Review of the Denon AH-C400 Earphones – A neutral sounding earphone

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Pros: Neutral sound signature, highs, accessories, packaging
Cons: Lows, price, wire, design and look

Packaging & Accessories: 10/10
Build Quality: 8/10
Design & Look: 6.5/10
Microphonics (higher ratings means lower cable noise): 8/10
Isolation: 9.5/10
Comfort: 9/10
Audio Quality: 8.5/10
Value: 6.5/10 for £300-350 price tag OR 10/10 for the £150 price tag
My final Rating: 7/10: based on £350 price tag OR 9.5/10: based on £150 price tag

Purchase Date: December 2012
Purchase Price: £300-350 -> Can now be found for under £150 (review is based on £300-350 price tag)

First of all, I would like to thank Denon for sending me out the AH-C400’s to review. These headphones, are the first “premium” range earphones that Denon has released. After being a big fan of the bass quality and quantity of the previous models, like the C710 and the C751 and especially the price point they came at, I was vastly interested what the first ever balanced armature drivers from Denon would offer. The C400’s have a dual balanced armature design, which is worth noting about as it competes with the likes of Westone, Phonak Audéo, Ultimate Ears and so on.
The price point of these is what’s more interesting, as these earphones don’t come cheap. In fact they sit right in between the competition at £300 to £350, making these earphones come in at a very expensive price point. These can be found at AmazonUK & AmazonUSA.

Denon AH-C400 - Earphone Nozzle

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Review of the Just Audio µHA-120 – Don’t let its size fool you

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Pros: Sound quality, excellent transparency, well built, small size, battery life
Cons: Price, volume knob

Build Quality: 10/10
Design & Look: 9/10
Functionalities and ease of use: 8/10
Audio Quality: 10/10
Value: 8/10
My final Rating: 9/10

Purchase Date: September 2012
Purchase Price: £220

In September 2012, I was extremely lucky to win a raffle prize during an audio meet. When I went to pick up my prize, I had to choose between headphones I wasn’t too keen about. Then a little brown box was pointed out to me, and I wondered what was inside. I went ahead and opened it and after seeing what was inside, I immediately claimed the prize. What laid inside the box was this little amp called the Just Audio µHA-120 (JA uHA-120). At first I didn’t know what to expect, but after plugging it in with excitement, my face lit up in joy. The company behind the amp is called Just Audio, and the name of the owner of JA is called Justin, who runs everything that relates to the amp.

The JA uHA-120 can be purchased from HiFi Headphones for £220
More in-depth information of the amp can be found on Just Audio’s website, where a full description of the amp and a guide on how to change the jumper settings can be found.

Just Audio µHA-120 - Side View

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Review of the Epiphany Acoustics EHP-O2D Desktop Amp – An Outstanding Amp and DAC

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Pros: Sound quality, near perfect transparency, DAC functionalities, driving capabilities, design and look, small size, price
Cons: Power adapter, usb wire length

Build Quality: 10/10
Design & Look: 10/10
Functionalities and ease of use: 10/10
Audio Quality: 10/10
Value: 10/10
My final Rating: 10/10

Purchase Date: September 2012
Purchase Price: £190

I first of all would like to thank Oliver at Epiphany Acoustics for selling me the EHP-O2D at a reduced reviewer discount price. I purchased this Amp/DAC combo after wanting a something better than my soundcard (at the time it was a Asus Xonar D1, which has now been replaced with the Xonar DX on my new 2012 built PC) for my headphones. I did quite a lot of research whilst thinking about DAC combos and the EHP-O2D not only caught my eye due to its capabilities, but also due to the fact that it was built based upon NwAvGuy’s specifications.

The EHP-O2D can be directly purchased from Epiphany Acoustics.

EHP-O2D - Front Facing

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