Denon AH-C621R
Simple but effective earbuds
£84.99 from Denon, denon.co.uk features 6-40,000Hz, three-button remote with mic, carry case, four sets of spare ear tips
For a pair of buds to stand out in this price range, they have to balance decent features with solid
sound. These earphones are a great exercise in subtlety. They aren’t flashy, but everything has a purpose. On the left earphone cable is the mic, volume and play/ pause controls, which actually feels a bit cheap.
The cable is long enough at 1.3m and Denon has added its Radial Cascade Damper system to the cable. This means that you won’t get cable noise.
The buds can handle frequencies of between 6-40,000Hz. At this price point, that makes the C620s a very enticing in-ear buy.
Denon also provides a companion app. Load it up and you can intricately play with the EQ settings. ToBeWithoutYou by Ryan Adams was a good test of the buds’ mid range. They managed to separate the acoustic guitar from Adams’ vocals well. The more bass-laden Soothing by Laura Marling tested the lower range, and the C620 series passed admirably.
Unfortunately, where they slipped up was when we tried tracks packed with a bit more punch. Hans Zimmer’s
Supermarine is an intense track and that intensity was a little lost. Clarity was there, but it lost the earthy gravitas.
Despite that niggle, the buds are a great purchase.