[musikaladin]

I'm running them with the Denon DA-300USB now. Great combo

I wonder how they sound with the DA10 portable amp dac, which is what they picture
that fine portable unit with in all the Denon media...

...I've been asking the same question in the DA-10 DSD thread.... no one around here heard that combo yet it seems....

 

[cyrusgod]

Well.. as I am getting these for a lot of people I thought it was time I should get a good listen so invested in a pair for myself..

Sexy...
 

Very....
 

Very, very nice!
 

Two great headphones - my wife seems to prefer the look of the Denon - I like the overall look of the Sony as a bit more understated but clearly both lookers!  In terms of cables the Sony are superior, nice and thick and seem to hold their shape really well (although no remote, which may be a non-issue if using with the DA-10).
 

 
The beatiful but often frustrating thing in the background of the final pic (Emily!) is the reason I can't really write a full review of them at the moment.. she takes up far too much time!  
 
Suffice to say that even out of the box I was surprised how well they work straight out of the iPhone 6.. Seemed a bit more dynamic than the Sony Z7 that I am using at home with the DA-10/PC.  This is to expected of course as they are easier to drive.  So now the real fun begins.. out comes the camera connection kit and hooked up the phone to the DA-10 to enjoy some 192 kHz FLAC goodness...

So I am only 15 minutes in (ridiculous I know!) but so far they seem to have great imaging.. a lot of detail and a slightly sharper top end than the Sony (so far it isn't tiring..) which could be good or bad after an hour or two.
 
Portability is good and they fit nicely and obviously fold a lot smaller than the Z7.. man, I don't want to take those out of the house!
For users with smaller heads there may be some compression issues

For most of you over 6 months of age this shouldn't be an issue.
 
I have to say the ear pads feel a touch more "sticky" than the Sony Z7.. but in terms of price I guess that extra cash (for the Z7) has been spent mainly on build quality.. the Sony really are spot on.
 
 
 
Feelings right now are to keep the Z7 for home use as they may be a bit more comfortable and offer a slightly different enjoyable sound which may be less fatiguing over long periods
The baby also loves the comfort of them
 
The combination of the DA-10 and the MM400 absolutely rocks.. that is all I can say so far - it has kept me from spending stupid money on the PHA-3 which I just cannot justify at the moment!
 
Where did I get them?
From a quite helpful guy (me!) who posts as "cyrusgod" here and in other places and can help people get these from Japan at very reasonable prices.
Please PM me if you have any questions regarding that!
 
So a big thumbs up to Denon!  Sorry my review is not particularly "audiophile" and filled with tons of adjectives that sound delicious - but I hope it helps some of you.

 

[Bark Snarly]

Awesome little write up, cyrusgod!

I tried the z7 as many times as I could while I was in Japan and I agree that they are a bit nicer built (completely metal and leather and all very well put together - cables are awesome too!) and more comfortable. The pads on them are great, really thick and deep so they should fit everyone's head too.

I was looking for a portable headphone which is why I ultimately went for the denons over the z7's though. The z7's are a bit too bulky for portable use imo. I also found I actually still preferred my Sennheiser HD 250 linear II's to the z7's as well which is my current desktop headphone. Still currently my favourite sounding headphone too (yes, even edges out the denons although they are two very different sound sigs).

Fantastic that you're helping other people get their hands on this headphone too, it deserves more recognition imo!

@scuk88
Too bad you didn't like them. Completely fair enough though, everyone has different tastes!

Have to say though, if you found these too bright I don't know how you'd handle B&W p7's and ath msr7's... They'd probably bust your ears!

Still, I hope you find what you're looking for with your next headphones.

 

[Romani]

Well.. as I am getting these for a lot of people I thought it was time I should get a good listen so invested in a pair for myself..


Sexy...



Very....



Very, very nice!



Two great headphones - my wife seems to prefer the look of the Denon - I like the overall look of the Sony as a bit more understated but clearly both lookers!  In terms of cables the Sony are superior, nice and thick and seem to hold their shape really well (although no remote, which may be a non-issue if using with the DA-10).




The beatiful but often frustrating thing in the background of the final pic (Emily!) is the reason I can't really write a full review of them at the moment.. she takes up far too much time!  

Suffice to say that even out of the box I was surprised how well they work straight out of the iPhone 6.. Seemed a bit more dynamic than the Sony Z7 that I am using at home with the DA-10/PC.  This is to expected of course as they are easier to drive.  So now the real fun begins.. out comes the camera connection kit and hooked up the phone to the DA-10 to enjoy some 192 kHz FLAC goodness...


So I am only 15 minutes in (ridiculous I know!) but so far they seem to have great imaging.. a lot of detail and a slightly sharper top end than the Sony (so far it isn't tiring..) which could be good or bad after an hour or two.

Portability is good and they fit nicely and obviously fold a lot smaller than the Z7.. man, I don't want to take those out of the house!
For users with smaller heads there may be some compression issues


For most of you over 6 months of age this shouldn't be an issue.

I have to say the ear pads feel a touch more "sticky" than the Sony Z7.. but in terms of price I guess that extra cash (for the Z7) has been spent mainly on build quality.. the Sony really are spot on.

 



Feelings right now are to keep the Z7 for home use as they may be a bit more comfortable and offer a slightly different enjoyable sound which may be less fatiguing over long periods
The baby also loves the comfort of them

The combination of the DA-10 and the MM400 absolutely rocks.. that is all I can say so far - it has kept me from spending stupid money on the PHA-3 which I just cannot justify at the moment!

Where did I get them?
From a quite helpful guy (me!) who posts as "cyrusgod" here and in other places and can help people get these from Japan at very reasonable prices.
Please PM me if you have any questions regarding that!

So a big thumbs up to Denon!  Sorry my review is not particularly "audiophile" and filled with tons of adjectives that sound delicious - but I hope it helps some of you.

You caved and got the very thing you sell. Love it

I am sensitive to fatiguing top end and my suspicion is you will be fine with these over long periods.

I don't know why but even though I feel the Z7 are a replica of the Denon AH-D2000 that I used to own, the Sony didn't feel as substantial to me. One advantage the Sony has over the older Denon is the removable cable of course.

Enjoy and well done on finally taking the plunge.

 

[cyrusgod]

Thanks guys.
One thing I have noticed on mine are the way the wood is cut around the top of the metallic centre piece is not that "cleanly" cut on mine.. at least on one side.. quite rough in fact - is that the same on yours?  I am quite sensitive about things that are quite as obvious as that so may give Denon a call tomorrow!

 

[musikaladin]

So a big thumbs up to Denon!  Sorry my review is not particularly "audiophile" and filled with tons of adjectives that sound delicious - but I hope it helps some of you.

...a big thumbs up to your good pictures as well....

 

[Bark Snarly]

  Thanks guys.
One thing I have noticed on mine are the way the wood is cut around the top of the metallic centre piece is not that "cleanly" cut on mine.. at least on one side.. quite rough in fact - is that the same on yours?  I am quite sensitive about things that are quite as obvious as that so may give Denon a call tomorrow!

I can feel the grain in one spot of mine but it's still smooth and well finished. If it feels like it's catching when you brush your hand over it then maybe giving denon a call is a good idea!

 

[Romani]

 
Quote:

  Thanks guys.
  One thing I have noticed on mine are the way the wood is cut around the top of the metallic centre piece is not that "cleanly" cut on mine.. at least on one side.. quite rough in fact - is that the same on yours?  I am quite sensitive about things that are quite as obvious as that so may give Denon a call tomorrow!

 
Where the wood meets the Denon nameplate in the left earcup, I have a couple of hairs of wood that I could easily get rid of myself. It hasn't bothered me considering how insignificant it is so I haven't done anything about it. You would have to hold the ear cup up to your face to notice it, so it shouldn't be anything that obvious where you think the work is rough. Can you take a pic and post it? I can tell you how comparable it is to my one.

 

[roguegeek]

Extended bass and an excited treble. So we're dealing with a definite U-shapped can here? How has it been with female vocals?

 

[Romani]

Extended bass and an excited treble. So we're dealing with a definite U-shapped can here? How has it been with female vocals?

Depends on the source as mentioned previously. Female vocals are luscious on this can.

 

[cyrusgod]

Can you see that? Just at the top of the metal area.
The other side is perfect. So it makes me wonder if it is just being a "natural" product or if I should contact them. Damn this OCD!

 

[Romani]

Can you see that? Just at the top of the metal area.

The other side is perfect. So it makes me wonder if it is just being a "natural" product or if I should contact them. Damn this OCD!

I just looked again, had to zoom right in, you're talking about inconsistencies in the smoothness of the wood where it meets the nameplate up top. Hard to understand to what extent it looks rough unless seen in the flesh to be honest. If the roughness is noticeable from a distance and the finish just looks poor, then this is not the quality you would expect from a headphone in this price bracket. Having said that, it is natural wood shaped and finished by hand as opposed to a machine, so I would expect a level of uniqueness in each final product.

 

[Romani]

Purchased mine yesterday and I am spending they day at work trying them out. Still deciding if they are keepers. 


 


There is no question that these are amazing headphones, even my wife who usually doesn't show any interest about my nerd stuff said that she was keeping them after trying them out for 2 minutes. Thats gotta count for something.


 


Amazing build quality, honestly... Just amazing. Fit and comfort is better than anything I have ever tried.


 


I am not ready to really comment on soundquality, of course it is really good but I am trying to get used to the somewhat closed soundstage. I knew this was gonna happen since I have the X1's and before that the Q701's and going from open to closed can be a bit jarring.


 


It does seem like it is much easier to tell how a song "should" sound. With the X1's every song sounds more or less the same: pretty large, wide and "airy". With the Denons some songs sound really close and intimate while all of a sudden some other song just really opens up the soundstage and "space"


 


Will try with gaming and movies tonight.


 


If anybody has questions or want more pictures let me know and I will try and help, thread already has great info and amazing pics, it really helped me in deciding to try these out.

 
Interested to see how you're tracking with these. Good bad or ugly?

 

[bluesaint]

Anyone compared vs the following $400 headphones:
1. B&O Beoplay H6
2. Oppo PM-3
 
I'm deciding between m400, pm-3 and H6.  all three are exactly at $400.

 

[Romani]

  Anyone compared vs the following $400 headphones:
1. B&O Beoplay H6
2. Oppo PM-3
 
I'm deciding between m400, pm-3 and H6.  all three are exactly at $400.

Haven't heard the Oppo PM-3. In my opinion, the MM400's out-do the B&O Beoplay H6 hands-down. I listened to the H6 for about 20 minutes in a quiet environment and did not personally enjoy their sound. They just felt lacking overall for me. In fact, on the day, I walked away with the Marshall Monitor which was almost half the price. I own those till now for on-the-road. I keep the Denons at home.