Denon AH-D7100 Headphones Review - Superb Audio Capability, Cool Styling And … A Rather Heavy Price Tag, This Baby Can Really Deliver

At a thousand bucks-plus per piece, the Denon AH-D7100 is not your ordinary toy. It’s never easy sorting through the highly-stacked array of headphones out there in the market today, and if you’re looking for a great-quality piece look no further but be prepared for the price tag. Much like the Ultrasone Edition 8s, the Grado Statement, and the Sennheiser HD800s - which all offer superb audio performance - the Denon AH-D7100 is packed with the same audio power which should give you a tough time deciding which one to buy. Can the Denon AH-D7100 go head to head with the bigwigs in the top-dollar division? Let’s see…

At first glance

In general, the D7100 is bass-heavy, fun-sounding with a typical V-shaped frequency responsesomewhere in between “fun” and “HiFi”. The V-shape however isn’t too pronounced, the mids are clearly present and do not get drowned out by the bass. Treble is pronounced only in certain areas, particularly at about 8-10 kHz (not having seen the frequency response graph at this point, this is merely an estimate). This peak is not unlike the one found in many Beyerdynamic headphones. Another peculiarity is a severe drop in the lower mids at about 500 Hz. The bass is very strong in general, both mid- and lower bass are clearly pronounced. http://www.head-fi.org/products/denon-ah-d7100-music-maniac/reviews

Sports car like looks

As you’d expect with the eye watering price tag, the build quality of the Denon AH-D7100 Music Maniac Artisan headphones is superb. You get them displayed on a satin bad in a custom designed wooden box, like you’re receiving some sort of reward. In this case, a reward for your ears. As you’d expect, these are among the best headphones out there for build quality, reassuringly solid and with a frosted silver finish. The ear cups are made from a reassuringly luxuriant African mahogany with leather covering the memory foam ear cups and headband. From a distance these look similar to Beats by Dr Dre headphones (reviewed here), a comparison even its makers have acknowledged. But that’s where the comparison ends.

More about the Denon AH-D7100 headphones reviewed

Denon AH-D7000 vs. Denon AH-D7100 Comparative Review

The Denon AH-D7100 marks the evolution of the great Reference Line of headphones developed by a company we know as Denon. The new design has already created a rather speculative and rather controversial series of comments stating that the new design cheapens the original elegance afforded by the previous flagship Reference headphone, the AH-D7000. The newMusic Maniac line represents newer use of materials coupled with a completely new design that is suppose to be better than the older, single pivot design of the previous D-series Reference Line. There is a certain elegance that the old has that the new doesn't exude whatsoever. http://yklee118.blogspot.com/2012/10/denon-ah-d7000-vs-denon-ah-d7100.html

Traces of Beats

Heading up the new contenders, the 1200 Euro Denon AH-D7100 is a mix of the familiar and the new. Design-wise, they're a little similar to the Beats by Dr. Dre Studio, the top-end range from the famous (and infamous) Beats range. These are closed-back headphones that have a core two-part make up. The outer part is the plastic composite that makes up the headband and outer cup. Inside is the high-gloss finish mahogany earcup shell, topped with some seriously chunky leather pads. Although the Dr. Dre comparison was one Denon's headphone guru was not afraid to make, these come across as a whole lot classier than the Beats bunch. http://www.trustedreviews.com/denon-ah-d7100_Headphones_review Cool features The headphones are equipped with powerful 50mm Free Edge Nano Fiber drivers. The hand-carved African Mahogany Wood Ear Cups not only look great, but their rich resonance plays an important role in the headphones' excellent sound. Denon tuned the AH-D7100s to a flat EQ to provide accurate frequency response without coloration. No matter what type of music you're listening to, you'll get ultimate quality and accuracy. Ergonomic features include Denon's patent-pending pentagonally-shaped memory foam ear pads, which provide an ultra-comfortable fit. The ear cups have a ball-and-socket design that provides 360-degree articulation. An adjustable headband lets you further customize the fit. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/882291-REG/Denon_ah_d7100_Music_Maniac_Artisan_Headphones.html Superb audio capability, cool styling and … a rather heavy price tag, this baby can really deliver.