Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions

[tstarn06]

That's interesting, cause I didn't expect the PK1s to be my favorites. I just think it's a psychological thing since they fit so well, and I did more listening tonight, and they still have something about them that I just really love. I kept shifting between the three, and kept coming back to the PK1s. Oh well, you have to listen to your ears, so to speak. Again, I like them all, and I think I can find a way to use them all. If not, I'll deal with it later.

You are right, though, I have all the bases (and bass) covered for now.

Originally Posted by warrior05

I liked your comparo between the three. I would lend more credence to your findings than what I wrote simply due to the fact I had to write about the PK1s from memory. I do remember one night settling in to do an A/B with the PK1s and some other earphone. I hadn't listened to my PK1s for awhile at the time and I remember being surprised at how good they really do sound. Honestly, the only reason I sold them was because I knew they just wouldn't get much use from me.

The PK1s are a high impedance earphone which is why they need amping. I believe they are something like 120 ohm where a typical earphone is less than 20 (the C700s are 16).

You've got a very nice collection of earphones. And you've got all formats covered - IEM, canalphone and earbud!

[soozieq]

tstarn - if I had any use/need/want for an amp, I think I would have tried the PK1s simply from your comparison. I guess it's a good thing an amp doesn't feature in my listening world, or my bank account would be emptying as I type

Someone said in an earlier post that the differences between the 700s and the Atrios would probably be down to sonic preferences rather than the quality of sound. Although I've never tried the Atrios, I can see why some people might prefer a smoother sound - as you said, chocolate and vanilla.

Having said that, I can listen to the Denons for hours without experiencing any fatigue at all - but the Shure E4G used to make my ears 'ring' after a short time at higher volumes. With the Denons, I can keep the volume much lower without suffering any quality loss. When I had the E500s, I had to go 'loud' to appreciate the detail (this has been mentioned before in various threads) so I really appreciate that the Denon's details isn't lost at lower volumes. When it's very late and I don't need to block out any outside noise, I can keep them to around 8/30 and still hear everything in the music. They're one of the most versatile headphones I've ever had.

[Karma 23]

tstarn,

How does the bass of the Denons compare with the Atrio's. I believe it's the concensus here that the Atrios have the deepest bass in IEM's, so I'm curious about how the Denons compare. And when people refer to deep bass, do they also mean the "thump" factor or just the bassline bass? I listen to a lot of electronica where the beats are always go thump thump thump... so the impact of the bass is what's important to me.

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by Karma 23

tstarn,

How does the bass of the Denons compare with the Atrio's. I believe it's the concensus here that the Atrios have the deepest bass in IEM's, so I'm curious about how the Denons compare. And when people refer to deep bass, do they also mean the "thump" factor or just the bassline bass? I listen to a lot of electronica where the beats are always go thump thump thump... so the impact of the bass is what's important to me.

Karma, the comparison between the bass of the Atrios and Denons has been mentioned already somewhere in this thread. I think if you read from page 9 onwards, (too lazy to look myself) there are at least 3 comparisons between them.

EDIT: Read posts 108 and 158

[Karma 23]

soozie, I replied to your PM but will touch upon that here, as I believe it could be useful for other people like me.

What I mean by bass here is the visceral impact from kick drums or the "thump." I understand that bass in general is all the lower frequencies from roughly 80hz down. So my question is how visceral, or how much thump, do the Denons and Atrios have and how do they compare. I listen to electronica and even mix it on my laptop so I need feel the kick drums. I'm not looking for DJ headphones as, again, I mix on my laptop in my quiet room. These would be mostly for on the go listening.

I hope I cleared up the issue.

P.S. Just one last thing. The Etys are known to have excellent bass extension (which I admit they do) but zero visceral impact. I like to "feel" the music rather than hear every single frequency and not have fun listening to my tracks. That is why I'm asking the bass question with the Denons and Atrios.

[tstarn06]

Hey Karma, not sure I am qualified to answer that bass question. Maybe Warrior would take a shot at it. I'm more of a casual listener that one of the real phone junkies on Head-Fi. All I know is both the Denons and the Atrios deliver outstanding, clean bass. I listened to a Hip-Hop mix last night with the Denons, and the bass (a prime element in the cuts) was tight, clean, no distortion (no EQ). Same with the Atrios. I think either would serve your listening needs relative to electronica. Best I can do.

Again, maybe Warrior can be more specific, or even Antony, when he gets his Denons.

[tstarn06]

Originally Posted by soozieq

tstarn - if I had any use/need/want for an amp, I think I would have tried the PK1s simply from your comparison. I guess it's a good thing an amp doesn't feature in my listening world, or my bank account would be emptying as I type

Someone said in an earlier post that the differences between the 700s and the Atrios would probably be down to sonic preferences rather than the quality of sound. Although I've never tried the Atrios, I can see why some people might prefer a smoother sound - as you said, chocolate and vanilla.

Having said that, I can listen to the Denons for hours without experiencing any fatigue at all - but the Shure E4G used to make my ears 'ring' after a short time at higher volumes. With the Denons, I can keep the volume much lower without suffering any quality loss. When I had the E500s, I had to go 'loud' to appreciate the detail (this has been mentioned before in various threads) so I really appreciate that the Denon's details isn't lost at lower volumes. When it's very late and I don't need to block out any outside noise, I can keep them to around 8/30 and still hear everything in the music. They're one of the most versatile headphones I've ever had.

Understand. And I am pretty sure you'd like the PK1s as well, since they are on the same plane as the Denons in some ways. The main difference is the PK1s deliver the same crisp highs, great mids and more than adequate bass, but something about their sound signature is more appealing to me personally. It would be interesting to see what you thought on it. Also, I have to admit, I was rereading the posts on this thread and noticed someone (can't remember who) cautioned that for the Denons to sound their best, they should be inserted pointing up a bit, and not straight in. Late last night, I tried that, and I have to say, they did seem to sound even better.

Am I crazy? Or was I inserting them improperly all along? Anyway, I am set with three good sets of ear phones, not to mention the PK3s (on order, via the $25 Head-Fi group buy) for working out, and the Kramer-modded Ksc75s, which sound great when amped. Then there are the PX-100s and the Grados...Looks like I am crazy after all.

[antonyfirst]

I am very curious about the sound of the PK1. There are people that seem to prefer them to Etys (not certainly for detail, but for a better sound signature). It will be interesting to compare the Denon to my modded Altec, since they should be half-way between the PK1 and the ER4P.

[tstarn06]

Originally Posted by antonyfirst

I am very curious about the sound of the PK1. There are people that seem to prefer them to Etys (not certainly for detail, but for a better sound signature). It will be interesting to compare the Denon to my modded Altec, since they should be half-way between the PK1 and the ER4P.

Yes, it is weird that I found them late (I've owned them for several months, but never really put enough time into listening to them, using the Atrios unamped instead). Now, the more I go back to them, the more I find them my most appealing set of ear phones. I favor them over the SR80s too, in fact. When I went back and reread the PK1 appreciation thread (a long one), I realize I'm not alone. Again, it's the issue of always having to use an amp with them that makes them not right as someone's sole set of earphones. But when sitting around in a relatively quiet environment, they work for me. Not to get into the Ety thing again, I also favor them over the ER4P/S, but that's going from memory since I sold the Etys awhile ago, so that may not be a valuable piece of data.

[antonyfirst]

I believe you. I find myself favoring the Altec over the Etys. The ER4P need to be equalized to take a "shap", while these Altec have already a great sound signature, and provide almost as much detail as the Etys. EFN made a good job modding them.
I'm not interested into the PK1 for two reasons: the extra bulk of an amp, and the extra price of the same amp. That makes the total price much higher than that of the earbuds alone.

[Karma 23]

Thanks for your reply, tstarn. If Hip Hop sounded decent then it answers my question (as it is more beat driven than typical electronica).

All right, let's pull out the credit card for Denons...sigh...

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by Karma 23

Thanks for your reply, tstarn. If Hip Hop sounded decent then it answers my question (as it is more beat driven than typical electronica).

All right, let's pull out the credit card for Denons...sigh...

Make sure you try and get the best price. I didn't get mine from the UK as they were twice the price of anywhere else. And be sure to report back with your findings, the more reviews we have, the better - since they are still so 'new' here.

[warrior05]

Karma_23 -

In regards to your question about bass thump: Though I love a deep and slightly elevated bass presence, a lot of the music I listen to has rolling bass lines that reach DEEP. But... I do have this trance CD that I'll put on occasionally and bop my head to till I have a headache.

So I queued up my fav song from that CD and A/B'ed the Denons and Atrios. The Atrios actually give you a bit more of the thump you are looking for but both of them probably would disappoint you. I have a theory why that is. This is total conjecture, folks, so if I'm way off go ahead and tell me I'm nuts. I think that thump you're looking for is actually a bit of bass distortion from either ear/headphones or speakers that can't handle the driving bass beat. That or the drivers are handling that specific frequency in a way that accentuates it.

Both the Atrios and Denons reach impressively low and soften that hit you are looking for. These are both very musical, easy-sounding earphones and because of that, lack a bit of speed. I also queued up a Venetian Snares song with the C700s in and a bit of the razor edge of the rapid fire drum beats and high treble electronic cymbal crashes has been dulled.

So if that kick drum hit is really critical to you - I think you might need to look elsewhere. Sorry.

[tstarn06]

That's what I meant about a more expert analysis. Thanks Warrior. I hope Karma hasn't made the deal yet, though he might have to find out for himself, seems to me. He can always return them.

As for price, I got the Denons for $132 (incl. S&H) from Amazon. It was the best price I could find in the U.S. online.

[cn11]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

That's what I meant about a more expert analysis. Thanks Warrior. I hope Karma hasn't made the deal yet, though he might have to find out for himself, seems to me. He can always return them.

As for price, I got the Denons for $132 (incl. S&H) from Amazon. It was the best price I could find in the U.S. online.

That is the best deal going I believe. I bought mine from amazon several weeks ago and it was approx. 152 w/shipping... still not bad- but 132 is a major deal for the SQ that the Denons have.