Denon AH-D7000: A Mild Slice of Heaven Delivered Via the Ear Canal
Pros: Clean, tight and bolt action like delivery of bass, Sparkly Highs, Excellent build quality, Extreme levels of comfort, Minimum Amplification needed
Cons: Mids are the weakest point in this chain although this is not such a terrible thing, cumbersome non removable cable
My headphones before these were a pair of Beats By Dre Sudio headphones.
I wasn't an audiophile before these headphones but certainly was introduced to the realms of audio quality outside of iPod earbuds with them. My girlfriend bought them as a birthday present and whilst they were "good" I knew better was out there.
Cue in some disposable income, I saw the Denon D7000's multiple times come out within my searches of high end headphones. The look of the them combined with the street price they were available at appealed to me.
Powering them I use a Zero DAC 96Khz/24Bit Headphone AMP/DAC. Not the most expensive DAC out there but certainly a very well placed price/performance DAC (worth around $200).
Out of the silk laced leather box they came, oozing class, style and a luxury presence to them I was dumbfounded. Astounded that a consumer product could be built with such precious materials such as Mahogany, Magnesium and leather (well fake leather). Built so tightly and well constructed these things feel a little precious but well built at the same time.
Sound Quality
I immediately set these on a burn in cycle with a various set of white noises and tests from a website with a dedicated burn in tool. This was performed for 72 hours before my first listen.
Now I'm a big deadmau5 fan, music that combines pounding tight bass notes with ascending arpeggios which soothe and roll over the ears to much delight.
I thought I had heard my music before, I was wrong.
Bass is delivered through an M95 bolt action rifle, it strikes directly and accurately through the music it is tight, not flappy or wobbly it is taught clean serene bullets of ammunition.
Highs are crystal clear, it was as before I was looking through a 10 year old dirty windscreen, and with the Denons it is a brand new perfect clear facade of music delight. Notes were reaching levels of clarity that I had no idea existed.
I may sound a little melodramatic with the explanations but hyperbole just doesn't do these headphones justice. The perfect genre of music for these is no doubt classical, the soundstage is wide especially for a closed back headphone. You are able to accurately judge the placement of the strings, woodwind, brass and percussion.
The Dark Knight Rises Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is one such album that brings out the best in these headphones in particular the song "Rise". The crashing drum sequence towards the end seems to shatter through a brick wall and collide with your ears in a comfy fashion.
The midrange seems to take a little bit of a backseat compared to the highs and lows, however this is no means a terrible thing, they are just outshone by the treble and bass.
The none removable cable is a caveat for me personally it feels a little flimsy however is some form of rope like woven material which looks like it will stand up to a little punishment.
One great aspect of these headphones is the 25omhs required to drive them. This is peanuts and these carry a decent level of SQ even to an iPhone or iPad.
However amplified correctly and these shine.
Overall I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase, these will be in my stable for a long time and are one of those purchases that I will be sad to part with when the day comes that they give up the ghost.
But there is a long winding road left before that and the joy is in the journey.
I wasn't an audiophile before these headphones but certainly was introduced to the realms of audio quality outside of iPod earbuds with them. My girlfriend bought them as a birthday present and whilst they were "good" I knew better was out there.
Cue in some disposable income, I saw the Denon D7000's multiple times come out within my searches of high end headphones. The look of the them combined with the street price they were available at appealed to me.
Powering them I use a Zero DAC 96Khz/24Bit Headphone AMP/DAC. Not the most expensive DAC out there but certainly a very well placed price/performance DAC (worth around $200).
Out of the silk laced leather box they came, oozing class, style and a luxury presence to them I was dumbfounded. Astounded that a consumer product could be built with such precious materials such as Mahogany, Magnesium and leather (well fake leather). Built so tightly and well constructed these things feel a little precious but well built at the same time.
Sound Quality
I immediately set these on a burn in cycle with a various set of white noises and tests from a website with a dedicated burn in tool. This was performed for 72 hours before my first listen.
Now I'm a big deadmau5 fan, music that combines pounding tight bass notes with ascending arpeggios which soothe and roll over the ears to much delight.
I thought I had heard my music before, I was wrong.
Bass is delivered through an M95 bolt action rifle, it strikes directly and accurately through the music it is tight, not flappy or wobbly it is taught clean serene bullets of ammunition.
Highs are crystal clear, it was as before I was looking through a 10 year old dirty windscreen, and with the Denons it is a brand new perfect clear facade of music delight. Notes were reaching levels of clarity that I had no idea existed.
I may sound a little melodramatic with the explanations but hyperbole just doesn't do these headphones justice. The perfect genre of music for these is no doubt classical, the soundstage is wide especially for a closed back headphone. You are able to accurately judge the placement of the strings, woodwind, brass and percussion.
The Dark Knight Rises Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is one such album that brings out the best in these headphones in particular the song "Rise". The crashing drum sequence towards the end seems to shatter through a brick wall and collide with your ears in a comfy fashion.
The midrange seems to take a little bit of a backseat compared to the highs and lows, however this is no means a terrible thing, they are just outshone by the treble and bass.
The none removable cable is a caveat for me personally it feels a little flimsy however is some form of rope like woven material which looks like it will stand up to a little punishment.
One great aspect of these headphones is the 25omhs required to drive them. This is peanuts and these carry a decent level of SQ even to an iPhone or iPad.
However amplified correctly and these shine.
Overall I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase, these will be in my stable for a long time and are one of those purchases that I will be sad to part with when the day comes that they give up the ghost.
But there is a long winding road left before that and the joy is in the journey.
