Denon DJ HP1100

With the HP1100, Denon DJ wants to reach the professional DJ market, and these headphones will certainly be received with open arms by DJs, in view of their technical data, features and wearing comfort.

In terms of looks you also get your money’s worth with smart, tasteful design in a black-anthracite colour mix. These Denon DJ headphones stand out with a tactile chrome plated appearance and chrome branding that enhances the value of the plastic ear cups. In addition, the rather large ear cups feel comfortable thanks to very soft exchangeable synthetic leather padding, while the headband is in black synthetic leather featuring silver Denon DJ lettering feels rather hard judging by a thumb test against the padding.

The optimal position of the cup on the ears is ensured by the headband, which can be extended in twelve steps, and the two joints, which can be rotated vertically by 180 degrees. Horizontally, the headphones adapt to the ear by means of a further joint, plus movable cup suspension.

Holding the HP1100 in my hand, they feel pretty massive and the weight very generous. Weighing in at just under 450 grams, it’s no wonder. However, this does include the firmly connected and therefore not exchangeable spiral cable, which is extendable up to three metres. This cable ends with a mini-jack plug which, thanks to the included adapter, also fits 6.35-millimetre jack sockets. The Denon DJ also comes with a small carrying bag made of black imitation leather.

Wearing comfort

When I put them on, my scepticism due to the size and weight of the HP1100 was dispelled. Despite the puny padding, these headphones do not cause any obtrusive pressure. The same applies to the ear-enclosing cups thanks to the soft ear pads. Even during longer listening sessions, as would be the case when hanging out in a club, these headphones do not become uncomfortable. The ear cups hold their position thanks to the snap-in earpiece extensions and the taut headband stays put even during some typically rhythmic head wobbling. If an ear cup is clamped behind the ear for one-sided monitoring, it remains in position quite well. They can also withstand more violent movements, but I have the feeling that they would slip easily, partly because of the weight and partly because of the smooth padding. It was advantageous that the ear cups surrounded my medium-sized ears without constricting them. In addition, the drivers are located quite close to the ear, which also pays off in terms of shielding from ambient noise.

The specs

On the data sheet, the excellent values of these closed headphones shine. The 53 millimetre dynamic drivers transmit frequencies between impulsive 5 Hertz and inaudible 33 Kilohertz. The impedance of an average 65.25 ohms and sensitivity of 100.02 dB/mW are also convincing, as is the 3500 mW nominal load, which makes them ideally designed for the noisy everyday life of a DJ.

The sound

For a more objective evaluation of sound characteristics, I would like to compare them to the Sennheiser HD 25 with their quite matter-of-fact sound. Starting with Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself To Dance”, these headphones convinced me in the first few bars with a very concise, clearly defined groove, which still had enough air for the frequencies above it. This assumption is also confirmed in the middle frequency spectrum, which follows very homogeneously and unobtrusively. Pharrell Williams’ opening vocal reveals higher frequency nuances that stand out clearly from the rest of the instrumentation. These closed DJ headphones reproduce the transients precisely, not exaggeratedly. The transparency of these headphones also benefits from the medium- and high-frequency spectrum, which is slightly hazier in the HP1100 than in the HD 25. On the one hand, this is due to the HD 25’s sharper emphasis of the trebles and, on the other hand, to its lower bass note. The kicking bass of the HP1100 proves to be an advantage when monitoring your DJ set.

I drew the same conclusion with the other test tracks. From listening to “Winchester Lady” by Bob James I would like to add that the HP1100 also get along really well with organically instrumented music. The bass notes especially make for a pleasant warm texture, but they don’t sweep sounds under the carpet.

The HP1100 are on par with the HD 25 in terms of volume, and thanks to their fairly low impedance and good sensitivity, these headphones can also cope well with weaker outputs. And if the volume needs to be a bit louder to mask background noise, which diffuses despite the good shielding of the closed ear cups, the HP1100 are easily cranked up. The drivers play along very accurately without pulling, even under painful stress on the ears.