Denon AHC252 In-Ear Headphones

Comment: These Denons sound great, they are comfortable in my ears, and I have had them for 2 months and they have yet to break(The Skull candies I have gotten have always broken within the first month). I use my headphones for around 5 hours a day, so they get some pretty good use. Also. if one worries about getting replacement rubber ear pieces, the Skull Candy or Sony ones fit on these. Note in ear headphones with the rubber changeable tips have issues with the tips getting caught on things and getting pulled off. I have yet to find a brand that does not have this issue. One really noticeable attribute of these headphones vs the old ones I have had is that they get very loud at low volume levels.

Comment: I went out on a limb and got these in-ear phones for my wife, since her SkullCandy buds went bad. The left bud had probably gotten tugged too much and created a short in the line.

I know Denon well in home audio, but didn't know they were making headphones and earphones now, which quite surprised me. After reading reviews, I decided to buy these, as we don't have a ton of money to spend, and I didn't want to spend a lot on a pair that may just end up damaged like the SkullCandy pair.

Well, these things sure came fast! I was very impressed with shipping time. Anyways, on to the actual product review.

These in-ear phones are amazingly comfortable. When I put them in, it felt as though they weren't even there. And, on top of that, they didn't move, like so many other earbuds do. They actually stayed in tight, even while moving around, which was wonderful. My wife said they were comfortable wearing for a long period of time, as well.

So, on a comfort level, this are the best I've used so far.

Now, on a sound level, which I'm VERY critical of, they fair pretty well, as far as MSRP $30.00 earphones go. Honestly, for $30.00 MSRP, you'd be hard pressed to find a better fitting and sounding pair of earphones. However, disregarding price, they severely lack any highs. When I listened to them with a few different songs, it's like someone had dropped all the highs in the equalizer settings. Aside from that, the base is deep and clear, the mids are faint, along with the highs, but it doesn't sound tinny or muffled, just like the speakers were made more for bass reproduction than anything else.

So, case-in-point, if you're looking for a cheap (price wise) pair of earbuds, that are comfortable, these are definitely ones to look at. I'd highly recommend them. The audio isn't amazing, but for this price range, no earbuds are. These are the best sounding ones I've tried in this price range. They obviously don't even hold a candle to my pair of Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro earbuds, but those are in such a different price range, you can't compare these to anything like that.

If you're worried they'll be bad because they're cheap, they're definitely not. Denon has done a great job in producing a good quality, low priced earphone, and continues to hold my respect and their reputation in audio. I'm glad to see they've moved into the headphone and earphone market. I'd definitely love to get some more expensive pair to try, as I've been thoroughly impressed by these.

Comment: Got this very cheap earbud for my girlfriend. Tested with Classical, Pop and Jazz.

Pros:

Bass - Strongest suit, lows are very visible, a little over emphasis but still very controlled.
Mids - Clear and concise. No annoying sibilance.
Design - Sturdy, good looking.

Cons:

Highs - Doesn't have the sparkle or seperation that more expensive earphones have but still much better than iPhone earbuds.
Cord - The cord is a little thin compared to regular iPhone earbuds, but on par with other headphones in this price range.

Overall, much better than expected for this price. AH-C252 makes some compromises in the treble for a thumping bass. A huge improvement from iPhone earbuds in terms of sound quality and still looks very nice aesthetically.

I have also ordered the higher end AH-C751 for myself and will update you on the difference.

Comment: These were originally my wife's, but she had never used in-ear canal style earbuds before and found them uncomfortable. I needed a spare set so she gave them to me.

I am really impressed with the sound quality of the Denons. My primary earphones are $120 Westones that were a gift from my in-laws (who are awesome). The Westones are amazing, but the Denons aren't too far off. The response is fairly even with just a little more brightness in the treble than I care for, but that's personal preference. The bass, however, is incredible. My test is Big Boi's "The Way You Move." Most people will never hear the third "boom" unless they hear the song in a club or have very nice speakers in their home or car. The Denons reproduce the boom considerably better than the Westones. So much so, in fact, that it's almost upsetting. These things are 1/6th the price!!! And I think that I like them better!

The cons: the Denons are nice and quiet when my iPod is paused. On my laptop, however, there is a noticeable hissssss. The Westones have no hiss. The Denons aren't quite as comfortable in my ear, but are easier to wear -- no need to neatly configure the wire just-so over my ears and behind my neck. And the sound isolation from the silicone mushrooms isn't as good as the Westone's foam earpieces. I appreciate the sound isolation in my gym where they play ghastly music, but if you want nice sound-isolating foam earpieces, you have to pay a lot more as they're usually unavailable on lower-end earbuds. Some people don't like too much sound isolation, though, since it's kind of creepy to hear your joints and lungs move.

Finally, if you're using stock iPod earbuds you need to upgrade right away. First of all the Apple earbuds are about the worst you can buy. You can spend half as much and get twice the sound quality. But more importantly, the earbuds scream "iPod!!!" to any thug out to make a quick buck. Be careful when/where you wear them.