These days when Apple’s iPods commands around 70-percent of the MP3 world, there’s no surprise that most new headphones and earplugs will somehow feature simple remote to support Apple’s iPods and iPhones. The new headphone that arrives outside the door last week was the new Denon AH-D310R headphone, which is a ‘mobile’ headphone for the hipsters. This new Over-Ear Headphone is the latest member of Denon’s ‘Mobile Elite’ range, and comes specifically with the intention to conquer the lower end headphone for iPods, though you can also get it to work on any MP3 players and phones with 3.5mm audio jack port. There’s also another vanilla version which shorts of the “R” suffix and doesn’t come with the iPod remote, and they’re cheaper too.

Description

The AH-D310R is an Over-Ear headphone with the famous 3 button remote for iPod. They’re also launched in conjunction with Denon’s 100 years of commitment towards passionately engineering some of the world’s most acclaimed audio components, professional wise and enthusiast wise. Priced at USD 69.99, they’re more affordable than what you might think of Denon headphones.

Remote

Let’s talk about the controller. They’re placed very near to the left can of the headphone, although the iPod’s controller is at the right plug’s cable.  If you’re familiar with the iPod’s remote controller, then you’ll feel very much at home with the Denon’s black controller. They’re also placed very near to the left can of the headphone, although the iPod’s controller is at the right plug’s cable. There’s a mic behind the remote that supports voice memo recording for selected iPods.

The controller has three buttons, with the top button having the plus sign and the bottom button having the minus sign. They provide the volume up/down adjustment. The volume up button has a strong tactile feedback to indicate that you’re increasing the volume, while the volume down button does not have any tactile feedback. Very neat trick indeed, like how paddle shifting works in some cars. The middle button, which is not marked, provides the Play, Pause, Forward, and Rewind function. Tested them on the iPod, iPhone 3GS, and even iPhone 4, and they work as mentioned.

The black cables are also very thick and sturdy, and they feel more reliable then my iPod’s earplug cable which is smaller in diameter. The cable is 1.3 meters long, which is very sufficient. Denon says they are oxygen free copper cable. Sound good to me. Denon also uses gold-plated 3.5mm mini plug.

Design

The AH-D310R can be twisted to fold flat for portability. A very nice design considering not many headphones in the same range has this feature. The cans can only be twisted to a single direction when folding, but you don’t have to worry about accidentally breaking them if you twist it to the wrong direction, as there’s a few degree of flexibility for the other direction. Also adds to the comfort when wearing the headphone as you can adjust it to your most comfortable position.

However, the twisting mechanism lock is rather small, and feels quite fragile at times. This is due to the squeaky sound that comes out every time I take off the headphone. It gives me the creep that they might break if handled with stubborn and careless paws. Luckily they’ve yet to break after playing with them for few days, so I supposed they still have some level of sturdiness.

Comfort

The AH-D310R features a contour fitted headband, but they seemed rather small, though you can adjust them nicely. Fits perfectly on my small head, but I’m not sure how well they fit on big heads, as they really are small and I mean it. Good thing is thus far there are no complaints from other friends who tried it. The levers provide nice feedback, but I prefer a leveled adjustment for easier and faster adjustment, like how my Steelseries Siberia Neckband works.

The cans have soft cushions, as well as the top of the headband. Though there’s one thing that I’m particularly worried, and that’s the material used to wrap the cushions. They feel extremely soft and thin, and I’m rather skeptical as how lasting will they be. Though, I only had it for few days so I can’t really judge how lasting they are.

The good thing is the headphone is very light, which is good for extended listening sessions. The cans are comfortable enough for few hours, as I don’t feel any heat or fatigue. I do however notice sweat along the cans’ cushions after hours of using them to watch movies, but that afternoon is also particularly hot. Sennheiser’s HD202 would be slightly more comfortable though, but it lacks the adjustable headband. But the lack of the adjustable knot makes the HD202 more solid.

Listening comprehension

The AH-D310R features Denon’s Acoustic Optimizer system, which provides equal ambient air pressure on both sides of the diaphragm for naturally balanced sound. This exclusive technology inhibits resonance differentials for the smoothest and most natural tonal balance, especially in the critical midrange. Help a lot on sound cancellation, as you can barely hear any external noise.

The frequency response of the headphone ranges from 10Hz to 22,000Hz, which is sufficient for mobile listening, despite having only 32ohms for the impedance. The headphone itself delivers loud and crisp audio to your ear, like honey to your lips. I didn’t have to crank up the volume, be it the iPod or the PC. Sound quality is exceptionally good, no surprise from Denon. I might dare say that the sound is slightly better than Sennheiser’s HD202 headphone.

I tried the headphone with a range of songs, and the equalizer is set to flat to see how the songs sounded originally on the headphone. The headphone plays splendidly on instrumental songs, like Kenny G’s “Forever in Love”. Jay Chou’s Silence, with the piano’s rhythm sounded marvelously. Gary Chou’s latest songs called “Grandfather” and “Clown” from the new album were also playing wonderfully, and very enjoyable. Everyone who tried the headphone also stated the same.

Bass from songs like Far East Movement’s “Like a G6” and Sunlounger’s “Lost” featuring Zara was also very clear. David Guetta’s songs were very up to par. Obviously you can’t expect bass that will shatter you heart like something in the clubs. I tried Alex Gaudino’s “Destination Calabria” just for fun, and the trumpets are very entertaining.

I tried K-On’s “Don’t say Lazy”, and the sound from all the drum and vocal are very clear, but I can’t say the same for the sound from the guitars. The vocalist guitar sound is acceptable, but the bass guitar feels somewhat muddy. They don’t really deliver the ohm. I tried to catch the guitar sound from Secrets in Stereo’s Happy and Fray’s Never say Never, and indeed they sounded rather ‘confusing’ when mixed with other instruments, but not to the level of very awful sound, they just don’t stand out. But you can’t expect a headphone with limited drivers to perform like a home theatre system do you?

Well, besides listening to music, there’s no harm to listen to other contents, right? I use the headphone for some movie session, and they’re very amazing. Due to the crisp bass produced, action movies like Quantum of Solace and Iron Man were very entertaining. The conversation was crystal clear, and the explosions were delivering very well. I also tried the headphones on some games, like EA’s latest Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, and the sound from the engines and sirens were lively. You don’t get crappy and flat tones like those from China branded headphones.

But what’s more amazing is using the AH-D310R for Counter Strike 1.6. Somehow I felt that it performed a lot better than my Siberia Neckband. Footsteps pinpointing is very accurate, and the sounds of rifles are more realistic then gaming headphones. This just proves that gaming headphones are over-rated. You get bullet sounds like hitting empty cans from gaming headphones, but you get real bullet sounds from the Denon.

Equipped with large diameter 42mm diaphragms, the AH-D310R feature powerful Neodymium magnets that provide extremely high efficiency for reduced power consumption, extending the battery life of your portable music player or computer. The large diameter contoured diaphragms exhibit resonance-free characteristics, all the way from the lowest lows to the highest highs.

Conclusion

This AH-D310R is one quality headphone from Denon, but for that price just to get compatibility for the iPod, I’m not sure if it’s worth it. For normal PC usage, you are better off with the vanilla version AH-D310 which doesn’t have the 3 buttons remote, unless you really need them for your iPod. I don’t have the vanilla version to try out; therefore I can only assume that they perform the same, with the only difference at the remote. But they’re Denon’s headphone nonetheless, so you can probably consider it a steal for the price of USD69.99.

Build quality wise, the headphone is up to par. It’s not that the quality is awful, but the headband and twistable hinges are so thin that they do not give any sense of security. It would be better if there’s no squeaky sound from the hinges every time I take off the headphone. It gives me the impression that a slight abusive usage and the hinge might break if you’re not careful. This problem would not have occurred if they did not include the twistable hinge to fold. The headphone cans are really solid and sturdy, which is a good thing. But at least the headphone is very comfortable to wear, which is very important.

But the most important thing is the performance. Sound quality wise, the headphone meet my expectation from Denon which always produce quality audio products. Feedbacks from friends all gave thumbs up for this headphone when I let them try out. The headphone really impresses me.

Denon’s AH-D310R Product Page

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