After 50 hours of burn in and spending much of the day listening to it, I think I have a pretty good handle of the Ali CKR9LTD sound. The SQ is now pretty much level with my originals, but there are some minor difference in frequency balance, possibly caused by the different housing.
The originals have a slightly weighter bass, and as a result sounds a little slower than Ali's bass. Both are equally punchy and of near equal quality. Mids of both have the same exact timbre, tone and transparency, but Ali's vocals are a little fuller and more forward. As such, vocals on the Ali have a tendency to become shoutier than on the original, and sometimes a little too close for comfort (the original also suffers from this but to a lesser extent). Treble, and other aspects such as soundstage, imaging and detail are about the same and indiscernible to my ears.
So it's basically down to your sound preference. I prefer one or the other depending on what music I'm listening to. The sound are definitely of the same breed though and 99% similar. For $50 or even $100 you get a truly exceptional sound quality that's simply unimaginable in its price range.
(This will be my last post about the Alis to avoid further discussion of counterfeits and risking thread closure. If you have any questions about the Alis or more specific comparisons feel free to PM me.)
The originals have a slightly weighter bass, and as a result sounds a little slower than Ali's bass. Both are equally punchy and of near equal quality. Mids of both have the same exact timbre, tone and transparency, but Ali's vocals are a little fuller and more forward. As such, vocals on the Ali have a tendency to become shoutier than on the original, and sometimes a little too close for comfort (the original also suffers from this but to a lesser extent). Treble, and other aspects such as soundstage, imaging and detail are about the same and indiscernible to my ears.
So it's basically down to your sound preference. I prefer one or the other depending on what music I'm listening to. The sound are definitely of the same breed though and 99% similar. For $50 or even $100 you get a truly exceptional sound quality that's simply unimaginable in its price range.
(This will be my last post about the Alis to avoid further discussion of counterfeits and risking thread closure. If you have any questions about the Alis or more specific comparisons feel free to PM me.)
