While I will agree nearly point-by-point with reviewers regarding the sound reproduction of the AH D1100s (bass can be a bit thick, works better with an amp), I must add yet another incident where the product delivered was not 'built to last'. In fact, this model appears to have, in the experience of a number of posters in internet (hi-fi and other electronic product) forums, myself included, a common structural defect. I can't tell if this is a design, manufacturing, or quality control problem. But nevertheless, it is *clearly* not an isolated issue.

More specifically, the issue regards the swivel arms that critically attach the cans to the headband. The lightweight plastic from which these arms are made have, in several discussions, lasted as little as 9 months before cracking. In my case, I didn't notice any cracks until, in the 13th month of using them (only at my desktop at home) a large chip of the plastic splintered off the left swivel arm. The arm could no longer reasonably support the left can and very quickly broke upon using them the next time.

Note that these headphones had neither never left my desktop nor been otherwise mistreated in any way (no accidents, drops, nada). I also inspected the swivel arm of the right can, Very minute cracks could be seen spreading from the midpoint of the 'C shaped' arm. These were quite subtle, but with only a very minor bit of torque applied, it was evident that these fractures were displaced, meaning they were critical structural failures and would not last long under the moderate tension from normal wear.

I called Denon support about this, and spoke to a rather prickly representative. I informed him about the issue and the incidents that I had read in discussion forums on this product. He implied that the cans were mistreated, that he had owned a pair of these for 9 months, and he would do nothing to inform his company that there could be a quality flaw that hasn't been examined. He especially didn't care to help solve this issue as my headphones were *just* out-of-warranty.

Such fanatical service this Denon corporation.... (in comparison, I've seen far better from Sennheiser folks lurking various forums and answer to defects with a nice degree of transparency).

I sent the headphones to PanurgyOEM, who is the primary repair service for warranty and out-of-warranty repairs for Denon. PanurgyOEM was fully aware from my report that the issue was the broken piece on the headband. They still charge a $29.00 'evaluation fee' which would be applied to the labor cost for a repair. Nearly 1 month after sending the cans for repair (this is far too long, given I sent the item 2 day FedEx and confirmed date/time of receipt), I received a rather belated and shocking estimate from them.

Here is the breakdown:

- $72.86 for the headband (they only replace the entire thing)
- $29.00 for labor (already charged as the above mentioned 'evaluation fee')
- $20.00 for shipping (??? what do they use, Singapore Air?)
- $12.00 for materials(??? really? a box and cushioning? I know, it must have been the expense of the surgical suite grade clean room they use to send the precious devices that have been contaminated by the humans...)

Total, a mere $133.86 - FOR A HEADBAND!!! I bought the headphones for $120. Since my purchase, there has been a markup of these cans to $199 (as of 9/22/2012).

At either cost, this is NOT an economical repair, especially given internet reports that this issue has *repeated* after repair. The cost of repairing headphones should arguably come at the expense of the audio technology, not a headband. A PanurgyOEM representative interestingly input their definition of 'economical' as the price of repair that meets or exceeds a *current* list price of the cans, not the price at the time of purchase. Show me a headphone which appreciates in value.

In the end, PanurgyOEM was kind enough to tell me that if I want the headphones back even without repair, I must pay $32.00 (itemized above). Let's see......$61.00 to have *NOTHING* done to repair the product.

No highway robbery there....

In sum, I think it's safe to say that I would urge *extreme* caution in buying these headphones - if, and until the structural integrity of the headband is in some way improved by Denon. Otherwise, you could be faced being scoffed at by a swarthy Denon rep, or mugged by the repair man in New Jersey....

2 stars for nice audio, but durability factor and expense to service renders them problematic given the price point.

So I bought and compared these to my D5000's and D2000's...

The contrast when going from D5000/2000 to D1100 was pretty stark. I will break this down by "with" and "without EQ" because it's a big deal.

Without EQ adjustments- By default (without any EQ adjustments) I find that the highs are pretty good, though a bit rolled off in the highs compared to the D2000's and D5000's. To their credit, the treble never becomes uncomfortably sharp like the D2000s can, nor is the treble rolled off enough to make it feel dull or dark. I'd say we have about 92% of the D2000 highs here. The mids, however, seem arrested...by the bass. Indeed, I would describe the bass as somewhat overwhelming and can make some songs feel heavy and muffled. If I were to describe default the sound stage here I terms of positioning of instruments...I'd say the 1100's make you feel like you're sitting on stage (extremely forward; thinner ear pads than the D5000/2000) ...and within 2 feet of the bass (instrument) or the drums...and the other instruments / musicians positioned somewhere behind them. It's certainly not the organization you see in a performance. In Robert Glasper's piano performances, the piano sounds muffled. Dwele's R&B tracks sound a bit bloated/congested/stuffy. Denez Prigent's somber background tones in J'Attends sound muddled. Certain elements felt altogether missing in some of the classical and Bossa Nova songs because of that bass, principally. But other songs sounded good. Most of my Rock and Alternative also sounded either "not bad at all" or "pretty damn good" which was a bit unexpected. Staind for example, sounded great and Three Days Grace sounded pretty good. They really benefitted from the rich bass. So yea, some genres suffer...and sometimes just a couple of songs IN a genre (ie, R&B) suffer. HOWEVER, they are tolerable and if need be, you can certainly get used to them in most cases.

Also, for what it's worth, there wasn't a single track I threw at it that caused the low/bass reproduction to start clipping or distorting at all either on my computer or on my iDevices. This is impressive considering how much bass they hit with.

* Strong genres- Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop/Rap, Alternative, Latin, Classical (w/o heavy cello/bass accompaniment), Rock (that doesn't feature a lot of low-cord "growl"), anything that could use a touch more bass
* Okay genres-Rock (with a lot of low-cord "growl"), Gospel, Bossa Nova, similar
* Poor genres- Jazz, Classical (with heavy cello/bass accompaniment), anything already on the edge of "bass saturation"

With EQ on iDevices set on "Bass Reducer"or EQ or my computer with slightly raised treble and slightly reduced bass...

Yes. Oh yes. Bass now brought under control, it is now present and solid but not overwhelming at all. It's now similar in bass and arrangement to what we expect...though I still feel like I'm on stage (very forward). Drums and bass are now behind the other instruments. The reduction in bass allows the mids to actually be presented, though they don't extend quite as far as the D5000/2000, though they get close. Highs come out more as well, though they're still not as crisp or extensive as the D5000s/2000s (slightly recessed by comparison, maybe 96% of the D2000s treble range)...but nowhere near as far away either. All genres range from good to great. Sound stage is probably as wide as I could hope for. Bass feels more "thumpy" and more meaningful than the D5000/2000. Very impressive.

* Strong genres- All.
* Okay genres- None!
* Poor genres- None!

I think if the 1100's were my only cans I could afford, a little EQing will go a long way towards making me feel extremely satisfied with the purchase. If EQ adjustments aren't an option for you...or if those kinds of adjustments mess up the sound quality (depending on your portable device, it certainly can), you might find some genres/songs tough to accept with these cans. By default the D1100's are deep cans as-is and compliment some genres/songs who enjoy bass punch or have a perceived shortage of bass representation. For other genre/songs, look out. They have what equates to an 12" woofer in the car trunk, for good and for bad. Fortunately, it can be tamed and as such becomes mostly an asset. To be clear: we're talking about 3x - 5x the amount of bass when compared to the D5000/2000 at similar volume levels and flat EQs. There is enough bass to feel it on your ears even after hitting the "Bass Reducer" on your iDevice. Wow. Helluva driver. Maybe too much driver if you consider the D5000/2000 nearly too strong as it is.

Scoring (no EQ): Highs 7 | Mids 6.5 | Lows 8.3 | Soundstage 7 | Clarity 7.7 | Comfort 8.5

Scoring (EQ'd): Highs 8.4 | Mids 8.1 | Lows 9.8 | Soundstage 8.25 | Clarity 8.75 | Comfort 8.5

Scores are written relative to my point of reference: my Denon AH-D5000's...which isn't necessarily a fair comparison (home cans vs. less expensive portable cans), but at least it's an objective commentary. These cans stand well above the V-Moda Crossfade, Beats, Bose On-Ear, Shure SRH840's and Senn HD555's. But be aware the bass is strong. If you're sensitive to too much bass, look elsewhere. If you love bass or don't mind taming them a bit with your EQ...they are winners.

Additional notes:

-They clamp pretty strongly to my medium-sized head but aren't uncomfortable.
-After wearing them for several hours a day for several days, I'm comfortable with saying you'll be fine wearing them for extended periods of time. I can see the relatively firmer pads softening up over time and becoming even more acceptable in that regard.
-There is no special wrapping on the cables. Just normal cables, not wrapped in fabric or anything. This is preferred for travel cans. You don't want stiff cables.
-Sound leak is minor. Much less sound leak than the AH-D5000's or D2000's.

I agree with other reviewers on the performance of these headphones overall. They sounds great and are pretty comfortable.

Unfortunately, about 4-5 months of ownership the small pieces of plastic that old the ear cups onto the headband began to fracture and break. Sadly I took a gamble on these and bought them used, so the warranty does not apply. The manufacturer's repair center charges $65 to ESTIMATE the repair cost and the manufacturer parts center doesn't even carry the part needed. So basically I ended up with trash.

As a result I cannot recommend these or any Denon products.

At this price range and this particular type of headphone, the sound is superb. Even without being driven at all (as guaranteed by the spec being at 32 ohms) the sound is very natural and flowing, and the sound separation is absolutely superb. I have heard better, but those headphones also come with a larger price tag / need to be driven / have an open-air design. Oh yeah, and the sound isolation is absolutely ridiculous. Probably better than noise cancelling headphones in the majority of cases, with better sound to boot. They are also extremely lightweight and are quite formfitting, so that it is possible (although still uncomfortable, as are all over the ear headphones) to run in.

However, due to the plastic construction, they have fallen apart already, and while I may be just a little lazy to fix them (superglue works wonders, at least for a little while) this really shouldn't have happened. I must currently use another pair of headphones on the go while I get enough energy top fix them (they broke in two spots interestingly enough). So, if you don't mind having to fix them occasionally with some superglue, they are, bar none, the best headphone I have owned / heard in this type / price category.