Denon Globe Cruiser AH-W200

Denon's 2012 earphone onslaught continues with the Globe Cruiser AH-W200, which sounds a lot less goofy than, say, the Urban Raver AH-C300 . The Globe Cruiser is a stereo Bluetooth pair of in-canal earphones ($179.99 list). It's a worthy competitor in the space, especially for lovers of deep bass; this is a sound signature for modern mixes where sub-bass frequencies often play a central role. There's some distortion at top volumes, which is a bummer, but the Globe Cruiser's overall performance at less intense volumes is laudable, and it comes with a nice array of accessories, so the good ultimately outweighs the bad.

Design
While the Globe Cruiser is wireless, its in-canal earpieces are connected with a single, behind-the-head cable. The earpieces themselves are rather bulky, but such is the way with wireless in-ear designs: You either get a shirt-clip compartment that houses the wireless receiver electronics, or you have them stuffed into chunky earpieces. The good news is that the metallic gray-and-black design sits comfortably in your ear, with a flexible, over-the-ear connecting piece between the actual in-canal drivers and the circuitry compartments.

The right earpiece houses controls for Play/Pause (which doubles as Power and Pairing) and Volume, as well as the microphone, the micro-USB charging connection, and the cable connection, which facilitates wired use.

The Globe Cruiser ships with a USB cable for charging and a 3.5mm audio cable for the above-mentioned audio jack. There's no actual charger included, which is standard for Bluetooth earphones, but I'm going to keep complaining about it until some company starts including them?you shouldn't have to rely on a computer (or buy a USB charger) in order to juice up your earphones.

Also included in the handsome, sturdy black leather zippered soft case: four pairs of silicon eartips (in various sizes), one pair of Comply foam eartips, an airplane jack adapter, and, so you can loop the case from your backpack, a carabiner.

One brief note about fit and audio performance: the Globe Cruiser sounds tremendously different without a secure in-ear seal. This is true of all in-canal earphones, but because of the weight of the earpieces, it's tougher to get a perfect seal, and it's essential that you experiment with all of the ear tip sizes or you risk having a dramatically reduced bass response.

The Globe Cruiser employs Bluetooth 3.0 and supports the aptX codec. Denon estimates battery life at roughly five hours per full charge.

Performance
Assuming you find the right eartips, the Globe Cruiser provides a tremendous amount of sub-bass presence. On songs with or without deep bass, the Globe Cruiser can sound thunderous. Somehow, this thunder doesn't ever really overwhelm the overall mix. This is not a pair for audiophiles, but the bass isn't so ridiculously booming that things sound horrible. In fact, if you're a fan of deep bass, the Globe Cruiser does a good job of bringing the sub-bass up in the mix without losing definition or articulation in the sub-low to mid-low range.

Unfortunately, at top volumes, deep bass tracks tend to distort. Our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout" became quite distorted and fuzzy at about 85 percent volume on an iPhone 4S with the volume of the earphones set to maximum. This is not a safe listening level, and at moderate listening levels, distortion does not occur. However, it does, on certain tracks, start to appear at loud volumes that users could conceivably listen at. Again, it's not a good idea to listen to music at levels this high, but if you do, be aware that these earphones will likely distort on tracks that have substantial low end.

The Globe Cruiser also packs a crisp, high-end punch?it helps vocals stand out against the bass-boosted mix, and it sounds great for most pop and vocal-driven music. The treble's presence makes the attack of the kick drum loop on Jay-Z & Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" hit with a serious edge, while the sub-bass synth part rumbles below. The various vocals on this track all stand out over the busy mix, and the Globe Cruiser does a good job of providing thump and high-end grit without ever losing clarity. This is a sculpted sound signature, for certain, but it sounds pretty exciting.

On classical pieces, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," the enhanced bass can be a tad too intense, with the lower register strings and percussion sounding almost as if they were amplified instruments instead of acoustic. It doesn't sound awful, but if instrumental genres are your bread and butter, the Globe Cruiser lacks the subtlety and balance that you're likely seeking. The highs sound magnificent, but the lows are just a bit too intense here.

In this price range, the Phiaton PS 20 BT offers quality audio performance with a less sculpted sound signature, but it lacks the crispness of the Globe Cruiser. However, the PS 20 BT uses a shirt-clip compartment instead in-earpiece circuitry?if that appeals to you, it's worth checking out. There's also the Phiaton PS 210 BTNC , which combines Bluetooth streaming and some passable active noise cancellation. If comfort and secure fit are your main priorities, however, you might want to consider an on-ear headphone pair rather than bulky in-ear Bluetooth earphones. The Sennheiser MM 100 is an excellent, affordable, lightweight on-ear option, and the bulkier, more expensive Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless offers serious Bluetooth power, with distortion-free, booming low-end?though the headband can get a bit uncomfortable after a while. The Globe Cruiser, however, offers exciting audio performance at moderate levels for bass lovers. The distortion shouldn't be a deal-breaker, especially if you don't listen to music with seriously deep bass and at levels that are unsafely high to begin with.

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