Think about it: There’s easily about a million different iPhones, iPods, Zunes, Creatives, etc. out there roaming the planet. And considering each of these devices come stock with a pretty terrible set of in-ear headphones, there’s at least as much room for expansion—in a market sense, anyway. We have a feeling its this ginormous pie that caught Denon’s eye. Denon is regularly known for creating high-quality in-home theater equipment recently released two in-ear headphone models, the first costing about $50, and the second—that’s the one we’re reviewing here—clocking in at around $200. All in all, the AH-C700 headphones is likely worth the cost of investment, offering stupendous sound, a quality build, and enough name-brand recognition to last a lifetime. In other words, jump on below to find out what we did (and totally didn’t) like about these in-ear headphones via our in-depth headphone review.
Design and Comfort
Denon AH-C700
Any manufacturer that’s willing to make an all-metal pair of in-ears is a friend of ours, and Denon looks to be our new best mate. The AH-C700 headphones are spot-in where build quality is concerned, offering a wonderfully solid construction without any sense of being fragile or likely to wear out anytime soon. The eartips are canalphone-designed, meaning you’ll have to jam them directly into your ear canal to obtain the necessary seal. However, we had no problem fitting the in-ears to our head, and the three included tips should help those with slightly smaller or slightly larger ears than ours. In terms of comfort, we hardly noticed the AH-C700’s presence after an extended period of listening, which is a tremendous notch in the headphone’s favor. Typically, we tire of these in-ears after just a short period of time: The Denon AH-C700 headphones, though, we could wear all day.
Sound Quality and Performance
All in all, the AH-C700s sounded exactly like a pair of $200 headphones should sound: The bass was pleasantly plump, though still rife with detail, while the upper end offered a nice amount of clarity. The mids were smooth and butter, and though the low-end might be a tad too reinforced for the audiophile listener, we found it quite engaging. For all the fuss about the headphones’ seal, the noise-isolation is somewhat lackluster. Our morning commute was hardly quieted, leading us to think the AH-C700s aren’t quite as robust in terms of noise-canceling as we might have hoped.
Overall Value
At the end of the day, $200 is a lot to ask for a pair of in-ears. Still, the sound quality matches the price, and though you won’t find any accessories here (No travel pouch, Denon?) the build quality is also on-par with the price. In other words, if you’re willing to spend two bills on a pair of in-ears, you won’t be disappointed with either the design or sound of the AH-C700 headphones.
