I just tested Denon’s $1,800 headphones… you should get their $500 cans instead

I've been using the Denon AH-D5200 headphones for around four months, and I love them. Mostly.

When it comes to sound, they're one of my favourite headphones. There's punchy bass, warm and smooth mids, and a well-balanced treble response of well-placed peaks for detail. Some might call it a V-shape sound signature. I'd call it a luxury sound for the masses. And I love it.

But with a retail price of $799 (with actual prices ranging from $400 to $700), and a new generation of good quality budget closed back headphones out there, that recommendation comes with provisos. One thing's for sure, they're not making my list of the best budget audiophile headphones.

Perhaps most impressively (or weirdly?) the Denon AH-D5200s outshine their two siblings, the AH-D7200s and the AH-D9200s, both of which are considerably more expensive ($1,000 and $1,599, respectively).

Ultimately, I think the Denon AH-D5200s could be the perfect headphones for someone. But I highly recommend that you read my review before deciding whether that someone is you.

Sound profile

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Overall, the Denon AH-D5200s offer a balanced U-shape sound profile (a less extreme version of the high bass, recessed mids, high treble V-shape profile). The bass isn't sub-focussed, but concentrates on a punchy, clean mid-bass. The mids do catch some of that warmth, and vocals will be a touch recessed for some, but I think they work well with the chilled out treble, offering touches of clarity with 5-6kHz and 11kHz peaks. These headphones are not about hyper detail or realistic timbre, though there is a nice level of detail and good separation between instruments.

Bass: This is the star of the show. Denon make the most of the 50mm dynamic drivers, made in Japan from a rigid, low-mass nano-fibre material. Designed to minimise distortion, what you get is a clear, punchy bass, that only bloats into the lower mids a bit. I really like the clear layering of bass on tracks like Morph the Cat by Donald Fagen. The bass guitar is big and the kick drum thumps, yet they are distinct and not mushed into one bassy blob.

Mids: Some of the reviews that I've found on the 5200s (such as Josh Valour's) mention that the mids are a little disappointing. They're definitely not the star of the show – if you want that, with all the realistic timbre that comes with it, the Sennheiser HD 600s, at just shy of $300, are still your best bet. But I like the colouration of these mids. They're creamy and make all vocals and instruments sound smooth – definitely not great if you're searching for neutral realism.

One thing of note, the 5200s perform that upper-mids-recess magic trick, where a scoop between 1.5kHz to 3kHz pushes vocals back a bit, and in so doing create the 'feel' of a deeper soundstage. I'm really not a mids purist, and I think this is done well. I'm also not someone that chases soundstage, so as long as vocals aren't pushed too far back, as with the 5200s, I'm fine with this colouration. You, of course, may not be.

Treble: The Denon AH-D5200s take a soft approach to treble that accentuates the smooth mids, and warm lower mids / bass, with a touch of treble detail here (5kHz) and there (11kHz). This presentation of treble is not sibilant or harsh to me, but if you're sensitive to those areas, be warned. Overall, I'd say the treble response is the last thing I concentrate on with these headphones, which is a sign of a well-balanced response.

Detail, separation, imaging: I think the level of detail is pretty good, even though that's really not what this headphone is trying to excel at (at this price point, you'd want something like the HiFiMan Arya Organic for that). But putting on slk by K-Lone – a track comprised of various static crackles that play separately in both ears, over a wash of synths and a steady beat – and the 5200s pick up a lot of the crackly detail. It's not exciting; it's measured.

I like the separation between instruments you get with the 5200s, case in point the bass guitar and the kick drum, mentioned above. But when you get to imaging – where the instrument is positioned in the sweep of music – they're all pretty close together. A great test track for this is Michael Jackson's Workin' Day and Night. Starting with layered, rhythmic vocals and cowbell, soon electric guitar, Moog bass, drums, synth and piano join all together. This could (and does) sound like a mess with poor imaging headphones. But you can pick everything out with the 5200s – there's space between each element. And yet, if you're expecting some super wide presentation of those elements... well, I guess you'll be wanting an open back headphone for that.

Price, value, competition

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Price, competition and value. The AH-D5200s originally retailed at $799 in 2018. Now, that doesn't represent good value in 2026. There's no way, today, these headphones can justify that cost (and luckily you can pick them up around $400–$500). Bottom line: There's far too much competition at lower price points in 2026 for $800 to make sense for this sound presentation in this build (see comfort section below).

This hints at a bigger problem in Denon’s high end headphone range – it's out of step with trends in the industry. The closed back Fiio FT1 ($160, 2024), Sennheiser HD 620S ($300, 2024), and Focal Azurys ($549 $399, 2024) are three recent closed back headphones that offer a compelling (and in the case of the Azurys, a similar) sound profile, while undercutting the 5200's price massively.

Denon’s AH-D range comes from a distant past (actually only 8 years ago), just before the explosion of Chinese audio companies changed audio fan's expectations, and yanked Western brands into step. You can buy a lot more for a lot less these days (especially when it comes to budget IEMs), and established audio brands can't afford to rest on their laurels. Either provide a great headphone for a reasonable price, or get left behind…

Or, I guess, position your product as a luxury item, and get fewer, but fully-committed customers to buy your product. With Denon's line-up, that makes sense with the $1,599 AH-D9200, but it really doesn't with the 5200s. It's not as pretty as the 9200s, yet it has a far more approachable, less esoteric sound profile than its older brother (which will satisfy a select number of audiophiles). The 5200's sound is a crowd pleaser, but its price is far from pleasant.

That means the 5200s sit awkwardly in the headphone landscape in 2026, and though I really enjoy their sound, buying the 5200s only makes sense to me when their price is reduced.

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When it comes to the Denon AH-D line up, the 5200s are my favourite of the three... in some areas.

When it comes to sound profile, they handily beat the 7200s. Vocals seem clearer and more up front with the 5200s; the 7200s seem more in your head, and boxy. With a slightly less pronounced bass combined with the recessed 1.5kHz – 3kHz vocal range of frequencies, the 7200s are warm like a damp blanket on a hot day (there's a visual for you!). The 5200s present wider backing vocals, and there’s more room in between the voices to give them clarity and impact. The treble of the 7200s is also a lot softer for me (as I can't make out the 16/17kHz peak that some charts show).

The 9200s regain that clarity and wideness of vocals. There’s crisper treble too – like the 5200s, but more. In fact, after swapping between all three headphones like a mad man, I feel the 7200s come of poorly when it comes to their muddy mids. It’s an intimate presentation... is what I’d say if I was being generous. But at $900, I should be a little harsher than that.

To justify the 9200's $1,500 asking price, I should be brutal.

Basically, I think the 5200s are a better headphone that the 9200s. You can dress up the 9200s sound signature however you like, but ultimately it's still V-shaped, with pretty harsh treble (though admittedly excellent bass). And when that harsh spotlight is shone on the mids, with that 1.5 to 3kHz scoop, you end up with some sticky yet slightly hollow vocals. Compare that with the smooth vocals of the 5200s, and I think the 9200s are probably the way to go for a select listener that loves its specific profile... and that isn't me.

Comfort & build

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Comfort is a bit of an issue with the Denon AH-D5200s. There are softer ear cushions out there – like the marshmallow-like cups of the FT1 and FT1 Pros from FiiO. The ear cups are also a specific rounded rectangle shape, which is very much not reflective of the human ear. If you're listening to music for hours on end, it's nice to have room around your ears, and the 5200s don't offer that. However, I don't want to overstate this – the ear pads are still comfortable enough... just not $800 comfortable.

With the headband, it's got some cushion, and if you're someone moving from a commercial set, like Sony's XM range, you might call them well padded. But again, if you want me to spend $800, I expect supreme comfort wherever possible. And you just don't get that with this headband. It takes about 25 minutes of use before I get a slight hot spot at the top of my head, and uninterrupted listening for several hours is not really an option for me.

Weirdly, though the 5200s are the cheapest of the three Denon AH-D range, it has the most comfortable headband. The 7200s and 9200s both have the same headband with extra stitching. That looks great, but practically it just offers less depth of padding for your head... really, did no one test these out?!

The build of the 5200 is fantastic. The combination of leather and metal is expertly done. I really like the laddering clicks you get when extending the headband. It also feels like it's indestructible. That's a great feeling to have when putting them on for (part of) an evening.

One thing I am confused about is the 5200's Zebrawood ear cups. They are light, and I'm sure their dampening effects are the main reason the 5200's bass doesn't bounce around my head. But why on earth did Denon dye them dark brown? Natural Zebrawood is beautifully contrasted, light and dark. By dying it a dark chocolate brown, which is slightly darker than the lighter brown leather of the ear cups, they look cheap (it's hard to tell from my photos, as they make the wood look better than in real life).

Perhaps this was to make the 5200s less appealing than the other two headphones (which retain their natural, beautiful wood finishes). Whatever the reason, it's a huge fail for me.

Should you buy it?

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I really like Denon AH-D5200's sound signature. But I find it hard to recommend anyone buy them at their retail price with the comfort issues that they present. I also think closed back headphones have come a long way since these were released in 2018, and there's way better value options out there, though admittedly, not matching this exact sound signature. For example, if you want bass in your closed back, it's not as easy as directing you to the FiiO FT1. Yes, they offer one of the best bass profiles of any closed back headphone. But that's more sub bass-focussed, and you certainly won't get the smooth mids that the 5200s offer.

However, if you find these headphones at $500 or lower, and you're after really good bass with smooth, warm-leaning mids, and an unintrusive treble response, the 5200s are worth every penny... as long as you can find an extra support band or cushioning for the hot spot-inducing headband.