Did a Heritage Hi-Fi Company Just Make the Perfect Budget-Friendly AirPod Alternatives?

Denon is a heritage Japanese audio brand that is best known today for its AV receivers and other hi-fi components. However, it’s been making high-end headphones for decades and, more recently, has also entered the wireless earbuds market.

The company introduced its first pair of wireless earbuds back in 2021 and has released several models since — including the PerL and the noise-canceling PerL Pro, both of which had a more traditional earbud design, last year.

This week, Denon revealed two new pairs of wireless earbuds, the AH-C500W and the AH-C840NCW, both of which are relatively affordable and take on the stem design of classic AirPods.

Denon AH-C500W and AH-C840NCW

Denon

Two new wireless earbuds

First things first: both of Denon’s new wireless earbuds are pretty similar. Each has a similar stem design and pack the same 12mm FreeEdge drivers that, according to the brand, deliver the same “legendary high-performance sound.”

The two models both support Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast, the latter of which is an audio-sharing feature that works over Bluetooth. (If a source device supports Auracast, it can stream audio to multiple receiving devices, like these wireless earbuds, all at the same time.)

Both earbuds have the same IPX4 water-resistance rating. And each of their cases supports wireless charging.

Denon

So, what separates them?

The main difference between the two models comes down to fit, active noise-cancellation and battery life.

The Denon AH-C500W are more entry-level of the two models. They have an “open design” similar to AirPods 4, meaning they lack silicone ear tips and more easily let outside sounds seep in. They also lack active noise cancellation and don’t have quite as great battery life — each earbud has a seven-hour battery life, but with the case, they can last “up to 24 hours.”

Denon’s AH-C840NCW are a step up. They come silicone ear tips (small, medium and large) and support active noise-cancellation and transparency modes. They have superior battery life, too, with each earbud promising 10 hours of juice (or 7 with ANC turned off), with the case adding a total of “up to 35 hours.”

Denon

Price and availability

Denon’s AH-C500W cost $99, while the noise-canceling AH-C840NCW cost $159. Each of the earbuds comes in black or white finishes are are available now in European markets.

Unfortunately, neither of Denon’s wireless earbuds has a US release date at this time. We’ll update this post when more details have been revealed.

Note: Denon’s other recent wireless earbuds, the PerL ($99) and the noise-canceling PerL Pro ($150), are available in US markets.

Denon

Denon AH-C500W

• $99 at Denon

Denon

Denon AH-C840NCW

• $159 at Denon

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