[Muntej]

Ive been reading the forums extensively to narrow my choice down to these two. Ive read most of the big threads on each but i didnt see a direct comparison.

My source is an Ipod Nano 3G, and i listen to bass heavy music (drum'n'bass) which makes that my priority. Ide like to knw of the two, c700 or xbi, which has the tighter, less muddy bass that doesnt sacrifice to much on high's/mids.

Next concern is fit/comfort... previous experience with canalphones has been horrid, they always fell out and i never got that essential seal. I understand the XBi has more stock tips and that they take the T-400 complys, is this right? I would also like to know what other tip options there are for the C700's, apparently certain sony tips fit?

Next priority is build quality... i read that the XBi has some issues here, do they really fall apart as quickly as people are saying? Which of the two is better built to last? Epecially since they will be going in and out of my jacket pocket daily.

I have also considered the X3i, Sen CX300/400, V-moda vibes, Super fi. 3 and a few others sub $100 (which is my price range) but have come to the said pair since they seem to come closest to my needs.

Sorry if this is a bit wordy! Many many thanks in advance for any help and recommendations offered here after...

 

[vanger]

I bought the C700's for myself and the X3i's for my brother. I can't do a comparison right now since I've sent my C700's in for warranty work since the stress relief crapped out on me

I can't comment on the XBi's, but even the X3i's had more bass than my C700, so I would only imagine the XBi had even more. The X3i's bass was a bit boomier and more present, which I liked, but the C700 had clearer mids/highs (which I like more).

I'm using the stock tips which I'm not really a fan of, so I'm planning to try some new tips once my C700's return in the mail. I've read that different tips on the C700 will improve bass presence while not affecting the mids/highs.

I'm not really picky about comfort, but neither the X3i or C700 bother me at all when wearing them for hours. Though, the X3i's actually fit inside your outer ear so it will be more snug than the C700's.

Build quality is where the two differ the most. The X3i seems to be poorly built in all areas. My first pair of X3i's that I bought had the housing split in half within its first week of usage. If you get the X3i's from Jaben though, he will most definitely take care of any defects you have. The only issue had with my C700 is that the stress relief didn't look that reliable. It turns out, after about 3 months of usage, that it wasn't and that's why it's currently in for warranty repair haha. The housing of the C700 is much better built than the X3i's, but it doesn't really say much if the plug breaks and the rest of the headphone is made useless anyways

I used to own the Vibes and I gave them away to my friend after I got the C700's. The vibes noticeably have more bass than the X3i's and C700's, but the mids aren't so great on it. My friend listens to a lot of rock/punk and he can't hear some guitar parts played through the Vibes even though he can hear them clearly through his laptop speakers

 

[DKaz]

X2 on Vanger's impressions. I have the C700 and X3i. The X3i has a little more bass, but nowhere near the detail of the Denons IMHO. The bass on the Denons is much cleaner and deeper. The highs are much brighter and less cymbalent too.

People have a harder fit with the Denons, but the foaimes fit them too!

The build quality is worlds apart. The Denons are built with a solid aluminum housing. The jack is also aluminum. The cable is thicker and much sturdier. The Mylars are all plastic and it will show. Jaben will replace them (over, and over, and over) which gets to be a pain.

The newer C751 are actually cheaper then the C700 right now:

Denon AH-C751

 

[Muntej]

Thank you vanger and Dkaz for your very helpful comments...

Since i live in the uk i cant get the denons at that great price. The best price is $139 for the C-700's (and $276 for the c-751). The Mylars are therefore half the price for me. Would you say the denons are still worth getting over the mylars even at double the price?

Given i will be putting them in and out of my pockets daily, is it overoptimistic to expect the mylars to last 12 months without the need for a replacment?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKaz /img/forum/go_quote.gif People have a harder fit with the Denons, but the foaimes fit them too!

Do you mean the comply foams? And do the mylars also take the foams? If comply then is is t-400 for each?

Big thanks to any responders.

 

[natural_nut]

Hey I have a pair of C700s and I personally think that the X3is are very good value for money, but I can't say the same for the XBis. The XBis are all boomy bass, nothing else, making the majority of music I own sound horrible. However, to each his own, I'm sure someone would disagree with me.

And yes, it is overly optimistic to expect the mylars to last one year, with excellent care

 

[r@mside]

The difference between the C700 and is C751, is the case. They are the same 'phone.

You're unlikely to do better than the £70 price you can see now and they are great value for SQ at that price.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by r@mside /img/forum/go_quote.gif The difference between the C700 and is C751, is the case.

That's not the only difference. The C751 also has an extension cable. The extra price for the C751 simply because it has a small hard case and extension cable just isn't justified. In the UK the C751 is double the price of the C700s. That works out to £70 for a case and cable

 

[K3cT]

The main problem with Mylar phones is always the build quality. My X3 is about 10 months old and the left phone already split apart and I have to put super glue to stick the pieces together. This is my 3rd X3 mind you.

SQ aside, C700 is in a different league with the X3i as evidenced by the price. I can hear things that were not there before with the Denon.

 

[Muntej]

Thanks to all above responders...

So, comparitivaley it seems

- Denons have slightly less bass than the mylars however they offer a much cleaner, tighter sound with greater detail all round.

- Mylars maybe a better fit/comfort, however both take foams; can someone confirm which foams the two take please?

- Denons have a MUCH better build.

If not a year of liftime, realistically, roughly how long before a mylar breaks? I think this will be the deciding factor for me. If its too frequent ide rather pay double for the denons (buying both from within the UK) otherwise i might put up with the mylars for half the cost.

Thanks all....

 

[K3cT]

Denon might have less bass but they have QUALITY bass. I can't comment much on the X3i because I only had a short time with it (I much prefer my old X3) but its bass was very present, something like CX-300 though not as boomy and clouded as the latter.

There's also the cheaper brother of C700, the C551 which has more bass than the former.

EDIT: My first X3 died in 1 week and my second one lasted for 2 months IIRC. I think it's some sort of lucky draw with the Mylar phones.

 

[voicemaster]

If you want kinda same bass with Mylar then get the C551. It has more bass impact then the C700/751, not much less detail then C700/751. I can say the C700/751 is in different league with Mylar, so does the C551.

 

[tstarn06]

Comply T400 foamies fit the Denons and any other canalphones with similar sound tubes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muntej /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks to all above responders... So, comparitivaley it seems - Denons have slightly less bass than the mylars however they offer a much cleaner, tighter sound with greater detail all round. - Mylars maybe a better fit/comfort, however both take foams; can someone confirm which foams the two take please? - Denons have a MUCH better build. If not a year of liftime, realistically, roughly how long before a mylar breaks? I think this will be the deciding factor for me. If its too frequent ide rather pay double for the denons (buying both from within the UK) otherwise i might put up with the mylars for half the cost. Thanks all....

 

[DKaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muntej /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks to all above responders... So, comparitivaley it seems - Denons have slightly less bass than the mylars however they offer a much cleaner, tighter sound with greater detail all round. - Mylars maybe a better fit/comfort, however both take foams; can someone confirm which foams the two take please? - Denons have a MUCH better build. If not a year of liftime, realistically, roughly how long before a mylar breaks? I think this will be the deciding factor for me. If its too frequent ide rather pay double for the denons (buying both from within the UK) otherwise i might put up with the mylars for half the cost. Thanks all....

Your deductions are 100% accurate. The Denon take the Comply T400.

Realistcially, I would give the Mylars 3 months.

 

[Muntej]

Thanks for all the great advice peeps...

I ended up going for the Denon AH-C551's. Ive had them playing for about 15 or so hours.

Im truly happy with the 551's, they suit the music i listen to perfectly. I love the SQ, build quality i couldnt be happier with them in these areas. Loving them!

The only slight problem i have is the fit. Im using the medium stock tips and they tend to keep slipping out which means im constantly poking them into my ears again. I employed a shirt clip which solved 50% of the problem. Ive got complys on order and im hoping they will give me the comfort i really want. I may also try the sony tips as i heard they can be better than the denons.

Other than that, even if the complys dont make a huge difference, im still extremly happy with the 551's.

 

[voicemaster]

The Sony tip will not only give a better seal, but also make it a bit more suction (don't worry about ear pressure because it's open back case on C551) so the phone will stay better in your ear canal.