[Doogie Howser M.D.]

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread.

I am no audiophile, I just wanted something that sounded better than the $1.00 headphones that I use with my iPod. That’s right, I currently have $1.00 earphones that I use since my apple earbuds broke on me this summer. You guys have no idea how horrible these things sound. I went to target to buy some headphones and purchased a pair of Bose Triport in-ear headphones. I bought them b/c I knew nothing about sound equipment and assumed that Bose made the best stuff (now I know how wrong I was!).

Immediately when I took them out of the package, I was disappointed. They just felt plasticky and cheaply made, definitely not worth the hundred dollars I paid for them.

I have spent the entire last two days on this site, trying to find a pair of headphones that would fit me best. I have read this thread (All 66 pages of it) and decided on purchasing the Denon AH-C700s. They definitely seem to be what I am looking for. I got them off Amazon for $99 and they are scheduled to arrive Wednesday. I’ve already bought a pink noise loop from the itunes store to burn them in when I get them. I’m excited about my first pair of quality headphones and thank all of you guys for helping me with my decision! I’m guessing the sound quality will be a little step up from my current $1 earphones.

 

[Methos1979]

Love your handle, btw.

I think you'll be very happy with the Denon's. 67 pages of mostly-happy people can't all be wrong, right?

I posted a separate review of the Denon's about pink noise burn-in and EQing. I wanted to get the words 'pink noise' in the title for people doing searches for that so I didn't post it here. The review has a link to a free pink noise file. Sorry you had to purchase one from iTunes.

Anyway, I'm posting a link to the review below so the next guy might find it when seeing this thread. Kudo's to you for wading through all 66 pages - and starting the 67th! Let us know when you get them in what you think.

Link to Denon review about pink noise burn-in, EQing

Long live the Denon AH-C700 and Mistress Soosieq!

M.

 

[Doogie Howser M.D.]

Thanks for the link!

I might use your pink noise file b/c the one I bought is only 9 minutes long. Maybe the 20 minute long one would work better with the two minute digital silence.

One thing I did like about the Bose Triports was the bass. I'm not bass crazy, but I like a decent amount of it. I was trying to decide between etymotic er-6i and the Denons and went with the Denons b/c they seem to provide more bass than the etymotics.

I have a very limited knowledge on sound and what to look for but I will post my impression of them once they arrive.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doogie Howser M.D. /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread.[size=x-small] I have read this thread (All 66 pages of it) and decided on purchasing the Denon AH-C700s.[/size] I’m guessing the sound quality will be a little step up from my current $1 earphones.

Doogie, you will think you died and went to heaven when you compare the C700s to your $1.00 headphones!! The first step from 'crap' buds to decent ones is probably the biggest step of all. You'll notice a huge difference.

Well done for reading the entire thread! I did that with the Westone 3 thread when it was still 'short' at only 50 pages. . . and over a year later they still haven't been released!!

 

[ezekiel72]

I got my Denon's a couple days ago, and i love them. The sound quality is really good, and i havent burnt them in yet. I bookmarked the link above to the pink noise cd. I will let you guys know how they are after i burn them in.

 

[jantze]

So where to buy these if one lives in Finland/EU? bluetin.com ?

 

[earful]

don't have golden ears and only drop in occasionally these days, but must join this thread to add my thanks to all who have shared their views. my denon c700s came yesterday. they are wonderful and the er 6is (which i used from among my hodge-podge collection because of their lightness and fit rather than a preference for their sound orientation) and most of their colleagues are being retired. cheers.

 

[antonyfirst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezekiel72 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got my Denon's a couple days ago, and i love them. The sound quality is really good, and i havent burnt them in yet. I bookmarked the link above to the pink noise cd. I will let you guys know how they are after i burn them in.

Basically you have alredy burned them in, by playing a lot of music into them.

 

[neoufo51]

I just got my C700's at work and I've been burning them in with a neverending pink noise barrage for 4 hours now and I'll put them on an overnight burn too when I get home. I really can't wait to hear these. My Atrio's broke and I found this to be the most worthy replacement from what I've read and considering that the people who seem to most like these are also the people who are looking for the same sound signature I'm after.

 

[ShinyFalcon]

The wires on my C700 are indeed magical, but I think mines suffer from memory. Mines always coil upon itself. Has anyone managed to straighten their cable?

I like wearing the C700s over the ears, but the lack of that sliding thing I see in some earphones like UM1 and X3 makes it difficult to keep it in place. I use the ribbon tie thing that came with the C700s, and it has worked wonders for me. But I do worry that the friction would damage the cables...

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyFalcon /img/forum/go_quote.gif The wires on my C700 are indeed magical, but I think mines suffer from memory. Mines always coil upon itself. Has anyone managed to straighten their cable? But I do worry that the friction would damage the cables...

I wear mine down, but after a few hours my ears get a bit tender, so then I switch to 'over the ears'. But I've never noticed any coiling at all after almost 5 months of heavy use.

How are you storing them? I would have thought any naughty coiling could be fixed by winding them round your player. I don't like the sound of that at all!

I wonder if anyone else is having the same problem. We need to know about these things as they're still such a 'new' headphone to us all that long-term usage issues aren't known yet.

Speak up anyone with coily cables!

 

[ShinyFalcon]

I just leave them out in the open, I don't wrap them around my player. They were like that fresh out of the box too. Maybe I just need to use them a bit more, since they're still new.

 

[chance]

Hello All,
Just want to thank you all in this thread to help me pick up the AH-C7000K headphones. I order the Denon and a UE Super.FI Studio 3. I like the Denon better. Had better bass. The only problem is my wife stole them from me. Where is the love

Thanks again all. I highly recommend these coming from ER 4P, these are just as good and cheaper.

 

[somestranger26]

I just upgraded to the AH-C700's from the "premium" Zune headphones after a month or so of reading reviews to find what would fit me best.

Source: A Zune 80GB, playing mainly 192-320kbps LAME-encoded (CBR) MP3s, the genres I listened to being hard and alt rock, trance, electronic, and a full array of metal from progressive (Dream Theater-like) to melodic death (Children of Bodom).

Sound Quality: Right out of the box, I immediately noticed the crystal-clear highs, really bringing out the best in female vocals and the like. The bass and low-midrange is also well defined and crisp, with great extension, although if you're looking for a lot of bass you might want to EQ them or find some other 'phones. The midrange is slightly recessed due to the C700's slight focus on the low and high frequencies. Once burnt in for several hours with pink noise and regular music, the bass tightens up a bit and the highs become more refined. Other than the (very) slightly recessed midrange, the C700's are fairly balanced with nice instrument separation and great clarity.

Build Quality: These canalphones were built to last, with their sleek aluminum housed design and headphones jack. The cord is also (relative to other IEMs/canalphones) fairly thick, greatly reducing microphonics and giving you some assurance that they aren't going to snag on something and break immediately. Like others in this thread have said, the cord must be magic, organizing itself by simply dangling it in front of you by one end. The cord does seem to have some 'memory' for the first few days but it will start to straighten itself out from use.

Fit/Comfort: Even though these come with only 3 choices of tips (s/m/l silicone) they are extremely comfortable. The tips are soft, yet easily form a seal in your ear canal. Myself, I use the small tips and they fit perfectly although your own experiences may vary. (I would consider my ear canals fairly narrow) If you want other options for tips (since denon does not currently make replacement tips) Sony tips apparently fit them, but I have not tried this myself. They can be worn comfortably either over the ear or 'down' depending on your preference. Worn over the ear there are virtually no microphonics, but microphonics are barely present worn down so again, its down to preference. I can wear these for hours on end and begin to not notice I'm wearing them.

Isolation: Because these are more like canalphones and less like IEMs, they do not have as great of sound isolation. To put this into perspective, if you are wearing the C700's with a good seal without your music playing, you would still be able to understand a conversation within 3 feet. The second you turn some music on though, you will barely notice any nearby sound. Playing them at 6/20 volume on my Zune 80, they block out the engine noise of a bus.

Bundled Accessories: Hah, what accessories? They come with 3 sets of tips and a shiny box and a small proper use guide and that's it.

Value: The AH-C700 canalphones from Denon are a great value for the money @ the $99 you can get them from amazon for right now. The sound quality and build quality you get are absolutely outstanding for this price, and I would recommend them to anyone searching for canalphones in this price area.

Conclusion: These canalphones are great if you are looking for clear and well defined highs and lows. The sound signature is a nice combination of being fun and analytical. If isolation is a top priority, these may not be the correct choice. All in all, these are the canalphones to get for $99, such an amazing value.

 

[somestranger26]

To the above posters asking about the cord being coiled:

When I first unpackaged the C700's the cord was definitely coiled, but after several days using them they began to straighten themselves out (I wrap them around my player somewhat snugly) although they still have a slight curve to them, but I'm sure this will go away. And yes, they do seem to have a bit of memory to them. Hope this helps.