Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions

[suba3333]

I'm almost ready to buy these now....just one more thing: I have the CX300 which I can only wear upside down (with cable up and over the ear) as the point where the cable connects at 90 degrees to the unit somehow gets in the way with the bottom part my outer ear when worn straight down (this way I cannot fully insert the phones). To contrast this with my Ety ER6i where the cable connects at the end of the IEM's body at 180 degrees (almost straight line) and thus has enough clearance to exit my ear.

The Denon has the cable's connecting point in the middle of the phone's body at 90 degrees thus is similar to the CX300 hence my concern. I would really prefer to wear these straight down?

[warrior05]

Originally Posted by suba3333

I'm almost ready to buy these now....just one more thing: I have the CX300 which I can only wear upside down (with cable up and over the ear) as the point where the cable connects at 90 degrees to the unit somehow gets in the way with the bottom part my outer ear when worn straight down (this way I cannot fully insert the phones). To contrast this with my Ety ER6i where the cable connects at the end of the IEM's body at 180 degrees (almost straight line) and thus has enough clearance to exit my ear.

The Denon has the cable's connecting point in the middle of the phone's body at 90 degrees thus is similar to the CX300 hence my concern. I would really prefer to wear these straight down?

If it helps - from the edge of the strain relief to the shoulder of the body is a 1/4" or 5/8" to the tip of my silicon tips.

[Honus]

Quote: I'm almost ready to buy these now....just one more thing: I have the CX300 which I can only wear upside down (with cable up and over the ear) as the point where the cable connects at 90 degrees to the unit somehow gets in the way with the bottom part my outer ear when worn straight down (this way I cannot fully insert the phones). To contrast this with my Ety ER6i where the cable connects at the end of the IEM's body at 180 degrees (almost straight line) and thus has enough clearance to exit my ear.

This is why I sold mine to warrior05. I loved the SQ, but couldn't get them inserted without running the wires over my ears. The wires on the Denons will not stay in place over your ears.

[99SiR]

i wear them over my ears and they stay in place perfectly fine. I put a really small black peice of rubber to slide up and down the cord. They come over my ears and under my chin. Unlike Honus the wires stay in perfect place over my ears for me, but every ear is differet as well. I am used to years of wearing cannal phones down so i thought wearing them over the ear would suck, i actually prefer it after trying it for only a day. For jogging, moutain biking and a bit of climbing they seem to stay in place alot better. I'm not sure if this is becuase i wear them over my ear or becuase they insert more than my past canal phones...maybe both.

I can wear them down as well but i use the med (as opposed to small tips) since they don't go in as far this way. But like i said with wearing them up, they protrude less, i use the small tips and they stay in place for sports even better.

Hope that helps.

[suba3333]

Originally Posted by warrior05

If it helps - from the edge of the strain relief to the shoulder of the body is a 1/4" or 5/8" to the tip of my silicon tips.

Oh dear....that's pretty much what the CX300 measure
There is always one thing that makes them NOT PERFECT

Now I wonder if I won't have the same problem with the Atrios or any other phone whose shape or cable is at a 90 degree angle to the main part of the phone?

[antonyfirst]

What's the problem in not being able to loop them around your ears?

[suba3333]

Cable straight down is just quicker and simpler and doesn't interfer with wearing glasses (sometimes the cable gets tangled with the arms of the frame). I can also find it uncomfortable when doing sports....sweat and rubbing cables can give me sweat rash behind the ears.

Ideally I'd like to have both options available.

It would really help me if someone could post a photo (taken from the side) of the phone inserted into their ear.

[cn11]

Just received the Denon's today. Quite impressive straight away. I agree with all of Warrior's observations, and I look forward to these burning in and becoming even more refined. Right away I noticed the midrange being more up front than with the Atrio M5's (this is not to say that it's aggressive or harsh, just more present). These are nicer for vocals than the M5. The bass seems a bit more 'settled' or focused than them too- I'd describe it as just a little less flab & midbass overhang, if the Atrio even has any. As Warrior says, the soundstage is more expansive. The highs are maybe more detailed too. The bass detracts from the rest of the frequency even less than on the Atrio, if that's possible. They really are quite refined and nice. I'm pleasantly surprised. I thought I had found my ideal in the Atrio, but I think I'm going to wind up liking these even better. I LOVE the build quality with the aluminum housing...very nice. Future Sonics should take a cue from this aspect. They make the Atrio's plastic housing and thin cord coming out of the earpieces seem like a kid's toy earphone by comparison.

Funny thing, having read in this thread that some people were concerned about tip availability should something happen to the ones provided, I looked at them and thought the post looks awfully similar in shape to the Vibes. So out those came, and I tried swapping. Perfect. I have the Vibes mediums on the Denons, and they seem to be a better fit than the mediums provided. So they seem to be a pretty common size like other canal phones. Anyone know what else fits them?

I think these are definite keepers. I see them getting most of my everyday use at work because they are so quick to put in, and isolate so well for a canal phone. The Atrio's will probably be relegated to travel because of their superior isolation with the Shure Olives. I think I already prefer the overall balance of the Denons to the Atrios, although they are very similar indeed. Both phones hav e that fun factor, and rightness to them. I think it is safe to say that if you like the M5 you will most definitely like the Denons...maybe even a tad better.

BTW, I really like the look of them with the V-moda Vibes translucent medium tips.

**edit again** A/B'd the translucent tips with the black ones provided for a good while and found that the original ones do convey more detail, soundstage, and bass. So it seems that the stock ones stay in place- too bad, I really liked how the translucent looked. V-moda Vibes medium black silicon tips seem to work well (they feel the same softness as the stock tips) so at least there's a backup. The V-moda mediums are a tad larger, so fit more securely. No loss of any of the frequency range, but they don't improve things either. Just an alternative I guess. The translucent V-moda silicons are a bit harder durometer and I am guessing this is what degrades the sound.

[soozieq]

cn11 - glad you like the Denons. Seems that everyone who's bought them (after reading the thread) likes them a lot! When I first wrote the comparison between these and the 310s, I didn't know there were no replacement tips for them until I rang Denon later - but someone else on here said the UE silicon tips fitted. I haven't got them, but I tried CX300 tips and Sony tips, and while they fitted OK, the bass took a hit.

Where did you get the Vibes tips, and do they come in assorted packs or can you just get a pack of 3 mediums? The ones on your Denons look like the 'thick' clear ones from UE (which I found uncomfortable). Are you using soft silicon ones? I definitely want some backup tips

Lastly, one thing I've noticed from this thread, is that everyone who's bought them seems to 'hear' the same sound as everyone else. When I first started reading reviews on headphones, I found it very confusing when one person said x phone had loads of bass and another person said the same phone had no bass. . . but so far, the C700s seem to sound exactly the same to all of us. There's no contradictory comments about the bass being crap, or the mids being recessed. I think Denon made a great headphone, easy to use, nice tangle-free wire and fantastic sound. I'm glad everyone's liking them so far. Now we just need antonyfirst's review. . .

[dridiot]

Originally Posted by soozieq

Lastly, one thing I've noticed from this thread, is that everyone who's bought them seems to 'hear' the same sound as everyone else. When I first started reading reviews on headphones, I found it very confusing when one person said x phone had loads of bass and another person said the same phone had no bass. . . but so far, the C700s seem to sound exactly the same to all of us. There's no contradictory comments about the bass being crap, or the mids being recessed. I think Denon made a great headphone, easy to use, nice tangle-free wire and fantastic sound. I'm glad everyone's liking them so far. Now we just need antonyfirst's review. . .

Same here, what I like about the denons is the bass (not overly so) and the tangle-free wire.

[antonyfirst]

Still waiting for mine. They are at a friend's house in the US. I'm waiting for some books from Amazon.com to pack everything in a single envelope.

Julie, I have the feeling that this tips will provide killer bass as replacement.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shure-Medium-E2c...QQcmdZViewItem
I need to have a confirmation, but they should be the same size as Denon, Sennheiser and Vibe tips.

I tried the E500 version (different diameter) on my E500 and ER4P some time ago, and bass became incredibly powerful. Best sound with a silicon tip I ever tried.

[dridiot]

Originally Posted by antonyfirst

Still waiting for mine. They are at a friend's house in the US. I'm waiting for some books from Amazon.com to pack everything in a single envelope.

Julie, I have the feeling that this tips will provide killer bass as replacement.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shure-Medium-E2c...QQcmdZViewItem
I need to have a confirmation, but they should be the same size as Denon, Sennheiser and Vibe tips.

I tried the E500 version (different diameter) on my E500 and ER4P some time ago, and bass became incredibly powerful. Best sound with a silicon tip I ever tried.

Maybe so, I guess that is due to the thickness of the silicone used.
Somebody with those tips try it and let us know, will you?
Thanks.

[antonyfirst]

I still don't have my Denon, I'll need one more month to receive them (combined time for amazon and shipping). Some guy in the US should definetely try them. I've bought many times from iDealSound, and he's a trustful seller.

[dridiot]

Originally Posted by antonyfirst

I still don't have my Denon, I'll need one more month to receive them (combined time for amazon and shipping). Some guy in the US should definetely try them. I've bought many times from iDealSound, and he's a trustful seller.

Same here: iDealSound=====> trustful seller

[antonyfirst]

In the meanwhile, I don't see any more Denons at bargain price on eBay. The best thing would be to get them from Bluetin.