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Denon AH-D600 Headphones – The Top Of Your Shortlist

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11/18/2013 9:58:15 AM

If you ever needed proof that the audio industry was faddish and driven by an insatiable desire to move in on rival companies’ markets, then look no further than headphones. A decade ago, these were specialist things bought by geeks, many of whom had a connection with the recording or DJ industry. They were invariably black in color, and functional objects to which your friends and family paid absolutely no attention whatsoever.

Description: AH-D600 headphones

AH-D600 headphones

How times have changed! A decade later, everyone in the world either has an iPod, and iPhone or some other sort of iDevice, or an equivalent from the likes of Samsung or Sony. The mystique and the romance of having a small portable digital music making machine has gone, and instead now people’s collective attention seems to have shifted to the headphones plugged into them.

It’s for this reason that hi-fi manufacturers that have not traditionally paid much interest in such things, now seem very interested in anything that sits around your shell-likes and pumps out a noise!

A design for life

Enter Denon, which has obviously cottoned on to the ‘lifestyle’ idea; the presentation of the AH-D600 package is the sort of thing your mum might call ‘plush’, in the same way she’d talk about rucked velour scatter cushions or fancy velvet curtains. It’s a shame the company didn’t spend the cash on the build of the phones themselves; its a little plastic, the like of which you’d never see on Philips Fidelio L1/00s, for example. Worse still, the memory foam ear cups are covered in sweaty vinyl, with a white stitching effect that’s unlikely to give the AH-D600s universal appeal.

Description: Denon makes no mention of this, oddly

Denon makes no mention of this, oddly

What is good to know, however, is that when you put the phones on your head and tap the casing, the AD-H600s sound quite inert compared too many others? And better still, when those two 50mm ‘Free Edge Nano Fiber’ drivers have been run-in for a few days, these phones really begin to shine. What you get is a surprisingly detailed, insightful headphone that digs deep into the music. So much so that it makes a number of already excellent, but more expensive designs, sound quite average in some ways. I’m thinking specifically about the Sennheiser HD650 here, which is something of an established favorite; but against the Denon it sounds quite murky and opaque.

For example, Daft Punk’s Get Lucky comes over with disconcerting clarity. Being closed back (Denon makes no mention of this, oddly), bass is very tight and taut, yet it breathes better than many similar such designs. The result is a fun-packed, highly tuneful bass line that starts and stops on a sixpence, and pushes the song along with aplomb. Then there’s the midland, which is a real ear-opener; it is genuinely very detailed, making the already excellent Philips Fidelio rival sound a bit cloudy and imprecise. It proves great at unpicking the track’s rhythm guitar work, and slotting all the elements of the track together beautifully.

Description: This new headphone proves really impressive

This new headphone proves really impressive

Then there’s the treble; this for me is where about 95 percent of ‘phones stumble and fall. It’s usually harsh and tizzy like a Grado or dull like a Beyer, but the Denon again proves consummately detailed and open. You would never call this a dull headphone; with poor quality programmer material and/or a poor source (i.e. MP3 from your computer), it can be quite lacerative, but feed it with a decently recorded piece of music from a good headphone amp, and it is smooth and even yet intricate and delicate. I love the way it makes a well recorded drum kit sound; a bit of Brand X reveals its ability to render cymbals in a realistically steely way, yet not infuse the sound with hardness or distortion.

Top of the pops

This new headphone proves really impressive; first impressions aren’t overwhelmingly good, but the more you use it the better it gets. It is a pretty comfortable design that’s not too heavy at 345g, and it has a relatively soft fit on the head where some rivals ‘clamp’ you much more. This helps you enjoy the AH-D600’s powerful, punchy and musically engaging sound more – but it isn’t all go and no show; there’s loads of detail and this headphone lets you listen right into the mix like few others at or near the price. Headphones are highly personal things, but if you’re looking for an enjoyable, but accurate pair of cans, this should go right to the very top of your shortlist.

Details

·         Price: $558.42

·         Website: www.denon.com

·         Our verdict: 5/5

Technical specs

·         Weight (g): 365

·         Cable length (m): 1.3

·         Semi-open: No

·         Wireless: No

·         Over-ear: Yes

·         Surround sound: No

·         On-ear: No

·         3.5mm connector: Yes

·         2.5mm: No

·         Open: No

·         6.3mm connector:  Yes

·         In-ear: No

·         Closed: Yes

 

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