Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions

[Discobiscuits]

I'm in love with these buds. I can't get them out of my ears when I'm out of the house. The bass is very warm and extremely deep compared to my previos IEM experiences. The trebles and mids are clear and feel very dynamic... can't explain it.

For $100, these were a steal. I'm glad I risked the money, well worth it. I'd take these over the Super.Fi 5 Pros I used to own a while back. Smaller form factor, more lows, cheaper pricetag, what more could you ask for??

[Rickio]

I think they are the best 99 bucks I have spent.

[ShinyFalcon]

Agreed! I couldn't believe that I considered selling these gems to fund my upgraditis...

[neoufo51]

Ok, after burning them in from somewhere between 200-300 hours, I'm ready to compare these to my old Atrio M5's.

Build Quality:

Superior to the Atrio in all respects except the plug. The plug is an aluminum casing with a sleeve of cabling material as stress relief. It's two pieces put together, as opposed to the solid one pieced molded plastic with stress relief that the Atrio has. Personally, I find myself more wary of damaging the plug on the C700's than with the Atrio's. The C700 plug is made of metal and feels rugged but the stress point where it meets the cable, even with the sleeving to protect it, feels as if it could tear if manhandled against a pocket that is too tight, while the Atrio's solid L-plug felt much less prone to damage. On the plus side, the C700 has thick cabling much like the Atrio and wins out by having thicker cabling on the portion of the cable that separates to the ears. Finally, the Atrio's IEM's are plastic and feel sturdy but lose completely to the C700's solid aluminum housing. The Atrio's 2 piece rubber and plastic housing feels as if it could tear (and wore down over use) while the C700 feels as if it could last forever.

Fit and Isolation:

The main problem that will steer people away from the C700's is their lack of isolation and tendency to slip with certain ears, but I find that the C700 is actually more isolating than similar earbuds, such as the Sony EX series, V-Moda Vibes, etc, most likely due to how wide the housing is. Also, the C700 can easily be put over the ears, which reduced slippage entirely and greatly increased my personal comfort. They are also extremely light, despite looking heavier in photos, so they never feel like jewelery that is weighing down your ears (cough Vibes cough) The cabling is "bouncy" and yes, never tangles. I hear that the orange Shure foamies fit these, so I might have to check out "Idealsound" on Ebay to get myself a pack to try out the fit. Overall, while I miss the isolation of the Atrio's, I'm not at all turned off by the fit and comfort of the C700's.

Sound Quality:

My source is a Samsung P2, and the C700 is only about 1 notch quieter than the Atrio. The Atrio's were dead silent hiss-wise on my P2 and the C700's were the same. Volume-wise, there was virtually no difference. After about 50 hours of pink noise I began to listen to them, and what struck me at first was the clear difference between these and the Atrio M5's. While the Atrio's have a warm, punchy sound to them that slightly fogs the sound with its thump, the C700 have both a warm punchy sound and a "sparkle" to them that the Atrio's lack. Right away, listening to all the music which I had listened to with my Atrio's, I could tell I was missing out on significant amounts of detail. The clash of cymbals in the Pixies' greatest hits became more apparent, and the vocals of Bon Iver's latest album were fuller and more rich. I have to say the the bass on the C700 is nearly that of the Atrio, which of course would lead you to believe thats how its able to achieve more detail on a wider range. The highs are brighter too, and thats very apparent on a lot of electronica, which this canalphone excels at. Overall, I'd rather have a fuller sounding headphone than a little more bass, but that's just me.

I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I got them when they were 99.99 at Amazon and I don't regret it one bit, especially considering I paid more for the Atrio's. A tip to potential buyers, if you care more about bass than anything else, pony up the extra cash for that little bit of added thump to your music with the Atrio's. If you just want a full-sounding canalphone with almost the same amount of bass, wait for Amazon to drop the price on them again and pounce. When it comes to canalphones, nothing comes close to the C700's.

Tip: Match them with a warm sounding player like the new Sony players to get the most of out of them. Even the smaller S61X series players easily sound better than my touchscreen Samsung P2 when paired up with the C700's.

[shigzeo]

i have been spending more time with the denon lately and find that i am beginning to be accustomed to their sound. i do like it certainly and it is far superior to any other canalphone i have tried. however, i cannot get by the more tender presentation of the atrio - especially as they are so close to my eardrums which are senstive like nothing else.

[Rickio]

I also have both atrio and the dennon and yes they are both very good. It's honestly to hard to decide so I am glad I have them both. I seem to go between then equally lately.

It honestly depends on the producation quality of the music I am hearing. sometimes the atrio makes a better presentation but the Dennon's win just as much and are I do think the better for the most part.

[neoufo51]

Just so everybody is clear from my little review back there, I most definitely pick the C700's over the Atrio's. However, considering I listen to a wider range of music than most people, the C700's probably suit me best considering they are more capable at more kinds of music than the Atrio's. If that's what you're looking for, go for the C700's, but if you are just heavily into rock/metal/jazz, you may find the Atrio's more pleasing to your ears than the C700's.

[soozieq]

-----------------------------------------------------

neoufo51: Nice to hear you like the Denons. I think they're incredible value for money when you compare them with similar headphones in the same price range. I don't think anything can touch them as far as that's concerned. And I'll update the front page to put yours (and other comments on)


shigzeo: The sound is easy to get accustomed to isn't it? What are you listening with? And when you get a moment - please explain to me why the Image at 50ohms and the Denons at 16ohms use the same volume on the Sony AND the Zune. You seem to know a lot about impedance, and I'm curious as to why I'm using the same volumes with both headphones.

-----------------------------------------------

OK, so I've been a bit lazy with this comparison, but still. . . I've done it now!

Firstly, it doesn't seem at all fair to compare a set of $480 headphones with the $100 Denons (I bought the Image from Amazon UK and they are way more expensive here.) But this IS a comparison thread so it's fair game. I haven't decided if I'll keep the Image yet, I'm still trying them out.

So to keep it 'brief', these are my impressions after 3 days with the Image plus the Zune 80.

Soundstage: They have an entirely different soundstage to the Denons. It's bigger, more immersive - and more like being in a mini studio. It breathes life into tired old CDs that sound crap with most headphones. Listening (shamefully) to Donna Summer's 'Hot Stuff' was like being transported into a disco and standing between the speakers. The 'circular' soundstage alone makes everything feel very 'trippy'. It's seductive, addicitve and once you've heard it, it's hard to go back. And the bass at the beginning of the song actually reverbed in my chest!

Bass: It's in a different category altogether. It slams with a lot of force (in a positive way.) I don't actually hear more bass than the Denons - I hear the same amount, but presented with a lot more impact and bounce. It seems to drop in from a height which gives an incredible feeling of spaciousness/separation.

Treble: I prefer the quality of the Denon treble. I'd 'guess' there is the same amount of detail in both headphones - but the Denon treble is way more sparkly and engaging and I've always said I love the Denon treble. I definitely feel the sparkle is missing from the Image.

Midrange: Most of us agree that the Denon midrange is very forward. Well, the Image midrange is much more so. This can make louder volumes uncomfortable because the vocals are very close to the head and it can feel as if you're being shouted at. So I prefer the Denon midrange and I also prefer the clearer vocals with the Denons. The Image vocals are much warmer, not necessarily in a bad way (depending on preference) - but just compared with the Denons. This would probably only be relevant with an eq-less dap as the midrange could easily be tamed with a little EQ adjustment.

The differences between the Klipsch + Sony was not so noticeable to my ears. A bigger soundstage and more bass, yes - but then the Sony has bass adjustments that work very well, so that was never an issue. The issue I had was finding a pair of headphones I could use with the Zune which would eliminate my yearning for some EQ. The Image does that very well, but at a price I feel quite sick about

So, the Klipsch Image + Zune is the best portable combination I've ever heard. . . ever. The whole sound is very lifelike, but if anyone read the Klipsch Image review thread - onlychild mentioned the Denons had more bass than the Klipsch - until a different dap was used - so the Image is no doubt sensitive to what it's paired with.

Despite the lack of sparkly treble and slightly aggressive midrange - it's easy to forget all that when the Image soundstage and bass kicks in. I think I was lucky to have found a good combination for the Zune. It took me months to find the right combination for the Sony - and it was a lot cheaper!

So I have 2 amazing setups now. The Sony + Denons is ideal for when I'm wandering round the house and can 'wear' the Sony, and also when I'm out and about. And the Zune + Image is perfect for sitting in one place and just listening! Now I plan to spend the next few weeks actually listening to music (and figuring out whether I should keep the Image or not!)

All in all - the Image is a wonderful headphone if paired with the right dap - but it didn't outperform the Denons as far as treble quality/sweetness was concerned. And I preferred the Denon's less aggressive midrange. BUT. . . the Image bass + soundstage + Zune has to be heard to be believed!

[tstarn06]

Nice work Julie. Makes me want to think about the Image.

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

Nice work Julie. Makes me want to think about the Image.

As you have the Zune. . . yes! But I warn you, you won't want to give them back. It's difficult to justify such a high price, but they do something to the Zune that turns it into a dap with amazing sound. I know most people like the Zune sound anyway - but I'm a hardcore Sony lover and needed the punch that I felt was missing. Well it's not missing anymore. . .

That said - I still prefer the Denons with the Sony. I can forego the bigger soundstage and extra bass for the Denon treble and midrange. Guess I'm lucky to have found 2 perfect matches.

[soozieq]

I forgot to add a pic to highlight the difference in size between the Image and the Denons. Also forgot to mention isolation and comfort!

Isolation is better since the Image must be jammed up against the ear canal! I haven't got used to that feeling yet, but on the positive side, my ears have become less sensitive to the itchy feeling I had with the tips.

Comfort wise, they don't make my ear lobes feel tender because they're not close to them, they're jammed in my canals! If I can get over the plugged feeling, I'm sure they'll be very comfortable.

[tstarn06]

I feel the same way (two good rigs), with the Zune/PK1/716/Minibox combo as one deal, and the Sony/PK3/Atrio combo as another. No doubt I can wait for the Images, since I really don't have the scratch and don't want to sell any of my stuff (I have finally hit that place).

[tstarn06]

Originally Posted by soozieq

I forgot to add a pic to highlight the difference in size between the Image and the Denons. Also forgot to mention isolation and comfort!

Isolation is better since the Image must be jammed up against the ear canal! I haven't got used to that feeling yet, but on the positive side, my ears have become less sensitive to the itchy feeling I had with the tips.

Comfort wise, they don't make my ear lobes feel tender because they're not close to them, they're jammed in my canals! If I can get over the plugged feeling, I'm sure they'll be very comfortable.

Love the look of those Images. So clean and small, and I am definitely used to the idea of an IEM. You'll get used to it too.

[soozieq]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

Love the look of those Images. So clean and small, and I am definitely used to the idea of an IEM. You'll get used to it too.

I had 'true' iems before, all the Shures for example - but these tips are shaped differently and seem to have to be literally jammed right up against the ear canal so there's no way of escaping that feeling.

The Denons don't go so far in so I find them more comfortable in that respect.

[Rickio]

Originally Posted by soozieq

I had 'true' iems before, all the Shures for example - but these tips are shaped differently and seem to have to be literally jammed right up against the ear canal so there's no way of escaping that feeling.

The Denons don't go so far in so I find them more comfortable in that respect.

I see you owned the Shure e4g, does that have the same sound as the shure e4c? If so, what was it you did not like? As I see you sold it? I just got a pair of e4c and think it has a luscious sound. Just like I have to sometimes tweak the high end on the Dennon's I tweak the Bass on the e4c's and it's just very good. dang headphones are becoming addictive hehehe I bought 3 different ones this past few weeks.