The new AH-D1100 from Denon, Japan is one of those headphones you will find at a concert hall or a recording studio. Featuring the hybrid resign and aluminum housing to reduce the vibration. The newly developed Acoustic Optimizer adjusts sound pressure balance on both sides of the diaphragm. This pressure balance improves dynamics, bass and low to mid frequency ranges for stunning clarity and detail. The overall headband and earpad designs are structured to stay comfortable. Accessories include a standard plug, 3.5m extension cord, and a carrying pouch.
Pros: Well tuned
Massive mid-bass (for bassheads&bass-lovers)
Relaxing, smooth and non-fatiguing treble
Very deep soundstage, holographic
Value
Comfort
Cons: Cheap plastic and very fragile feeling build
Not very versatile due to the bass and warm tonality
Non-replaceable cable
Recessed mids
Disclaimer: I bought this at my own expense from amazon Japan.
Price: around 55 usd
Specifications:
Type/ Dynamic
unit／φ50mm driver unit
Input impedance／32Ω
Sensitivity／101dB/mW
Maximum input1,300mW
Frequency Response / 5～37,000Hz
Weight /180g without cable
Cable Length: 1.3m OFC Cable (ø 3.5 mm stereo mini-plug)
Plug: Straight type with aluminum cover (Gold-plated)
Accessories:
3.5mm -> 6.35mm adapter
Carry pouch
Cable: Pretty standard 2 core cable that goes to both cups. The cable doesn’t seem particularly fragile but it is non-replaceable.
Build: Cheap and fragile, is how I would describe the build. Feels like cheap plastic all over the build and there are some creaking noises when you adjust the cups. The headband adjustment system is very poor, no distinct sound on each step and is quite short. Headband padding is pretty thin. Very light weight at 180 grams. The ear pads are average sized and is at least for me, definitely over-ear, not very soft though.
Fit: Over-ear for me and is very good in terms of size. No problem here.
Comfort: The earpads are comfortable despite not being very soft but the hotspot is at the center of the headband due to the thin padding on it. Thankfully, due to the low-weight it isn’t that much of a problem but still present. It is a closed-back so there is heat-generation which I am sensitive to, but this is better than average at least.
Lows: A LOT of mid-bass, which makes it a specialist headphone that won’t work for many genres, as the number of mid-bass is causing it to be quite warm overall. Sub-bass on the other hand, is certainly elevated as well but not nearly as much as the mid-bass. So, it is mid-bass focused headphone rather than sub-bass.
Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), bloated and unclean due to the very high quantity and looser bass, speed Is decent though. Individual bass strikes aren’t very distinct. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is hearable but very unclean.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), high bass quantity makes it very fun but it needs to be tighter because it is quite bloated. Decent speed and texture though and tonality is quite accurate except for the bloat.
Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extension is good but could rumble more. Punch quantity could also be higher as well as more textured and tighter. Decent speed but on the slower side.
Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), Punch quantity and speed are good but could be tighter as well as more textured.
Mids: Both male and female vocals are a bit recessed. Male vocals tend to have better tonality due to the warmth while female vocals tend to lack brightness and be overly warm. Timbre is good though so it is natural, although clarity and detail could be better but is bottlenecked by the bass-bleed.
Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality needs to be brighter (mid-bass bleed causing it to be warmer) and a bit forward as it is a bit recessed but timbre is good. Instrument tonality and timbre are very good.
Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), vocal and instrument tonality needs to be a lot brighter but timbre is natural.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), not shouty at all, very relaxing and fatigue free.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), not shouty but chaotic due to the separation and imaging.
Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality are great as well as good timbre. Detail and clarity could be better though.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality are excellent although vocals could be a bit forward as it is a bit recessed. Detail and clarity could be better though.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp at all but tonality is still quite good.
Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), not shouty but chaotic due to the separation and bloated bass.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, texture and timbre are great but could be cleaner and more detailed. Violin timbre is good but tonality, texture, treble-extension, detail and clarity could be better.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality and timbre are good but could be cleaner and more detailed.
Soundstage: holographic due to it being deep and wide.
Tonality: Warm L-shaped, a specialist headphone that works great for some genre and less with others. Timbre is natural.
Details: Decent, but definitely bottlenecked by the massive mid-bass.
Instrument Separation: Decent, but definitely bottlenecked by the massive mid-bass.
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), lower extending and more rumble on the D1100. Punch quantity is a bit higher on the D1100 but tighter and faster on the KPH30i with similar texture. More tonally correct on the D1100.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), a lot more quantity on the D1100 but tighter and faster on the KPH30i while texture is similar. More tonally correct on the KPH30i.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), quantity is higher on the D1100 but also more bloated, slower and looser bass. Similar texture but more tonally correct on the KPH30i.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), better vocal tonality and timbre as well as more forward and cleaner on the KPH30i. Instrument tonality is slightly better on the D1100 but better timbre on the KPH30i.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more relaxing and less fatiguing on the D1100.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocals are more forward and has better timbre on the KPH30i but better tonality on the D1100. Instrument tonality is better on the D1100 while timbre is better on the KPH30i. Cleaner on the KPH30i but similar detail.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper and more fatiguing on the KPH30i.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are better on the D1100 but cleaner on the KPH30i. Violin tonality, timbre, detail, clarity and treble-extension are better on the KPH30i.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality, timbre and clarity are better on the KPH30i.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), wider on the KPH30i but deeper and more holographic on the D1100. Imaging, separation, detail and timbre are better on the KPH30i.
Overall: The D1100 is the warmer and bassier headphone which is also bottlenecking its technicalities compared to the KPH30i. The KPH30i is the more versatile headphone and will suit more people.
Headphone: Sony MDR-1AM2, stock pads, stock cable 3.5mm
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), similar extension but a bit more rumble on the D1100. Punch quantity is similar but tighter, faster and more textured on the 1AM2. A lot cleaner and more tonally correct on the 1AM2.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), D1100 has more mid-bass quantity but tighter, faster and more textured on the 1AM2. More tonally correct on the 1AM2.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), a lot cleaner on the 1AM2 due to the faster, tighter and it having a lot less bass. (Although the treble is a bit harsh on it.)
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), better vocal tonality, timbre and is more forward on the 1AM2. Instrument tonality is better on the D1100 but similar timbre. Detail and clarity are better on the 1AM2.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit shouty on the 1AM2 and more fatiguing.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), Vocal and instrument tonality and timbre are better on the D1100. But a bit more forward vocals on the 1AM2 and cleaner and more detailed.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper and more fatiguing on the 1AM2 (brighter).
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are better on the D1100 while detail and clarity are better on the 1AM2. Violin timbre is better on the D1100 but tonality, detail, clarity, texture and treble-extension are better on the 1AM2.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), a bit better tonality (treble is a bit peakier on the 1AM2) and timbre on the D1100. But more detailed and cleaner on the 1AM2.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), wider on the 1AM2 but deeper and more holographic on the D1100. Detail, imaging and instrument separation are better on the 1AM2 but timbre is a bit better on the D1100.
Overall: They are both bassy headphones but the D1100 has more mid-bass while the 1AM2 has more sub-bass (1AM2 is still a mid-bass focused headphone). The D1100 is a lot warmer and more relaxing but the 1AM2 is more versatile and the more technical headphone, although with peakier treble.
Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends a lot lower on the H1707 and rumbles a bit more. Punch quantity is a bit higher on the H1707 but is a LOT more textured and tighter. Speed is faster as well. Tonality is more correct on the H1707 but timbre is better on the D1100.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), quantity is similar but a lot tighter, faster and more textured on the H1707. Tonality is a bit better on the H1707 but timbre is better on the D1100.
Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), a LOT cleaner on the H1707 due to the faster and tighter bass. But timbre is a lot better on the D1100.
Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality is better on the H1707 but timbre is better on the D1100. Instrument tonality and timbre are a lot better on the D1100. Cleaner and more detailed on the H1707.
Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more fatiguing on the H1707 due to the brigher tonality.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), Instrument and vocal tonality/timbre are a lot better on the D1100. But cleaner and more detailed on the H1707.
Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper on the H1707 and more fatiguing due to the brighter tonality.
Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are better on the D1100 but cleaner and more detailed on the H1707. Violin timbre is a lot better on the D1100 but better tonality, treble-extension, detail and clarity on the H1707.
Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), slightly better tonality on the H1707 and a lot cleaner and detailed. Timbre is better on the D1100.
Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), wider on the H1707 but slightly deeper and more holographic on the D1100. Detail, imaging and instrument separation are a lot better on the H1707 but a lot more natural timbre on the D1100 (lots of piezo timbre in the H1707 and incoherent).
Overall: They are both fun (bassy) headphones but still very different in how they do it. The H1707 is a lot more sub-bass focused than the mid-bass focused D1100 and treble is also drastically different since the H1707 is airier, cleaner and more detailed that also has a brigher tonality compared to the warm D1100. Get the D1100 if you prefer mid-bass and a more natural timbre or get the D1100 if you prefer sub-bass, a more technical headphone and don’t mind/or prefer a more unique (unnatural piezo) timbre.
Conclusion: The D1100 is quite old now but has definitely passed the test of time as it is still a great sounding headphone for the correct library. I recommend this if you want a warmer, bassy and relaxing headphone that you can use at home. Definitely do not get this if you intend to use it outside (fragile build) or if you dislike bass, want a brighter tonality. Thanks for reading.
Not every headphone is reference-class, and I don't expect reference-class performance from a product like the AH-D1100 which is priced and designed for casual listening. There are a different set of concerns, and I'll try to judge the D1100 accordingly.
Denon has cleared the baseline here:
the jack is designed with a recessed flange so it plugs into in all but the most overbuilt smartphone case.
the headphones are light and comfortable to wear
they look good
the closed back design offers good isolation
the headphones are easy to drive and sound good without needing a dedicated headphone amplifier
the overall sound is clear and and full-sounding, without excessive coloration
There are downsides however,
the oval earcups press a bit too firmly into your neck under the ear, reducing overall comfort
the neodynium drivers suffer from the microphonics typical of the material
there is an excessive mid-band boost around 80-100 Hz
It's a shame about the bass boost. I'm not against the idea of a bit of a lift on this class of headphone, but it is overdone here to the point of being distracting.
Final word about price. Retail in Japan as of this writing is 6500 yen, new, and I picked up a set used for about $40. For $75 or so I'd say they are nicely made headphones. At double that price the relatively flimsy build would come in for more serious critique. I understand and appreciate that Denon were going for rigidity and lightness here, but they feel cheap nonetheless.
Pros: Very comfortable once head size is manually fixed + decent soundscape once bass is calmed down with the right EQ
Cons: Head size is seriously off on (some?) models + way too bass-heavy without EQ
Got this headphone from a friend after he got himself a more "comfortable" one (only 3 months after this Denon).
Trying it for 10 minutes was enough to understand the problem: the headband is way too curved, pushing the earpads extremely hard on the head. My skull isn't really above average and it was starting to give me some headache. So I brought it on my workshop table.
Note: The headache and hinges breaking-off issues only showing among certain users, I suspect Denon had production issues on certain factories or during a specific period, during which incorrect anthropometric data was used to calibrate the headband, or incorrect calibration was done, and it resulted in wrongly sized headbands, putting much more strain on the users and the plastic hinges.
Since there is no way to know if a model got the right size, unless you get to test it yourself for 10-15 min continuous use, I do not recommend buying one without the ability to return it without any additional charge.
A) Fixing the hardware
Step 1: the plastic hinges holding the pads both already had cracks on multiple points, and would completely break soon. Put some glue there and tried to reinforce the structure with leftovers found around, but that's just delaying the inevitable.
Step 2: fixing the headband.
- 2 screws to separate each pads from the hinges (the grey plastic part)
- 4 screws to separate each hinges (the grey plastic part) from the headband (the metal curved band)
- 2 screws to separate each jagged black plastic (used to keep the size adjustments in place) from the curved metal band (the 2 screws are situated on the 2 dark blocks on the headband)
- took out the central cushion from the headband
- went to the kitchen with a pair of pliers and kitchen gloves. Fired up the small gas stove, slowly heated up the metal, using the two pliers I slowly but steadily started bending it out (step by step, no rush!), to increase the spacing (evenly, to keep it symmetrical).
- after increasing the spacing by around ~35% (so ending with ~135% of the original spacing), turned off the stove and let the metal cool down while I cleaned up everything.
- once fully cool, mounted back the cushion, size adjustment jagged plastic thingies (4 screws in total), hinges (8 screws in total), pads (4 screws in total)
- tried it: it now fits perfectly, no more headache, doesn't fall off at all during rapid movements either, the plastic hinges seem to no longer suffer from excessive tension.
Been using this fixed hardware for 6 months now, it's one of the most comfortable headphone I had the chance of testing
One problem remains: the grey plastic hinges were very severely weakened during the first 3 months of use by my friend, and a vital part later broke off completely, requiring complicated gluing work (two-component epoxy mix for the solid base, cyanoacrylate to then glue the two parts) every 2 months. I'm currently trying to made a CAD version of a modified hinge (to 3D print it) to make such repairs much more easy, but lacking any formal training I'm quite struggling with it.
B) Fixing the bass-heavyness
Simply gathered some graph data on the D1100 using various reviews, then fine-tuned some software EQ configuration (mostly using one general-purpose, one for bass-rich music). I'm quite novice on this, so if you have a better method or knowledge, feel free to comment
General-purpose one:
- 31 Hz: -2.0 dB
- 62 Hz: -4.8 dB
- 125 Hz: -4.1 dB
- 250 Hz: -4.8 dB
- 500 Hz: 0 dB
- 1k Hz: 0 dB
- 2k Hz: +1.1 dB
- 4k Hz: +0.4 dB
- 8k Hz: 0 dB
- 16k Hz: 0 dB
Final words: once I fixed the hardware, then fine-tuned the sound with a software EQ, I gotta say it's a rather pleasant experience.
Accuracy is decent (you can quite distinguish each sound separately, 3/5), depth is comfortable (music tracks display a great range, 3.5/5), there isn't noticeable blur or sever distortion even at higher volume, so I never felt like I was missing out on a better experience. They're not the *best* sounding headphones ever, but they might be a good contender at their price range.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
