Customer Reviews

Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones (Silver)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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....

I was searching for comfortable audiophile grade headphones to replace my Bang & Olufsen Form 2's. My Form 2 headphones sound wonderful, but i was very displeased at their comfort level. My ears would go sore after only twenty minutes of use with the Form 2's. On my search for comfortable, yet audiophile headphones, I found the Denon AHD1001's.

The AHD1001's are incredibly lightweight and comfortable. It is possible to hold these headphones up with one finger and I can wear them for hours before feeling the need for a rest. The headphones also sit around the outside of my ears, so although these are concidered on-ear headphones, they should be known as over-ear. Unless you have extremely large ears, each ear pad will sit around your entire ear and I'm a pretty big guy. This supreme comfort was for me a big selling point as I have stated before.

As for the AHD1001's sound, I am very impressed. They have a very pleasant natural and accurate sound reproduction. They may be even more natural sounding than my Form 2's. These headphones also provide a much more immersive sound than my Form 2's could. These headphones effortlessly pump out high quality bass, much more so than my Form 2's. It's almost like Denon built subwoofers into each cone of these headphones. These phones probably deliver so much bass because their closed design does not allow the bass to escape. Even though the AHD1001's are a closed design, like the Form 2's, the AHD1001's perform with a great sense of space and do not sound confined. The AHD1001's will also give a good picture of where each each sound is originating from.
***A reminder, these are audiophile headphones and will bring out a good amount of any imperfections that may be in the audio file you are listening to or even the audio source. I have had the Bose Around Ear(triport) headphones in the past and I know the Bose will make bad audio files and bad audio sources sound 'decent.' These are not Bose and will not artifically process your music to sound 'ok' whether your listening to a bad audio source and file or not. Whatever the audio file and source outputs is what the Denon's will play. So make sure your music is encoded in a high quality, i'd say at least 256kbs, and playing off a good audio source to really make the AHD1001's sing.***

You will also appreciate, because of the closed design, the AHD1001's leak no sound, unless however, you listen at unreasonably loud volumes. However if your looking for isolating headphones, these may not be sufficent for you as they only block out a small amound of noise from the outside world, however, once the music starts playing its hard to hear any ambient noises.

The AHD1001's are a very good all around headphone that could gracefully handel anything thrown at them. I listen primarily to rock / alternative but also anything from classical to techno and these performed well in all cases. I even used them for gaming and they worked great.

The AHD1001 headphones appear to durable enough. Definitely a hundred times more durable than my Form 2's. I don't notice anything that would indicate them falling apart any time soon but only time will tell.

As far as portibility is concerned, I suppose it wouldn't be out of the question to take this out with you everywhere you go. Personally, I don't particulary find these too portable. They are fairly large so you may find you are the center of attention at your local mall.

Finally there are a few things that may need clarifying regarding the product. The Denon AHD1001S and Denon AHD1001K are exactly the same thing. The only difference being one is silver and the other black. The headphones come with an adapter for use with home stereo equipment and a sufficiently long enough extention cord. They also include a soft carrying case. The case would be good for protecting the headphones from scratches, not any kind of pressure against them.

Overall I am extremely satisfied with my purchase of these Denon AHD1001 headphones and I hope this review can be of use to you in deciding if these are right for you!

I have had these headphones for about 3/4 of a year now. After reading other reviews on various forums, some people swore by them and others stated that the bass is weak. I did not use them that often at first and the bass did seem lacking, but the mids and highs were terrific. I started using them a lot more often and now the bass is definitely not lacking, though not overbearing or muffled either. Just like other quality speakers, the ones in these just took awhile to break in. The clarity is so great that if you have lower quality mp3s etc you will be able to hear the distortion. After listening to my normal music with these, I can hear instruments that before were non existent. I have not used my Shure headphones since, except while on a long flight. These headphones do not have noise canceling and airplanes are to loud to use these. I listen to a mix of metal, JPop, Trance, Classic Rock, orchestral.

Pro:
The AHD 1001S are "audiophile" headphones. What is amazing it cost only $129.00. Denon trickle down their AHD 5000 headphone ($400) technology to their AHD 1001S. The music presentation is scary good; three dimensional sound, no harsh digital sound and dynamic bass extension. You will be engaged with the music and the recording (An emotional event). I've own Grado and Sennheiser $100 headphones and they don't sound close to the Denon AHD1001S. They are light weight and comfortable to wear. You don't need an amp for your MP3 player. You will not be disappointed.

Con: Made In China. Cheap plastic (Toy) construction. Easy to break. No noise isolation; you hear everything outside; people talking, etc. I wished these headphones were made in Denon of Japan (Higher Quality).

I have had these for a little more than a month and really like them. It took about a solid week to break them in, sound and comfort wise. Now I can have them on for a long time and they dont bother me. I had a pair of Sennheiser's HD 280 which sound great and I think a little better then these Denons but they are just too tight and I could not wear them for more then an hour at a time. Returned the Senn's and got these and love them. Like I said before, sound quality wise the Senn's are a little better but comfort wise these Denons blow them away. I compromised the quality of sound for comfort as I have them on at work all day. I think the reason the Senns are too tight is because they are noise isolating, so they need to have a tight fit over your ear. The Denons are not, but once the music is on you cant hear any outside noise anyway. I work in a loud lab (AC, lots of computer equipment etc.) and when the music is on I dont hear any of the background noise.

I also own a pair of Senn's in-the-ear head phones and they are also very uncomfortable, cant have them on for more then an hour. I wish they can make comfortable ones, if they do it will be tough to pass on them.

I've gone through three pairs of Bose around-ear headphones, and after my last pair fell apart I started looking around for a similar pair of better physical quality. I found these, and I'm very pleased I went with them!

The physical quality is great. The cables aren't flimsy, and the adapter is thick and sturdy. The only drawback is that it protrudes out quite a bit and can get in the way of things, depending on where your headphone jack is. But I'm thankful for it, I have good faith that it will last long.

They're probably the most comfortable headphones I've ever owned. They stay in place without feeling too tight, and are good for periods of long listening. The head strap is squishy and soft against the top of your head. The cans enclose your entire ears, which is wonderful. They look simple and stylish, too. Better than the Bose, in my opinion. They're lightweight and easy to carry around. The cable is nice and short so it doesn't get in the way for portable listening. However if you do need to extend the length, they come with an extension cable.

Now, for the sound quality, which is something I'm very picky about. I was biting my nails after buying these, wondering if I made a good decision. I certainly did! These have an even more supreme sound than the Bose headphones. These headphones will give you sexy bass without over-doing it, and the highs are crystal clear. I listen to pretty much every genre out there, and I haven't been disappointed yet. They are just as good as the Bose, if not better.

They also sound great at any volume, from barely audible to excruciatingly loud. And the sound doesn't leak too badly. I was on an airplane just last night, blasting music extremely loud. Not only was it inaudible to anyone else, but the roaring of the airplane was greatly reduced. They work better for airplanes than a pair of noise-canceling headphones I own!

I'm so glad I bought these. They've got superb quality and sound, made to last, and they look great. I can't recommend them enough.

EDIT:
Well, it's been about a year since I bought these headphones, and they have lasted amazingly well. I've used the hell out of them, and on various instances they got beat up, yanked around, and kicked a lot. I've slept wearing them, I've shoved them loosely in my bag, tripped over them, etc. This just proves that the physical quality is supreme. I cannot stress this enough! I am amazed that I have not broken them yet.
My only complaint, however, is that the sound has distorted over time. In the past month or so, I've noticed the sound is more tinny and less "warm sounding". Though I think this is a common scenario with any headphones used daily over an extended period of time. Also, I often blasted music at completely insane volume levels, so that may have been a large part of it. I will be replacing them sometime in the near future, but I highly recommend these! I think they are without a doubt the best "bang for your buck" headphones you can find.

One of the most comfortable phones I've ever had. Much more comfortable than the Sennheiser HD280 which is also closed. The sound of the Denon is smooth and liquid. The highs are exceptionally free of distortion and relaxing to listen to for long periods. The mids are a step below my Sennheiser HD580 but are quite good. The bass is quite deep but a bit loose til broken in. Compared to the HD280 there is more bass presence -- which gives a more balanced frequency spectrum. That the Denons can be driven by an iPod without an amp is a plus for me. However, as with most phones an amp improves the sound. In sum, this is a very good phone and well worth it's price. It should be on every person's short list when considering phones in this category.

Pros:
1) Excellent sound quality.
2) Excellent value.
3) The wiring extension is a clever and functional concept.

Cons:
1) The ear pads are a tiny bit too small. They could fit better, but it does not cause any discomfort or any apparent loss of sound quality.
2) The wires seem a little flimsy, especially where they attach to the headphones. So, I am simply extra careful not to stress the wiring. This may or may not actually be of any real concern.

Although a little pricey, these headphones provide a high quality music experience and are very comfortable for extended periods of time. The highs and mids are crisp and clear. You'll hear details in songs that you'd never noticed before. The bass, although not that booming, is never muddled and very nuanced; you can always catch the subtleties in the basslines. After wearing these on a regular basis for several months, I'm still impressed by the quality every time I put them on. I use them mostly for my iPod, but I also occasionally connect them to my desktop PC. Always sound great without requiring me to blast the volume.

The earpads don't press too tight, so they're very comfortable for extended periods of time. The band has good cushion that also makes for a comfortable experience.

Because of the comfortable fit, though, these cans do a mediocre job of blocking outside noise. It won't be a problem if you want to use them at home, office, or maybe even a coffee shop, but I wouldn't recommend them for more bustling areas. I've tried them out on my commute to work--walking on a busy street and on a loud bus--and the sound of cars passing and bus engines roaring is pretty loud. If you want headphones to use on an airplane, busy urban area, or to DJ you should stay away from these.

But if you're looking for a high quality, comfortable pair of headphones and don't need too much sound isolation, these are perfect.

These Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones' sound quality is awesome. I was using Apple white EarBuds and I hated them, they were just too uncomfortable to wear. But these Denon's are a pleasure to wear on-ear, and the sound quality is hard to beat especially in the mid range. I paid $119 and the MSRP is $150, I think. My tiny old iPod Shuffle has no problem driving these phones. For the money you get a lot of headphone: sounds great, physical construction is excellent strong and lightweight, comfort is good especially on-ear. I love the up/down ratcheted adjustment; the locking clicks are strong and these headphones stay put once adjustment is done, IOW they don't go out of adjustment once they are on your head. My only two slight criticism is the top headband, all though strong/soft made of soft padded microfiber, I find press down on the top of my head a little causing a slight pressure on my head. But a slight shift rearward of the headband solved the problem. The over-ear padded microfiber ear rings I find to get a little warm after prolonged use, but I got used to it and I don't notice it now.

The Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones is a solid good quality headphones for the money. Highly recommended.