Ears-on with the Denon AH-C351: Better than wrestling midgets

By Nate Lanxon on 22 May 2008, 11:51am

We're fond of many things at Crave -- wrestling naked with midgets, burning the eyes from children's stuffed animals to encourage parents to buy gadgets instead, and of course the all-time favourite: sticking three-dimensional anthropomorphised animal heads to the ceiling of our office.

But there's one thing we love even more than any of the above, and that is earphones. Specifically, we're fond of the expensive ones that really highlight how utterly Duffy Springfailed deserves to be strung up in the Tate Modern and soaked in Noel Edmonds-approved gunge (come on, that'd be better than every other piece of modern art). Yet we have no lack of feeling for the more affordable models, and when they come from high-end audio manufacturers we're even more curious.

So it's with great passion that we tell you that we've been indulging in the pleasures of Denon's new AH-C351 earphones -- a £35 pair of sound-isolating 'phones that challenge the likes of Sennheiser's new CX 500s, V-moda's Vibes or pretty much any sound isolators in the £30-40 bracket.

The 351s are most notable for their more prominent bass performance over the comparable Sennheiser or V-moda offerings, so dance music fans will be very pleased (and our in-house dance expert certainly was). But they're slightly less punchy in the mid-range and come with a brighter treble, meaning the V-moda Vibes offer a more balanced sound, making guitar rock a little more enjoyable.

But these preferences are purely subjective and the 351s are an excellent pair of earphones for little over £30. The ideal user is probably a dance music-loving gym goer, as the 351s' lightweight construction and great comfort make for easy use when you're on the jog.

Expect our full review in the coming days, but they're on sale now if you just can't wait. -Nate Lanxon