Ears-on with Denon's AH-D5000 headphones

By Nate Lanxon on 03 September 2007, 11:17am

Ever since first hearing about Denon's new AH-D5000 headphones, we've been experiencing a kind of excitement reserved for only the most tantalising of audio products. Their beautiful and seductively finished wooden enclosures are enough to make any audiophile experience heart-pounding desire.

Our intense longing was well placed, we realised, after getting to position these high-end headphones around our ears.

At IFA, where time is short and exciting new products are around every corner, it takes a radical and incredible single product to hold your attention for a full 45 minutes. Three-quarters of an hour is how long we devoted to listening to music through these headphones. Every song we played through them resonated with a kind of ethereal beauty not even conveyed by Shure's utterly superb SE530s, which we regard as the finest earphones on the market today.

The closed back wooden enclosures of the D5000s provide a musical warmth every music fan should love. The 50mm drivers give stunningly powerful and clear bass, very natural mids and excellent highs. True, these aren't noise-cancelling 'phones, and the ambient noise of punters at Denon's IFA stand was audible through the music, so our final opinions will remain undecided until we get them into our office.

At £500 they're an expensive choice, but experience with headphones will tell you that costly investments will reward you with longevity and continually high performance. We just can't wait to get hold of a pair again. You can rest assured we'll have a full review for you as soon as humanly possible.

Update: A full review of Denon's AH-D5000 headphones is now live. -Nate Lanxon