The Closed-Back Headphone Thread (Plus Comparisons & Reviews)

[simon740]

What about wp900 ? Isolates noise well?

 

[Terriero]

I really liked the AH-D7000; I have fond memories enjoying my music on it.

I had an opportunity to purchase a second-hand unit at or around the same time that I bought my AH-D9200 (half a year ago); I opted for the latest flagship, of course. However, if I have spare funds lying about, I'd definitely consider the top-boss of the original Denon trio (AH-DX000 series).

It's probably borne out of a sense of (strong) nostalgia, more than anything else. But who could say no to this venerable classic?

Yesterday, I saw one in the classifieds and I was pretty tempting...

 

[bythebookiii]

The Sony Kimber Cable just arrived... first impressions, a tighter and snappier bass but with less quantity (which I like) and more detailed and balanced mids and highs. I removed most EQ adjustments and the Z1r are even more enjoyable now.

One more step to go with the Hiby R8 on turbo mode (expected by Christmas) which in theory will bring more juice to the table making the drivers to come alive... really? Hope so.!

 

[Xero the Banana]

LCD-X, Koss ESP/95X, iSine 20, Amiron Home, I think that was it... hmmm, nothing, closed, but I’ve already got plenty of those

I was also eyeing that iSine20 deal, and considered returning my iSine10 for that haha. Looking forward to your thoughts, wherever you post them . And LCDi3 is definitely on my watch list for black friday 2021

All this talk of the Denons, Kennertons and other wooden closed backs makes me crave a wooden headphone for my collection... but my spending is focused on midi gear for now, so that will have to wait. I do hope that people who have tried the Tago T3-01 leave reviews or impressions in this thread, because that design and the few reviews have me intrigued as one to bite the bullet for later in 2021!

 

[Redcarmoose]

The Sony Kimber Cable just arrived... first impressions, a tighter and snappier bass but with less quantity (which I like) and more detailed and balanced mids and highs. I removed most EQ adjustments and the Z1r are even more enjoyable now.

One more step to go with the Hiby R8 on turbo mode (expected by Christmas) which in theory will bring more juice to the table making the drivers to come alive... really? Hope so.!

So happy to read your progress.

 

[Avean]

I have taken a huge giant leap, ordered the AH-D9200 now. Most money ive ever spent on headphones but i have to try them out.

Gotten my AH-D9200 now after reading the posts here and seeing reviewers on youtube getting emotional while talking about these. Now i know why!
First i was pretty scared putting these on, i am used to HD700 which are super comfortable and i have listened to HD800S which is a giant leap compared to HD700. I had to EQ the heck out of my HD700 to make them sound good while HD800S just sounded very good out of the box but they were not "fun" to listen to.

These on the other hand are very much fun. I am no audiophile expert but they sound like open design headphones just way more intimate. The bass especially is something ive never experienced before and i see many reviewers commenting on. The bass is definetely there but not overdone like in many other closed headphones. Especially listening to Metallica you have this really clear instrumental sound and a wide open soundstage but when the drums kicks in you can definetely feel the bass but it sounds perfectly natural.
They are just really musical headphones that makes music super enjoyable for me now. I found myself just closing my eyes and moving my head around automaticly listening to music with these, they are incredible!

For games its a huge leap as well, and here its quite clear the sound is very intimate. I notice stuff i havent before cause stuff seems closer but at the same time you have a big soundstage if that makes any sense? I cant really explain it. For me this sound signature is incredibly fun and a joy to listen to. Comfort wise they are perfect. They almost seem semi-closed cause one issue i have with closed headphones is that my voice gets muffled but not here. But it does closes out exterior sound quite a bit, enough for the sound to become intimate and personal without disturbance. That alone is a massive difference. I am used to open back headphones and there even the air of the room is audible hehe.

So yeah these are definetely not going back, my main new driver for sure and super happy!

 

[subguy812]

Gotten my AH-D9200 now after reading the posts here and seeing reviewers on youtube getting emotional while talking about these. Now i know why!
First i was pretty scared putting these on, i am used to HD700 which are super comfortable and i have listened to HD800S which is a giant leap compared to HD700. I had to EQ the heck out of my HD700 to make them sound good while HD800S just sounded very good out of the box but they were not "fun" to listen to.

These on the other hand are very much fun. I am no audiophile expert but they sound like open design headphones just way more intimate. The bass especially is something ive never experienced before and i see many reviewers commenting on. The bass is definetely there but not overdone like in many other closed headphones. Especially listening to Metallica you have this really clear instrumental sound and a wide open soundstage but when the drums kicks in you can definetely feel the bass but it sounds perfectly natural.
They are just really musical headphones that makes music super enjoyable for me now. I found myself just closing my eyes and moving my head around automaticly listening to music with these, they are incredible!

For games its a huge leap as well, and here its quite clear the sound is very intimate. I notice stuff i havent before cause stuff seems closer but at the same time you have a big soundstage if that makes any sense? I cant really explain it. For me this sound signature is incredibly fun and a joy to listen to. Comfort wise they are perfect. They almost seem semi-closed cause one issue i have with closed headphones is that my voice gets muffled but not here. But it does closes out exterior sound quite a bit, enough for the sound to become intimate and personal without disturbance. That alone is a massive difference. I am used to open back headphones and there even the air of the room is audible hehe.

So yeah these are definetely not going back, my main new driver for sure and super happy!

I didn't review on YouTube, but they inspired me to write a review and they weren't an item I was going to review, because I have so many items I have an obligation to review, and so little time.

 

[Terriero]

The Sony Kimber Cable just arrived... first impressions, a tighter and snappier bass but with less quantity (which I like) and more detailed and balanced mids and highs. I removed most EQ adjustments and the Z1r are even more enjoyable now.

One more step to go with the Hiby R8 on turbo mode (expected by Christmas) which in theory will bring more juice to the table making the drivers to come alive... really? Hope so.!

Have your comfort issues disappear?

 

[eeagle]

Gotten my AH-D9200 now after reading the posts here and seeing reviewers on youtube getting emotional while talking about these. Now i know why!
First i was pretty scared putting these on, i am used to HD700 which are super comfortable and i have listened to HD800S which is a giant leap compared to HD700. I had to EQ the heck out of my HD700 to make them sound good while HD800S just sounded very good out of the box but they were not "fun" to listen to.

These on the other hand are very much fun. I am no audiophile expert but they sound like open design headphones just way more intimate. The bass especially is something ive never experienced before and i see many reviewers commenting on. The bass is definetely there but not overdone like in many other closed headphones. Especially listening to Metallica you have this really clear instrumental sound and a wide open soundstage but when the drums kicks in you can definetely feel the bass but it sounds perfectly natural.
They are just really musical headphones that makes music super enjoyable for me now. I found myself just closing my eyes and moving my head around automaticly listening to music with these, they are incredible!

For games its a huge leap as well, and here its quite clear the sound is very intimate. I notice stuff i havent before cause stuff seems closer but at the same time you have a big soundstage if that makes any sense? I cant really explain it. For me this sound signature is incredibly fun and a joy to listen to. Comfort wise they are perfect. They almost seem semi-closed cause one issue i have with closed headphones is that my voice gets muffled but not here. But it does closes out exterior sound quite a bit, enough for the sound to become intimate and personal without disturbance. That alone is a massive difference. I am used to open back headphones and there even the air of the room is audible hehe.

So yeah these are definetely not going back, my main new driver for sure and super happy!

I was lucky enough to get in on what was likely a pricing error on the AH-D5200 over the holidays here in the states. I have been following the many positive reviews of the AH-D9200 in this thread so was pleased to give Denon a try. I too typically like open back HPs, and so far find the 5200 to be surprisingly open sounding and extremely detailed listening to live recordings, in fact they have exceeded my expectations. Solid bass, but not overdone like my Fostex TH-X00, just very open sounding. Hard to imagine the 9200 being better.

 

[Malevolent]

What about wp900 ? Isolates noise well?

It's not very good at isolating noise, to be honest. Just putting them on (without music), I can hear the hum of my air-conditioner, as well as the fans spinning in my desktop PC.

Plus, I'm using a mechanical keyboard, and I can distinctly hear the "click-clack" of the keys with music playing, albeit faintly.

 

[Malevolent]

Yesterday, I saw one in the classifieds and I was pretty tempting...

Yeah, I saw that, too. Hitting the "buy" button? You could do a comparison between the AH-D7000 and the AH-D9200.

 

[Malevolent]

Gotten my AH-D9200 now after reading the posts here and seeing reviewers on youtube getting emotional while talking about these. Now i know why!
First i was pretty scared putting these on, i am used to HD700 which are super comfortable and i have listened to HD800S which is a giant leap compared to HD700. I had to EQ the heck out of my HD700 to make them sound good while HD800S just sounded very good out of the box but they were not "fun" to listen to.

These on the other hand are very much fun. I am no audiophile expert but they sound like open design headphones just way more intimate. The bass especially is something ive never experienced before and i see many reviewers commenting on. The bass is definetely there but not overdone like in many other closed headphones. Especially listening to Metallica you have this really clear instrumental sound and a wide open soundstage but when the drums kicks in you can definetely feel the bass but it sounds perfectly natural.
They are just really musical headphones that makes music super enjoyable for me now. I found myself just closing my eyes and moving my head around automaticly listening to music with these, they are incredible!

For games its a huge leap as well, and here its quite clear the sound is very intimate. I notice stuff i havent before cause stuff seems closer but at the same time you have a big soundstage if that makes any sense? I cant really explain it. For me this sound signature is incredibly fun and a joy to listen to. Comfort wise they are perfect. They almost seem semi-closed cause one issue i have with closed headphones is that my voice gets muffled but not here. But it does closes out exterior sound quite a bit, enough for the sound to become intimate and personal without disturbance. That alone is a massive difference. I am used to open back headphones and there even the air of the room is audible hehe.

So yeah these are definetely not going back, my main new driver for sure and super happy!

The AH-D9200's innate ability to produce well-textured, articulate, and layered bass is its trump card, IMO. It isn't heavy in the lows, but when your track requires a strong, engaging bassline, the Denon is effortless to the task. The bass is very organic, too, as you've mentioned.

Congratulations with your purchase. I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying them!

 

[trellus]

I was also eyeing that iSine20 deal, and considered returning my iSine10 for that haha. Looking forward to your thoughts, wherever you post them . And LCDi3 is definitely on my watch list for black friday 2021

All this talk of the Denons, Kennertons and other wooden closed backs makes me crave a wooden headphone for my collection... but my spending is focused on midi gear for now, so that will have to wait. I do hope that people who have tried the Tago T3-01 leave reviews or impressions in this thread, because that design and the few reviews have me intrigued as one to bite the bullet for later in 2021!

I especially love the look of the Kennerton Gjallarhorn headphones, and it sounds like they have a unique sound, it certainly piques my interest! I had never heard of the Tago T3-01 at all, had to Google them and ended up back on Head-Fi, coincidentally enough.

 

[Xero the Banana]

I especially love the look of the Kennerton Gjallarhorn headphones, and it sounds like they have a unique sound, it certainly piques my interest! I had never heard of the Tago T3-01 at all, had to Google them and ended up back on Head-Fi, coincidentally enough.

Yeah, the tago was mentioned earlier in this thread, which piqued my interest. And I also googled them, ending up on another shorter head-fi thread; although that seems to be the norm for me when I look up a headphone.

 

[Malevolent]

Yeah, the tago was mentioned earlier in this thread, which piqued my interest. And I also googled them, ending up on another shorter head-fi thread; although that seems to be the norm for me when I look up a headphone.

I especially love the look of the Kennerton Gjallarhorn headphones, and it sounds like they have a unique sound, it certainly piques my interest! I had never heard of the Tago T3-01 at all, had to Google them and ended up back on Head-Fi, coincidentally enough.

Let's not even talk about sound.. on the topic of looks alone, the Kennertons score very high marks. They've done a bang-up job crafting some of the best-looking headphones on the market, IMO. My own Gjallarhorn is not only exquisitely beautiful, it feels like it can withstand some abuse, too.

The Tago T3-01 is an interesting headphone. To be frank, I've never heard of it before - it completely flew by me - but now that it's been mentioned, the headphone has certainly piqued my interest. There's a store in Singapore selling the T3-01; I wonder if they have a demo unit available?