Why You Can Trust CNET Denon AH-C300 Urban Raver review: In-ear headphones for bass lovers
If you're looking for thumping bass from an in-ear headphone, the Denon AH-C300 Urban Raver should be on your short list.
Denon's Web site isn't shy about what sort of buyer the company had in mind for the AH-C300 Urban Raver in-ear headphones ($249). The company claims that the not-so-tiny headphones will deliver "a bone-jarring, brutally powerful bass experience." My bones definitely weren't jarred, but the bass is unusually potent. There's lots of it, and the quality and definition of the bass is awfully impressive.
Denon AH-C300 Urban Raver
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The AH-C300's bass response is supplied by two 11.5mm drivers in each earpiece, and the two drivers use Denon's "Double Air Compression Driver Technology" to generate maximum bass output. The other notable design feature is the way the iPhone compatible mic and controls are integrated into the right earpiece. (Android and other non-Apple phone users are out of luck.)
The AH-C300's bass-emphasized sound won't please every taste, but if you crave bass and a highly dynamic sound, there's a lot to like about these headphones. If you enjoy a broad range of jazz or classical music, the AH-C300's overly abundant bass might be too much of a good thing.
Design and features
The gloss-black, molded-plastic earpieces don't have the look or feel of an expensive headphone design, and while they're commendably light I was very aware of their bulk and size. The right earpiece has Denon’s patent-pending spring-loaded mini control wheel and integrated microphone. To adjust the volume, you turn the wheel; press the center of the wheel to play/pause the music or answer a phone call. It's great that you'll never have to fumble around looking for the AH-C300's controls or mic, but you need to apply a bit of pressure to the controls to make them work; that can disturb the fit of the earpiece.
Speaking of fit, the AH-C300 comes with one set of Comply TX-400M eartips, standard silicon tips (XS, S, M, L), and double solid silicon tips (S, M, L). Denon also includes silicon ear stabilizers designed to hug the inside curves of your outer ear. Even so, the fit was never all that secure; I felt a need to keep pushing the earpieces in because the 54-inch-long "Y" cables hanging straight down had a tendency to pull on them.
Depending on the shape of your outer ears, the cable may put mild pressure against your earlobes. The Bowers & Wilkins C5 in-ear headphones' cables do the same thing. Most folks won't have a comfort issue with either set of headphones, but some will.
The AH-C300 cable is fairly thick and the ends are reinforced where the wire connects to the earpieces. At the other end is a 3.5mm right-angle plug. Alas, the AH-C300's cables are nonremovable (not user-replaceable). That's unfortunate, because over the long term the chances are high the cable will break -- on the AH-C300 or any other well-used headphones. Denon is hardly the only company making nonremovable cables, so I can't judge them too harshly for this misstep. But note that a few manufacturers of in-ear headphones (Shure and Ultimate Ears, for example) do offer models with replaceable cables.
Accessories include a nicely finished, zippered leather carrying case with detachable carabiner and a 6.3mm gold-plated phono adapter plug.
The AH-C300 comes with a one-year warranty; proof of purchase or sales receipt from an authorized Denon dealer is required for warranty claims.
As always, price is worth considering. While $250 is well within the price range for well-built premium in-ear headphones like the Denon AH-C300 (you can find them online for closer to $210), it's easy to find similarly equipped headphones for $150 or less -- though they certainly may not be as solidly built.
Performance
It's hard to not notice the AH-C300's exceptional bass power, and the bass emphasis is balanced with a fair degree of treble "sparkle." These headphones' sound is far from neutral or accurate, but that's exactly the point: the AH-C300 was designed for maximum enjoyment of bass-heavy music. In other words, the AH-C300 probably won't appeal to buyers with audiophile tastes.
The bass fullness extends over a broad range, and yet the AH-C300 doesn't sound muddy; bass articulation/definition is good. While I was listening to electronica with lots of bass, the AH-C300 had more and better low end than the $180 Bowers & Wilkins C5s or the $400 Monster Turbine Pro Copper in-ear headphones did. Those headphones had clearer overall sound, and the C5 in particular had wider, more "open" stereo imaging, but I preferred the AH-C300's bass, which had plenty of texture and detail.
The Denon also played louder at the same volume setting on my iPod Classic than the other two sets headphones, and the AH-C300's sound was more dynamically alive. The C5's midrange was better, so vocals had superior presence and clarity.
The AH-C300's sound got better the louder I played it; it never sounded strained or harsh at high volume. Isolation from external noise was average for universal fit in-ear headphones. The AH-C300's bass fullness was less apparent in noisy environments -- such as the NYC subway -- than it was in my apartment. I've noted that before with other bassy headphones; the bass doesn't seem nearly as exaggerated because it's competing with a lot of low-frequency thumps and bumps in the subway and on buses.
Conclusion
Simply put, the Denon AH-C300 is a bass-lover's headphone. If that's what you're after, this Denon is the one to buy, but anyone seeking a more balanced, more neutral sound that can bring out the best in all types of music should look elsewhere. I didn't find the AH-C300s all that comfortable; I was always aware of the bulky earpieces dangling out of my ears, but others might not be bothered by that.