There's an new AirPods 4 competitor in town: Denon's new buds boast next gen specs and a great price

News
By published

Better battery life, more tech and a familiar design

Denon earbuds in-ear
(Image credit: Denon)

The AirPods 4 seem to be constantly under fire from competitors — and Denon is the latest to launch Apple-beating buds.

The firm has just announced the AH-C500W open ear buds, and the AH-C840NCW ANC which feature silicon tips. Both buds are filled with some wicked sounding tech, and crucially come in at price points well below the AirPods options.

Buds for all tastes

First up is the open-ear alternative to the AirPods 4's cheapest model. The AH-C500W come in at a $30 lower price point of $99, and feature some big bonuses of Apple's offering.

There's up to 24 hours of battery, for one, with 7 hours out of the buds alone. That's a whole lot more than the AirPods 4's 5 hours of listening. They're also likely to sound better than Apple's effort, thanks to some next-gen Bluetooth tech.

They'll be equipped with Bluetooth LE, for "superior audio and power performance." That could mean higher-res tracks, which is pretty exciting. Let's hope the audio hardware on board can keep up.

There's no ANC with this model, but that's not something you'll spot on the AirPods 4's lower-cost model either — and they're currently on our list of the best bluetooth earbuds.

Denon AH-C500W

(Image credit: Denon)

The second model is slightly more expensive at $149, but has a more comprehensive feature set to take the fight to the ANC AirPods 4. The AH-C840NCW feature ANC, for one, which has been improved over Denon's previous models.

Battery life is exemplary here as well. There are 35 hours of total listening, with 10 hours coming from the buds. That's double the AirPods 4. There's the Bluetooth LE connection from the cheaper model as well.

I've had a great time with Denon's buds before, so I'm looking forward to seeing how these hold up. They'll be available for purchase on the April 15th from the Denon store and your audio retailer of choice.

More from Tom's Guide

See more Audio News
Tammy Rogers
Tammy Rogers
Audio Editor

Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom's Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore's resident audiophile, Tammy's reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom's Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you'll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that'll never see the light of day.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.