Mysterious Focalprice IEM's = AMAZING! Impressions and comparisons inside - Page 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Negakinu 

If you want a real bang for your buck, check out the Energy Sistem E212. 

 

How do these compare to the CK-700?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ulti 

 

How do these compare to the CK-700?
 

 

No idea. Haven't bought the CK-700. Need another Chinese low budget IEM like I need another nipple. 

I just checked my order's status, shipped on 12/9 estimated arrival 12/30....................really? man.....

There was nothing wrong with them, their sound is pretty mid-tier at a very low-tier price. Of course it does have a few problems, I'm currently making an IEM review (I'm nowhere as good as Joker, ClieOS, i2ehan or anyone else for that matter but I just want to help people). Here's my review of it: I was bordering on 6/10 or 7/10 for sound but I decided that as I had to think, I should give it 6/10 which I feel is pretty fair. I've not finished with final editing or pictures yet so hopefully it is readable and informative. Just FYI, I'm sticking with integers on the scale and Sennheiser CX300s and Brainwavz Alpha are 5/10 whilst the JVC FX1X are 6/10 for SQ for comparison purposes. I would actually rate these slightly higher than the JVC FX1X, but as I said, I want to stick with integers to make it easier.

XI DUN CK-700 (Focalprice EP771W)

The XI DUN CK-700 come in surprisingly nice packaging, a display type card box with plastic windows and velcro. 3 sizes of silicone tips are included. No cable clip though unfortunately.

Build quality: 6/10

Build quality is actually very good but there are some perks which bring down the score. The metal housing feels very sturdy and tough, however the strain reliefs are made from the same metal, as we all know, metal cuts anything else pretty easily so it doesn't bode well for the cable in the long run. Although the connector is an I plug, the strain relief on it seems pretty decent. Unfortunately there have been many people with problems of the metal band on the connector sliding off but this can be easily fixed with superglue.

The cable is slightly rubbery but is very microphonic. Luckily, this can be partly solved by wearing these over the ear. The included silicone tips are quite good and only a step lower than Sony Hybrids. Unfortunately a cable slider is not present.

Fit and isolation: 5/10

The housing is a pretty similar shape and size to the Brainwavz Alpha, allowing quite decent insertion depth, leading to decent isolation. It can be worn both cable down and up with ease.  However, the nozzle is a bit longer and so the tips doesn't quite sit flush with the housing, leading to a slight gap for wind noise.

Sound: 6/10

The low end of these seem to have both a very long decay time and an enormous sub-bass hump, leading to a lot of bass rumble, giving a false impression of muddiness in the low end. However, the low end is actually quite fast and detailed and beats both the CX300 and the Alpha in this respect. Actually, the whole sound spectrum is very dynamic with good, albeit slightly unrealistic detail retrieval, hinting to me that the trebles may indeed be boosted. These are in no way bright or hot though, they border between balanced and V-shaped to my ears, edging closer to a V-shaped response. Vocals are still in the right place though and still sound full. The rest of the midrange is slightly recessed though but not by a noticeable amount.

Due to how dynamic these sound, both separation and soundstage seem to be above average at this price point but separation could be better if it weren't for the long decay time of the low end. Handles busy tracks very well although the rumble muddies the sound a little but the detail in the foreground more than makes up for it.

In short: A very fun IEM which is excellent save for the long decay time of the low end. Definitely worth their price point and at least worth a try.

Has anyone tried burning in the CK700s and 800s for several days yet? >_>

If not I may pick them up and try it myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranked 

Oh, and i think the enormous subbass decreases to a less overwhelming amount with more use.

Bass tames a lot in time. Still there's plenty left after burn-in. I can't decide if it is a good thing or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranked 

Excellent review! The only criticism I could give is that the part about the bass being muddy, yet seeming the opposite is a little confusing.

 

Can post on the frontpage if you're happy with it.

 

Oh, and i think the enormous subbass decreases to a less overwhelming amount with more use.

I've burnt mine in somewhere between 50-75 hours.
 

I'm not sure how to word it better, but basically although the bass is not muddy itself, the sub bass hump/long decay time gives the impression of muddy bass, which was my first impression until I went over several songs. On songs with not much sub bass this problem doesn't really exist.

I've edited it a bit, hopefully it's more clear now.

You're welcome to post it on the front page, I'll be editing it a bit later though.

I just received mine today. I'll let them burn for while and then write up a CK700 vs MP 8320 review.

Ok, so I got mine a lot earlier than their estimated date and had them burn in for about 25hours and to be honest, it's not great.

It's ok for $6. It's listenable. I wouldn't through it away like some other sub$10 iems but it's not something I'd keep or recommend unless someone's spending less than $10 and the monoprices don't fit. So unless you have fitment issues with the Monoprice, the 8320 is a tier or two above the CK-700 in sound quality. Give them a try.

I actually got mine yesterday (yay)!

I took a quick listen to them and wow, the sub bass presence is exactly what everyone's been saying. Powerful and authoritative. It will smack you in the face when called for but isn't what I'd call sloppy or muddy. It's actually surprisingly well controlled for something this cheap. Very impressed with these little things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomZash 

Ok, so I got mine a lot earlier than their estimated date and had them burn in for about 25hours and to be honest, it's not great.

It's ok for $6. It's listenable. I wouldn't through it away like some other sub$10 iems but it's not something I'd keep or recommend unless someone's spending less than $10 and the monoprices don't fit. So unless you have fitment issues with the Monoprice, the 8320 is a tier or two above the CK-700 in sound quality. Give them a try.

How many hours do you have with the CK-700?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGame21x 

I actually got mine yesterday (yay)!

 

I took a quick listen to them and wow, the sub bass presence is exactly what everyone's been saying. Powerful and authoritative. It will smack you in the face when called for but isn't what I'd call sloppy or muddy. It's actually surprisingly well controlled for something this cheap. Very impressed with these little things.

randomZash and TheGame21x, which color did you get?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kumaazu 

I just received mine today. I'll let them burn for while and then write up a CK700 vs MP 8320 review.

Looking forward to see your review and comparisons.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomZash 

Ok, so I got mine a lot earlier than their estimated date and had them burn in for about 25hours and to be honest, it's not great.

It's ok for $6. It's listenable. I wouldn't through it away like some other sub$10 iems but it's not something I'd keep or recommend unless someone's spending less than $10 and the monoprices don't fit. So unless you have fitment issues with the Monoprice, the 8320 is a tier or two above the CK-700 in sound quality. Give them a try.

This may be me.  I took the $9 plunge on the Monoprice, and I'm still trying to make it work.  I should probably take this $6 plunge just to see if I have a better experience.

Waiting for my next $6 windfall.... (sad, right?)  Shouldn't have had that 1am cheeseburger this morning.