Denon AH-D7200 Headphones

Home entertainment and technology brand Denon announced a new flagship over-ear headphone today. Its focus- uncompromising sound quality, and unparalleled comfort. Key elements include FreeEdge nano-fibre drive units and real walnut housings. For the ear-cushions Denon used Japanese-developed soft synthetic leather covers which provide better comfort than real leather.

In Detail

The AH-D7200 is powered by these rigid and low mass 50mm FreeEdge driver diaphragms- which deliver sound without distortion, and being self-damping they cancel out unwanted resonances. Mounted in a soft, compliant surround they move in response to music signal, without flexing or distorting, for the purest possible sound. The ‘motor’ driving this diaphragm uses CCAW (copper coated aluminium wire) to keep the voice-coil as light as possible, plus extremely strong (more than 1 Tesla) neodymium magnets to increase the linearity and the speed of response. All of this means the total energy of the driver system is directed into delivering music to the listener’s ears, thanks to this unique design developed by Denon’s headphone engineers, and made possible by advanced Japanese-made materials.

Furthermore, the AH-D7200 drive-units are mounted on vibration-reducing engineering resin baffles for reduced distortion. These are fitted into housings made from natural walnut, the dense wood being self-damping and shaped to reduce internal resonances and reflections. In addition, the use of walnut gives the headphones a warmer, more ‘speaker-like’ sound.

Connection

Connecting these drive units to the amplifier powering the headphones is a 7N (99.99999% pure) oxygen-free copper cable, made in Japan for best possible signal transmission. It’s terminated with a durable machine-cut metal plug with a copper trim-ring, and 7N copper is also used for the internal wiring of the headphones. A ‘floating jack’ design is used for the connections between the cable and the headphone earcups, preventing the transmission of mechanical noise from the cable to the ears, while the detachable design means you can experiment with aftermarket cables if required.

Comfort

As well as being tuned for the best possible sound, the AH-D7200 has also been designed for comfort too. The earcups are suspended on ergonomically curved diecast aluminium hangers, while the headband is finished in real sheepskin leather. Within the ear-cushions, trimmed with an artificial leather chosen for its softness and durability, memory foam allows the best fit for your ears. In fact, the headphones weigh just 385g (excluding cable).

AH-D7200 Headphones, £699 by DENON