Denon AH-C551 In-Ear Headphones

CNET Editors' Rating

3.5 stars
    Overall score: 7.5 (3.5 stars)

Very good

Average User Rating

6 reviews

As shown: $99.99

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Denon AH-C551 In-Ear Headphones
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CNET Editors' Review

CNET Editors' Rating

3.5 stars Very good
    Overall score: 7.5 (3.5 stars)

The good: The design is compact and understated, and the package includes a zippered carrying case.

The bad: The Denon AH-C551 earphones suffer from jarring highs at times. There's no airplane adapter or foam eartips.

The bottom line: The Denon AH-C551 In-Ear Headphones offer mostly great sound quality and a compact, understated design. They're a solid choice for an everyday earbud.

Review:

MP3 players are practically as prolific as cell phones now--heck, some of them are cell phones. Regardless of what portable device provides the music, one thing is a given: the stock earbuds that come in the package aren't doing ears any favors. Clearly, the landscape is ripe for aftermarket headphone manufacturers, which explains why companies such as Denon, which is normally associated with home audio, continue to expand its portable product lines. The latest midrange model from Denon is the AH-C551 In-Ear Headphones, a $100 pair that offers solid sound quality and a low-profile design. These earbuds certainly stack ... Expand full review

MP3 players are practically as prolific as cell phones now--heck, some of them are cell phones. Regardless of what portable device provides the music, one thing is a given: the stock earbuds that come in the package aren't doing ears any favors. Clearly, the landscape is ripe for aftermarket headphone manufacturers, which explains why companies such as Denon, which is normally associated with home audio, continue to expand its portable product lines. The latest midrange model from Denon is the AH-C551 In-Ear Headphones, a $100 pair that offers solid sound quality and a low-profile design. These earbuds certainly stack up against competition from Creative and V-moda.

We're pretty pleased with the design of the Denon AH-C551 earphones. The 'buds are very small and low profile, and the overall style is understated. Unlike Denon's lower-end model, the AH-C351, the AH-C551 only come in one color option: black. The earpieces are aluminum and don't feel cheap--a thin silver ring around each end gives them just a hint of class. Also, since they are so small and feature slightly rounded edges, they're quite comfortable, even during extended wear. Denon includes three sizes of silicone ear tips to help users get a proper fit--you'll need that to achieve the best sound isolation and bass response. We had no issues achieving a good seal with our ears.

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Average User Rating

4.0 stars out of 6 user reviews

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star: 2
  • 4 star: 4
  • 3 star: 0
  • 2 star: 0
  • 1 star: 0

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Most Helpful User Review

5.0 stars 3 of 3 users found this review helpful

"For the price I don't think I could find better." By Mr_KhanhNguyen

Pros They have great sound, good design, good price.

Cons It only adds extra weigh and its ugly.

Summary In this price, I really believe you'd be hard pressed to find anything better than these and all the research I did on these left me with almost exclusively and overwhelming support for the Denon's.

Most Recent User Reviews (Showing 2 of 6 reviews)

Where to Buy

MSRP: $99.99
See manufacturer site for availability
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Specifications

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Quick Specs

  • Headphones Type: Headphones - Binaural
  • Product type: Headphones
  • Design: In-ear ear-bud

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Where to Buy

MSRP: $99.99
See manufacturer site for availability
Set price alert