Where are you guys located at? Akarise and daveyostrow?

I'm in the U.S., Pennsylvania specifically.

...NY

Ahh... was looking to buy locally in Singapore...

Can someone compare cks1000 and cks99? Here cks1000 is 250 usd... cks99 is 140usd. So may be buying cks99 firat before upgrade. Hows the price and performance ratio between the two?

jung woo cho said:

Can someone compare cks1000 and cks99? Here cks1000 is 250 usd... cks99 is 140usd. So may be buying cks99 firat before upgrade. Hows the price and performance ratio between the two?

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Got them both now. The short of it is, if you never plan on, or at least for a couple years, getting headphones that cost more then $400, get the CKS1000 and be happy with them, they are definitely worth it.
But if you have any inkling that you will be getting new headphones of a higher class anytime soon, the cks99 is still high quality, but seems to sit better as a backup headphone.

Am I right in thinking that the CKS1000 has now been discontinued and replaced with the CKS90?

The CKS90 is from an older generation of the Solid Bass series. It was released in 2010, while the CKS1000 was released at the end of 2012.

Ah, thanks. Guess the AT page needs updating then.

Went down to local store to demo the cks99 and cks1000. Such a pity that I couldnt get a good seal with both. Had to hold them with my hands while I listened to it.

Honestly I didn't like both of them...... cks99 sounded somewhat thin and lacked overall body and cks1000 was too v shaped when paired with my portable source which is dx50. Also tried out Shure iems 215s and 535s and they sounded fuller and more dynamic.(this is my personal preference so dont get me wrong. ATs and Shures have their own strengths.) Ended up getting 215s lol and its funny cus I didn't at all expect it.(actually I used to hate shures for their designs)

But, I definitely heard more refinements on cks1000 than 215s and cks99, better overall tonality, texture and separation. For now will be happy with 215s

Oops same post.

is it me or what? I have cks77, cks99 and cks1000. Both 99 and 1000 sound exatly the same. But factory rejected $13 cks77 is very close in sound. Maybe my ears arent so advanced to hear beyond cks99?

So I have been listening to the ATH-CKS 500IS as my main on the go IEM, mostly in the gym.  It broke, so I got the ATH-CKS1000 on Amazon to see if it will be an improvement. I really like the 500 after a lot of burn in.  It was a great headphone for the kind of high-adrenaline music I listen to while working out.  Good bass, sparkly highs, good midrange, and is small and easy to wear.  I wear it over the ear because of the microphonics.  I like the mild V curve of the sonics, after significant burn in time, it's a lot more balanced than you would think.
 
I have about 100 hours on the CKS1000, about 50 of them on burn in tracks. I have it cooking now on some thumpy dance music now in fact.  I know that it needs at least 300 hours to really resolve into it's mature self.
 
Currently I like the sparkly highs wide soundstage and increased detail over the 500.  However the midrange is really shelved down.  And the bass clouds over the midrange on a lot of material too.  The bass does go low, but it has an overpowering mid-bass hump. I was listening to some Vivaldi today and the cello was overpowering the violins.  Female vocals sound a bit too 'chipmunky' because the mids are scooped out too much. 
 
So, how much will it change over burn in?
 
I'm starting to look at other IEMs in the $200 ish range. I am looking for a pretty balanced sound, but one that does have tight deep bass and a nice sparkly highs, and can sound decent coming out of an iPhone.  So a mild V curve night work well for me.  I actually ordered the VSonic GR07 Bass Edition tonight on Amazon. It's fulfilled from Amazon, so it would be easy to return, which I think is more important than the price right now for me. 
 
Any other ideas for me?

Try out some RHA MA750s. Looks like what your looking for.

Ds, do you hear a big mid-bass hump? I actually don't hear it (although I have in other iems). Just curious.

Edit: I suspect that tips play a large role. I'm using the h200 tips, so that is probably a factor.