Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions

[cn11]

Warrior,
The more I listen to the Denons the more I don't listen to the Atrios...sad to say. With the increased midrange, highs, soundstage, and more taught bass the whole presentation is undeniable. I feel like the Denons are a step up from the Atrios. I just did some A/B'ing with both, and I can't go back! Perhaps for situations where extreme isolation is needed I may use the Atrios but otherwise the Denons are so far superior.

Do you hear this big of a difference too?
-Cheers.

**edit**
I asked soozieq in a PM a bit ago...what does compare? The Shure 500 series? Honestly... anything short of the Westone 11's, or 500 series?

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by cn11

Warrior,
The more I listen to the Denons the more I don't listen to the Atrios...

Interesting, it's just the opposite for me...although it's becoming clear I prefer a somewhat different sound signature than (al)most (all) of you ...and I seem to be the only one here who finds the Denons fatiguing (heaven forbid!).

[cn11]

Originally Posted by epithetless

Interesting, it's just the opposite for me...although it's becoming clear I prefer a somewhat different sound signature than (al)most (all) of you ...and I seem to be the only one here who finds the Denons fatiguing (heaven forbid!).

What source do you listen to them with?

**edit**...Also, I the more I get into this hobby of earphones paired with DAP's the more I wonder if there is some pretty serious variance between production examples of whatever we purchase- such as the Trekstor & Kenwood players... the Vibes, Atrio's, and Denons of this industry.

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by cn11

What source do you listen to them with?

Insignia Video NS-DV4G, iRiver iHP-120, Samsung YP-Z5, Rio Carbon, and Rio Karma...although my ears are one-of-a-kind.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by cn11

Warrior,
The more I listen to the Denons the more I don't listen to the Atrios...sad to say. With the increased midrange, highs, soundstage, and more taught bass the whole presentation is undeniable. I feel like the Denons are a step up from the Atrios. I just did some A/B'ing with both, and I can't go back! Perhaps for situations where extreme isolation is needed I may use the Atrios but otherwise the Denons are so far superior.

Do you hear this big of a difference too?
-Cheers.

**edit**
I asked soozieq in a PM a bit ago...what does compare? The Shure 500 series? Honestly... anything short of the Westone 11's, or 500 series?

I've addressed the comparison question in other posts - the E500 are above the Denon, but I haven't heard anything else in an IEM (see sig) that is. It seems to take the good atributes of several earphones and mix them up in one - bass from the super.fi 5 pro (or EB), mids from the Shure SE310, highs from the ER4p, or something like that. The ONLY failing I have found is the ability to "overdrive" them before the amp if played too loud, which my balanced armature earphones didnt' seem to do. The good news is that keeps me from playing TOO loud, saving my ears - remember, they'll play plenty loud, but you wont like them played TOO loud. Make sense?

[warrior05]

Originally Posted by cn11

Warrior,
The more I listen to the Denons the more I don't listen to the Atrios...sad to say. With the increased midrange, highs, soundstage, and more taught bass the whole presentation is undeniable. I feel like the Denons are a step up from the Atrios. I just did some A/B'ing with both, and I can't go back! Perhaps for situations where extreme isolation is needed I may use the Atrios but otherwise the Denons are so far superior.

Do you hear this big of a difference too?
-Cheers.

**edit**
I asked soozieq in a PM a bit ago...what does compare? The Shure 500 series? Honestly... anything short of the Westone 11's, or 500 series?

I hear ya. I'm not surprised with my reaction to the C700s because I do prefer a colored sound and they epitomize what I look... uh, listen... for when it comes to a sound sig for general listening. Coupled with the ease of insertion I certainly reach for my Denons before my M5s. I still use my Atrios when I sleep or when I'm working with loud equipment (try them with circumaural ear protection and you can easily listen to music at normal levels - very cool!).

I can't speak to the high-end IEMs since I've never tried them but I don't have a desire to reach higher than the Denons. My primary means for listening to music is still headphones so it doesn't make financial sense to me to spend that much on earphones. The only reason I got the C700s was because of the terrific deal on the FS board.

I'm going to keep my M5s. Between them, the C700s and my JBL 220s - I feel I have my earphone needs covered. But if you asked me to rank the three, the Denons would be number 1.

[warrior05]

Another thing I just thought of...

Perhaps the C700s can be considered a benchmark for high rate of SQ return for the money. Meaning that reaching higher than the Denons is entering the realm of diminishing returns where you have to spend exponentially more money for relatively little gain. Just a theory since, as I mentioned, I have not listened to the top tiered earphones.

[antonyfirst]

I may expect the Denon to sound better than the E500 for my taste. I didn't think the E500 were so spectacular, so I'm expecting something more from the C700.

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by cn11

Warrior,
The more I listen to the Denons the more I don't listen to the Atrios...sad to say. **edit**
I asked soozieq in a PM a bit ago...what does compare? The Shure 500 series? Honestly... anything short of the Westone 11's, or 500 series?

I had the E500s, in fact I had them twice. I bought them for a shockingly high price from Amazon.co.uk back in April. I kept them for a couple of weeks but just couldn't derive enough enjoyment from them to justify keeping them.

Then when I joined Head-Fi and read that they got better with extended listening, I bought them again (much much cheaper from eBay), and gave them another chance. But I still couldn't enjoy them. I like my music 'joined up' and the frequencies sounded so isolated from each other that it distracted me from getting 'involved'. I know this is a quality other people love about them, but for me it was a no-no. I only compared the Denons with the SE310 as they were the ones I'd owned most recently and I was able to remember their sound more easily.

Originally Posted by epithetless
Interesting, it's just the opposite for me...although it's becoming clear I prefer a somewhat different sound signature than (al)most (all) of you ...and I seem to be the only one here who finds the Denons fatiguing (heaven forbid!).

That's interesting to note, because one of the reviews, (cnet or somewhere) did state that the treble might be too much for certain style of music (rock/metal) at very high volumes, but because no one has mentioned it so far, I wondered if the reviewer might be sensitive to treble. Also, my b/f says the treble 'hurts' his ears, but he still likes it!

I love treble and when I read it might be 'too much' for some people, that only made me want them more. It looks like the Atrios could be the perfect choice (in this particular comparison thread) for anyone with a slight sensitivity in this area?

EDIT: I didn't use the E500s or the SE420s amped (420s lasted only a day before rejection!) and I appreciate this would probably have improved the sound, but I wasn't interested (and am still not) in anything more than headphones and dap. I use my main system when I'm home and the Denons when it's late at night, or for travelling, so an amp would be an unnecessary (and unwelcome extra) for me. I use them in the garden too, perfect for drowning out my elderly deaf neighbours who shout at each other (simultaneously) to make sure they're heard!

Originally Posted by Warrior.
I can't speak to the high-end IEMs since I've never tried them but I don't have a desire to reach higher than the Denons.

I have tried the higher-end ones and I think it says something about the Denons that I settled for them. I also have no desire for anything 'more'. To me, there can't be any more. Honestly, I am very very fussy, (Tony will tell you!!) but I just can't find anything to complain about with these. Trust me, I am still trying to find something 'lacking' in them, because I can't quite believe they sound so good. I guess it all boils down to trial and error and finding something that pairs well with our individual daps.

[soozieq]

I think the reason I don't find the treble fatiguing in any way, is because it doesn't sound as if it's being pumped directly into my ears. The soundstage seems to create enough space that it doesn't 'hurt'. I suspect if the soundstage was very narrow, my views might be somewhat different! I've never had this much treble detail before, it really makes everything sound so much more vibrant and enjoyable.

[tstarn06]

Well, these last few posts have really got me looking forward to later today, when Ben, our UPS guy, delivers the C700s. It'll be fun to see first-hand how much different the Denons are from the Atrios. As I noted on another post yesterday, I started to REALLY listen to my PK1s amped, and I can't believe how much detail and overall fine SQ those ugly ear buds deliver. I went back and re-read the main PK1 appreciation thread, and I have to say, I should have spent more time with the PK1s. I won't make that mistake again.

Anyway, can't wait for the Denons to arrive, so I can give them a serious listen and A/B compare them to the Atrios (and the PK1s, which have become my at home phones, even more to my liking than the SR80s).

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

It'll be fun to see first-hand how much different the Denons are from the Atrios. Anyway, can't wait for the Denons to arrive, so I can give them a serious listen and A/B compare them to the Atrios (and the PK1s, which have become my at home phones, even more to my liking than the SR80s).

Yes, it will be interesting to hear how they compare with the PK1s as we haven't had a comparison between those yet, and also your views re: Atrios/Denon. I can't seem to take the Denons out of my ears. I can listen for much longer than my previous headphones because I find them so addictive for every single style of music I have, and the lovely soundstage helps!

[Karma 23]

soozieq,

Do you use any EQ settings on your A808? I have an A806 with EX90's and the sound is good enough for me at home and when I'm in the tube I just bump up the "Clear Bass" a notch and the sound is just about as good as when I'm home (apart from the extra outside noise). I'm actually going to move on to an iPhone once it hits Regent Street on November 9th (would have gotten it earlier had I still been living in the States in June) and I'm afraid that the EX90's just won't do with the iPhone because of Apple's notoriously bad EQ. This is why I'm asking if your Denons and/or Atrios are being listened to without EQ'ing so I can get an idea.

tstarn06,

Can't wait to hear your comparo between the C700's and the M5's!

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by Karma 23

soozieq,

Do you use any EQ settings on your A808?This is why I'm asking if your Denons and/or Atrios are being listened to without EQ'ing so I can get an idea.

Hi Karma, 95% of the time I don't need any EQ. But. . . if I listen to classical (which I do occasionally) I cut the last 3 frequencies to -1, which makes it softer on my ears. I find some classical to be quite ear grating (especially on some of the dire recordings I seem to have acquired) so reducing some of the 'higher' frequencies makes it more pleasant, less 'harsh' to listen to. Other than that, I don't bother with the EQ at all. The 808 (thankfully) seems to be a very good match with these particular headphones.

As for the EX-90, I think they complement the 808 very well. I really enjoyed the sound, but there was way too much leakage, and I needed/wanted something more isolating. Also, I had to turn the volume up very high with the 90s to reach an acceptable listening volume, and I didn't find them at all useful on the tube. . . even with CB. . .

[Karma 23]

Thanks for your reply soozieq.

How would you rate the C700's vs. the EX90's? The EX90's are some of the bests canalphones I've heard. I had the Superfi 3's and they sounded horrible to me (no soundstage, no highs). Then I listened to EX85's that came with my A806 which sounded surprisingly great so I bought the EX90's to get even better sound (which I somewhat did). Sony Walkmans have excellent EQ's which helps me tailor the music to my liking in any situation but, again, since I'm getting an iPhone with a horrible EQ I'm looking for something that'll sound somewhat the same in any environment. I had the qJays vs. M5's dilemna but, being somewhat of a basshead, was leaning more towards the M5's until I saw this thread. I'm still waiting for more comparos between the M5's and the C700's before I take the plunge, though.

Anyway, all rambling aside, your take on the C700's vs. the EX90's please!