Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones (Silver) Review

Rated 5 star based on fit to application.

I recently purchased a Zune 80gb because it supported lossless WMA playback.However, I didn't have a good set of portable headphones to use with it.I had been using a pair of Sennheiser PX-100's and PX-200's, but they were ill suited for jogging and outdoors activities.Both headphones are ok, but too much external noise leaks through the PX-100's open air design and the sound quality of the sealed PX-200's is a definite drop off from the PX-100's.Either way, neither worked well for jogging as both tended to slide around my head.

So I started a search for pair of enclosed headphones that could be driven by the Zune.After reading many reviews, I decided on the Denon's and I'm glad I did.They sound fantastic, on par with my Sennheiser HD-570's (actually, the Denon's bass is better) but not quite as good as my uber expensive Sennheiser HD-650's.I've never heard a pair of enclosed headphones that sounded like the Denon's.The Denon's don't suffer from the "in a can" sound, rather, they are almost as open and transparent as the HD-570's.Good recordings really have an air to them and vocals on some of my reference recordings just seam to float in space.The high end is almost perfect.I use The Giant Hogweed Orchestra's "Halogen" to evaluate the high end as this psychedelic jazz composition features some of the best captured drum and cymbal work in my music collection.You can hear every nuance of the cymbals and the brush work on the drums is absolutely esquisite.Once again, not as good as my HD-650 which cost a nearly rediculous 6-7x as much, but every bit as good as the HD-570's with even better bass extension.

And, the Denon's work very well for portable players.I have to max out the Zune (20 on the volume) just to get a reasonable sound out of the HD-570 / HD-650's.It only takes a volume setting of 10 with the Denon's.The closed air design fits over your ears, not on them unless you have Dumbo or Spock sized ears (this coming from a 6'2" 270lb guy).While not as sound isolating as most sealed designs, the around the ear design means these won't fall of your head when jogging or working outdoors, a very important consideration for me.Best yet, they are every bit as comfortable as my HD-570 / HD-650's for extended listening.Just the right amount of pressure and feather light weight.

While they won't replace my highend Sennheiser's for home studio and home stereo listening, they are perfect for high quality portable listening.The Denon's make a great match for the Zune and Lossless WMA, pure audiophile geekdom....

Click Here to see more reviews about: Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones (Silver)

Product Description:
Denon is the company that invented digital recording over thirty years ago. They have led the audio world with leading edge technologies in audio and video sound reproduction. Now you they have taken that same attention to detail and put it into the design of an incredible series of headphones. The Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones are designed to reproduce all of the nuances of the digital music you listen to. The microfiber diaphragm with acoustic optimizer provides superior sound quality from 8 to 37,000 Hz. High-quality, oxygen-free copper cabling ensures only the cleanest sound. This headphone also features an attached 5-foot cable and 11.5-foot extension cable.

Want to buy Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones (Silver) at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below:

Sony MDR-V150 Monitor Series Headphones with Reversible Earcups Review

It seems from a lot of the reviews on here, that people don't quite understand the specs behind headphones which are crucial to its sound. A lot of people are comparing these headphones to iPod earbuds and saying that it sounds like something is missing. Here's why:

The technical specs for iPod earbuds:
Bandwidth response-20Hz to 20,000Hz
Impedance-32ohms

The technical specs for MDR-V150s:
Bandwidth response-18Hz to 22000Hz
Impedance-24ohms

For those of you who don't understand the numbers, it means that the MDR-V150s have a broader range of sound, but the iPod earbuds pack a bigger sound. This is precisely why you think something is missing.

If you listen to iPod earbuds over a long time, your ears become accustomed to really loud, albeit a small range, sound. This is also why iPod earbuds are known for causing serious harm to your ears over prolonged periods of use. For it to sound right, you have to use the full amount of power, which the earbuds provide. Your close-range hearing becomes damaged over time and you can't hear subtle sounds or details, but you can still detect low volume. The earbuds won't sound deafening because you can still hear outside noise.

The MDR-V150s have a larger range of sound and lower impedance. That means there is a much richer sound. You don't need to jack up the volume to get a good listen (but you do need your hearing intact). You also may not be used to the larger range of sound so the range of sound you're used to will sound drowned out at close range. Many of the comments complaining about this transition from earbuds are noting that staples of their music listening sound strangely undetailed on the MDR-V150s. High levels of bass have a way of "drowning" out treble sounds if you're not used to listening to music with ample bass at close range.

Another major difference is that since these are "on-ear" headphones instead of "in-ear" buds, you have much less outside noise interfering with listening. It's like the difference between listening to a car stereo with the windows up or the windows down. You have to listen to things louder if there's more outside noise and you can't notice as many details either. There is a reason cellphone handsets for the car use earbuds instead of headphones, and that's so you can still hear the road. Why would you want to use earbuds that are intentionally designed so you can still hear your surroundings but compensate for it by deafening you?

I work a lot with sound whether it's production, music, or art and I use these as portable stereo phones because of their quality and sound range. I use them with my iPod with the long cord tucked into my case's belt clip. They are incredibly affordable for their quality. Most comparable headphones cost at least $30. I have been using these headphones since freshman year of college when I was first exposed to them in my school's sound lab.

My opinion aside, the manufacturer specs speak for themselves and it's hard to imagine that iPod earbud fans really believe that these provide less sound when physically they have a much broader range of sound and do not permanently damage your ears.

As for the tightness, it's good. It'll keep the phones pressed against your ears. The padding coupled with the tightness is what keeps as much outside noise sealed out. The more noise cancellation you can get, the better the sound.

And for the hair complaint: you could always tie up your hair or give up on headphones with plastic size adjusters. The plastic size adjusters were just designed to snag hair, so it seems.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MDR-V150 Monitor Series Headphones with Reversible Earcups

Product Description:
Supra-aural over-the-ear design for listening comfort. Features 30mm diameter drivers for deep bass, high-energy ferrite magnets and a stereo UniMatch® plug. Wide molded headband for long-lasting comfort, and reversible earcups for single-sided monitoring. Global Product Type: Headphones-Over Ear; Earpiece Type: Over Ear; Earpiece Material: Foam; Microphone: N/A.

Get 23% OFF

Want to buy Sony MDR-V150 Monitor Series Headphones with Reversible Earcups at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below: