower MSRP in USD ($1,600).

In Japan, the MDR-Z1R and AH-D9200 are practically equal in price, with a nearly 5,000 JPY price gulf between the 2 (under $50).

The funny thing is, in the US market, the AH-D9200 is $200 cheaper; in Japan, they are about equal in price. I wonder why Denon has undervalued their flagship in the US market? They could have easily priced the AH-D9200 at or about the same MSRP as the MDR-Z1R, and I don't think anyone would have batted an eyelid. It's just that good, IMO.

 

[Roland P]

The prices vary wildly. Here in the Netherlands:
AH-D9200: €1195,-
MDR-Z1R: €1999,-

 

[musicasmedicine]

The MDR-Z1R at AUD 2,000? That's a real bargain! It works out to be about $1,530, so that's nearly $300 off its regular MSRP. On the other hand, the AH-D9200 at AUD 2,800 is quite insane, considering its lower MSRP in USD ($1,600).

In Japan, the MDR-Z1R and AH-D9200 are practically equal in price, with a nearly 5,000 JPY price gulf between the 2 (under $50).



The funny thing is, in the US market, the AH-D9200 is $200 cheaper; in Japan, they are about equal in price. I wonder why Denon has undervalued their flagship in the US market? They could have easily priced the AH-D9200 at or about the same MSRP as the MDR-Z1R, and I don't think anyone would have batted an eyelid. It's just that good, IMO.

that’s so interesting - wow. The price in Australia might be due to the fact that it was never actually sold here. Mine is going to be a special order directly from denon through the local distributor.
Custom order + shipping + customs might be the reason it’s 2800. Kind of cool that I would have one of the few 9200s in Australia though!

also, the Z1R was actually 1600 AUD at one point in Aus a year or two ago. It’s relatively affordable in Australia. It was such a comfortable and well built headphone (though I didn’t like the plastic on the cup frames - they creaked a bit) but I found the mids too recessed for my liking. It felt like the vocals were so far back that I’d have to turn up the volume to hear them.

 

[BaTou069]

How would you describe are the 9200s strengths?

 

[Deolum]

How would you describe are the 9200s strengths?

Easy to drive, allrounder, doesn't suck even though it's closed.

 

[KarlAgathon]

I'm a little confused, did the 9200 completely replace the 7200? I thought they just added this headphone to the lineup but Denon's website no longer lists the 7200. Any rumors of a new 7200? There's a big gap between the 5200 and 9200 right now in my opinion.

7200 Still selling on sites like Amazon US

 

[BaTou069]

Easy to drive, allrounder, doesn't suck even though it's closed.

I'm coming from shure se846, nad hp50, hifiman he400...
How about imaging, separation, detail, bass texture? How does its bass compare to planars? bass? Sound signature?

Thx