[IDrinkLava]

Well of course it wouldn't be your experience at all. You swapped out the earpads. This clearly had a detrimental effect on the frequency response, which is otherwise pretty accurate except for that bad, boxy hump in the mids.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I put in bold my impressions about yours in the quote.

I add this to your post: I don't like the Denon "post selling service". The left driver of my 6 months old AH-D9200s failed and when I contacted to the on-line shop where I bought them they referred me to my local Denon technical service, shop which manages with all kind of electronical things... Here and in the next posts you will find the complete story... Also, the reviewer @Dobrescu George had issues with his AH-D7200s drivers and a not good experience with the Denon "post selling service" (he wrote about that in his review).

Yep, Denon has no aftersales service. Local shops try to service their products, but from what they told me, they are sent no data about how to, and no instructions, so for headphones they can purchase the drivers and try to replace them, but for complex denon products, the service is offered by local people with a solder gun who try to figure out what's happening, and from the looks of it, that's the case for EU and USA. Denon may be better in ASIA tough, from what the official Denon response was.

 

[Malevolent]

Cool. Are these the Celestee or Stellia is it? pads from Dekoni? Or the actual Focal pads?

Actual pads from my own Celestee; it has taken a back seat to my "modded" Elegia, of late.

I would have purchased a spare set of Celestee pads, but woe is me, they are expensive!

 

[Malevolent]

Time.

My audio stable has remained unchanged for two, yes two, years (with the exception of the Paw S1 last Christmas, but we'll ignore that). I'll just let the gasps settle down...

I've held official discussions with the wife, I even put on a tux for the occasion, and we're in agreement; I'm due a new headphone; 'tis the season to be jolly after all!

The shortlist consists of:

- Audeze LCD-XC 2021
- Denon 9200
- Kennerton Gjallerhorn
- Fostex TH-900
- Campfire Audio Cascade
- Heddphone (yeah they're open so a bit of a wildcard, but I'm intrigued)

I don't really know what sound I'm after, as the list suggests, but good bass is a must, and I believe all of the above to meet that particular criteria. The Sony Z1R and Liric would be on there but there is a price ceiling.

I hope to demo all of them over the next few weeks, although one or two might not be possible. I'll take the Dangerous Source for a desktop source, and the Paw S1 and Meridian Explorer 2 for portable device tests.

I'm genuinely excited to hear what these can offer over my Owls and Shure 1540s, but these will remain in the stable.

As an aside, how do you guys feel about auditioning equipment in places that you know you might end up purchasing elsewhere? I can't help but feel a bit... guilty... about it.

I'm so glad that your wife has given you the green light for a new pair of headphones. It's always nice to hear the household's (true) finance minister giving her stamp of approval on a kilobuck purchase.

Anyway, out of the options available on the market, I'd highly recommend the Denon AH-D9200 and the Meze Audio LIRIC. Both of these headphones are true genre-neutral masters; they play very well with a wide variety of music types. Neither is sterile or neutral, but they have just the right semblance of balance and musicality in their respective signatures. I would have lumped the (pre-2021) Audeze LCD-XC in the aforementioned category, but I always prefer a well-tuned dynamic and how it renders slam and impact in the lower registers.

On the other hand, the other listed headphones - the Cascade, the Gjallarhorn GH50, the TH900 Mk2 - they are all good at certain things, but poorer in others. The Fostex, for example, is perfect for dance music, but fades in prominence when it's fed vocal-led genres. Even the MDR-Z1R isn't free from criticism - it is great for vocals, thanks to an authoritative midrange; however, it is a little off-kilter in its tonality. In that sense, it is closer to the NightOwl than it is to, say, a Utopia.

 

[Malevolent]

Yep, Denon has no aftersales service. Local shops try to service their products, but from what they told me, they are sent no data about how to, and no instructions, so for headphones they can purchase the drivers and try to replace them, but for complex denon products, the service is offered by local people with a solder gun who try to figure out what's happening, and from the looks of it, that's the case for EU and USA. Denon may be better in ASIA tough, from what the official Denon response was.

They don't fare very well in Singapore, too. In terms of headphones, they have near-zero stock available, a complete abyssal hole in presence, and a complete lack of marketing. I wonder why they aren't making a conscious effort to boost their brand's image; the AH-D9200 is a great headphone, and deserves a fair shake.

From what I've seen, however, they are content to let their products simmer in the background, earning minute volumes of sales on "good word" alone. I haven't seen much of a presence in Japan, either. In Tokyo, Denon is heavily eclipsed by Sony, Audio-Technica, STAX, Final Audio, etc.

 

[plakat]

I would have purchased a spare set of Celestee pads, but woe is me, they are expensive!

Says the guy who recently dropped a not insignificant sum on the newest Meze model

… comments someone who once deemed ownership of the Abyss a necessity. Besides other sins against my wallet…

 

[Terriero]

Says the guy who recently dropped a not insignificant sum on the newest Meze model

… comments someone who once deemed ownership of the Abyss a necessity. Besides other sins against my wallet…

@plakat (and Malovolent) don't torture yourself. It's not your fault, is this forum which empty our wallets...

 

[Dobrescu George]

@plakat (and Malovolent) don't torture yourself. It's not your fault, is this forum which empty our wallets...

While reviewing some streamers I talk about Bluetooth Sink, we should talk about spending money sink, which is this hobby, and the forums as well

 

[plakat]

@plakat (and Malovolent) don't torture yourself. It's not your fault, is this forum which empty our wallets...

Thinking of it you're correct... we are simply seduced by evil forces So the question is... submit or fight? For me at least I'm done with the really expensive stuff. Lower midrange (pricewise, but not in the definition of the general public) is much more interesting, offering some real gems. The rest of the money I now spend on other things, which of course include music. Yes, I still buy CDs and even downloads, despite paying for two (yes, two) streaming services...

While reviewing some streamers I talk about Bluetooth Sink, we should talk about spending money sink, which is this hobby, and the forums as well

Yes, absolutely... but fortunately it not only gives one new options to spend money, but also opinions that might help avoid unnecessary purchases. On the other hand... the new ideas, FOTM and general hype cost much more combined than reviews might help save I think...

 

[Terriero]

Thinking of it you're correct... we are simply seduced by evil forces So the question is... submit or fight? For me at least I'm done with the really expensive stuff. Lower midrange (pricewise, but not in the definition of the general public) is much more interesting, offering some real gems. The rest of the money I now spend on other things, which of course include music. Yes, I still buy CDs and even downloads, despite paying for two (yes, two) streaming services...

Yes, absolutely... but fortunately it not only gives one new options to spend money, but also opinions that might help avoid unnecessary purchases. On the other hand... the new ideas, FOTM and general hype cost much more combined than reviews might help save I think...

One trick is to compare your experiences (or your gear, if you want) with other human beings, but not with the audiophile ones (which reside here and don't belong to that category )

 

[waveSounds]

My patience threshold is simply terrible... I couldn't wait wait any longer and ended up blind ordering a pair earlier this morning after endlessly turning over the options in my head for the last few days. I suck

Thanks for all the advice from my close(d) homies in this thread. They're due for delivery tomorrow so I will post a reveal picture when they're here.

 

[Malevolent]

Says the guy who recently dropped a not insignificant sum on the newest Meze model

… comments someone who once deemed ownership of the Abyss a necessity. Besides other sins against my wallet…

Oh, yes, about that...

All kidding aside, I can better fathom and appreciate the cost-value of a (good) $2,000 headphone VS a pair of $200 pads. The latter just seems insanely expensive for... earpads; good alternatives can be had for less than half of that cost. For example, the Focal Clear Pro pads are nearly $200; the Utopia ones are $250!

 

[Malevolent]

My patience threshold is simply terrible... I couldn't wait wait any longer and ended up blind ordering a pair earlier this morning after endlessly turning over the options in my head for the last few days. I suck

Thanks for all the advice from my close(d) homies in this thread. They're due for delivery tomorrow so I will post a reveal picture when they're here.

Oooh, what did you get? The Denon AH-D9200?

Enjoy the headphone!

 

[Terriero]

My patience threshold is simply terrible... I couldn't wait wait any longer and ended up blind ordering a pair earlier this morning after endlessly turning over the options in my head for the last few days. I suck

Thanks for all the advice from my close(d) homies in this thread. They're due for delivery tomorrow so I will post a reveal picture when they're here.

At the end, you decided for the AH-D9200s?

 

[plakat]

Oh, yes, about that...

All kidding aside, I can better fathom and appreciate the cost-value of a (good) $2,000 headphone VS a pair of $200 pads. The latter just seems insanely expensive for... earpads; good alternatives can be had for less than half of that cost. For example, the Focal Clear Pro pads are nearly $200; the Utopia ones are $250!

Yes, absolutely correct. Sometimes OEM replacement parts are just absurdly expensive. I think at least with large companies it may have to do with the complicated processes to handle these seldom used parts… but still. My often quoted examine Beyerdynamic, where spare parts are not an afterthought but part of the regular product offering with easy availability and reasonable prices.