Denon Music Maniac AH-C400 In-Ear Headphones

Denon's new line of earphones features high prices, solid design and performance, and goofy names. The Denon Music Maniac AH-C400 In-Ear Headphones are quite expensive, at $349.99 (list) , and are aimed more at audiophiles, less at the bass-craving music lovers the Denon Urban Raver AH-C300 In-Ear Headphones ?seek to lure. When a pair of earphones is priced this high and presents virtually no added features other than the near-ubiquitous in-line Apple iOS remote control, it's implied that the audio experience is top notch. The Music Maniac is a high quality pair of earphones, for sure, but it tends to distort at maximum volumes and doesn't truly blow away some of the significantly more affordable competition, like the Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones .

Design
The Music Maniac features a rather busy-looking earpiece, encased in shiny metallic plastic with black highlights, but it works, and with the help of the double-coated silver-colored cable, it lends the earphones a sort of futuristic look. On the left ear's cable is a glossy black plastic remote that houses the microphone and three buttons that handle Playback, Volume, and calls on the iPhone?it also works with iPads and other iOS devices. Call clarity is decent, not great, but that has far more to do with the overall mediocre quality of mobile calls and very little to do with the earphones and mic themselves.

The fit is good, but not nearly as secure as the Denon Urban Raver, which uses stabilizing fins to create a stronger seal with less movement. The Music Maniac includes a total of seven different silicon ear tips of various sizes and one Comply foam ear tip pair. Also included is a classy black zip-up case, a ?-inch headphone jack adapter, and a carabiner for the case.

Denon's free app for iOS and Android users is called Denon Club, and like most apps from audio manufacturers, it's a bit unnecessary, but it includes an EQ adjuster and access to local radio streams.

Performance
At moderate to loud volumes, the Music Maniac offers high quality audio performance, with well-balanced highs, mids, and lows that should appeal to purists seeking a response that is close to flat. It's not nearly as flat as the consumer standard for flat response earphones, the Etymotic ER-4PT , but that might be considered a good thing by listeners who want a sound that isn't too sculpted, but isn't too clinical, either.

Unfortunately, on deep bass tracks, like the Knife's "Silent Shout," the Music Maniac distorts at top volumes. You shouldn't really be listening at these volumes if you want to keep your hearing, but drivers in earphones this expensive should never encounter distortion. The less expensive Urban Raver doesn't distort on the same track at the same volume. However, at moderate-to-high levels?just not near maximum?the Music Maniac paints a clear picture for the listeners, with a clean, subtly resonant bass response and no distortion.

On instrumental tracks, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," the earphones can easily go to top volume without any distortion, and at typical listening levels, offer a very nicely balanced response. The lower register strings and percussion don't disappear from the mix?there's still a nice low-end presence underpinning the overall mix. The Music Maniac's response should appeal to listeners of classical and jazz, especially.

Singer-songwriter tracks, like Bill Callahan's "Drover," showcase the drivers' ability to convey resonant low-end and crisp highs without going overboard in either direction, letting Callahan's commanding baritone shine with a nice treble edge. The mids and highs definitely take center stage here. In other words, if you are bass fiend, you're looking in the wrong place?try the aforementioned Urban Raver.

If both Denon models are out of your price range, the excellent Bowers & Wilkins C5 costs significantly less and can certainly hang in terms of audio quality?its sound has more bass response than the Music Maniac, but less than the booming Urban Raver. For slightly less money, the Harman Kardon AE ?is another great pair of earphones, with a solid overall audio performance and a straightforward, no-frills design. If price is not an issue, and you are looking for a bit more low end without going overboard, the $600 Phonak Aud?o PFE 232 is an excellent pair, with zero distortion on deep bass, and it comes with a set of audio filters to tailor the sound signature a bit more to your tastes. The Music Maniac is no slouch?it has a crisp, beautiful sound that does well-recorded music justice, but it's on par with other, more affordable options. At, say, $250, it would receive a higher rating, but at $350, it seems overpriced.

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