Home > Reviews

Denon AH-C351 Headphones Review - In Use

Advertisement



Published on June 02, 2008
Comment on this


The Denon AH-C351 headphones are comfortable and portable. They aren't, however, particularly easy to clean or maintain, and they don't offer much in the way of customizability. Headphones these days offer a ton of different sleeve options, but the AH-C351 only offers one type, albeit with three available sizes to choose from.



Comfort (7.00)
This score is entirely our opinion, based on an hour of wearing the headphones. As is our standard comfort section caveat, we highly recommend trying out the headphones yourself if at all possible. We wore the AH-C351s for an hour, and found them to be comfortable. We ended up taking them for a jog, using our oh-so-trendy arm holstered media player, and were quite pleased - the ear buds stayed in and the cord didn't flap around. We didn't like using the extension cord as much, just because the plug-to-jack connection made the cord bulky and just a tiny bit heavier than we're used to. That being said, it's nothing we didn't get used to by the end of our first hour.

Extended Use (7.00)
We didn't really notice much of a difference between the one-hour mark and the six-hour mark of wearing these headphones. This is impressive for in-ears, which can typically irritate your ears over periods of extended use. In this case, however, we think the comfort comes from the sleeves, which aren't particularly rigid. If this theory is correct, it might account for the lack of isolation we found in testing: a loose fit could mean a poorer seal, or thinner material, which would allow more sound in. Our crackpot theories aside, the AH-C351s can definitely be worn for extended periods of time.

Cable Connectivity (3.71)
With the extension cable, these headphones are about 52.25 inches long, or a little over 4 feet, 4 inches. This is a typical length for portable headphones, as it can typically jog from your ears to your pocket, and into your concealed media player. Of course, this length is with the extension cord; the length without it is slightly more than 2 feet. You might recognize this length as being ridiculously short for a cord. The reason for the short stretch of cable is to aid joggers who have their media players strapped to their upper arm, as is the current fashion (also, no one wants their iPod smacking them in the thigh while they run).
This guy is pretty much necessary for normal connectivity.


All the jacks and plugs are 3.5mm, or 1/8 inch. This probably won't be a problem, since we doubt you'll be plugging these in to the1/4-inch-accepting stereo in your living room.

Portability (9.25)
These headphones are very portable. First of all, they're in-ear headphones, which means they don't take up a lot of room to begin with. Second, they're super short without the extension cord, allowing the perfect amount of room to reach that iPod strapped to your upper arm. We went on a few jogs with such a configuration, and we had no issues with a flapping cord or the buds slipping out.

We're not sure why so many companies love the "fairy dust holder" pouch.


Customizability (3.50)
In terms of customizability, the AH-C351s don't have as many options as other in-ear headphones. There's only one type of sleeve (the rubbery bit that goes on the ear bud), which is a bit disappointing, but it does come in three different sizes.

The included sleeves are (from front to back): small, medium, and large.

The only other option is inherent in the extension cord. You can make these headphones a normal length, or shorten them if you prefer to wear your music on your sleeve.

Maintenance (2.00)
Just about the only way you can clean/maintain these headphones is by removing the sleeves and cleaning them via your own methods. There aren't any cleaning tools, removable nozzle guards, or parts you can easily disassemble.

Other Features (5.00)
Battery Dependency
These headphones do not require batteries, which lets them pick up some easy points.

Report an Error
Reviews   |   About   |   Advertising   |   Ethics   |   Sitemap
© Copyright 2008 HeadphoneInfo.com, all rights reserved. All trademarks and product names are property of their respective owners. HeadphoneInfo.com makes no guarantees regarding any of the advice offered on this web site or by its staff or users. All user comments and postings are not the responsibility of HeadphoneInfo.com.