Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions - Page 38 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

shigzeo · #**556** (**permalink**) 11-27-2007, 03:18 PM

are they similar to kenwood's c711 offering? if so, i am very very impressed.

-=Germania=- · #**557** (**permalink**) 11-29-2007, 04:55 AM

Agreed - I tried Cry Havoc's C700's and I have heard Atrio 5's and FS1's - it is just no contest....

Then again - I am an Ety Girl.

natural_nut · #**558** (**permalink**) 12-01-2007, 06:23 AM

Hi, as promised, here are my initial impressions!

As my previous pair was a pair of CX300/ EP630, I am gonna use that as a basis for comparison.

I got my pair from Bluetin today, with 0 hour burn-in.

Comfort-wise, its very good, I can forget they're in my ear after a while, definitely more comfortable compared to the EP630s. However, isolation is not as good, as background sounds are still very audible to me. It is also relatively less sensative compared to my previous pair of in-ear headphones; a higher volume has to be selected.

Detailing and soundstaging on the C700s completely trash the EP630s. The bass is cleaner than the EP630s, without muddying up.

Long story short, I am immensely happy with my purchase thus far! Looking forward to hearing it after some burning in

shigzeo · #**559** (**permalink**) 12-01-2007, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=-

Agreed - I tried Cry Havoc's C700's and I have heard Atrio 5's and FS1's - it is just no contest....

Then again - I am an Ety Girl.

dear me, can you tell me what you are referring to when you say it is no contest? the m5, the c700 or the fs1. i also like the ety very much, just i head tinnitus flare ups very intensely with them - any balanced armature does this to me. that is why i have returned to canalphone land - much less fatigue and much more enjoyment at least from atrio m5 and the kenwood c711.

i may get a chance to demo the denon but i am not sure it would be justified to spend the extra dosh on a pair of headphones that i think look like the bllue pill

tstarn06 · #**560** (**permalink**) 12-01-2007, 01:49 PM

If it's of any value, I bought and sold my paid of C700s. They sounded a little too harsh to me (I know, others don't find that to be the case), and favor my M5s for long-term use by comparison. I also didn't like the design much, and oddly enough, found them uncomfortable until I got some Shure orange foamie tips (for the e2c, I believe). If you already have a similar pair to the Denons, I wouldn't spend the money, especially if you are happy with M5s. I do, however, like the sound of the Altec-Lansing im616s, but they are IEMs made with an Ety driver, so they may cause you problems based on your history with the ER4s. I also got them for $40 on Amazon, so it was a tremendous deal. Anyway, not sure if this helps. I know some on this thread abandoned their M5s for the C700. I just wasn't one of them.

shigzeo · #**561** (**permalink**) 12-01-2007, 02:00 PM

im quite sure i will never abandone the m5 - that is an amazing iem. i like that it is rather dry in presentation yet laid back. it will be my main stay forever i imagine unless fs releases a newer better iem for similar price. i imagine however that i will get the custom moulds for it!

tstarn06 · #**562** (**permalink**) 12-01-2007, 02:06 PM

Funny you should mention the custom molds. I have a set from an old pair of FS EM3s (remember them?), and they fit the M5s fine (and the Altec-Lansings as well. Any phone with a thin driver stem). But they just seem to flatten out the M5 sound, so I don't use them. It drives me nuts that I spent nearly $200 on the sleeves ($139 for the sleeves, $50 for the audiologist) and they are useless. Granted, they are old (4 years) but the material is stable. I just go with the FS foamies or the black Ety foamies, and the M5s sound fine.

mwallace573 · #**563** (**permalink**) 12-02-2007, 12:01 AM

I snagged a pair of these a few days ago. Sonically they lived up to my expectations. It's a shame that the isolation is a bit lacking. I guess that's a fault of the ported design, as even with my modded Shure olive foamies the isolation is pretty low. The search continues I guess.

HeadphoneAddict · #**564** (**permalink**) 12-02-2007, 01:13 AM

When I first got these, my criteria were (1) less isolation so I could walk down the sidewalk and hear horns or sirens (2) good enough bass and treble that I could listen quietly enough to not drown out everything else.

I had my Shures and Ety's for when I needed more isolation.

shigzeo · #**565** (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 02:36 PM

okay,,, so i bit the bullet - actually, i have decided that my gf wh has been wanting new ones, will get the kenwood - i was originally going to get her the atrio as she loved them, but my reasoning is this: she did not like the fit of the atrio and currently uses cx300 so they will work well for her.

but... the kenwoods c711 - after about 10 hours of listening and about 3 on the denon's - both far from burned in are much more sweet in the midrange and nowhere near as boomy in the bass. if the denon's get control ever, i will choose those for her, but now, i feel it would be a big stage upgrade, but they are uncontrolled to the point of being annoying.

it is funny as i thought the kenwood were a copy of them but with cheaper build and cable but they do sound different. the kenwood are just everything i was hoping the denon would be - i will let you know how they work out but... i was hoping for a bit more. the stage is very good, but so too is the kenwood - right now, there is no contest.

antonyfirst · #**566** (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 02:53 PM

How do they compare in treble?

natural_nut · #**567** (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 03:28 PM

Sorry if this seems to be off the current topic of this thread. But has anyone tried doing this for their C700s? For those complaints about noise isolation...

IEM silicone tip mod with foam

Ryan Williams · #**568** (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 04:05 PM

I was heavily considering the AH-C700s, but I really couldn't get over the way they stick out. I think even my metro.fi 2s stick out quite a bit, and the Denon's look like they have twice the stick-out factor.

I noticed the fresh AH-C551 though and have opted for those. The reviews of quality seem to be very positive and the price is a little more desirable too. Critically though, much less stick-out! Won't get here until the 28th though, which is a bastard as I've lost one of my metro.fi silicone whatsits.

shigzeo · #**569** (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 04:31 PM

but that bit of sticking out does create quite an interesting soundstage - however it seems there is infinite x soundstage but very little up vertical soundstage - they are an interesting design, but somewhat impractical.

yeah, i am very truly enjoying the kenwood c711 a bit more - everything is just a bit softer in a good way. the highs extend far and the bass is good, but nothing booms.

soozieq · #**570** (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan Williams

I was heavily considering the AH-C700s, but I really couldn't get over the way they stick out. I noticed the fresh AH-C551 though and have opted for those. Critically though, much less stick-out!

Funny, because I was going to buy a pair of C551's as my C700 backup, until I read that the cord was not tangle-free like the C700s. But then I read the actual spec and saw the cable is made of that sretchy elastomer, same as the C700s - which means they won't tangle, and now I can buy a pair, and oh yes, I just DID buy a pair!. . . in silver so I can have one of each colour

I'm not really bothered by the size of the C700s, but it will be interesting to see if the C551s are noticeably smaller or not. Either way, it doesn't really matter so long as they have the magic wire!