Denon AH-C551 In-Ear user reviews

Pros Excellent sound quality. Acoustic optimizer does wonder for bass.

Cons High pitch can "hurst" at very high volume

Summary I consider myself an audio-phile without enormous amounts of money to spend

I care alot about sound quality and I try to have original CDs or WAV for the music I listen to the most.

Anyway, I have tested several in ear headphones, several sony and phillips models (from $50 to $70) and I was happy with them, but since I purchased my new mp3 player (Sony PSP), I've decided to invest a bit more on headphones.

I recently purchased the Bose In Ear headphones for around €115 in Portugal.

I must say, after a few days I was disappointed. The overall sound was not bad (specially compared to the headphones that come with the iPod) but the sound was unnatural. Bass was overwhelming everything else... Also, I had to set the volume to the max in order to achieve some sort of power and quality, specially with the PSP.

I returned the Bose In-Ear headphones and grabbed the €99 Denon AH-551 model. (since I can't afford the latest Shure model

I was very much surprised. I expected more than the Bose headphones, but even so, they are better than I expected. The sound quality is excelent and they requre a lot less power to deliver great quality and an amazing (not too heavy) bass sound.
High and mid range are all in the right place, altough higher pitches may "hurt" at very high volume.

Bottom line: I will be keeping these...

Pros 1. No problem with fitting the buds in
2. Superb bass, noise isolating
3. Nice overall appearance

Cons Lacks a little of the clarity in both the treble and especially, the vocals

Summary worth the 100 bucks spent, generally delivers the wanted strong bass ( and is a great difference compared to Apple's default earbuds.) Fits the ear nicely with a kindda of a "higher class" look. No problems with the cable... Basically a good choice for an everyday causal joe. However, vocal is a little hazy. ... the plug is bigger than usual too =.= and can b annoying at times. In a nutshell, its a notch above the likes suchs as the Klipsch IMage S4, Monster turbine In ears, and certainly, the Bose tripod inears. Well, I have started looking up to Denon as a brand on my many wish lists to come XD

Pros Good low end!

Cons Squeaky 'esses'

Summary Comfortable, good construction, and plenty of clear, low end. However, as the cnet reviewer notes, the highs can be quite unpleasing. The 'esses' of a vocal track are too strong and keeps these earbuds from being perfect (for this price anyway). Otherwise highly recommended.

Pros Good low-end sound. Decent price.

Cons Mediocre high-end sound. Never wear them outdoors.

Summary Very warm bass, reproducing the lowest end of a pipe organ accurately. Tight, too, not muddy. A bit hinky in the treble--good luck hearing that high-hat, jazz fans--but you can't have everything.

Note, however, that this is not all weather gear. After a few weeks of running, they just fell apart.

I miss my Etymotic ER6s (Not my 6is, which sound fine but try to leave the tips in my ear canal.). Milder bass, but they were invincible. Until I destroyed them. (Don't wear them while drinking. Why did I do that?)