[Diethard Kuehrt]

All Denon fans may please forgive me for what I write here, but it is my honest opinion, based on experiences over the last 2 months.

Before Christmas I bought the Denon D9200 and had heard it before in the dealer's shop. But unfortunately it's only at home that you hear all the things that get on your nerves and spoil your enjoyment of the music.

No question, the D9200 is an outstanding product in terms of workmanship, which is very lovingly made. The sound, even in the bass range, is very good. However, I cannot confirm the "silky highs" mentioned everywhere in test reports.

I listen to the Alan Parsons Project a lot. Specifically with the album "Ammonia Avenue" and the title "Since the Last Goodbye" I realized that the D9200 is no longer my playing partner. The high frequencies were just annoying. Luckily I didn't sell my two references, the Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro and DT1770Pro. These play the track as it was recorded. Because with Alan Parson in particular, I can't imagine such gross recording errors. He's too much of a professional for that.

What I also noticed with the D9200 are the abnormal microphonic effects from the cable, which are transferred unfiltered to the housing. During quiet concert passages you are condemned to sit absolutely motionless, otherwise you will constantly have the background noise in your ears. And I don't see the point of investing an additional €200 in a handmade cable for headphones that cost €1,600. By the way, the Focal Celestee have the same problem.

 

[godmax]

All Denon fans may please forgive me for what I write here, but it is my honest opinion, based on experiences over the last 2 months.

Before Christmas I bought the Denon D9200 and had heard it before in the dealer's shop. But unfortunately it's only at home that you hear all the things that get on your nerves and spoil your enjoyment of the music.

No question, the D9200 is an outstanding product in terms of workmanship, which is very lovingly made. The sound, even in the bass range, is very good. However, I cannot confirm the "silky highs" mentioned everywhere in test reports.

I listen to the Alan Parsons Project a lot. Specifically with the album "Ammonia Avenue" and the title "Since the Last Goodbye" I realized that the D9200 is no longer my playing partner. The high frequencies were just annoying. Luckily I didn't sell my two references, the Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro and DT1770Pro. These play the track as it was recorded. Because with Alan Parson in particular, I can't imagine such gross recording errors. He's too much of a professional for that.

What I also noticed with the D9200 are the abnormal microphonic effects from the cable, which are transferred unfiltered to the housing. During quiet concert passages you are condemned to sit absolutely motionless, otherwise you will constantly have the background noise in your ears. And I don't see the point of investing an additional €200 in a handmade cable for headphones that cost €1,600. By the way, the Focal Celestee have the same problem.

Dissenting opinions are always welcome, and it's great that you've given them 2 months to accommodate with before making a decision!
I also did take a listen to your reference track with the D9200 and the Dan Clark E3 on the same setup (Gustard X26pro → P26 → H26) and didn't find the highs on the D9200 particularly excessive in comparison (maybe I am too old already). Maybe the high hats apprear to be more pronounced with the D9200.
Whether it really sounds the way it was recorded with your two Beyerdynamics is also somewhat questionable.
But I agree with you about cables with microphonics especially at that price point (I dont use the stock calbe of the D9200, just a cheap Hart Audio Cable)

 

[Diethard Kuehrt]

Dissenting opinions are always welcome, and it's great that you've given them 2 months to accommodate with before making a decision!
I also did take a listen to your reference track with the D9200 and the Dan Clark E3 on the same setup (Gustard X26pro → P26 → H26) and didn't find the highs on the D9200 particularly excessive in comparison (maybe I am too old already). Maybe the high hats apprear to be more pronounced with the D9200.
Whether it really sounds the way it was recorded with your two Beyerdynamics is also somewhat questionable.
But I agree with you about cables with microphonics especially at that price point (I dont use the stock calbe of the D9200, just a cheap Hart Audio Cable)

I suspect the Denon doesn't like SPL phonitors. They are too honest with everything that is presented to them in terms of musical fare. I always have contact with the developer of SPL and he says the same thing. You say quite clearly that mastering headphones like the Beyerdynamic harmonize perfectly with the Phonitor, but you can't always confirm this with hi-fi headphones. When it comes to mixed hi-fi/studio headphones, their favorites are currently the Heddphone, and when it comes to closed headphones, they are clearly the Dan Clark Audio Stealth, which I was able to listen to on a Phonitor at the Mitteldeutsche Hifi Days in Leipzig. I have the Phonitor X myself.

 

[thelittletaffia]

All Denon fans may please forgive me for what I write here, but it is my honest opinion, based on experiences over the last 2 months.

Before Christmas I bought the Denon D9200 and had heard it before in the dealer's shop. But unfortunately it's only at home that you hear all the things that get on your nerves and spoil your enjoyment of the music.

No question, the D9200 is an outstanding product in terms of workmanship, which is very lovingly made. The sound, even in the bass range, is very good. However, I cannot confirm the "silky highs" mentioned everywhere in test reports.

I listen to the Alan Parsons Project a lot. Specifically with the album "Ammonia Avenue" and the title "Since the Last Goodbye" I realized that the D9200 is no longer my playing partner. The high frequencies were just annoying. Luckily I didn't sell my two references, the Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro and DT1770Pro. These play the track as it was recorded. Because with Alan Parson in particular, I can't imagine such gross recording errors. He's too much of a professional for that.

What I also noticed with the D9200 are the abnormal microphonic effects from the cable, which are transferred unfiltered to the housing. During quiet concert passages you are condemned to sit absolutely motionless, otherwise you will constantly have the background noise in your ears. And I don't see the point of investing an additional €200 in a handmade cable for headphones that cost €1,600. By the way, the Focal Celestee have the same problem.

We're all different, like, dislike certain frequencies, age, mood and time of day can all influence what we hear that pleases us or displeases us. I've not got the Alan Parsons album you mention but do have I Robot on a MoFi SACD. I've got to be in the right mood to listen to it because the open track can sound quite peaky in the treble regardless of what headphones I use, in fact I prefer my Oppo PM1 with the album. I'm still looking for a closed back pair to complement the 9200s, hopefully another planar.

Cables are always a let down with manufacturers and I completely agree with you on the microphonics of the Denon's stock cable. I now use an Oidio Litz cable with the 9200s because I had to buy a three metre cable to replace the ridiculously short open ended cable that came with my Focal Clears and they can also fit the Denon.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll receive my MoFi SACD of Joni Mitchell's wonderful Blue album. I find the the 9200 handles the highs on that album very well with my HDCD copy. All of her albums are a real joy on the Denons. I listened to the Celestee at a dealers and had the Radiance at home for a fortnight and thought them both poor when compared to the Denon.

Because people praise the Denon it doesn't mean it's the right headphone for everyone. It would be a pretty boring 'hobby' if it were.

 

[Alien HP]

When I owned the D9200, I thought the highs could sound harsh when listening to many Yello songs. And I believe with age, people become less treble sensitive.

 

[StarTreker]

I didn't have the problem with harsh highs with my Denon AH-D9200's, but this could be due to my setup, as I am running a longer chain then most folks would. So for me, I had to actually raise the highs by +2DB on my EQ box, in order to compensate for the muffled highs I was experiencing. But thats why I love EQ, its a great way to tune the sound how you want it. So many companies want to choose for you, and tune their headphones as they see fit, I like being able to tweak them myself. But you absolutely do have to start with a good pair of headphones though. If you think you can start with a 50 dollar pair of can's and be able to tweak them with EQ, your setting yourself up for disappointment indeed. So buy a quality pair of can's, and then tweak them as you see fit, simple.

Now in regards to microphonics. I agree with you all, for a 1600 dollar pair of can's, you wouldn't expect to be facing microphonics. But a lesson that I had to learn, as have other's BTW, is that companies don't ship the best cables with their can's. Cause as it turns out, they farm out making cables to some other company, I didn't know this at first! I thought the same company made everything, especially if its Japanese hand made, but I was clearly wrong. So if your looking for a better cable, whether you feel like paying another 200+ dollars or not, I can recommend Forza.

Noir HPC Mk2 - Cable : Octa copper Litz UPOCC Cryo 7N wire (4x2 Geometry), Headphones : Denon D5200/D7100/D7200/D9200, Meze Lyric, Kennerton Magister, Length : 2,5 m, Plug : ViaBlue 6,3mm jack, Splitter : Forza AudioWorks CNC

 

[thelittletaffia]

I received my copy of Joni Mitchell's iconic Blue album on stereo SACD today. The album in any guise has always been a tester for how well headphones can handle the treble on this album. So I tee'd it up on my Denon DCD-2500ne player into the Lehmann Linear headphone amp. The detail that the 9200s retrieved from the new recording is a wonderful example of just how good the treble is on the 9200s. Even in the highest notes there's detail there that I've never heard before, at no time did I think the 9200s were running out of room.

Really goes to show that given the right recording the treble detail that the 9200s are capable of is pretty damn good.

 

[Kiwimac]

Interestingly, I don’t find them particularly treble biased at all.

My ears aren’t anyone else’s, of course.

Neither do I find the cables at all microphonic, unlike say those on my Sennheiser ie 900 which are utterly dire in that respect.

 

[Terriero]

All Denon fans may please forgive me for what I write here, but it is my honest opinion, based on experiences over the last 2 months.

Before Christmas I bought the Denon D9200 and had heard it before in the dealer's shop. But unfortunately it's only at home that you hear all the things that get on your nerves and spoil your enjoyment of the music.

No question, the D9200 is an outstanding product in terms of workmanship, which is very lovingly made. The sound, even in the bass range, is very good. However, I cannot confirm the "silky highs" mentioned everywhere in test reports.

I listen to the Alan Parsons Project a lot. Specifically with the album "Ammonia Avenue" and the title "Since the Last Goodbye" I realized that the D9200 is no longer my playing partner. The high frequencies were just annoying. Luckily I didn't sell my two references, the Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro and DT1770Pro. These play the track as it was recorded. Because with Alan Parson in particular, I can't imagine such gross recording errors. He's too much of a professional for that.

What I also noticed with the D9200 are the abnormal microphonic effects from the cable, which are transferred unfiltered to the housing. During quiet concert passages you are condemned to sit absolutely motionless, otherwise you will constantly have the background noise in your ears. And I don't see the point of investing an additional €200 in a handmade cable for headphones that cost €1,600. By the way, the Focal Celestee have the same problem.

Same here, I love the 9200s for certain albums, but with others I found them very unpleasant at the treble range... An easy task is trying to play "Hollow Knight" with them and my ears started to bleed Well, as always said, different guys =different ears...

 

[hakunamakaka]

Same here, I love the 9200s for certain albums, but with others I found them very unpleasant at the treble range... An easy task is trying to play "Hollow Knight" with them and my ears started to bleed Well, as always said, different guys =different ears...

What a beautiful game that is...I've also found D9200 a bit tiring on my setup and went for D7200 which at that time was sold for bargain prices. Very often better technical chops can come at the price. The older I get the more enjoyment factor comes into play.

 

[thelittletaffia]

Same here, I love the 9200s for certain albums, but with others I found them very unpleasant at the treble range... An easy task is trying to play "Hollow Knight" with them and my ears started to bleed Well, as always said, different guys =different ears...

I think that can be said of any pair of headphones because of the vast differences in the quality of the recordings. The Denons will reward you with very well recorded albums. Those that have been hammered by the loudness wars are ear bleeding awful. My most forgiving headphones are the Oppo PM1, I can play just about anything on them that I can't put near the Denons.

 

[Lucabeer]

A question for 9200 users...

As a 7200 user, I was very disappointed by the right driver dying in 11 months, and it seems I am not the only one who experienced such premature death.

Is there a similar statistic for the 9200? Is it prone to driver death just like the 7200, or on average it seems sturdier?

 

[LoveKnight]

I have my D9200 with me for about 2 years now. Build quality is great with this headphone very comfortable on my head than my Sennheiser HD650. About the sound after upgrading my audio equipments, I love Sennheiser HD650 more than Denon D9200. D9200 is an expensive headphone but upgrading the expensive cable and earpads will cost more as a result the ratio of money and performance is not good. With that money should invest or buying a better headphone. The sound likes some others explain here. The low and mid are good but the high is the problem of this headphone. Soundstage is weird not good, like you can hear left right and middle directions only. In addition the scale of this headphone is not good. The price of this headphone should be around 1k or less. If anyone wants a good relax bass performance should look for Sony MDR-z1r or Fostex TH-900.

This headphone could be a portable phone with DAP and easy to drive from laptop, Mac mini, PC. I found the sound is good with 3.5 headphone output from my Mac Mini. By the way, I think the sound could be less fatigue if lower the volume to about 75% or less. Crank up will cause more fatigue with ears.

 

[trickyRoadsDummyTOOL]

I have my D9200 with me for about 2 years now. Build quality is great with this headphone very comfortable on my head than my Sennheiser HD650. About the sound after upgrading my audio equipments, I love Sennheiser HD650 more than Denon D9200. D9200 is an expensive headphone but upgrading the expensive cable and earpads will cost more as a result the ratio of money and performance is not good. With that money should invest or buying a better headphone. The sound likes some others explain here. The low and mid are good but the high is the problem of this headphone. Soundstage is weird not good, like you can hear left right and middle directions only. In addition the scale of this headphone is not good. The price of this headphone should be around 1k or less. If anyone wants a good relax bass performance should look for Sony MDR-z1r or Fostex TH-900.

This headphone could be a portable phone with DAP and easy to drive from laptop, Mac mini, PC. I found the sound is good with 3.5 headphone output from my Mac Mini. By the way, I think the sound could be less fatigue if lower the volume to about 75% or less. Crank up will cause more fatigue with ears.

I made some very good experiences with inexpensive cables from tripowin. I mean €64 per 2m-cable is not really inexpensive, meanwhile I took a second one for balanced output, the sound got a little better with the first one (pure copper) and balanced cable in my ears further improved the sound, this might be also a result of a good headphone amplifier.
I didn't test the expensive DAPs, but I think under-current provisioning mouse problem to the 9200, but I would not expect too much for this headphone in this case.
Generally headphones are way too expensive, but you have first problem with almost every headphone manufacturer. The HD 650 (did not own/test them) might be a good example of quite some existing exceptions.
I'm not sure if we can separate this on stage problem in left right and middle, I mean it's a closed headphone, but I will listen to them with special attention in this regard.
All in all I am really happy with this Headphone, it's a good allrounder and my daily driver for roundabout 10 months now. I hope though, the ear pads will last longer than 24 months. Until now, they feel and look pristine (4 to 6 hours use 5/7 days since 10 months approximately).

Just a few thoughts running through my head (courtesy DJ Shadow in "In/Flux") in direct response to your Post, also some sort of direct explanation for myself, why I still use this headphone.

 

[yrstruly]

I have my D9200 with me for about 2 years now. Build quality is great with this headphone very comfortable on my head than my Sennheiser HD650. About the sound after upgrading my audio equipments, I love Sennheiser HD650 more than Denon D9200. D9200 is an expensive headphone but upgrading the expensive cable and earpads will cost more as a result the ratio of money and performance is not good. With that money should invest or buying a better headphone. The sound likes some others explain here. The low and mid are good but the high is the problem of this headphone. Soundstage is weird not good, like you can hear left right and middle directions only. In addition the scale of this headphone is not good. The price of this headphone should be around 1k or less. If anyone wants a good relax bass performance should look for Sony MDR-z1r or Fostex TH-900.

This headphone could be a portable phone with DAP and easy to drive from laptop, Mac mini, PC. I found the sound is good with 3.5 headphone output from my Mac Mini. By the way, I think the sound could be less fatigue if lower the volume to about 75% or less. Crank up will cause more fatigue with ears.

My experience of the D9200 soundstage was that it wasn’t a realistic presentation, but pretty immersive. Definitely has some quirks to it. Still ends up sounding more “open” than a fair few closed backs to my mind.