Looking at the headphones, the first thing you’ll notice is the housings, which are made from natural walnut. These lend the AH-D7200 a distinctive look, but that touch isn’t purely aesthetic. Denon says that not only is the wood self-damping, but it’s also shaped to reduce internal resonance and reflections, making for a generally clearer sound. That’s in addition to the warmer, “speaker-like” sound that comes from the walnut.
Inside this housing is the 50mm FreeEdge driver diaphragm, which is made from a nanofiber material that the company says was chosen for its rigidity and low mass. The driver pairs a lightweight voice coil with a powerful neodymium magnet that gives the headphones a quick, responsive sound. The drivers are fitted inside the housing on resin baffles, which reduces vibration and distortion.
The removable cable was developed in Japan to Denon’s specifications, and is made from oxygen-free copper for the best possible sound quality. The jack that connects the cable to the headphones uses a floating jack design, which reduces mechanical noise caused by cable movement from reaching the listener’s ears.
While the sound is obviously important, Denon has also spent considerable time making sure that the AH-D7200 headphones are as comfortable as possible. First, it made the headphones lightweight — they weigh just 385g without the cable. Then it covered the ear cushions in soft synthetic leather developed in Japan — real sheepskin leather is used for the headband.
The Denon AH-D7200 headphones are expected to be available starting in January 2017, and will retail for $1,000. For more information, see the Denon website.
