Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions

[athenaesword]

has anyone tried the UE foamies? i bought 3 pairs today. i'm using em now cus i totally couldn't decide which tip to use. i just couldn't get the right seal with them. the UE foamies fit just right and i don't even have to remove the plastic

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by athenaesword

has anyone tried the UE foamies? i bought 3 pairs today. i'm using em now cus i totally couldn't decide which tip to use. i just couldn't get the right seal with them. the UE foamies fit just right and i don't even have to remove the plastic

So they fit, goody goody. . . But more importantly, how's the sound compared with the Denon tips? Can you do a test? When I use any other tips than the Denons, I find the presentation quite different, and not in a good way. I find the soundstage noticeably smaller and not nearly as nice as with the Denon tips. I can get good seals with the Sony and Sennheiser tips, so I think there must be some miniscule difference in the shape/length/width of the Denons that gives me a better sound.

Lastly, have you listened for long enough yet to know what you think of them?

[athenaesword]

okay here's my little review. i've only listened extensively to the superfi5pros and the um2s.. but i'm relatively inexperienced with dynamic drivers so..

anyway, i must say when i just got them out of the box the mids seemed abit distant to me, but it must've been my song selection, cus i removed them, plugged them into pink noise for 6 hours, and when i listened to them for the second time they sounded alot more forward.

anyway, what struck me right from the beginning was how insensitive these phones are. i listen to 27/28 out of 40 for my iriver clix 2 now.

with regards to sound presentation, it's is clear and detailed, and the bass is present, but not overbearing. can't comment too much on highs yet cus i haven't tested with tonnes of violins and high hats, but i don't find any problem with them impressionwise. i won't go too much into this since i don't have any high end iems lying ard for me to give direct comparisons to right now, and i find this area useful only when there's stuff to compare to, cus it's innately subjective.

what i like about this pair of phones is perhaps the ability to present the vocals clearly, and unmuffled upclose. previously i found that certain phones, when playing songs that had certain sections with vocals extremely up close, actually started to muffle them. this wasn't true with the denons, cus even up close, it's still clear and textured. for me, vocals is of the utmost importance, even more so than bass. thankfuly the denons don't disappoint in this area at all.

and so i thought: why not try some eqing? well it might or might not be because of the player, but i find that the denons themselves already have a coloured distinctive sound, which makes it not all too susceptible to eqing. i tried custom eqing to a preferred sound, normal settings, and rock settings on my player, and i realised they all gave more or less the same sound, albeit slightly different in volume. so imo this isn't a very neutral pair of phones. this isn't necessarily a bad thing, unless u're thinking of using amps and doing a great deal of eqing. for me, since i don't use an amp and i like the sound signature, it's all good =]

moving on to the tips. this was quite a big problem for me. firstly, none of them really suited me. perhaps it may be that my ears are inherently oilyer than most, but i doubt so, since i've seldom had this problem, but the seal just wouldn't hold. i think it might have to do with the relatively frictionless material of the silicon tips, that was just unable to get a good grip on the insides of my ears. in fact, it was quite difficult for me even to obtain a good seal with the provided tips.

so on the very 3rd day of getting the phones, i started hunting for foamies. now the UE foamies fit perfectly, and i think they're really your only choice, since i don't think any other foamies would fit without you removing the plastic inside, which might make the foamies relatively loose from the earpiece. sound-wise, i don't hear any noticeable difference, not serious ones anyway such that i was able to pick them out without doing a careful comparison. soozieq, i might have to spend more time discriminating any difference between the foamies and the tips, but i'm sure they don't suffer any loss in the mids or highs. i'm not sure about soundstage cus that's usually a more tricky thing to compare. anyway, i haven't had an opportunity to test in detail cus i was at the shop. i bought a pair to test, liked it, and bought another 2 pairs. also, u have to take into account that since the UE foamies provided a better fit for me, they're likely to sound better than something that doesn't seal well, or has difficulty maintaining it. they don't loosen, which was already a great deal for me as i spent most of my morning trying to push the stock tips in again and again, and twisting this angle and that.

next i wanna mention the cable. these phones were clearly not designed to be worn over the ear. i noticed this not when i first tried them, but only today when i actually took them outside. the lack of a stiff memory portion actually makes it hard to stay in place over the ear, especially when u turn your head. ie. turn your head right, the left would pop up. i found myself repeatedly having to push loop the cable over my ear, which was really beginning to irritate me, considering the fact that to the undiscerning bystander, it could have possibly looked like i was constantly curling my hair over my ears, and i'm not a fan of excessive hair adjustments on the move. okay enough of that. my point is, denon really shoulda stuck at least 2 inches of memory cable at the top, cus personally i feel they work alot better when worn over the ear. honestly, i've never had this practice, but it just came instinctively to me when i got them. for me, they stick out wayyy too much when worn straight down, not to mention the racket of microphonics that ensued when i tried while walking. they fit great with the foamies and when worn over the ear, but the cables kept popping back up and out over my ears. well so i started experimenting with the different angles and i discovered that having the wire 45 degrees forward and up actually helped keep it in place better, so they're alright now for me. running, or jumping (though i don't expect you'd be doing that on a normal day, unless u're exercising) with them would be a no-no.

lastly, aesthetics. these earphones were never made to be low profile. so if u're using the big tips, expect them to be sticking a fair bit out of your ear. the earpieces are in no way tilted to hug your ear, but rather are designed straight 90 degrees to the cable. so u're probably gonna look like a clown if u use the big tips, and wear them straight down (no offense to those who're actually doing that xD). i wear them over the ears and press them so they're angled and doesn't protrude that bad. if u really must use big tips and wear em straight down i suggest u get the black coloured version. i actually have a silver pair, which doesn't look bad with the UE grey foamies, but otherwise would look quite garish if they were sticking straight out 90 degrees to my head.

that's all for now folks. i'll furnish more details on sound if i have any new revelations over the course of the burn-in period. i'm totally not letting these rest now heh. they're either in my ears or frying. now i really gotta rinse the blood outta my mouth since i just got my wisdom teeth extracted. >.<

[Karma 23]

Here's my quick impression of the c700's (thanks, soozie, for letting me listen to yours!). I won't go into much detail here; I'll just compare them to the PK1's (tstarn, you readin' this??).

Upon listening to the Denons, what hit me first was actually how good the PK1's sound for earbuds. I mean the soundstage is night and day when A/B'ing both phones. So how do they compare? They don't, really. I mean one sounds like excellent full-size headphones and the other like excellent IEM's. The Denons, of course, is the latter. It really boils down to how much isolation is needed. I personally think the PK1's sound better overall mainly because of the much wider soundstage. The Denons, though, sound awesome for IEM's. I was extremely impressed with how low the bass extended (close to Sennheiser 280 Pros) and how smooth the mids and highs were. But did they give me the thump that I was looking for? As HeadphoneAddict predicted, no. I'm actually looking at SF5 EB's now, as I've read that if the bass doesn't satisfy with those, then nothing will (IEM-wise).

All in all, would I consider the Denons? Yes, if if I lose too much clarity with the SF5 EB's. I mean I like bass, but not to the point where everything else is drowned by it. However, I do believe that the PK1's are superior sound quality-wise, but since I need isolation, the Denons or SF5 EB's will have to do.

[warrior05]

soozieq - have you tried Sennheiser tips? I prefer them and it is what I have had on my C700s from day one. I discovered them when I had bought a pair of CX300s. I immediately ordered a 10 pack from Sennheiser who shipped them out right away.

[antonyfirst]

Ehi soozieq ,

I'm looking forward to read your PK1 impressions.

[tstarn06]

Originally Posted by Karma 23

Here's my quick impression of the c700's (thanks, soozie, for letting me listen to yours!). I won't go into much detail here; I'll just compare them to the PK1's (tstarn, you readin' this??).

Upon listening to the Denons, what hit me first was actually how good the PK1's sound for earbuds. I mean the soundstage is night and day when A/B'ing both phones. So how do they compare? They don't, really. I mean one sounds like excellent full-size headphones and the other like excellent IEM's. The Denons, of course, is the latter. It really boils down to how much isolation is needed. I personally think the PK1's sound better overall mainly because of the much wider soundstage. The Denons, though, sound awesome for IEM's. I was extremely impressed with how low the bass extended (close to Sennheiser 280 Pros) and how smooth the mids and highs were. But did they give me the thump that I was looking for? As HeadphoneAddict predicted, no. I'm actually looking at SF5 EB's now, as I've read that if the bass doesn't satisfy with those, then nothing will (IEM-wise).

All in all, would I consider the Denons? Yes, if if I lose too much clarity with the SF5 EB's. I mean I like bass, but not to the point where everything else is drowned by it. However, I do believe that the PK1's are superior sound quality-wise, but since I need isolation, the Denons or SF5 EB's will have to do.

Not surprised at all onthe Denon-PK1 comparison. I just got back from a walk with the PK1s and my Penguin Classic amp, and man, those things just sound heavenly to me. There were car, bus and other external noises (I live right in the city), but with the sound turned up a little, they just continue to blow me away the more I listen. So much so, I went and ordered a MiniboxE from Fang, to complete the combo (the Yuin amp is getting raves for its SQ and value over in the amp thread). I just can't stand not using an amp anymore, it's that bad. And I can blame the PK1s for it.

Alas, I sold the Denons (shipped them this morning), mainly because I still sort of favor the Atrio sound sig, the Denons were still like new and very sell-able, and I just don't use IEMs much anymore (only for REALLY LOUD environments). The PK1s are exactly what I wanted in portable phones. Sorry, this thread is about C700s. But I did mention them.

[Karma 23]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

Not surprised at all onthe Denon-PK1 comparison. I just got back from a walk with the PK1s and my Penguin Classic amp, and man, those things just sound heavenly to me. There were car, bus and other external noises (I live right in the city), but with the sound turned up a little, they just continue to blow me away the more I listen. So much so, I went and ordered a MiniboxE from Fang, to complete the combo (the Yuin amp is getting raves for its SQ and value over in the amp thread). I just can't stand not using an amp anymore, it's that bad. And I can blame the PK1s for it.

Alas, I sold the Denons (shipped them this morning), mainly because I still sort of favor the Atrio sound sig, the Denons were still like new and very sell-able, and I just don't use IEMs much anymore (only for REALLY LOUD environments). The PK1s are exactly what I wanted in portable phones. Sorry, this thread is about C700s. But I did mention them.

Would you consider the closed version of the PK1's if they ever come out? The thing is, it's expected that they won't sound as good since they'll be closed, but I'll be curious enough to try them out. As far as amps go, I listened to the PK1's with an iBasso T2 which sounded awesome until the amp broke after a couple of weeks (left channel completely cut out). I'm not a negative person, so I'll say that I received a faulty unit, and Head Direct said they'd replace it.

I'm getting an iPhone (which is much bulkier than a Nano) so I don't think the bulk of an external amp will do it for me. In fact, I'm not even gonna check out that Yuin amp you're talking about before I feel that Head-Fi impulse again!

Oh and do you like your Atrios more because the Denons are too bright? I found the Denons nice and smooth and not bright at all.

[tstarn06]

I wouldn't say the Denons were too bright, but I just found myself fiddling with the volume a lot more with the Denons than with the Atrios (to turn them down, and up, and down). Is that the same thing?

More than that, I had to choose between the two, and the Denons were not enough to convince me to toss the Atrios to the side, so I figured I'd sell them before I used them much at all. I did burn them in for 40 hours, but didn't wear them much more than two hours. I also used the e2c foamies with them, which I favored over the silicone tips. I guess I just felt the Atrios were fine for IEM listening, very non-fatiguing, and I really am going to use the PK1s much more unless I need complete isolation, which is limited to trains, planes, etc.

So no, the Denons sounded fine. They didn't blow me away enough to justify keeping two IEMs (though at first I was surprised by their clarity in the mids, compared to the Atrios, and thought I would end up keeping them). A/B listening changed that thinking.

FInally, I just ordered a pair of Altec-Lansing iM616s from Buy.com for $39 (I think it was a pricing mistake), if they ever get them back in stock. They claim they will, but it doesn't look good. So now I might those, basically Ety IEMs, if I need something with a bit more sparkle, at a lot less money. I had the ER4Ps, and sold them when I got the Atrios. Whew!

As for amps, etc. I just use a rubber band on my Zen V or ZVM and it's not too bulky. I can see using and amp with an iphone as a major hassle. No iPhone for me. I barely use my regular mobile.

Finally, on the issue of the Yuin IEM. I might get one, but probably not unless the Atrios break or something. I just don't have enough call for an IEM, and you are right, IEMs, no matter who makes them, just can't deliver the same soundstage as the PK1s. Now, if the Yuin IEMs have the same detail as the buds with a soundstage that is close enough ....who knows?

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by Karma 23
Here's my quick impression of the c700's (thanks, soozie, for letting me listen to yours!)

You're welcome. Let me know when your amp comes back as I want to try your PK1s with it!!

Originally Posted by warrior05
soozieq - have you tried Sennheiser tips? I prefer them and it is what I have had on my C700s from day one.

warrior, yes I did try the Senn and the Sony tips, but wasn't overly impressed, but I think that might be down to my ear shape. And if you like the Senn tips better - please give me the Denon tips immediately
I've already arranged one swap with another user - his mediums for my smalls - and I have some spare Senn tips for swapping as well. . . or, as I like to think of it, recycling! So I figure if I can get some more medium Denon tips via swapping - it will spread out the $50 I just paid for a single pair!!

Originally Posted by antonyfirst
Ehi soozieq , I'm looking forward to read your PK1 impressions.

Hey Tony, to be honest, I just didn't get long enough with them to be able to comment - except to say that the 90 seconds I spent listening to them was very enjoyable! Track failure on the tube, and my pitiful lack of directional skills meant I was late and really pushed for time - and of course I was yakking to Karma in the short time we had!

I would really like to try the PK1s amped (and in a quiet area), so that I can get a better idea of how they sound. I'm hoping Karma will get his amp fixed and then I can have another listen. Despite the general drone in Borders (and no amp) - I really did like what I heard. It made me want to hear them properly. Having said that, I do love my Denons with a passion - but my curiosity has been piqued by the PKs (??) - and as I only have one set of headphones now, it would be just silly not to have another pair

warrior - Have you posted my tips yet? It's been 10 minutes already

[antonyfirst]

Originally Posted by soozieq

Having said that, I do love my Denons with a passion - but my curiosity has been piqued by the PKs (??) - and as I only have one set of headphones now, it would be just silly not to have another pair

I can't help but agree.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by Karma 23

Here's my quick impression of the c700's (thanks, soozie, for letting me listen to yours!). I won't go into much detail here; I'll just compare them to the PK1's (tstarn, you readin' this??).

Upon listening to the Denons, what hit me first was actually how good the PK1's sound for earbuds. I mean the soundstage is night and day when A/B'ing both phones. So how do they compare? They don't, really. I mean one sounds like excellent full-size headphones and the other like excellent IEM's. The Denons, of course, is the latter. It really boils down to how much isolation is needed. I personally think the PK1's sound better overall mainly because of the much wider soundstage. The Denons, though, sound awesome for IEM's. I was extremely impressed with how low the bass extended (close to Sennheiser 280 Pros) and how smooth the mids and highs were. But did they give me the thump that I was looking for? As HeadphoneAddict predicted, no. I'm actually looking at SF5 EB's now, as I've read that if the bass doesn't satisfy with those, then nothing will (IEM-wise).

All in all, would I consider the Denons? Yes, if if I lose too much clarity with the SF5 EB's. I mean I like bass, but not to the point where everything else is drowned by it. However, I do believe that the PK1's are superior sound quality-wise, but since I need isolation, the Denons or SF5 EB's will have to do.

It's been noted the SF5 EB need at least 200 hours to burn-in on the dynamic woofer, just so you know in case you don't like them out of the box. I suspect that is why we either gets reports they love it or reports they hate it, but few in between.

Also, while PK1 might sound more like some full size cans, some full size cans will sound more like speakers.

The PK1 doesn't interact with enough of the pinna to quite do the full job, while cans like my Ultrasone HFI700DVD sound more like speakers because they take advantage of the whole pinna of the ear in how they place the drivers low-forward.

I place PK1 and traditional cans in the same category though, as they are not IEM and do have an advantage of using part of the ear for imaging. They also fit that category for me because they aren't practical to wear during most of my listening time (fall out too easy). After sampling some a while back, when I saw the minibox-E/PK1 package deal I came close to biting. But I have to keep reminding myself that with my ear shape that earbuds fall out to easy, earbuds fall out too easy, earbuds fall out too easy...

Also, I already have some nice Sony earbuds that sound similar to Yuin, they came with the D-EJ2000 (although the Sony are missing the forward mids). And they don't need an amp like the Yuin. Anyone know the model of those buds? They are quite nice, if they'd stay in place. I started using them with my 2.5mm - 3.5mm cell phone cord for MP3 on my LG 9400 phone, because I can safely drive with them in. But, they live in the car and don't get used anywhere else, because I can't do anything with them in or they fall out (even with foam covers which hurt the sound but should make them sit better).

[ajmiarka]

The C551s came in yesterday. I let them play through party shuffle on iTunes last night to start the burn in process.

First impressions so far are good! Fit wise, they are smaller than the C700s which is nice for my ears. Not as fatiguing.

The material seems to be made of the same metal as the C700s. I remember reading some sites saying it was a plastic material (Audiocubes, I think), but it feels like the same metal as the C700s. Hard to tell because the chamber itself is smaller than the C700s.

The cord is not the same as the cord of the C700s which is made by "magical elves". They do tangle more than, but that's not really a problem for me because the main cord is shorter and comes with an extension. The cord is a Y cable. This is good because I use a Shure microphone adapter with my iPhone and overall it's a good length.

The headphones also come with a nice small and sturdy case. It has a pouch for the additional ear tips (comes with S/M/L tips). I use the smallest ones and they fit well.

I recently had to return my C700s, but from memory, the C551s provide very similar sound stage as the C700s. The sound is very wide and very clear.

The bass is still present and is fun and filling. Seems to be a little more present than the C700s though. The C551s are able to produce a lower bass sound than the q-Jays. Some songs where the q-Jays would cause distortion at a lower level, the C551 (as well as the C700s) would be able to push through a clearer bass response.

If anything, I would compare these to the V-Moda Vibes, but with better clarity at all levels. Vocals are clear also. They are not "in your head", but seem to be a little forward and in front. The C551s do produce a very similar sound to the C700s though. Overall I am happy with the purchase!

As for comparing them to the q-Jays, the q-Jays are able to separate out instruments better. The C551s do have the clarity, but you are able to pick out instruments easier with the q-Jays.

Both phones rock though!

[ricthaman]

Hi,

Since you own bith sony 706 & 808 could you please tell me if the Denon's are better then the UE super.fi 5's you've owned.

And I mean in combo with the 808 and 706. I'm just wondering if there's something better then my V-moda vibes. I really love them, but I'm always looking for something better. I love very ambient and atmospheric music.

Like the new Nightwish album (dunno if any of you knows them). It needs very good earphones 'cause it's very deep and ambient. Sometimes very acoustic too. Especially the instrumental version.

So how would the Denon's or Super.fi's handle that kind of sound?

BTW, I got into this thread through atraclife.
Juli right? Me DSP

greetz

[athenaesword]

Originally Posted by ajmiarka

The C551s came in yesterday. I let them play through party shuffle on iTunes last night to start the burn in process.

First impressions so far are good! Fit wise, they are smaller than the C700s which is nice for my ears. Not as fatiguing.

The material seems to be made of the same metal as the C700s. I remember reading some sites saying it was a plastic material (Audiocubes, I think), but it feels like the same metal as the C700s. Hard to tell because the chamber itself is smaller than the C700s.

The cord is not the same as the cord of the C700s which is made by "magical elves". They do tangle more than, but that's not really a problem for me because the main cord is shorter and comes with an extension. The cord is a Y cable. This is good because I use a Shure microphone adapter with my iPhone and overall it's a good length.

The headphones also come with a nice small and sturdy case. It has a pouch for the additional ear tips (comes with S/M/L tips). I use the smallest ones and they fit well.

I recently had to return my C700s, but from memory, the C551s provide very similar sound stage as the C700s. The sound is very wide and very clear.

The bass is still present and is fun and filling. Seems to be a little more present than the C700s though. The C551s are able to produce a lower bass sound than the q-Jays. Some songs where the q-Jays would cause distortion at a lower level, the C551 (as well as the C700s) would be able to push through a clearer bass response.

If anything, I would compare these to the V-Moda Vibes, but with better clarity at all levels. Vocals are clear also. They are not "in your head", but seem to be a little forward and in front. The C551s do produce a very similar sound to the C700s though. Overall I am happy with the purchase!

As for comparing them to the q-Jays, the q-Jays are able to separate out instruments better. The C551s do have the clarity, but you are able to pick out instruments easier with the q-Jays.

Both phones rock though!

so would u consider the c551s a considerable improvement over the c700s? or would they be more like an either or kind of decision for you?