11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Better than Sennheiser? I thought so.
Date of Review: Jan 5, 2000
Because I had read such wonderful reviews and heard many recommendations for Sennheiser headphones, when it came time for me to replace my low-end Aiwas with something high-end, I though I'd buy a pair of Sennheisers. After a lengthy in-store auditioning, I came home with a pair of Denon AH-D950s, and here's why.
This is the list of qualities I looked for in the headphones I auditioned:
1. isolation from outside noise
2. low leakage of sound to the outside
3. comfortable for long periods of time
4. wide dynamic range
5. crisp, deep, but not overbearing bass
These criteria all but ruled out the Sennheiser models, since their open-design allowed too much sound to get in and out. When I tried on the Denons, I was amazed at their quality. Rich bass and highs brought out every detail of a Dave Matthews CD I used for the audition. To test the bass response, I threw Megadeth's "Trust" drum intro at them and they handled it with flying colors. No distortion whatsoever, even at nearly painful volumes.
These headphones more than met all my criteria. I use them for everything: home audio, computer audio (including games), portable audio, and in-flight music (sound isolation is a big plus here!). They are very efficient (only 30 ohms of resistance) and can be driven by any portable CD player. Their cushy ear pads and light weight (for their size) make them very comfortable.
