[communic]

Sorry went a little awol there, will pay more attention to the forums! @netgouki and demo1. Yes these, can be worn over the ear just as easily as straight down.

As for the pics, I'm not sure if I'll be able to take any but they are somewhere inbetween the size of my roughed-up x10s and the um3x's.

I can't compare these to the ck10s as I've never listened to them but as I have stated earlier they do compare favourably to the um3x's and easily outhandle the x10's. I had a chance to A/B them more thoroughly and I'll add that these share similar qualities to the pfe's in that sonic attributes almost mirror source probably even moreso. I can jack the um3x;s into anything and they sound good, not so with the ck90pro's. That said, I still prefer these to the um3x when paired correctly as they have a much more mellow and smoother midrange with better harmonics (though less energy) as well as tad more extensive hard hitting bass and no high frequency artefacts

. 2-4khz is no longer an issue if using complys or included foamies (only bothering with olives as I was originally using). Mid to upper treble while not as far reaching as the um3x;s is more prominent by virtue of the fact it is a crisper type of treble and less blunt thus appearing more obvious. 3d spatial separation, however, is still no match for the um3x's though instrumental separation within the musical piece is slightly better.

Will be offloading my um3x's very shortly...

 

[actorlife]

I have the same question as well. Someone please answer.

I love the AT sound, so it would be great to have a comparison CK10 or the CK90PRO(horn feature seems interesting)?

 

[kojebee]

Nice views.

What replacement eartips do these CK90PROs take?

 

[communic]

They take anything with a wider bore since they are tapered. I've used T400's, stocks and generic silicon sleeves. UE sleeves fit too.

 

[kojebee]

Thanks for the reply communic.

I'll treat myself to some this coming Christmas. I oredered the RE0 earlier today. I guess there is no harm in having three pairs of IEM type phones. You can never have to many right?

 

[communic]

Lol, indeed the variety is nice. Though, I've actually been trying to trim down on my collection for a while now and I know for certain I'll have very little desire to ever listen to the x10s, pfe's or um3x's again (less-so the um3x's). Besides, I've just bought a htc hd2 so I need some cash!

 

[a_recording]

I just ordered a pair of these from accessoryjack as my first pair of balanced armature phone, and as a cheaper alternative to the CK10 (with more bass?). I'm really curious as to how these will stack up against the RE0... hopefully I'll be able to write up a comparison soon!

 

[jant71]

Look forward to the comparisons. I have owned/heard the 252, RE0, and CK10 so I could help out figuring how they might stack up vs. the CK10 with your comparisons. They are pretty interesting; it will be nice to get an idea of how they stack up.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jant71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Look forward to the comparisons. I have owned/heard the 252, RE0, and CK10 so I could help out figuring how they might stack up vs. the CK10 with your comparisons. They are pretty interesting; it will be nice to get an idea of how they stack up.

Haha yes I agree - we'd have to co-ordinate tips etc though. Sometimes telepathy would be easier wouldn't it?

I went a roundabout method to select these because I read (maybe from you) that the RE0 and the CK10 were very similar, and I wanted something different - so maybe the 90Pro would again be similar again but with even more bass thanks to the new acoustic horn.

After buying the CKS70 with its insane sub-bass chamber, I have great faith in Audio Technica's experiments!

What I can't figure out though, is where is the CK90Pro meant to sit in the AT lineup. On the one hand, the number 90 seems to put it in the same series as the CK100, just one below. Yet the design, and the PRO moniker seem to put it somewhere completely unrelated. The retail price seems to suggest it goes under the CK10 but above the CK9 - yet I don't know if its only cheaper than the CK10 because it uses less fancy materials in its construction.

So yes, a comparison to the CK10 would answer all my questions haha

 

[jant71]

I wonder that too; about their true place. The price is quite low and the Pro name doesn't mean much to AT. Like the Pro700, which is only a pretty good phone. They don't put that on their best stuff.

One thing to try out is tips. If they have a horn opening up outwards to not impeded/restrict sound waves and then put their usual small opening tips on them, that would be kind of silly. I read the tip replacement number ER-CK9 and they are the CK9 ones which aren't so great for soundstage.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jant71 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wonder that too; about their true place. The price is quite low and the Pro doesn't mean much to them. Like the Pro700, which is only a pretty good phone. One thing to try out is tips. If they have a horn opening up outwards to not impeded/restrict sound waves and then put their usual small opening tips on them, that would be kind of silly. I read the tip replacement number ER-CK9 and they are the CK9 ones which aren't so great for soundstage.

I guess I'll try the tips that came with the RE252, since they have pretty large openings. But with every phone I've tried, generally I've found that Sony hybrids have always been great for me in terms of comfort. They always seem to increase the bass response, and while they veil the treble a little, it helps me because I really can't stand sibilance. I don't like the foam mod on the RE0's for instance.

BTW, jant71, it seems there is a bit of buzz going on about the CK10's right now in the forum, with a few threads going on at once. I reread your comparison between the CK10 and the RE0, do you still feel that the RE0's are more or less exactly the same? Because there will be a lot of disappointed people out there who will have paid more twice the amount for the CK10's if that's the case

ljokerl is very positive about them though...

 

[jant71]

Sound-wise with certain tips they can sound as close as two different phones can. Tip rolling to both sound their best, the CK10 is smoother, has a larger soundstage and rolls off more slowly on the bass side of the spectrum. The CK10 has huge build, fit, isolation, size and looks advantages. The RE0 price has dropped $90 since I had the RE0 and the value factor has increased on them. The CK10 are the better phone, the RE0 are the better buy.

 

[a_recording]

Okay, an update: I just received the CK90Pro's

I intend on writing up a full review/comparison, but here are my quick initial impressions so far out of the box.

In terms of bass/mid/high balance, they actually sound like somewhat more balanced versions of ATH-CKS70's. A surprising amount of bass, but with that muffled sound lacking in upper treble. (I hear this improves with burn in - though these are dynamic armatures. Hmm..)

However, compared to the CKS70's, they are MUCH MUCH faster. Good levels of detail and speed, more like the RE0's.

Soundstage and instrument seperation is scary - whereas the CKS-70 has a wide sound stage, the CK90Pro I can actually place instruments within a space. I've never heard anything like it so far, and in that sense I would say they are better than the RE0's as well. Really, much more 3d sense of sound stage, with instruments and vocals not only left/right but also strong contrast between distance - near and far.

Considering what I wanted out of them was a mix between the CKS70 and the RE0, I think I am going to be pretty happy, especially if upper treble emerges more!

 

[dweaver]

^
hmmm, that sounds very interesting, I look forward to more impressions, especially as they burn in. So just to be clear, are these BA based or dynamic driven? Also where did you buy them from and what was their price like?

 

[a_recording]

Haha I thought you might be interested dweaver

They are dual balanced armature, and I got them from Accessoryjack for 229 USD including shipping.

Compared to the CKS-70, the bass is tighter - I can't tell for sure yet whether it is less or not. Playing with the EQ (they seem to benefit from similar kind of EQ to the 70's) they really shine, since they aren't as grainy or sibilant. They do not seem forgiving of bad recordings though, as they are a fair bit more detailed.