[SyedZ2ez4]

 


This will haunt me tonight.

I heard the CKR9's at a recent local electronics show. I was very impressed by it, even though it was a mere 5 minutes and with some stupid promoter shouting constantly into a loud-hailer just beside where the Audio-Technica booth was situated.

I can't remember how exactly they sound anymore, but they were definitely comparable to the Havi B3 in terms of soundstage and imaging. I recall that confidently because it was the purpose of my demo in the first place.

Unfortunately, beyond this, I cannot give any proper reference to the CKR9 simply because I am not qualified to do so.

I'll definitely do comparisons between the B3 and the DGS100 pre and post burn-in.

Please tell me you atleast heard the naturalest of timbrest prease. 

 

[Francisk]

Whoever said VSD3 is better than Havi isn't doing it right.

 
+1....I actually sold my VSD3S and kept my Havi B3 Pro 1. Even my older GR07 CE blew the VSD3S away.

 

[gyx11]

Timbre was extremely good from what I recall. Havi B3 had by far the best for a really long time, but the SE846 eclipsed that. I would say the CKR9 is somewhere in the middle, but closer to the Havi B3. The SE846 is just plain too good.

 

[gyx11]

If the DGS can indeed best the Havi B3 in soundstage, I'll be super pumped. It's an extremely tall order though.

The reason why I jumped on the DGS100 was because I convinced myself that it would at the very least be a worthwhile complement to the B3. Ever since I sold my Don Scorpio Dolphins, I've been missing a true 'in-your-face presentation' pair of IEMs/cans. Hopefully the DGS will satiate that craving!

 

[Francisk]

Comparing the SE846 with the Havi is like comparing a Ferrari to a Prius 

 
I was not very impressed with the SE846 after testing it on several occasion and finally decided on the FitEar TG334

 

[ZapX629]

   
+1....I actually sold my VSD3S and kept my Havi B3 Pro 1. Even my older GR07 CE blew the VSD3S away.

Even a $100 VSonic IEM beat a $45 VSonic IEM? I'm shocked.

 

[gyx11]

Truth be told, the SE846 sounded very good OOTB, but the bass was a little awry and hindered the overall sound IMO. It took some burn in for the bass to settle nicely, and thats when the quad BAs began to shine through -- the point they turned from very good to spectacular.

 

 

[SyedZ2ez4]

  Timbre was extremely good from what I recall. Havi B3 had by far the best for a really long time, but the SE846 eclipsed that. I would say the CKR9 is somewhere in the middle, but closer to the Havi B3. The SE846 is just plain too good.

You're tossing $1000 iem in there, might as well put kaiser 10s lol I did audition the 846s twice, one briefly and the other quite lengthy. I can't argue that the 846 is ahead but only slightly for me.
This is how I'd rank them ( Naturalest of timbrest):
Havi B3: 7.5
Ckr 9: 9
Se846: 9.4
Kaiser 10: 10

 

[Francisk]

My actual point is between VSD3S and Havi B3 Pro1. The reason I purchased the VSD3S is because I read some early hyped up reviews by some that claimed that it's better than the GR07 

 

[gyx11]

 

You're tossing $1000 iem in there, might as well put kaiser 10s lol I did audition the 846s twice, one briefly and the other quite lengthy. I can't argue that the 846 is ahead but only slightly for me.
This is how I'd rank them ( Naturalest of timbrest):
Havi B3: 7
Ckr 9: 9
Se846: 9.4
Kaiser 10: 10

Shucks. Gotta grab a demo Kaiser 10 and check them out in this case. The CKR9s had no discernable weakness at all, that much was clear to me. It didn't sound too far off the SS of the SE846, and is undeniably better bang-for-buck. It's just so hard justifying $1000 for any IEM, which is why I had to rid of it ):

 

[ZapX629]

  My actual point is between VSD3S and Havi B3 Pro1. The reason I purchased the VSD3S is because I read some early hyped up reviews by some that claimed that it's better than the GR07 

Well, yeah, it's good not to get too hyped up over new things because people get new toy syndrome and don't spend enough time critically comparing different things. A lot of times something sounds great at first blush then you find sounds bad. Other times you stop listening to something and then pick it back up, finding that it's much better than you realized before. Our ears can be so damn fickle.

 

[Zelda]

on a whole new topic, has anyone here tried the panda audio amp-s before?

it's the one and only amp sold by LMUE, and it was reviewed with glowing praise by @clieos and by another UK reviewer (who much preferred it to the JDS O2)

i have one. 

 

[twister6]

  I think @gyx11 or @twister6 has demo'ed the ckr9s briefly the other day at ath booth, I do not know of his impressions of them though. But I am very interested in this comparison. 

Sorry, not me.  I have tested CKX9, not CRR9.  X9 was just OK, nothing special, similar to Beyer DX160 and Monster iSport Victory.  Strong bass, recessed mids, warm sound, ok details.
 
Still have my DGS100 going through burn in, probably a total of 20hrs now, mostly in free air with maybe 20-25min of total listening.  I don't trust brain burn in when you focus on one pair of headphones, especially late in the evening when kids go to sleep and I can sit down and relax - I always afraid my mind will play tricks on me lol!!!
 
I'm not gonna hype these up, just tell you how it is.  Between 3 hybrid IEMs I tested, AX35/Altone200/DGS100, I would choose DGS100 hands down because of it's sound signature that fits my taste.  Hisoundfi added his comment where he would choose these over DN1k as well, so that says a lot as well.  Seems that hybrids nowadays tend to be either too bright/peaky in upper mids/lower treble, or recessed/veil.  DGS100 nailed the sound with a very ear-friendly tuning.  20hr burn in is a must, and who knows, it might change further.  I never had a pair of headphones that seen such a drastic change through burn in, that's for sure!  The mid-bass hump is still there, but it settle down significantly and balanced well with sub-bass.  Hard to tell what's going on with lower mids because there is some bleed from mid-bass, but upper mids are clear and detailed.  That sharp dip around 6k area does take an edge off brightness which could be perceived as a very little step back in clarity comparing to other multi-BA driver IEMs (IM03, IM02, Doppio, UE900).  But that dip also makes upper mids sound VERY smooth and related, reminding me of W40 upper mids.  Treble is crisp and detailed, and not peaky at all.  These are truly the first hybrids I can see myself wearing/listening to for awhile without fatigue.  Soundstage is wide in both width/depth now.  Beside a port on the back of the shell, these have anther port opening facing outwards on corresponding right/left earpieces, instead of a typical pinhole at the bottom of the nozzle.  So, beside soundshaping control those also help a lot to add air to the sound.  Fitment is very comfortable wire down, and I absolutely enjoying their foam eartips, my favorite right now.
 
So in my opinion, if you have been waiting to try out a pair of hybrid IEMs and not after a bright analytical sound but rather want a unique fun sound - these get my high recommendation.  I don't want to compare them to other BA only or dynamic only because they are in a different category.  If you are on a budget and looking for a single pair of in-ear headphones to invest money into, these might not necessary be the end-game pair.  But if you are a headphone enthusiast who understands and values a sound quality and has a collection of headphones with different driver technology - these will be a worthy trophy on your shelf with a great value under $80 (once you sign in to Penonaudio).

 

[Wokei]

I would start a fundraiser on head fi for you to get a pair, but we are all broke here with a bunch of gear in our baskets already lol 

Hey..you doin me thang...gif and pic

$79.00 paid. I hate head-fi

Penonaudio loves you....weak willed...lol

 

[gyx11]

Hey..you doin me thang...gif and pic
Penonaudio loves you....weak willed...lol

It's been months since I bought a Chinese / Asian IEM, so I'm entitled to it this time! 

Let's see how long you last!