Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions

[jinx20001]

sounds superb,but then denon are a high end household name they should deliver,no one should expect bad of them,but from the impression you give it sounds they are THE mid range IEM to have,mite have to go get me a pair for a test,see if i like the sound enough to replace the se530 na im kiddin i wont push it that far,but i am now expecting them to deliver the goods,i look forward to a test of these

[jinx20001]

nice to see some UK guys gettin in on the head fi forums,dont see to many around,too bad its london lol im up here in birmingham...oh hold on...thats worse do excuse the word ''guys'' i mean people in general

[ajmiarka]

Originally Posted by soozieq

Anyway, glad you're happy with them, they're kind of an unexpected surprise on the ears aren't they?

Yes, they are unexpected! Just like you mention before, the bass is not overpowering and keeps the clarity of music in the highs and mids. It's almost as if you can hear "around" the bass to get at the additional detail of songs in the high/mid range. I enjoy this sound signature a lot! The phones also have a very wide soundstage to me. It's like I'm surrounded by the music instead of having it injected directly into my head.

Has anyone tried the Atrio M5 compared to the Denons?

[jinx20001]

Originally Posted by ajmiarka

Yes, they are unexpected! Just like you mention before, the bass is not overpowering and keeps the clarity of music in the highs and mids. It's almost as if you can hear "around" the bass to get at the additional detail of songs in the high/mid range. I enjoy this sound signature a lot! The phones also have a very wide soundstage to me. It's like I'm surrounded by the music instead of having it injected directly into my head.

Has anyone tried the Atrio M5 compared to the Denons?

i have not tried denons but have the atrio's and can say with confidence the atrio's put out some of the best bass ive heard.

very powerful,full of impact ofcourse i prefer my se530 as to be expected but no1 can knock the atrio's,they are damn ugly and cheap looking,the denons ergonomics are much much better, but the atrio's perform in the bass department with not too bad mids and highs aswell actually.

[ajmiarka]

Originally Posted by jinx20001

i have not tried denons but have the atrio's and can say with confidence the atrio's put out some of the best bass ive heard.

very powerful,full of impact ofcourse i prefer my se530 as to be expected but no1 can knock the atrio's,they are damn ugly and cheap looking,the denons ergonomics are much much better, but the atrio's perform in the bass department with not too bad mids and highs aswell actually.

Interesting. I'll have see if I can get a pair. I know Road Dog online has it on eBay with a best offer around $130.

[eduj]

Thanks for the pics ajmiarka I'm ready to pull the trigger and get the Denons from bluetin.com and was looking for some pics to see how they look next to other canalphones.
As for the tips i read in another thread that all UE super.fi tips should work with the Denons (i'd especially like to try the UE foam tips) .I have the Creative 630 and ATH-CK7 and their tips will probably fit the Denons too.Sure,i expect some tips to sound worse than others but i believe that with some experimenting i'll find some that i'll like (other than the stock Denon ones)

[IPodPJ]

I'm glad you're happy with your new purchase. Congrats! I, too, just ordered a pair of Denons.. the AH-D5000.

You compared the C700 with the Shure 310 and said they sound similar. The C700 has an 11mm dynamic driver, and if I'm not mistaken the 310 (if anything like the e3c) has an armature driver. If they really do sound similar as you say, I'd be interested in hearing either one. For an armature to sound like a dynamic microdriver, or for a dynamic microdriver to be as accurate as an armature, it sounds like some kind of breakthrough has been made on the part of Denon's dynamic microdriver in the C700.

Denon has always made equipment that was high-end or top-of-the-line as far as brand names go. There are other smaller audio companies that make extremely high end and top-of the-top-of-the-line products, but that is usually in the realm of amplifiers, cables, and components.... not headphones.

Since your IEM is a dynamic microdriver, let us know how it sounds after 100 hours of burn-in. Congrats again on your new purchase.

I think the Denon formula is working. The C350 and C700 In-Ear Phones should sell quite well. They will probably be available in most electronic stores for purchase. Having product on your floor shelf while the customer is looking for new headphones is the best way fpr the salesperson to sell them. I also think the high-end Denon line will excel in sales just as much, the AH-D1000 (to compete with Bose), but more importantly the AH-D2000 and the AH-D5000.

Regards,
PJ

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by antonyfirst

Do you think that treble is overemphasized? It's what I've gathered from some posts. Someone told that treble was painful at high volumes, unlike the Shure E500. But I found the E500 to be recessed in treble, so the Denon could just have the right amount of treble.

That was probably me that said that. It is only a problem on certain program material. Most of the time it is fine. The treble is more pronounced than my E500's, but not harsh.

I have said very similar things about the C700 in scattered posts over the past 2 weeks, and soozieq does a great job bringing it all together in one post I find the C700 to be more musical than the SE310 or E4c, but not as detailed as the E4c or as neutral as the E4c. I stated elsewhere that the Shures sound better the louder you play them, and the C700 sound great at low to medium volumes, without needing to go for the loudness button. So, for fun earphones I use either the C700 or jump to the E500, but for neutral "monitor-like" sound I sometimes fall back to the E4c.

I have found that outside of the house I tend to wear my C700 more often than my Shures because they are slightly less isolating and there is less pressure of silence on my ears. And, they are my only earphones in which the slicone tips are comfortable for me, and with the silicone tips I can pop them in and out more quickly one handed, without having to use two hands to compress foamies before inserting. At home it is either my E500 or HFI700 that get the most use however.

I reality, I own several IEM that I can live without, like my E2c, SE310, or ER6i - BUT I WOULD NEVER SELL THE C700, E4c or E500 unless it was for something like the UE11, and I'd also want a pair of UE10 as a neutral reference still

The sad thing is that I have spent enough money in the past 30 days on 6 sources, 5 headphones, 1 DAC and 5 amps to have funded BOTH the UE11 and UE10 (at the expense of all the other stuff I got like Tomahawk, D1, HD600, HFI 700, E500, Sony D-5 NE20 and EJ2000, iRiver H120 x2, etc).

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict

I find the C700 to be more musical than the SE310 or E4c, but not as detailed as the E4c or as neutral as the E4c. I stated elsewhere that the Shures sound better the louder you play them, and the C700 sound great at low to medium volumes, without needing to go for the loudness button.

I had the E4G and sold them because I had to have them too loud for them to sound good. They were so bright at higher volumes that my ears would ring, and it would hurt
The Denons don't need loud volume to sound good - but they do sound amazing cranked up as well. . .

I liked the E4's detail, but honestly didn't feel the Denons sacrificed enough of it for it to be an issue at all. The Denons have nicer treble to my ears, it's sweet and pretty. Yes, the E4 has a smidgeon more detail, but the Denons have an all-round lively sound signature that I prefer over the E4. I have to say that the E4 was my second favourite headphone so I did like it a lot, but the Denons are easier to listen to and suit everything. I couldn't listen to rock with the E4s, I'd rather have eaten hair

[IPodPJ]

Originally Posted by soozieq

I had the E4G and sold them because I had to have them too loud for them to sound good. They were so bright at higher volumes that my ears would ring, and it would hurt
The Denons don't need loud volume to sound good - but they do sound amazing cranked up as well. . .

With IEMs, it is never a good idea to play them at loud volumes or even moderate volumes. If you're not careful, eventually they will really start to wear on your ears, and it gets unpleasant to listen to any kind of headphone. This is one of the reasons I use full-size cans more and more now.

I liked the E4's detail, but honestly didn't feel the Denons sacrificed enough of it for it to be an issue at all. The Denons have nicer treble to my ears, it's sweet and pretty. Yes, the E4 has a smidgeon more detail, but the Denons have an all-round lively sound signature that I prefer over the E4. I have to say that the E4 was my second favourite headphone so I did like it a lot, but the Denons are easier to listen to and suit everything. I couldn't listen to rock with the E4s, I'd rather have eaten hair

Well don't start eating hair. I'm not sure that's good for your stomach. It's interesting that Denon is trying to make a real presence in the headphone market. They tried in the past and never really went far with it. Maybe this time they will, so kudos to them for trying.

[ADD]

Originally Posted by IPodPJ

With IEMs, it is never a good idea to play them at loud volumes or even moderate volumes.

Silly, unsubstantiated and misleading advice. There's more old wives tales runnng around these forums than at the local over 80's knitting club.

[IPodPJ]

Originally Posted by ADD

Silly, unsubstantiated and misleading advice. There's more old wives tales runnng around these forums than at the local over 80's knitting club.

Instead of making a ridiculous comment like that, why don't you look at my signature? I am obviously not some newbie to IEMs. I am offering advice from personal experience. It is NOT a good idea to play IEMs at loud volumes, plain and simple! Even the manufacturers tell you that! Why do you think that drivers placed so close to your eardrums pumping out high decibel levels would not hurt your ears? But I suppose you're the expert here, with all of 99 posts under your belt. (Please see the first quote in my signature)

[ADD]

Actualy I am far more expert than you would believe. The number of post has absolutely nothing to do with it. The correct (but still very general) statement would have been:

"...With IEMs, full-sized headphones, speakers or sounds produced by non-artificial means, it is never a good idea to be exposed to loud volumes..."

But you choose to pick on IEMS and used the word moderate. There is absolutely no difference between the safety of IEMs versus normal headphones - if anything the evidence lies to the contrary. The complaints regarding issues with IEMs in terms of sound (or perceived damage) are in nearly every case related to the user's lack of expertise in properly calibrating them to their own hearing characteristics - or otherwise physical discomfort.

If what you said had any general truth at all, then every recipient of an in-ear- hearing aid would be causing themselves even more hearing damage. Which is rediculous a generalisation as your original statement.

If people had the expertise to properly calibrate their headphones - whether they be full open, closed, electrostatic or IEMs, then the issues of IEM versus full would come down to personal preference rather than one being more damaging than another.

Sadly, that knowledge is severely lacking, since most people think calibration has something to do with EQing on their portable players or other equipment, or using some sort of basic software to do it.

[soozieq]

Um, excuse me. No tantrums in my lovely friendly thread please you naughty boys!
As it happens, I only crank the volume up when it's compulsory to hear something louder, but as soon as the song's finished, I turn it down again. And to be honest, since I've been using headphones, I've noticed I do have occasional earache, so I'm more than aware of the need to protect my ears.

Now stop arguing and ruining my lovely thread or I'll have to put you both over my knee and give you a good spanking. . .

[epithetless]

Originally Posted by ADD

If people had the expertise to properly calibrate their headphones - whether they be full open, closed, electrostatic or IEMs, then the issues of IEM versus full would come down to personal preference rather than one being more damaging than another.

Sadly, that knowledge is severely lacking, since most people think calibration has something to do with EQing on their portable players or other equipment, or using some sort of basic software to do it.

An intriguing line of thought. How, if you don't mind my asking, is "proper calibration" obtained? Does it require the expertise -- and equipment -- of, say, a clinically-trained audiologist or audio technician/manufacturer...or is this something "most people" can do?