A bit boomy but respectable for the price
Written: Mar 17 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Bass is tremendous for the price/size
Cons: Nothing else besides the bass...plus, uncomfortable as heck
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| dtayama's Full Review: Denon AHD-210 Professional Headphones |
When I bought these headphones about 5 years ago, I had very different perceptions of audio products than I do now. I was actually primarily concerned with drowning out neighboring sounds (I had a college roommate who went to bed very early and snored very loudly) for a decent budget. So, I plunked down my 50 bucks for these headphones at the local Good Guys and was pretty pleased. As the ADH-210s feature closed-ear drivers, they were not short on bass (further illustrated by the manufacturer's frequency range dipping down to the insanely inaudible 5 hertz). Sampled bass as well as bass instruments were very pronounced and seemed to overwhelm the rest of my music, but I didn't care because it meant total audio isolation for myself and a nice rhythmic thump to keep me awake studying late at night. In retrospect, however, if you actually care about the music you listen to (not to mention preserving your hearing), you are better off with other options, in particular, spending 19 dollars more to get the Grado SR-60s, an extraordinary open-ear pair of headphones.
The Denon ADH-210s are all about the bass and little else. Mids and trebles are muffled and flat, with little spatial quality to instruments or vocals as well as an absence of life-like reproducibility of music. The sound is hardly transparent, imaging is virtually non-existant, and the soundstage seems no bigger than the width of your skull. Comparing 10,000 Maniacs' MTV unplugged album on both the ADH-210 and the Grado SR-60 is a study of two entirely different mediums. On the Denon's Natalie Merchant's voice is dull and recessed; with the Grados her voice springs to life, uncolored and fresh, as details of her vocal nuances are revealed, distinct from instrumentation and background vocals. Instruments on the Denon are flat and hidden (except for the bass); on the Grados the instruments are clean and distinct. One minor quibble: Steve Gustafson's bass is barely audible on the Grados, so if you're seeking bass, you might go with the SR-80s or higher. But at least is doesn't overwhelm you like on the Denons. I could go on, but I think you get the idea...
One flaw with both headphones is their comfort level. Both the Denon and Grado are in-between in size...too large to fit inside you ear, but too small to enclose it. So, they rest on top of your ear, which becomes rather tiresome after an hour of listening. Grado sells softer foam pads for an extra 20 dollars, although it's possible recently manufactured SR-60s have softer ear pads due to customer feedback. I'd ask to try them out at the dealer first. A disadvantage of open-ear headphones is that they can disturb those around you, even at low listening levels. However, you'll preserve your hearing and usually get a better overall sound. If you are bent on going with closed-ear models, I will say the Denons are better than the Sonys at the same price point, and unless you find larger studio monitors unwieldy, I'd recommend a larger Denon set for comfort reasons. You ears will ultimately thank you.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dtayama
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Member: Darren Tayama
Location: San Francisco, California
Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 31 members
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