Hello Everyone,
I was searching for some suitable replacements EP630s because they weren't satisfying enough to listen to on my commute to work, the mid bass was bloated and there just isn't enough clarity at the higher frequencies. In Japan the subways are quite noisy and the Creatives just don't provide enough isolation for this. I borrowed my friend's Ety ER6i's and thought the trebles were quite precise but they lacked bass presence and fullness in the mids, giving a very analytical sound. Even with the shortcomings I felt they were quite satisfying to listen to. I found my Ipod 5.5GB player to be lacking impact in the lower frequencies when compared to other MP3 players and this amplified they Ety's faults. I use all my headphones at home too where they run off my Creative Audigy2 PCMCIA soundcard hooked up to my GoVibeV6. As for the type of music I listen to, I listen to a wide range of music from Pink Floyd to Tupac to Armin Van Buuren, with a total of about 40GB of MP3's.
I was at HMV at Ikebukuro, Tokyo and saw a pair of Audio Technica ATH-CK9's on sale for 9,500yen($83USD) and at half price I was thinking to myself that this must be a great deal, there were a pair of CK7s for about $45USD but opted for the CK9 instead after a brief demo with my mobile phone(only source available to me at the time no CK7's to demo). I then came home and did some research on the two models on this forum only to find out that a few people actually preferred the CK-7 to the CK-9.
After trying the CK-9 on the first day, I was very dissappointed with the sound. There was no bass presence, the mids were ok and the highs had an ample amount of sibilance without much definition at all. The noise isolation was horrible, worse than my creative EP630. They were also constantly falling out after about 5 minutes of use and it was difficult to make a good seal with them.
I then thought maybe these things need to be burned in but the general consensus here is that armature technology doesn't change thier characteristics with more use. I decided what the heck, lets burn em in anyways and ran pink noise through them at moderate volume overnight. The next morning the sound didn't change at all.
I then consulted AnGeLiCbOrIs who told me about his experience with some Shure rubbers used with his CK-9, so I picked up some to try out. I found the Shures provided a better seal which led to a little better isolation and bass response. There still was too much harshness in the highs. But the biggest problem with the Shure rubbers is that it would fall out if moving around doing some walking or excersize.
I was quite disappointed with my pair of CK9's and was on the verge of selling them until I tried some Shure yellow foamies which my friend was using with his ER6i's. It took a screwdriver and a pen until I could get them to strech far enough to make them fit. The sound changed immensely and the CK9's sounded quite dark, the bass became quite heavy and somewhat bloated. The vocals became recessed yet the rest of the mids were sounding forward
When it came to the the highs, all the sibilance was gone along with the rest of the upper frequencies, it felt as if someone put a blanket over the drivers. I failed to mention that the isolation was great with the Yellow foamies but it lacked detail. I found them uncomfortable, they were quite scratchy but never fell out even during exercise.
I then decided to pickup some Shure Olive Foamies, they looked great but it Shure was a pain to put on, I had to stretch them with some chopsticks before they would fit. After putting them on, first thing I noticed is how much the comfort and isolation had improved
Now for sound quality, what can I say they sound great!
Nice, tight, clean, and defined bass making drums sound real but not overwhelming. The mids and vocals sound sweet, sibilance is gone, leaving behind nice detailed airy highs. They sound very neutral with the Shure Olives with a strong sense of realism. The soundstage is wide, deep and enveloping, not typical of IEMs.
One way I can tell if I'm listening to a descent pair of headphones is if I start bobbing my head to the music, initially I couldn't wear the CK9's for more than 10 minutes without it annoying me but now I can't stop bobbing my head
these definitely are a keeper!
Cheers,
Donny
I was searching for some suitable replacements EP630s because they weren't satisfying enough to listen to on my commute to work, the mid bass was bloated and there just isn't enough clarity at the higher frequencies. In Japan the subways are quite noisy and the Creatives just don't provide enough isolation for this. I borrowed my friend's Ety ER6i's and thought the trebles were quite precise but they lacked bass presence and fullness in the mids, giving a very analytical sound. Even with the shortcomings I felt they were quite satisfying to listen to. I found my Ipod 5.5GB player to be lacking impact in the lower frequencies when compared to other MP3 players and this amplified they Ety's faults. I use all my headphones at home too where they run off my Creative Audigy2 PCMCIA soundcard hooked up to my GoVibeV6. As for the type of music I listen to, I listen to a wide range of music from Pink Floyd to Tupac to Armin Van Buuren, with a total of about 40GB of MP3's.
I was at HMV at Ikebukuro, Tokyo and saw a pair of Audio Technica ATH-CK9's on sale for 9,500yen($83USD) and at half price I was thinking to myself that this must be a great deal, there were a pair of CK7s for about $45USD but opted for the CK9 instead after a brief demo with my mobile phone(only source available to me at the time no CK7's to demo). I then came home and did some research on the two models on this forum only to find out that a few people actually preferred the CK-7 to the CK-9.
After trying the CK-9 on the first day, I was very dissappointed with the sound. There was no bass presence, the mids were ok and the highs had an ample amount of sibilance without much definition at all. The noise isolation was horrible, worse than my creative EP630. They were also constantly falling out after about 5 minutes of use and it was difficult to make a good seal with them.
I then thought maybe these things need to be burned in but the general consensus here is that armature technology doesn't change thier characteristics with more use. I decided what the heck, lets burn em in anyways and ran pink noise through them at moderate volume overnight. The next morning the sound didn't change at all.
I then consulted AnGeLiCbOrIs who told me about his experience with some Shure rubbers used with his CK-9, so I picked up some to try out. I found the Shures provided a better seal which led to a little better isolation and bass response. There still was too much harshness in the highs. But the biggest problem with the Shure rubbers is that it would fall out if moving around doing some walking or excersize.
I was quite disappointed with my pair of CK9's and was on the verge of selling them until I tried some Shure yellow foamies which my friend was using with his ER6i's. It took a screwdriver and a pen until I could get them to strech far enough to make them fit. The sound changed immensely and the CK9's sounded quite dark, the bass became quite heavy and somewhat bloated. The vocals became recessed yet the rest of the mids were sounding forward
I then decided to pickup some Shure Olive Foamies, they looked great but it Shure was a pain to put on, I had to stretch them with some chopsticks before they would fit. After putting them on, first thing I noticed is how much the comfort and isolation had improved
Now for sound quality, what can I say they sound great!
Nice, tight, clean, and defined bass making drums sound real but not overwhelming. The mids and vocals sound sweet, sibilance is gone, leaving behind nice detailed airy highs. They sound very neutral with the Shure Olives with a strong sense of realism. The soundstage is wide, deep and enveloping, not typical of IEMs.
One way I can tell if I'm listening to a descent pair of headphones is if I start bobbing my head to the music, initially I couldn't wear the CK9's for more than 10 minutes without it annoying me but now I can't stop bobbing my head
Cheers,
Donny
