Denon D7000
The Denon D7000 was Denon’s flagship headphone from 2008 to 2013, and part of the over-ear closed line with the D2000 and D5000. MSRP was $999, so for the time, it was a quite expensive headphone back then, before the multi-kilobucks headphones era.
Just like its brothers, the D7000 is only partially closed, because of vents between the beautiful mahogany glossy cups and the drivers housing. Isolation is pretty average. They are nice to look at, but like every other Fostex/Denon, they feel fragile and the hinges can break easily.
Comfort is very good, although I would have liked more headband padding. They are only 25 Ohms and fairly sensitive, any phone or DAP can drive them to loud volumes. The D7000 has been replaced by the D7100 and then the D7200.
○ Release : 2008
○ Current status : Discontinued
○ Type : Over-ear / Closed-back
○ Measured weight : 364g
○ Impedance : 25 Ohms
○ Sensitivity : ~97.5 dB/mW
○ Average used price : $450-600
Sound Impression
The D7000 is very similar to the D5000 from memory (as I own the D7000, I’ve sold all my other Fostex/Denon headphones a while ago).
The balance is V-shaped, with a slightly warm midrange and moderately elevated treble. The bass is a step-up from the D2000/D5000, which sounded a bit too loose at moments. D7000 hits as hard but the impact is cleaner. The midrange is a tad withdrawn in the upper frequencies, just like most biodynas closed headphones.
The treble is slightly elevated around the mid-treble section (7-10 khz), but not as elevated as a Beyer or HD800. The D7000 has good upper-treble extension and “airiness” for a (semi)-closed headphone.
While the resolution would have been a bit disappointing at $1000, it is certainly respectable but not above “mid-fi” in terms of segment. I would say the detail of the D7000 is similar to the TH-X00 or Denon D5000, except for a slightly better controlled bass (the D7000 magnets are 11% stronger than D5000 ones).
Dynamics and speed are comparable to the other biodynas, but staging is on the wider side because of the larger ear pads openings. TH-X00 or Teak have a smaller image because of their different pads.
The D7000 is a very engaging and dynamic headphone, with great bass slam. It could be a bit bright for some people.
Certainly not a great used value (around $500-600), since cheaper biodynas like the D2000/5000, TH-610 or TH-X00/E-mu Teak can be found around $200-400.
The TH900 has a small advantage in bass resolution but I don’t think it is much more resolving than the D7000 (or the others) in the midrange and treble. The E-mu Teak is still my favorite biodyna, since it offers (to me) the best tonal balance of all biodyna models.
Measurements & Resources
Overall very solid frequency response, albeit a minor 1 khz bump and a tad hot mid-treble. Bass extends well down, but not as good as the X00/Teak/TH900.
