We were able to audition D7000 with the D5000 side by side. I brought my faithful SR-71 and iMod 5.5 to hook it up.
To my surprise, the look is similar but the sound has drastically changed from D5000. I'd say the former D1000/D2000/D5000 share the same sound signature but the D7000 is not on the line of the predecessors. I auditioned with two friends and we all share the same impression.
The sound of D7000 is noticeably darker, deeper and laidback. I felt it something like Senn so I thought the impedance has increased or effeciency has lowered. Actually I have to raise the volume to match the D5000. I told this finding to Denon people but they did not have enough technical information about that.
Next, I was amazed by the bass quantity and quality. The bass is huge, deep and much detailed. Wood bass note is realistic and impressive. So my first impression was something like an L3000 blended with Senn.
Sound staging is not only wider than D5000 but it's fairly expansive as if I were in a large hall.
The housing is made of wood but I did not notice remarkable wood resonance like wooden Grados.
As for mid range, the vocal is articulate, rich and full. It's just stunning especially with warm SR71. S-sound harshness could be a little exists but not prominent anyway. The mids to highs are clear and crisp, the timbre of this portion may be similar to the predecessors. But I did not feel it is so airy as it is darker overall.
Some may prefer D5000 rather, as the sound signature is so different. However, I think D7000 is a better can in general. D7000 has better resolution, sounds bigger and the bass is so impressive.
In my opinion, D7000 is a bit expensive and comes to the playground a bit late. But it's surly the new king of Denon cans and well comparable to other kings.
Credit: Sasaki (www.head-fi.org)
More Review @ Head-fi: (1),(2)
I have actually re-evaluated how I feel about these earphones. Initially, I did not like the way that they sounded or how they felt in my ears. I have large ear canals. I have to wear the largest set of tips on every earphone that I have worn. Sometimes they are not big enough.
These earphones fit differently than so many other earphones. They sit just inside the opening of my ears. The body of the earphones definitely stay outside. They do not feel snug like the Shures. In trying to "achieve a sealed fit" in my ears, I would try to insert them too deeply. They were not comfortable, and I did not achieve the necessary seal in order to get a solid bass response.
What I found really works is to obtain some foam earpieces manufactured by Comply. They are available through Amazon and on their own website. When I inserted these "memory foam" tips onto the end of these earphones, I was able to achieve a very comfortable, "light touch" fit. I found that there is no need to force them to fit snuggly like a Shure earphone. The sound is full and rich. The bass is excellent. I cannot help but think that the aluminum casing and shape give these earphones some of their resonant bass.
Now, I really love these earphones. I have the Denon AH-D5000's which are an over the ear headphone. They are superb. I could not figure out how they could have missed the mark on their earphones. I have found that if you are willing to invest in some foam tips for those earphones that seemingly do not perform as you would like, you can really improve the sound.
Bought these for my wife to watch movies on the pc. She really liked my Denon AH-D5000, so I thought I would get these for her, they are a bit smaller in size as to fit her better. Being that they are a tad smaller they are lighter as well; which works better for her. I listened to them when she first got them and I am very impressed with the sound quality, very close to my AH-D5000, but not as full and warm sounding as the 5000.
Overall they have adequate bass, mid and treble. I wouldn't mind using them for ipod or my laptop for travel. They even came with a storage bag and extension cable. My 5000's didn't even come with a bag. I orignally bought her some Senheisers D555's. The sound was as good as the Denon 1000's, but they were much heavier and the bass was lacking in comparison; wich is to be expected with an open air design like the Senheisers. Biggest comparison was the weight and tight fit of the Sennheisers compared to the light comfortable Denons. Some people have said they felt like cheap plastic; however this is because they are made of magnesium, which is stronger than plastic and lighter, a key feature for long wear. The days of heavy bulky metal phones that clamped onto your head like a vice are limited to professional gear which needs to take a beating and block more background noise. Great Value, Great Build, Great Sound = Buyer recommended.
The Denon AH-NC732K is a very nice pair of headphones. They are compact, comfortable, and sound very good. The noise canceling works very well taking care of engine noise and other low frequencies. The included carrying case is perfect to slip in your briefcase or carry on bag and it has enough room for all of your adapters and cables.
The headphones don't fit around the ears like the larger Bose QuietComforts. They rest on and cover the entire ear. I was surprised that they were comfortable to wear. It took a little fiddling around to get a secure fit but it was worth it. The headphones feel like they are creating a seal to achieve maximum noise reduction. In fact if you just put them on without creating this "seal" you might not think much of these headphones so proper fit is key.
My first test was for noise cancellation. A lot of people will use these just for that feature and not even play any music through them. I ran an airplane noise WAV file through my desktop stereo system to simulate being in a plane. After cranking up the volume on my JBL 2.1 system I put the headphones on. There is a small switch on the side on the headphones to turn noise canceling on and off. With it off you could clearly hear the humming of the engines, the beeps of the seat belt indicators, and the general noises of cramming a hundred people in a cabin. Turning the noise cancellation on reduced these noises by 80%. The engines were barely audible and the beeps sounded like they were further away. Overall I was pretty pleased with the noise cancellation. Hopefully they work as well on a real flight.
I tested these for music with an iPod Nano and my stereo system. Plugged into the headphone out of my Peachtree Audio Decco using Sonos as a source I was immediately disappointed with the sound coming out of the Denons. They were bright and harsh with one note bass. I made sure the noise canceling switch was on, it was, and turning it off made the sound worse. I decided to "break in" the headphones before doing any more listening. I plugged them into the Nano and put it on shuffle mode, turned up the volume and then put a towel over them to drown out the sound.
After 5 hours of non stop playing I decided to give them another listen. They definitely sounded better, the highs were smoother and the bass was more relaxed. They still weren't great and for $299 they should be better. I decided to play around with the EQ settings on the Nano. Listening to The Beatles, Norah Jones, The Doobie Brothers, Daft Punk, etc. I checked every single EQ setting on the iPod. Surprisingly the Classical EQ setting sounded the best followed by Electronic , Rock, and Latin. With the Classical setting engaged these headphones sound fantastic. The volume was turned up 90% of the way to get the amount of sound I am used to, which is to say as loud as the real thing.
On my Shure E5C headphones the volume at half way is more than enough.
Comfort 4/5 They are very comfortable but it takes time to get them to fit correctly.
Convenience 5/5 I love the detachable cords, the case, and in a pinch you can listen to music if the battery dies.
Sound 5/5 They sound great once they break in but remember to try the EQ settings on your MP3 player to get the best sound.
Value 5/5 If you can try these at a local dealer and buy them for less than $299 (most dealers will discount) then they are a great deal, especially when compared to the competition.
Before buying a set of Denon's I was using one of the higher-end AKG models, which are semi-open back design and sound very nice, but I was having problems with them comfort-wise; although a pretty light fit, some AKG earpieces are not big enough to fit clear around your ears -- they clamp your ears against your head a bit, which was really uncomfortable after a few hours. I'd heard a lot of great things about these, and I decided to pick them up because:
1. Comfort -- Big earpieces which fit all the way around your ears. The pads rest on your head, not your ears. Mine don't even touch my ears. Nice soft, thick letherette. Also the headband is really nice. Barely any pressure at all. One feature that might not work for some users is the shape of the earpads. They are ergonomically shaped very specifically to fit on your head a certain way. Putting these headphones on flipped around from the marked R and L feels pretty strange. They are very comfy and work for me, but you might want to try them on before buying. The way the pads are angled you really can't wear them with the headband in a lot of different positions. Once you get them settled though, wow are they nice.
2. A closed design. Although my AKG's do sound a little more "airy" and more like listening to good speakers in a room, they have quite a bit of bleed, both outside noise bleeding in and inside noise bleeding out. The ADH2000's do have more bleed than some other closed cans I've used, but outside noise reduction is decent.
3. Excellent sound. According to most of the reviews I'd read, these Denon's are among the best of the best closed-design, fullsize headphones. I was not disappointed. These sound ridiculously good. I really can not put them down. Tried with iPod too, definitely need to turn the volume up, but still more than enough volume.
I do have a few small complaints, although they aren't enough to detract from my 5 star rating and excitement about this headphone. The adjustment system isn't that great. It has a nice ratcheting system, all metal which is really nice, but I don't feel like the detents are strong enough. Mine never get loose enough to come off, but I do find that one side likes to ratchet out a notch after a while. Also, as mentioned the cord is REALLY thick and not very flexible when you first get them, although it is nice to see something that won't get cut when run over with a studio chair or the like.
If you are looking for a high quality, comfortable closed headphone, this is it. I don't see mine retiring for a long time.
Just about perfect
I ordered these because I was getting tired of wearing my Shure in-ear buds. I ordered them to listen to primarily classical music in an office environment. I already have a set of Grado RS-1s but since those have an open design, they tend to leak more noise ... in AND out.
For the cost of the headphones, the packaging is a little weak. A protective bag for these puppies would be nice. Putting them on -- I would say they are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn -- light years above the Grados. They are designed for a big head, I think because they feel a little loose on my head at the smallest setting (there are 7 variable settings on each side) but since I'm not going to be working out with these on, they are fine and probably add to the comfort level.
The first thing I played was the Bruch Violin Concerto. It sounds phenomenal. I close my eyes and imagine myself listening in a concert hall. The clarity of the sound is amazing -- you can things on the recording that you would miss in a room with other background noise. The bass is warm and solid -- an advantage of the closed head design. The upper ranges are also very well balanced, crisp and clear. In short -- there is no sacrifice anywhere along the spectrum without one range being emphasized over another.
So far, I have only listened to them through my PC and they are outstanding. I can only imagine how great they would be on a real system.
The cord is plenty long so that you can easily move around (stand and pace a bit) while listening. The phones come with an adapter so you can use them in the smaller computer jacks as well as the larger jacks that you find on real stereos.
My ear buds are outstanding for portability (they cost as much as these denons) and the ability to go into your "alone cone". However, prolonged use of the buds can lead to inner ear irritation (yeast infections etc) and get uncomfortable. These are an excellent alternative if you are going to be sitting at your desk for hours on end and want to shut out the rest of the world. The construction appears to be very solid and give the impression that they will last for ever (though you'll probably have to replace the ear pieces when they get skanky).
One note: if you are primarily listening to MP3s, don't bother with this level of headphones. The sampling rate and sound quality of MP3s and other lossy formats just won't have the level of detail to where the difference between an $500 set of cans can offer over a $100.00 set. And in fact, the detail picked up by the more expensive headphones can be quite annoying when it detracts from the music. If you are wanting the true high-end listening experience, rip your music using a lossless format. Sure, it takes more disk space but you'll enjoy your music as it was intended in all its full-bodied glory.
