OK - time for an update! When I first wrote my comparison of the Denons with the Shure SE310, I had no idea the thread would evolve like it has done. As it's been going for almost 6 months now - I thought I'd briefly point out what I've learned from everyone's views so far.
Firstly, I've put as many links as possible on THIS page (Tony's suggestion and it's worked out very well), plus it saves trawling through 50+ pages to find the information you want.
Secondly. . . most people who bought the Denons, love them and have been good enough to post their thoughts in this thread. It's become quite comprehensive thanks to everyone's hepful input.
For those people sensitive to treble - the Atrio M5s seem to be the preferred choice, and for those who prefer an upfront midrange and a lot of treble detail - the Denons seem to be the preferred choice.
TIP REPLACEMENTS: Denon don't make any. The best tips so far appear to be the genuine Sony tips from the EX range. Others include UE silicon tips and various other brands including a violent assault on the Shure orange foamies to make them fit. HeadphoneAddict kindly provided photos of the Denons + Orange foamies to prove it can be done
FIT I don't have any problems with them falling out - but some people are having issues with getting a good fit. Someone suggested giving them a half twist once they're in to help them 'lock' into place. It does seem to keep them more secure.
BURN IN I was a complete skeptic when it came to burn in until I bought the C751 (same headphone but 'fancier' with an actual carrying case!!). I found them to be much more aggressive than my well-used C700s. So I let them burn in for around 20 hours and they smoothed out beautifully. So if you find them too 'much' out of the box - let them burn in a while, it really does make a difference with these headphones.
My new Denon AH-C700 compared with my old Shure SE310
Firstly - Be nice to me please – this is my first ‘proper’ review, although it’s not really a review so much as a direct comparison between 2 pairs of headphones. Anyway, still be nice and remember the ‘hearing is subjective’ thingybob. I haven’t been here long, and yet I seem to have admirably worked my way through a whole heap of headphones in a ‘Goldilocks’ tasting fest in a quest to find the one that tasted just ‘right’ and I think I just did.
* This may only be of interest to anyone who has the 310, or is considering buying either of these headphones.
The Denon AH-C700 and Shure SE310 are priced the same here in the UK, around £140 ($280).
The review I read pitted the C700 against the SE310 in terms of sound, fit, accessories etc. As I’d previously owned the SE310s, and had sold them due to fit issues and other minor niggles, I was really curious to try the Denons as they apparently ‘offered a surprisingly similar sound’ to the 310s.
I was also seduced by the hype that the engineers who'd worked on the $5000 Denon CD player had also worked on the AH-C700. I figured it’s Denon, there’s no way they can sound bad, so it would be 'rude' not to buy them right?? Anyway. . . they arrived yesterday brand new and sealed, just $125 from eBay – half the UK price, which was a huge saving. I’ve now been using them on and off for around 14 hours and am so blown away by them that I just had to share my excitement and post my comparison between these and my memories of the 310s.
Firstly, the comment I read at trustedreviews is spot on: The Denons do sound similar.
The midrange and treble (the area I care about the most) is almost the same, very clear and detailed, although I think the Denons have slightly more treble detail. When I listened to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Guests’ with the Denons, the mandolins really sounded clear and twinkling, and the violins actually sounded like violins. I don’t remember hearing them sound quite so detailed on the 310s. Still, it’s very close in that area, BUT the most noticeable difference is in the bass.
The 310s had what I felt was a ‘cold’ bass, it was there, but completely uninvolving:
Since I didn’t listen to much bass-heavy music through headphones, it wasn’t really an issue. But the Denons have a rich accurate bass which adds warmth and depth I now know was missing from the 310s. I can't describe bass adequately, but it goes deep while not interfering with the other frequencies. It’s like listening to a ‘complete’ headphone after fitting the missing piece of the jigsaw. They fix every issue I had with the 310s.
Certain vocals sounded really thin and tinny with the 310s:
Neil Young, Rory Gallagher, David Bowie and Mick Jagger all sounded painfully screechy. I removed them from my daps because I couldn’t stand to hear them. Then I put them back and tried them with the Denons – well, all I can say is the vocal tone was the same as I would hear from my loudspeakers, no shriekiness, no painful wailing, just vocals sounding as they should. This gave me back access to a lot of music I’d deemed ‘unlistenable’ to with the 310s. The midrange is upfront and close with vocals sounding very clear and prominent. I love this presentation in a headphone.
Some songs needed turning up really loud with the 310s in order to sound good: I was forever ‘fiddling about’ with the volume control. This was irritating and I hadn’t experienced this in a headphone before. But the Denons don’t suffer from that quirk at all. They really sound great at all volumes. There’s not much more to add about the sound. Basically, I feel they’re an improved 310 with full involving bass and vocals that sound good no matter who’s screeching!
Soundstage: Bigger than the 310s without a doubt (in my opinion). I no longer have music playing in my brain, the sound is lifted upwards and outwards. As they're canalphones, I would have expected a bigger soundstage anyway, but it's better than I expected and creates a very pleasurable listening experience.
I used them straight out of a Sony NW-A808: All tracks were encoded @ 352kbps Atrac3plus, and for the first time I can listen with the EQ off. I’ve always had to tweak the EQ before any headphone sounded 'listenable', but the Denons sounded just 'right' from the start. I’ve listened to Jean Michel Jarre, The Who, CSN&Y, Pink Floyd, Classical, Jesse Cook – so far the Denons have coped with it all.
310 FIT/CABLE - Unless I sat perfectly still, like someone recovering from a neck injury, the phones would move around all the time. I know people say they are very comfortable, but they just didn’t ‘fit’ my ears for long enough. And I got bored with compressing foam, yanking my ear up and out, inserting tips, waiting for expansion etc etc etc. I just wanted to ‘shove and go’. I never got the full isolating effect anyway because I couldn’t get them to stay put, plus I never managed to get the kinks out of the cable so if I accidentally moved, I'd end up with a cable shoved up my nostril - always fun. . . :allteeth:
700 FIT/CABLE– Best fit I ever had. They don’t isolate in the same way as Etys and Shures, as they're a canalphone and fit more like the Sennheiser CX300. But sound leakage is barely an issue. I got my unsignificant other to check for leakage, and he could only hear the tiniest of sound coming from the phones, and that was in a quiet room. On a train/plane/bus, no one would hear anything at all. Best of all they just don’t budge. I can spin my head round Exorcist style and there’s no pull on them or anything. It’s amazing. I can’t actually feel they’re in.
I do believe the cable was made by elves using some sort of magical wire. . . it untangles itself! - How brilliant is that? No matter what you do, they just hang down obediently in front of you, and never get in the way. What’s more, the cable feels weightless, as if the earpieces are attached by air or something. I love how they feel. I can really just 'shove and go'. On another pleasant note, there are no microphonics from the cable.
310 ACCESSORY PACKAGE: Just about everything you could want or need including a decent carrying case, three million ear tips and a handy cleaning tool for those of you disgusting enough to produce ear wax :eggo:
700 ACCESSORY PACKAGE: What accessory package? A box, headphones and 3 pairs of silicon tips, that's it. No adaptor, no carrying case, no selection of foam/rubber tips, and no cleaning tool. As I am female, and therefore do not produce ear wax. . . I don't need the tool! But I would have liked a carry case or something. . .
310 BUILD QUALITY The earpieces are bigger than the Denons and housed in plastic with a chrome ring. The Denons look much nicer and less obtrusive.
700 BUILD QUALITY The earpieces are made from spun aluminium which makes them feel really sturdy and secure, and they look really nice. I got the black ones but there's a silver version too.
EDIT: I called Denon to find out where to buy replacement tips, and was told they haven't even made any yet! Although other tips do fit - the bass tends to drop off. I am still in the process of trying alternative tips, but why didn't Denon make any??
Finally, this comparison is not intended to criticise the 310s, I did like them, there were just minor issues that made me sell them. The Denons include everything I liked about the 310s, and add a lot more on top.
Trustedreviews gave Shures the thumbs up, since they noted the Denons were the same price - had a similar sound, but shipped without any accessories. Well, as I bought the Denons for half the Shure price, I can live without the accessories. I think these are excellent headphones for the price I paid. In fact, if I'd had to choose between them at the same price, I'd still have chosen the Denons.
I seem to have got an improved 310 with better fit and fantastic bass for half price!
I'm surprised there hasn't been more info on here about them. I found a couple of reviews but would have expected more because they're so good (imo). This was supposed to be a 'brief' comparison, but like my passion for headphones, it's spiralled out of control. Anyway, I hope someone found it useful
Nice review but I am going to point out one thing. I have experience with NS-706 (apparently slightly better in sound than ns-808?), and it flawlessly comes through sounding in such a sense as you describe se310. If se310 has a V-shaped, or even treble-emphasis response, then you might be reviewing your DAP.
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nice review,i am a big fan of shures but i really do also think the denons are underrated and not much talked about around here denon makes some serious audio equipment thanx again for review
Soozie has tried a Kenwood with both SE210 and SE310, so I don't think she has been reviewing her player. Also, the Denon should be even more transparent than the SE310.
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Tony '08
Nice review but I am going to point out one thing. I have experience with NS-706 (apparently slightly better in sound than ns-808?), and it flawlessly comes through sounding in such a sense as you describe se310. If se310 has a V-shaped, or even treble-emphasis response, then you might be reviewing your DAP.
I have the 706 too, but I haven't even got round to trying the Denons with it yet as I cannot bear to take them out of my ears for the 10 seconds it would take to swap over :allteeth:
The 706 outputs more bass and has a 'fuller' sound than the 808 - and the 808 is leaner and meaner, but both have really good SQ imo. I used to prefer the 706 but now I like them equally for their own strengths and I don't have a preference anymore. I know they're not a Kenwood or an iAudio or a Vibez and I haven't bought the most expensive headphones in the world, but the Sony's do output very respectable sound quality and the Denons seem to 'suit' them the most.
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Official Denon AH-C700 Comparisons/Impressions
