These are keepers, and will scale. They really have me looking at my DAC situation (again).
I’ve found over the years many people didn’t take them seriously enough because they’re only 25 ohms; “Anything will get them loud enough”. The entry-level price point also meant many people who used them were driving them off of phones, laptops and iPods.
These are serious headphones. I’ll maybe post more specific thoughts later but; who has got these running off a +$1K setup?
In general i think Denon is an underrated brand but then again they dont come out with a lot of stuff. I bough a used 7200 and its one of my favorite sets. Personally i think they respond well to warmer amps like IFI (i use the DAC + Can) but they sound great on S.M.S.L SU-9n + A90d
I went off trying to wrap my head around these and left everybody on this thread hanging…
Man these things are SENSITIVE. They sounded good, just not quite right. Very bright and “etched”. Lacking authority. So, instead of running my amp off of an Isobar 6 power strip, I plugged them into the wall. They’re good now. No longer considering a new DAC (again ).
I’m good with the Quality > Quantity mentality.
I’ve read about them and have seen people showing off some beautiful wood cups, but never tried one out till now.
Yeah people find them bright. Some people call them v-shaped. They are to me neutral with a slight bass emphasis, good (in this case) for regaining some of that visceral impact you lose on headphones.
To me that’s the goal: a chain that’s always good so you can just have fun trying out new headphones and know they’re going to show at least half-decently.
I’m running them off an RNHP. Barely past 9 on the pot (sensitive). Very low output impedance which works well here I think. Only using the dac on my Steinberg interface which is quite good IMO.
I just want to see if I can go where the recording wanted to take me. I dunno… I don’t beak it down any less than that. I want the headphone to get out of the way.
I havent tried the 2000s, but if my 7200 and what ive heard talked about Denon in general they tend “warm-ish” some versions more neutral than other (setting aside people individual perception of sound). I think something like an A90D along with a decent DAC would work great - Personally i like my 7200 on solid state (like the A90D) and warm amps (IFI), tubes tend to mellow things out too much.
When ever i get a new headphone i test it out on 3 different rigs neutral (S.M.S.L SU-9n + A90d), warm (IFI Zen Dac + Zen Can) and Tubish (Topping D10 Balance + Loxji P20), most headphone work well with 2 out 3, but in most cases there is a clear winner.
P.S Also the A90D is solid workhorse with more than enough power for pretty much every headphone - particularly Hifiman plannar that love power
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