Review for Denon AH-C700 Reference IEM Headphones
As I begin the review for these headphones, the first of which I am submitting to Head-Fi, I must be honest. I do not have a lot of listening experience with other headphones, and I have had little opportunity to compare the Denons to the other popular headphones of the day, such as the Futuresonic Atrio M5s or the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 pro series that are regularly recommended on this site.
However, I feel my lack of experience may be a boon to other users who are not so familiar to Head-Fi and thus are coming in with the mindset of, “Recessed mids? Multiple vs. dynamic drivers? 40 vs 20 hz?” If you are a first time user (or just a newbie to Head-Fi), I will make an effort to appeal to you, as I am still a novice myself when it comes to this kind of thing. At the same time, I still plan to construct detailed information for those of you who have been around and are curious about these headphones. I will include both a numerical value for each side of things as well as an exposition to give the maximum amount of information possible. If you don't like a detailed review, just page down to the conclusion.
Aesthetics
First of all, let's start with the first thing you notice about the Denons, the way the Denons look and feel.
I would hate to begin the review on a negative note, but alas, I have no choice. This is it. What you are looking at is what you get, with the exception of 2 extra pairs of tips (the malleable part of the IEM that sits in your ear). There is no carrying case for these headphones, and no travel adapter for plane usage.
However, there is a huge upside to these headphones as well. They are made of spun aluminum, and I'm fairly certain they would survive a train wreck with a few scratches and no other significant damage while the medics are busy attempting to resuscitate you. They come in black or silver, and the blacks look absolutely sharp, I must say, and due to the metallic (as opposed to plastic) housing, they feel cool to the hands, which is nice. Thankfully the tips are dissimilar in this regard, or your ears would freeze in winter! These headphones won't attract a lot of attention unless a fellow audiophile notices you're wearing Denons and decides to filch them from you. I haven't received any compliments or strange looks wearing them, and I'm fine with that. Other than that, I think the silver tip at the end of the cord where it connects to your source is a nice touch, and the L and R letters are clearly denoted on the back of the headphones, with the Denon label emblazoned on the front. The cord is great, but due to the large number of “magic cord is teh awesomz!” comments on head-fi, I won't go into detail. Let's just say it never, ever, tangles to the point of being in a knot.
Fit and Comfort
IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) are probably guilty of the highest level of scrutiny about comfort level. The reason I say this is that people will absolutely vouch for one set of IEMs, but hate another, and other Head-fiers will passionately state the opposite. This is a bit of a deviation from cans, which seem to have a relative consensus about where the pinnacle of comfort lies. I've heard many people say that the Denons are relatively uncomfortable compared to other IEMs, but in my experience they are not bad at all. The medium tips included worked fine for me. I think I have a pretty average sized ear, and I found the small tips far too small for me and the mediums maybe slightly too big, but they still form a nice tight seal and are of modest comfort. They don't stick too far out of the ear and I haven't had any odd looks like I should be in a lab somewhere – at least none that I feel are a fault of the headphones. To give a better idea:
The Denons do NOT make my ears look bigger than they already are. Woohoo!
I think as I have worn the Denons that I have become more used to the feel of IEMs, and therefore they are now actually quite comfortable. I can tell I'm wearing them, but they aren't usually a bother. I'm not sure I would want to take them jogging, especially due to the microphonics (the echoing sound caused by vibration traveling up the headphone cords) present with this cord, but short of that, they're fine for long-term usage so far. They do have a tendency to pop out of your ears if they get a particularly good yank, so if you have kids, be wary when wearing them. It doesn't hurt when they get pulled out of your ear canal, but by no means is it a comfortable feeling.
Sound Quality
Ah yes, this is likely the reason you are reading these words. How do the Denons sound? Well, after burning them most of the way in (40+ hours), I can honestly say that I never expected to hear this kind of difference in music from anything that wasn't in a high-fidelity music store next to a $2000+ price tag. They are simply stunning, from the incredibly deep low end, to the much more detailed highs, to the forward mids which absolutely ROCK for... rock... music... uh, yeah. What this tangibly means is that there is nothing that feels out of range for these headphones.
Bouncing, trouncing bass:
You might have wondered if there was supposed to be a bass note in certain spots of a song – you will never wonder after humming along with these in your ear. The bass is very thumpy, it resonates against your head yet sounds very controlled. Perhaps it can get a little boomy at the very, very worst, but most of the time it is tight and musical, and integrates very well with the rest of the production. I never feel that the bass is overshadowing the higher ranges of noise, which is great. The first time I played a song with serious bass, my jaw almost unhinged itself! I let a few others listen to the Denons at the Chi-fi meet, and they had similar reactions (keep in mind these individuals were far more experienced than I am). It really has to be heard to believed.
Grind that guitar mids:
Fortunately, that is not the end of these headphones – not even close. The mids of the Denons might even be better. They are very forward (focused) and powerful. If you enjoy music with a lot of vocals, these headphones will have you hooked the first time you listen to them. As I'm typing this, I am listening to Atreyu (rock) and the vocals sail clear and free, unrestrained by the chords of the guitar or the impact of the drums. Listening to Philip Glass, an instrumental artist, the power of each instrument is vivid and elegant, revealing quite a bit of intricacy to each piece. The music emanates a blend of intimacy and airy effervescence when heard through the C700s. It is a wonderful thing to hear each strum, thump, jingle, bonk, etc., of every individual instrument. There is a familiar feel of warmth to each piece, but I would say it is toward the detailed end of the spectrum.
Highs as a kite:
The highs frankly do leave a little to be desired. I tried a pair of Shure E310s on at the Chi-fi meet, and the Shure's seemed to have a slight edge on the highest end of the musical scale for the classical music I was listening to. Thankfully, the Denons sounded much, much better in every other respect. No comparison here! The highs are not weak, but they are just not as impressive as the rest of the sound spectrum.
Balance your life
The Denons sound balanced from my perspective. What this means (to me) is that they are suitable for classical, jazz, or rock music, although they likely reach their pinnacle with the latter. No side of the sound spectrum is too overemphasized unless artificially enhanced by an equalizer or the like. The instrument separation and clarity is at least one step above cheaper models of headphones – be prepared to hear sounds you've never even realized were a part of the music (especially in live recordings)! Compared to my old Sony MDR-74s, the C700s are a lethal destroyer of sound. Whereas I used to think every note was supposed to bleed into the background and each other, the precise punch of the Denons are really a delight.
Rock that soundstage!
Onto soundstage, which I feel is probably the most difficult area to review for these headphones. The soundstage of the C700s are not the most impressive I've heard. They are certainly better than the Sony's that I used to wear, but they do usually present an “in the head” feeling when you wear them, especially on vocals and rock tracks. However, with more instrumental and classical pieces, they really expand and feel much more open, even exploratory at times. The difference is pronounced enough that I think it goes beyond the simple explanation of one type of music being designed for a higher presence of soundstage – it feels like the drivers really handle each type of music differently.
Sound Isolation
This is really important to me, because I make a lot of noisy commutes. I'm on an Amtrak train writing this, and aside from the occasional bounce of the tracks, I HEAR NU-TING. No chatter is audible, no external noises. This does change a bit when I am not in a contained environment. Outside, dogs can be faintly heard over the music, and cars driving by at a distance of 5-8 feet register, but just barely. I've included the following graph to illustrate how the C700s manage to “block” the sound from entering your ear canal. Keep in mind that I don't want -total- isolation, as I feel this is better than becoming the undercarriage of a rampant BMW driver who's talking on his cell phone.
It should be noted that I do continue to experience a lot of microphonics with this cable. I am attempting to find time to procure a shirt clip, but as it stands any jarring of the cable will result in noticeable soundwaves transmitted to the ear. This is not a huge concern of mine but it does result in mild annoyance at the worst of times.
Extras
You get 2 extra eartips. Wicked. Sarcasm aside, this is by far the weakest part of the deal.
Comparison with other headphones/Value
Okay, I will keep this brief, because I don't want to step on too many toes. Let me just say that of the ~10 other sets (cans and IEMs) I tried at the Chi-fi meet, I was extremely happy to get back to using my headphones. Perhaps I'm just used to the sound of the C700s, but I think they are a unique combination of power, detail, separation, and value. I feel they stack up respectably even to the larger cans that were at the meet, and though obviously they were bludgeoned by the soundstage of a pair of balanced Sennheiser HD600s, they are nevertheless a fantastic listen. I thought I would go in humbled by the audio setups I saw (and in some respects I was), but I came away from the meet with an intensely high level of satisfaction about my C700s, which were $132 shipped from amazon.com. I am actually more enthralled with the extremely modest rig I have than I was going into the meet, and though my ears are still getting used to what high-end audio gear consists of, I would make the same purchase without a second thought.
Conclusion
Overall, the Denon AH-C700s are a fantastic investment. I've honestly been raving about them to almost everyone I know. I have several friends who are now looking into new headphones as the item they'd like for Christmas, because I wouldn't stop ranting about the vast improvement over my Sony MDR-74s (which were a big step up from iBuds). They represent a true landmark for me, something that sounds amazing enough that even though I do pine for a more expensive setup at times, the C700s always leave me with closed eyes, and a smile on my face.
Ratings
Lastly, these are the hard scores by which I judge these headphones. Note that these are not like most ratings which start from a base of (7) being the average score and seldom rate below a 6 on any category. 5 is the average for these scores, the starting point, while 8 represents something fantastic, and 10 is truly unmatched. Needless to say, these are in the lower end of the pricing spectrum, so don't expect a slew of 9s and 10s. I chose to remain as objective as possible even as I rant about how great they are. Perhaps the best headphones in the world would rack up 10s, outside of that I am not willing to put such a value on any piece of equipment that is less than optimal.
Aesthetics: 7/10 Much more durable than other IEMs I've held. Cable is a plus.
Fit and Comfort: 4.5/10 A wider range of eartips would have really helped here.
Sound Quality: 8/10 I honestly feel that no other IEM in this price range can best the Denons. The C700s eat comparatively priced Shure's for breakfast!
Highs: 6/10
Mids: 7.5/10
Lows: 7.5/10
Soundstage: 5/10
Detail: 6.5/10
Sound Isolation: 6/10 You will get better ISO from other IEMs from what I've read and noticed. However, it's a matter of preference here. The C700s reduce most noise to barely noticeable levels but still let a bit of the world in.
Extras: 2/10 Come on, Denon. No carrying case? FOR TO SHAME! Forgivable only because of the SQ.
Value: 8/10 All because of SQ. That's the reason I bought em!
Thanks for reading!
Notes and info:
Source: Archos AV500 (non-amped), Dell E1705 (non-amped, onboard sound)
Music: Classical, instrumental, rock, folk, alternative
Date of review: 11/07
Hours spent with headphones as of review: ~50