[walkingman]

Hi I am new here! Just seeking an advise for a new purchase.

I am planning on getting a new canalphones for my Walkman A818 (no amps). I tend to listen to a variety of music including those by Carcass, old Metallica, Camera Obscura, Arch Enemy, Megadeth, British Sea Power, Muse, Joe Satriani and Killers. Basically thrash, black, death metal, indie rock and punk rock. No hip/hop, pop or R&B.

I've already narrowed down my choices to either a Denon AH-C700, Klipsch Custom 1 and the Super.Fi 4. As you can see my budget isn't anything near the rest of you Head-Fi'ers, so I would like to get it right the first time. Unfortunately I can't test these earphones, as most of the stores here (London, UK) has a no return policy on headphones.

I just want to know about the synergy with the Walkman, as well as the music genre I'll be listening with. Any opinion on the built quality, isolation and warranty will be helpful as well!

Thanks!

Note: I used to own e2cs, but I plan to avoid Shures due to cable tears in the past.

 

[dookiex]

Definitely not the Super.Fi 4s. I've had the Super.Fi 4vi's which are basically the same as the Super.Fi 4 plus a mic. Two things, again, just like the other two pairs of UE phones I have had, the wire died remarkably quickly. Secondly, the sound is very very very neutral and it's not a good kind of neutral where it's detail-centric or warm. It's just remarkably flat giving your music no life. Denon C700s are very good and lively and if the Custom-1s have the same sound signature as the Custom-2s and Custom-3s, then it would be a viable choice as well but for sure the C700s are a good choice as I've kept mines and they are one of my favourites in my collection.

I also would like to mention, the fit of the Super.Fi 4s were not the best which lead me to switch out the tips that they were packed with. The Custom series if you choose to go that route, be prepared to spend a good minimum of 5 minutes to get the memory wire to mold properly to your ears. Once they are properly molded, they have a decent seal (not anywhere near the kind of earplug isolation you get from Etys) and are quite comfortable. The Denons fit pretty well straight out of the box. Hope this helps.

 

[walkingman]

Thanks. I've read about the build quality issues that plagued the Super.Fi 4, so this one confirmation is probably what I need to strict it off my list.

Does sound escapes either the Customs and C700s? I tend to listen in bed and my partner has complained plenty of times of sound escaping my phones. If either blocks music from escaping like CX300s and e2cs, then that would be fine.

 

[dookiex]

Sound doesn't leak much from the Customs or the C700s. The Custom-2s (I own) and the Custom-3s (had extended auditions with those) are very warm phones which tends to veil the high frequencies giving them a somewhat congested sound (by no means horribly so though) while the C700s have a pretty good overall balance but they do have a pretty strong bass response but they do retain details very well.

 

[walkingman]

Thanks!

I am leaning now towards the C700s considering the bass response. And unless someone can tell me more about the Custom-1, I'll probably buy it tomorrow. You are a star dookiex!

 

[jgre6747]

wht about the new super fi 5s? They are supposed to be very warm yet accurate and have good bass response (although not in spades if that is what you are looking for)

 

[walkingman]

I would love to get the 5 (replaceable cables is a huge plus), but it costs about £40 more than the C700s... Frankly I think I should stick with my budget (£50-70), if not I'll continue justifying myself to spend more.

 

[dookiex]

If you're referring to the Super.fi 5EBs, the bass is prominent but not the best and it also has a bit of a veiling quality to it. Overall the C700 has a upper-hand.

 

[digivate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by walkingman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks! I am leaning now towards the C700s considering the bass response. And unless someone can tell me more about the Custom-1, I'll probably buy it tomorrow. You are a star dookiex!

If you're buying in the UK you can get them for £59.99 plus postage from Denon AH-C700 Black | SALE Now On! ... that's the best price I've found them in the UK.

That said, I had to return mine a week ago, due to a loose driver in the right bud, and they haven't got back to me about a refund yet, so I'm not 100% sure about their customer service.

 

[walkingman]

That is where I was planning to get them from. Their website does reek of amateurism. Does anyone else have experience with them?

I'm still leaning towards the C700 unless I can find the none-extended bass version of Super.fi 5 pro for a reasonable price.

 

[digivate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by walkingman /img/forum/go_quote.gif That is where I was planning to get them from. Their website does reek of amateurism. Does anyone else have experience with them? I'm still leaning towards the C700 unless I can find the none-extended bass version of Super.fi 5 pro for a reasonable price.

I've ordered from them a couple of times, and not had any problems with them sending out stuff quickly, but I am annooyed that they haven't got back to me to at least acknowledge that I returned an item over a week ago ... especially as I emailed them two days ago to ask for an update.

I've just been through their website and I can't find a telephone number anywhere ... not impresssed!

If you just order stuff from them, it should arrive no problems within a day or two. If anything goes faulty with them though I'm not sure their Customer Service is up to scratch ... they've just lost me as a future customer ever again.

 

[digivate]

Update ... I just got a reply from iheadphones and, although they won't refund me the price of my faulty C700s, they are going to send me a brand new replacement pair ... so their Customer Service actually hasn't been too bad (though it shouldn't have taken a week and several emails for them to just let me know what was going on).

I don't actually need the C700's anymore ... as much as I loved the sound signature and general design/build of them, I've now upgraded to some Westome UM2s which I absolutely love so the Denon's are unlikely to get much use again.

I'll probably be putting some brand new unboxed C700s in the "For Sale/Trade" forum in a couple of days - probably asking around £50 ... so if anyone is interested in a bargain pair they might want to keep an eye out, or give me a PM and I'll let you know when they are just about to be put up for sale.