Review/Comparison: Denon AH-C751 & Crossroads MylarOne X3i earphones

HipHopScribe · 04-26-2008, 04:09 PM

I'm just gonna make a quick comparison between these 2 earphones. I bought the X3i's about two months ago, they're $57 from jaben.net, one of the few places you can get them. I bought the AH-C751's a week ago from Amazon for $130 (Note: the AH-C700's are essentially the same, just without the case and extension cable).

The X3i's have a reputation for offering unparalleled sound quality for in-ears in their price range, they're a significant step up over something like the Sennheiser CX300's or Skullcandy FMJ's. The X3i's offer plenty of bass, but unlike some other phones, it's not exaggerated and muddy to the point of drowning out the mid and highs (Skullcandy is especially guilty of this problem in their products). Still, they're not analytical, the sound signature is definitely on the darker side, making them very suitable for a player like the Zune 80, without EQ adjustments, and for a wide range of music, and they'll be pleasant sounding to most ears. They're comfortable, being pretty small in size and having a nice design, that slides right into place in your ears and stays in well, and the isolation from external sound is very good. Like any IEM/Canalphone, there are microphonics issues, but these are mostly eliminated by wearing them with the cord running over and behind your ear instead of straight down. There is a sacrifice for getting great sound quality at the price, they're not well built, they're all plastic, with a fairly thin cable, but luckily it's easy to get them replace through Jaben if they do break.

The Denon's retail for $199.99, and even on sale on Amazon are more than twice the price of the X3i's. Compared to the X3i's, these are more balanced earphones, the bass is not as emphasized, but that's not to say it's not there, it certainly is, and the quality of the bass is great, just not as much quantity. The highs and mids are noticably more clear and present than the X3i's, the mids are where these phones really shine, vocals sound great. The sound alone may not justify the price jump over the X3i's, but combined with the build quality, they're worth the extra, these phones are made of spun aluminum, they can take a beating, and the cable seems to be of good quality. These don't go as deep into the ear canal as the X3i's, and they're larger overall, so they don't isolate as well and you can feel some additional weight, but overall they are comfortable. These made a great pairing the Zune 80, though they really bring out the differences in sound quality between some of the sources I've tried, so I can more clearly hear the superior sound quality of the Sansa Clip over the Zune 80.

As a sidenote, there is a lower model from Denon, the AH-C551's, available for about $65 dollars on Amazon. They are also made from aluminum, and my understanding is that they are a little more bass heavy with a little less clarity than the C751's, which suggests to me they are more along the lines of the X3i's, but with obviously superior build quality. They may be a good choice for someone who doesn't want to spend over $100, wants something well built, and something tending towards are darker sound.

Here are a couple pictures, they aren't mine, I just stumbled on them with Google:

runtohell121 · 04-26-2008, 04:10 PM

pretty good details and review... Rating scale? x/10?

HipHopScribe · 04-26-2008, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runtohell121

pretty good details and review... Rating scale? x/10?

Right, that would be good to include

MylarOne X3i
Sound Quality: 8/10
Build Quality: 5/10
Overall Value: 8/10 (not an average, obviously)

Denon AH-C751
Sound Quality: 9/10
Build Quality: 9/10
Overall Value: 9/10

runtohell121 · 04-26-2008, 04:16 PM

heh niceee

now i might think of getting a pair o.O btw.. what music did you use the earphones on? you should try it on various music to see which one gets better quality

HipHopScribe · 04-26-2008, 04:24 PM

I've tried both with hip-hop, folk, jazz, punk, metal and other various kinds of rock. The Denon can be a little bright sounding for metal and hip-hop (the X3i's are better here), not bad though, but as I mentioned the mids on the C700's are great, and the clarity is nice, they're excellent for vocals and acoustic instruments.

BobtheWalrus · 04-26-2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HipHopScribe

I've tried both with hip-hop, folk, jazz, punk, metal and other various kinds of rock. The Denon can be a little bright sounding for metal and hip-hop (the X3i's are better here), not bad though, but as I mentioned the mids on the C700's are great, and the clarity is nice, they're excellent for vocals and acoustic instruments.

How about symphony like?
Are they good for that?

HipHopScribe · 04-26-2008, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobtheWalrus

How about symphony like?
Are they good for that?

Yeah, the balanced sound works well.

Trogdor · 04-26-2008, 06:11 PM

I don't know If I could spend that much on earbuds maybe some nice DJ phones but I have gone through earbuds quickly, good review keep it up

Darth Camel · 04-26-2008, 11:40 PM

Wow. Very thorough review. I'm not too big on expensive headphones though. Plus, I just got some wireless headphones.

NikeRooney · 04-27-2008, 04:38 AM

great review
but I'll stick with the zune premium for now

StephSD3 · 04-27-2008, 04:57 AM

Great review! Helps a lot

04-26-2008, 04:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
HipHopScribe Jr. Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 357 Reputation: 41 $zB: 345 Donate	Review/Comparison: Denon AH-C751 & Crossroads MylarOne X3i earphones I'm just gonna make a quick comparison between these 2 earphones. I bought the X3i's about two months ago, they're $57 from jaben.net, one of the few places you can get them. I bought the AH-C751's a week ago from Amazon for $130 (Note: the AH-C700's are essentially the same, just without the case and extension cable). The X3i's have a reputation for offering unparalleled sound quality for in-ears in their price range, they're a significant step up over something like the Sennheiser CX300's or Skullcandy FMJ's. The X3i's offer plenty of bass, but unlike some other phones, it's not exaggerated and muddy to the point of drowning out the mid and highs (Skullcandy is especially guilty of this problem in their products). Still, they're not analytical, the sound signature is definitely on the darker side, making them very suitable for a player like the Zune 80, without EQ adjustments, and for a wide range of music, and they'll be pleasant sounding to most ears. They're comfortable, being pretty small in size and having a nice design, that slides right into place in your ears and stays in well, and the isolation from external sound is very good. Like any IEM/Canalphone, there are microphonics issues, but these are mostly eliminated by wearing them with the cord running over and behind your ear instead of straight down. There is a sacrifice for getting great sound quality at the price, they're not well built, they're all plastic, with a fairly thin cable, but luckily it's easy to get them replace through Jaben if they do break. The Denon's retail for $199.99, and even on sale on Amazon are more than twice the price of the X3i's. Compared to the X3i's, these are more balanced earphones, the bass is not as emphasized, but that's not to say it's not there, it certainly is, and the quality of the bass is great, just not as much quantity. The highs and mids are noticably more clear and present than the X3i's, the mids are where these phones really shine, vocals sound great. The sound alone may not justify the price jump over the X3i's, but combined with the build quality, they're worth the extra, these phones are made of spun aluminum, they can take a beating, and the cable seems to be of good quality. These don't go as deep into the ear canal as the X3i's, and they're larger overall, so they don't isolate as well and you can feel some additional weight, but overall they are comfortable. These made a great pairing the Zune 80, though they really bring out the differences in sound quality between some of the sources I've tried, so I can more clearly hear the superior sound quality of the Sansa Clip over the Zune 80. As a sidenote, there is a lower model from Denon, the AH-C551's, available for about $65 dollars on Amazon. They are also made from aluminum, and my understanding is that they are a little more bass heavy with a little less clarity than the C751's, which suggests to me they are more along the lines of the X3i's, but with obviously superior build quality. They may be a good choice for someone who doesn't want to spend over $100, wants something well built, and something tending towards are darker sound. Here are a couple pictures, they aren't mine, I just stumbled on them with Google: Last edited by HipHopScribe : 04-26-2008 at 04:13 PM.

04-26-2008, 11:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
Darth Camel Zune Freak Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,102 Reputation: 61 $zB: 815 Donate	Wow. Very thorough review. I'm not too big on expensive headphones though. Plus, I just got some wireless headphones. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-27-2008, 04:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
NikeRooney Experienced Zuner Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 196 Reputation: 11 $zB: 111 Donate	great review but I'll stick with the zune premium for now __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Thanks to STKR for the sig!

04-27-2008, 04:57 AM	#11 (permalink)
StephSD3 Squirt Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 26 Reputation: 11 $zB: 26 Donate	Great review! Helps a lot __________________ [ MDA Vario II 1Go & 2Go MicroSD= broken], BT headset, Zune30 Mod @ Windows Mobile Forum, To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

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04-26-2008, 04:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
HipHopScribe Jr. Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 357 Reputation: 41 $zB: 345 Donate	I've tried both with hip-hop, folk, jazz, punk, metal and other various kinds of rock. The Denon can be a little bright sounding for metal and hip-hop (the X3i's are better here), not bad though, but as I mentioned the mids on the C700's are great, and the clarity is nice, they're excellent for vocals and acoustic instruments.

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