[waveSounds]

No worries!
 
I prefer the H7s to the Denons; to me they sound very similar to my Shure SRH1540s which are my main headphones. The Denon's are good too, and of course cheaper, but if you demo the H7s and like them, then go for them.

 

[Duxbury66]

I've popped out to the shops tonight and had a good listen to the B&O H7s alongside my HP50s. Unfortunately I wasn't that impressed, they were doing well until I put Adele's 25 album on and her voice just didn't seem right to me (even using the cable and my Dragonfly Red DAC rather than Bluetooth). Noise isolation was good and comfort wise they were okay, although they did have a massive security tag attached to one side that must have added 100g or more. I also didn't like the look in real life as much I thought I would having seen the pictures.

So I'm back to the Denon MM400s, Maybe I just need to take the plunge on Amazon with the view that I can return them for a small fee if I decide I prefer my existing cans. Decisions, decisions!

 

[ryanjsoo]

I've popped out to the shops tonight and had a good listen to the B&O H7s alongside my HP50s. Unfortunately I wasn't that impressed, they were doing well until I put Adele's 25 album on and her voice just didn't seem right to me (even using the cable and my Dragonfly Red DAC rather than Bluetooth). Noise isolation was good and comfort wise they were okay, although they did have a massive security tag attached to one side that must have added 100g or more. I also didn't like the look in real life as much I thought I would having seen the pictures.

So I'm back to the Denon MM400s, Maybe I just need to take the plunge on Amazon with the view that I can return them for a small fee if I decide I prefer my existing cans. Decisions, decisions!

 
I can see where you are coming from, the H6/7 sounded great to me, had nice comfort and isolation, but the midrange was a bit off. I was tossing up between those and the MM-400, I ended up going with the MM-400 due to its more natural sound. I couldn't get the greatest fit with the HP50's so maybe my views on isolation are unreliable... But the headband is definitely not the greatest, the Denon's just conform better to the human head. Hope you can find the right headphone for you!

 

[Duxbury66]

Well, since my last post I've gone and done it, I hit the big 'Buy Now' button and the MM400s are coming on Friday! I think I kind of talked myself into it as I was typing earlier.

I'll try to reserve judgement on the SQ until they've had a little run in time, but I'm looking forward to finally getting my hands on them and trying them on for size. Hopefully I'll find their comfort and noise isolation as good as my HP50s, I'll be sure to let you know my initial thoughts on Friday.

 

[yawg]

  I’ve had my eyes on the Denon MM-400s for a while now but have never found a dealer who stocks them so I can see what they look and feel like in the flesh. I bought the NAD HP50s about a year ago and have been happy using them on my daily train commute. But, no matter how good they sound or how comfy they are, I’ve always been aware of how they look. A few weeks ago I saw a guy wearing the MM-400s on the train and I was impressed, I know the wood divides opinion but I thought they looked fantastic. Regrettably, I didn’t pluck up the courage to ask a random stranger if I could try his headphones on, so I thought I’d ask if anyone has had the opportunity to compare the MM-400s to the HP50s?
I’ve read the online reviews and am confident the sound quality of the MM-400s will be to my liking. The two things I’m keen to gather opinions on are comfort and noise isolation;

1. My HP50s weigh just 226 grams, so seeing the MM-400s weigh 310 grams is a concern. The HP50s have a straight headband though so the weight isn’t evenly spread. Does the curved headband of the MM400s mean that the extra weight is more evenly spread and therefore not noticeable?
2. My HP50s have quite a strong clamp and I find their passive noise isolation to be very good therefore. I’ve read one review that says the clamping force of the MM-400s is strong too, so is their noise isolation on par with the HP50s?

Also, does anyone know of a dealer who stocks the MM-400s in their showroom in North West England? I've found some who can order them in, but not for me to test them before I decide to buy.
Thanks, Richard.

You should include the BossHifi B8 Denon look-alikes on your shopping/evaluation list. For @ 75 bucks on AliExpress they are a steal and will declass the Denons IMO.

 

[Noobzilla]

Went to a Lindsey Stirling concert many months ago. I was 5th row on the upper levels so I was quite close to the stage. After I got back home, I played her songs and I'd say my MM400 did a lot better in reproducing that experience than my Denon D600's. Now I understand when people say the MM400's sound quality is placed nearer to the stage. I still prefer the bass on the D600, but everything else I prefer the MM400.
 
DAC: Meridian Explorer 2

 

[Duxbury66]

My new Denon MM400s arrived earlier today and I must say, my first impressions are very good. No quality issues with this pair as far as I can tell, they look fabulous! I know how they look should be secondary to their sound and comfort, but if this was a beauty contest only my NAD HP50s would be on eBay already, the MM400s just ooze class.
 
I said I will reserve judgement on their SQ until they've run in a little, but they certainly sound pretty good straight out of the box, so I'm looking forward to what they will sound like in a few days time. Adele's voice sounds spot on (unlike on the B&O H7s I tried the other day). I put on her 25 album first just to test this but ended up getting lost in the fabulous sound and before I knew it I'd listened to the entire album! There is certainly a touch more bass than on my HP50s but that's not a bad thing on many tracks.
 
The MM400s don't clamp onto my head anywhere near as much as the HP50s so it's quite a different feeling when switching between the two. The clamp force of the HP50s means that the pads take the weight more and I barely feel the headband on the top of my head. This adds to their feeling of lightness. Where as the MM400s feel loose on the head in direct comparison (they don't feel like they are going to fall off but do move a little as I move my head around unlike the HP50s which are literally clamped in place), so the headband on the MM400s plays a bigger role in taking the weight. I can therefore feel the extra weight of the MM400s, but it's a close call as to which is the more comfortable.
 
I've not had a chance yet to test the passive noise isolation of the MM400s, I'm expecting the HP50s to perform better in this regard due to their bigger pads and stronger clamp around the ears, but we'll see.
 
Unfortunately I can't afford to keep both of them, so this is going to be a close run thing between two fantastic sets of headphones!

 

[kitsvancouver]

I like Adele's music but I find her recordings a bit compressed. Does anyone else find that?

I bought a pair of the Denon headphones just on looks and hope they sound as good as I feel they look.

 

[Duxbury66]

I like Adele's music but I find her recordings a bit compressed. Does anyone else find that?

I bought a pair of the Denon headphones just on looks and hope they sound as good as I feel they look.

​How would you describe the compressed sound you hear with Adela's albums? Can't say I've noticed anything like that, just mentioned her album as this is what turned me off from the H7s. If I had to describe how her voice sounded on them I would say nasally, but on my HP50s and now the MM400s it sounds 'right' and just like what I hear from my Kef R Series loudspeakers.
 
Back on topic, when will your MM400s arrive? Are you also looking to replace an existing pair of headphones, or is it more to add to a collection? Despite my need to upgrade/change I've grown quite attached to my HP50s and the thought of selling them to fund the MM400s doesn't fill me with joy. I'm starting to see why people end up with a room full of headphones!

 

[Duxbury66]

The first noise isolation test has ended in a dead heat. With my son playing with his race cars whilst watching Formula 1 on YouTube, both HP50s/MM400s dampened the mix of commentary and engine noise equally without music playing. When I played music at a moderate volume I couldn't hear any outside sounds on both.
 
I've also realised that I need to wear the MM400s headband more forward on my head than I was yesterday, this has made them more stable.

 

[emergencylies]

Could anyone compare the bass on these to the th-610s,  m50x or nighthawks? I'm having a hard time figuring out the sound signature without a graph (although I'm gathering its moderately v-shaped). Would you guys say the treble is reasonable if your sensitive to that sort of thing?

 

[ryanjsoo]

  Could anyone compare the bass on these to the th-610s,  m50x or nighthawks? I'm having a hard time figuring out the sound signature without a graph (although I'm gathering its moderately v-shaped). Would you guys say the treble is reasonable if your sensitive to that sort of thing?

 
I haven't had enough experience with the th-610s and nighthawks, but the MM-400 is definitely worth the premium over the M50x's. The bass is more extended and has both more quantity and texture. It's quite even and avoids bloat way better than most bass headphones. The treble response isn't that pronounced if you're sensitive to high frequencies, though most portable headphones tend to have a darker sound, they just sound more balanced by comparison. The M50x's are a brighter headphone, if anything, they are more fatiguing than the Denon's. The MM-400 is more U-shaped, the bass boost is mild and the treble response is just above neutral in the lower treble and neutral/slightly below neutral elsewhere. Mids are relatively even though clarity isn't their strong point. 

 

[emergencylies]

Hmm, thanks for the reply. That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I may get these in the next few days as amazon has them down to $270.

 

[kitsvancouver]

 
​How would you describe the compressed sound you hear with Adela's albums? Can't say I've noticed anything like that, just mentioned her album as this is what turned me off from the H7s. If I had to describe how her voice sounded on them I would say nasally, but on my HP50s and now the MM400s it sounds 'right' and just like what I hear from my Kef R Series loudspeakers.
 
Back on topic, when will your MM400s arrive? Are you also looking to replace an existing pair of headphones, or is it more to add to a collection? Despite my need to upgrade/change I've grown quite attached to my HP50s and the thought of selling them to fund the MM400s doesn't fill me with joy. I'm starting to see why people end up with a room full of headphones!

I've actually had the MM400 headphones for almost two weeks but haven't had time to even open the box.  I purchased them primarily because I like the way they look.  I was watching the price of the headphones and when the price dropped a couple of weeks ago, I ordered them.  My first pair of "good" headphones were Beyerdynamic DT990 that I purchased ~20 years ago when I was a student. About a year ago, I started looking for a good pair of headphones to use at work and that got out of control.  I must have purchased close to 20 pairs of headphones in the last year including T1.2 and HD800S.   So...I think the answer to your question is probably, "add to a collection".   
 
I just finished listening to Adele's 25 album (Target limited edition) on my HD800S (through a Valhalla 2).  I lack the experience, knowledge and words to describe the compressed sound so please keep that in mind.  I have a hard time understanding all the qualitative words I read on this forum so I'll just use my own words and comparisons.  
- I have always thought that two of the best recorded albums are Dire Straights Brother in Arms and Tracy Chapman (self titled album).   These two albums are very dynamic where there are big swings in volume levels between instruments.  Also, the recordings seem to be very detailed where I can make out the texture of the voices and clearly hear different instruments.  
- Adele's album.  It just doesn't seem to have that same level of detail capturing her voice.  I am pretty sure her voice has a raspiness to it which isn't captured.  Also, the instruments seem to all come from the same place (I'm exaggerating a bit of course).  
I remember when I was a kid, my dad had a car with one speaker that was on the dashboard.  It usually played AM radio which, through that single speaker, when turned up, sounded like, pft
pft, pft, pft.   It sounded like that paper cone was going all over the place with very little detail.   To me, the Adele album sounds closer to that AM radio sound than the Dire Straits album.  
 
That's all I have.     

 

[emergencylies]

Anyone know the difference between the ah-mm400 and the ah-mm400em - the em is about 100 cheaper on amazon. I'm a little confused.