[Alberto01]

Euphonik, your AH-C300 vs ATH-CKS77X comparison is very helpful.  Thank you!
 
Now, everyone is waiting on your AH-C300 vs ATH-CKS1000 comparison.

 

[Euphonik]

Since I'm off work early for the holidays let's wrap up this round of comparisons.
 
AH-C300 vs ATH-CKS1000
 
Soundstage:
 
Almost as wide as the C300 with only slightly less depth. If I had to describe it as a room it would be more rectangular than square. Both have very good separation, however in this area the C300 has a bit more space with instruments being placed a little further apart. This quality makes the CKS1000 is a touch more intimate and as a result discerning musical details is rather effortless. 
 
Bass:
 
CKS1000 is nicely defined with equal parts bass/sub-bass where as the C300 has more impact/volume in both- about 2-3db. Audio Technica is the friend you invite over to have some fun while being respectful and will lead to an eventful, fulfilling night without too much trouble. Denon is the dude who shows up unannounced and doesn't really hide the fact that he's a party animal and will throw a chair through your bay window at 2:00 in the morning. He might be over the top but if you can handle it the night should prove to be very exciting, to say the least. 
 
Mids:
 
C300s details about equal on both- the difference being AT's mids are a bit smoother in their presentation. CKS1000 has a hint of warmth where the C300 is more neutral/cool. Neither seem recessed, though I think the Denon is slightly more forward in this regard. Some male vocals stand out more with the C300 due to its neutral tonality. These are merely nuances- I cannot find any real faults here with either sound.
 
Highs:
 
CKS1000 has more extension, sparkle, detail and energy to that of the C300. Sibilance is very controlled and doesn't seem like much of a problem on either.  Also, the C300 highs aren't as forward, yet still very present. Although the Denon doesn't have the edge here I'd like to note they are above average and still satisfying.
 
 
Overall:
 
While the CKS1000 is overall a versatile earphone the C300 is designed with a purpose: to rattle your head until the fillings in your teeth are removed.  AT has a more refined sound yet manages to stay pretty fun with its "Solid Bass"- it's a good balancing act- very good, indeed. Denon clearly targets the EDM crowd so it shouldn't be surprising that the Urban Raver is tailored toward that style of music and excels at it like nothing else. Also, the CKS1000 is far more comfortable so if you have fitment issues with the C300 then the AT's are certainly worth looking into.

 

[Alberto01]

Thank you, Euphonik!
 
Merry Christmas or merry "mass of the anointed one."  "Christós" in Greek = "the anointed one".  That means the one with the power to give freedom.
 
I don't know the date or month when the anointed one was born.  However, Christmas is (or should be) an opportunity to convey the acceptance that the Holy Spirit wants to give us.  He was sent by the Creator after the blood of Jesus was shed for a fallen world.  Your are loved, valued and accepted by your Creator no matter what you have done right or wrong and no matter what you have right or wrong in your life.  His Holy Spirit yearns for communion with you.  But, that can only happen after appropriating Jesus' sacrifice as done for you and given to you personally or individually.  He bridged the gap between the embrace of the Father and you.  His birth to fulfill this purpose is what Christmas represents.  A lot of people celebrate it, but not as many know the reason for it.  It's all about acceptance.
 
Don't spend this Christmas alone.  Share the acceptance with someone else, just like I have shared it with you and will share it with others later.
 
I am quite thankful to you for granting me the comparison request.  Now, the only thing left in the comparison, is ranking all five IEMs by genre.  I will post about that later.
 
You are loved, you are valued and you are accepted!
 
 
Grace be with you,
 
Alberto

 

[Euphonik]

Thanks, Alberto. Happy holidays 

 

[daveyostrow]

These are some great comparisons

 

[Tr1ppy]

Those comparisons are excellent, very informative, thanks!

Does anyone know how well they can be driven from a portable amp? The ones I had in mind were the Fiio E11 or (a bit more expensive) the JDS Labs C5.

Is there any significant increase in SQ in terms of details across the freq range and soundstage?

Thanks

 

[Alberto01]

For those who have devices that can't handle a three ring plug, the solution is an adapter, such as these ones:
 
 

 
 
An extension would work, too.  Here is one:
 

 

 

[Alberto01]

Hey Euphonik, the last comparison step is to rank all five bass heavy IEMs preference according to genre with ">" and "=" signs placing the most preferred first on the left hand side and the least preferred on the right hand side.  Use these genres and/or any others that you consider you would feel comfortable with:
 
1)  Fast EDM:
 
2)  Mid speed and slow EDM:
 
3)  Rock and pop:
 
4)  Orchestral, classical and instrumental:
 
5)  New age (or equivalent):
 
 
Why all those genres for bass heavy IEMs?  The better a pair of IEMs sound with non EDM genres, the better they will adjust to different recording profiles (strengths and flaws across the frequency range) for EDM stuff.  Recording quality is one of the main factors affecting the sound quality that ends up reaching our ears and there is nothing that we can do to control it.  Fortunately, earphones proficiency helps a lot in making up for recording flaws.  Because of this, I would be hesitant to get a pair of IEMs that only sound good with EDM music, even if I wanted them for the purpose of listening to my EDM CDs.  Also, those who like a lot of bass want to use their bass heavy IEMs with all genres, not just the EDM stuff.  We love the rumble and the punch at all times!!!

  We want the cellos to shake the walls.  But we don't want the pianos and violins to sound veiled.

 

[Euphonik]

Been a bit lazy due to the holiday-  I'll see about putting something together this weekend.

 

[Alberto01]

  Been a bit lazy due to the holiday-  I'll see about putting something together this weekend.

 
Whenever you want or can, will be good for everyone.  Enjoy your holiday state and get the max out of it!

 

[randmazn]

I'm using the Fiio E7 and I noticed that there is a slight increase in soundstage which brings a noticeable improvement on the overall distribution of the sound.
Also in terms of the sq, driving through an amp seems to make highs a little less muddled while the overall sound retains its nice bass emphasis. So if you want to bring out the highs a little bit more you should definitely run these through an amp. Without an amp, as has been stated before, the highs are still there but its just really easily lost or muffled by the bass. 
Really fun IEM's though, definitely has that clubby vibe that really makes house and EDM tracks stand out. 

 

[daveyostrow]

i think the c300 should be compared to the cardo basso dx210.
how well do the mic/controls work with the denons?

 

[Alberto01]

I have just updated this post:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/624637/denon-ah-c300-urban-raver-impressions/60#post_10085407

 

[oHUTCHYo]

Any more updated impressions guys?

Would like to hear comparisons with Hippo VB, Sony XB90EX and Sennheiser IE80

 

[Alberto01]

Any more updated impressions guys?

Would like to hear comparisons with Hippo VB, Sony XB90EX and Sennheiser IE80

 
Here are some comparisons with the XB90EX:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/624637/denon-ah-c300-urban-raver-impressions/15#post_9888657
 
The guy who wrote the following review told me that the AH-C300 are much better than the XB90EX
 
 
Here are some comparisons with the IE8:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/624637/denon-ah-c300-urban-raver-impressions/30#post_9945021
 
 
I gave some impressions about the highs in this post:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/624637/denon-ah-c300-urban-raver-impressions/60#post_10082020
 
But, I have not yet posted my definitive impressions for the AH-C300.  They are still settling on my hearing and fortunately in a good way.  I have discovered that the reason for treble sounding hot (harsh and cheap) when there is one or more spikes between 2kHz  and 5kHz in the FR graph, is the overall treble being dry.  That is exactly how my AH-C300 sounded in the first few hundred hours of use.  If the treble loosens up and gets better decay, those spikes do not sound nearly as bad.  That is exactly what is happening now with my AH-C300.  Those cheap sounding lower highs are not cheap anymore.  Let's see how far the improvement goes.
 
Are we talking about driver or cable burn in here?  I don't know.  I just know that I listen to the R-50 as a reference of what a very good treble should sound like.  Getting used to the R-50 sound and going back to the AH-C300 was quite a disappointment at first.  It isn't anymore and also, I don't find myself lowering the volume of the 2.5-5kHz range in all recordings, like I did when they just had about 100 working hours.  The change here is similar to what happened with this cable:
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AWT9IM/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Right out of the box, the treble was harsh and dry.  It was bad enough when compared to my printer cable to make me realize that different makes of USB cables can and do sound different.  It was bad enough to make me think that cable burn in could be a reality.  But, I had to wait and see what my hearing would say.  Fortunately, after several hundred working hours the dryness and therefore the harshness went away.  Still, my printer cable has the better treble decay and it seems like it will always be that way.  This Pangea USB cable is better in other ways and I prefer one over the other depending on the earphones used and other components of the audio chain.  I can't wait to have the chance to run a blind test with these cables and post the results.
 
I would be very happy if the AH-C300 treble changes as much as the Pangea USB cable treble did.  Let's see what happens before posting my final impressions on the AH-C300.