CCA CRA

Dubbed as the king of budget V shaped IEM, the 15SUD CCA CRA definitely has its name being mentioned constantly by people when people were mentioning about budget friendly headphones. Originally released at the start of 2022, how does it fare now since the year's coming to a close and already been flooded with a ton more of budget selections?

Foreword

1. I bought the CCA CRA pre-owned, hence no unboxing will be done for this review.
2. I will be using DACs relative to the price of the IEM to review them. This is because using high end stuff like the Questyle M15 over-exaggerates the capabilities of the CRA itself.
3. My review will be solely based on my personal impressions on the unit itself after already using it for months.

BUILD AND FIT
The build of the head units is of a plastic build, with slightly black tint to the plastic, complemented with a metal faceplate. Nothing much that I wanted to say other than it looks simple and standard, as with most resin/plastic type shelled IEMs.



The fit of the CRA, complemented by its light weight allows me to wear it for extended periods of hours without any fatigue, and does not cause and discomfort to my ear canals as well, with its standard sized nozzle


SOUND
Foobar2000 -> JCally JM20 Dongle DAC (CS43131) -> S.M.S.L. SH-6 Amplifier -> CCA CRA with Final Audio Type E eartips

Foobar2000 -> VE Avani -> S.M.S.L. SH-6 Amplifier -> CCA CRA with Final Audio Type E eartips

JM20C being the more dry and analytical dongle it does not deter the quality of the bass from the CRA, only often times making the highs and vocals sound slightly more harsh and sibilant. Hence, tested this pair on 2 dongles.



Overall CCA CRA sounds like a standard V-shaped IEM with overall good balance between bass presence and treble prominence. No signs of warmth, it sounds more neutral in terms of this

BASS
Rap, Hip-Hop and R&B would probably get the most out of this for this part

• Subbass region has good amount of presence and rumble, sometimes even bringing out those faint subbass that you never noticed before in tracks
• 808s sound clear with their own taste depending on the mix's own
• Kick drums having a combination of thumpiness and airyness, making it feel impactful but still having a sense of liveliness
• Slow bass lines sound more rounded with no hint of muddiness
• Fast bass lines where players pluck strings will have that metallic string detail accompanying it ( your preference may vary, I personally like it )
• In certain cases synth bass might sound a little too bloaty but overall not noticable in most tracks
• Suprisingly, the CRA has very very little bass bleed, having good seperation from the mids

MIDS

Vocals :
Overall, Less amount of being "recessed" than I was expecting for a V-shaped

• Male vocals
• Tyler, The Creator, Mac Miller, would have that organic raspy sound which I personally prefer a lot
• Strong sounding albeit sometimes might sound hollow
• Female vocals
• Deeper vocals such as Lana Del Ray, Adele would sound full and have more body to it
• Higher vocals such as J-pop would sometimes have some risk of feeling slightly thin, veiled, and also sibilance for the esses (but might be more mix dependent as said with previous reviews)

Instruments :
tl;dr :
everything sounds good but might sound bland due to subpar dynamics. Fast notes sound staccato, your preference may vary.

• Strings such as guitar sound true to the mix, but somehow sounds a little too simple, most likely due to lack of details accompanying notes (Polyphia Discography)
• Piano sounds soft yet powerful for simple songs with less stuff going on or instrumentals when piano is the main part of the song (FKJ - Way Out, Ylang Ylang; Joji - Glimpse of Us)
• Synths have good note definition with each note sounding staccato, maybe slight hard sounding

TREBLE/UPPER-MIDS

• Piano notes at the higher octaves sound full and accompanied with microdetails, yet does not sound harsh
• Rides and hi hats sound crisp and clear with some extension towards it
• Guitars shreds sound staccato - every note can be heard clearly
• Digital synths with very high notes sound sharp, yet does not sound sibilant
• Hi hats might have very slight metallic characteristic but not noticeable unless you try to
• Details in this part also shine, from shakers in the side, quick piano licks, and wind chime sounds
• Foleys on tracks (Joji - In Tongues ) are brought out well

TECHNICALITIES
Honestly, for the price, you are getting what you paid for. Dynamics on this pair is above average.
BUT, when tracks get too busy and since most of the stuff lives in the midrange, you can feel it start to suffer and lump everything into the same plane. But of course,
But, do not let this deter you from this pair as listening to simple songs from the realms of lofi, or from FKJ's, Tom Misch's, Masego's discography, it certainly did not had this problem and brings out every single aspect to you.

Imaging & separation on this pair for some reason is very good for its price. Despite it not being able to fully tank very busy tracks (Hoshimachi Suisei - Stellar Stellar being my standard), it still shows its capability to seperate everything to at least some degree. But again, owing back to the dynamics problem, its really hard to say since these are so interrelated.

Soundstage on this pair is suprisingly wider than certain pairs I've tried that are more expensive than this.

Detail Retrieval wise, again, taking the BL-01 out of the picture, it definitely exceeds most pairs at this price range.




FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, I am quite content with using the CCA CRA, as this thing is still one of my personal guilty pleasures to come back to, despite already constantly listening to high-end IEMs. There's just something about this pair's tuning that makes you come back for some reason.

And as for recommending this pair, if you're not listening to overly busy songs, this thing is an easy recommendation for something that's only 15USD.

Hip hop? The 808s be good.
Lofi? Yes.
Songs with piano? Please do. Thundercat? Dragonball Durag's bass never sounded more tasty


M15 Shennanigans
Overall the CRA gets pushed to be a more U-shaped IEM, improving the midrange further and boosting technicalities by a significant margin
Quick comments :

• guitar notes finally sound like they have more characteristic to it
• Detail retrieval is just abysmally amazing. Every track sounds more full yet does not feel busy or congested
• Stellar Stellar still sounds a little muddy because of the amount of things going on but the dynamics have improved significantly; at the chorus part, the midrange and uppermids are emphasized more and you can hear every element more clearly
• Soundstage has also widened (well, obviously)

Source: Magni 3+ / Modi 3+. No DSP used. No EQ used.
*Note* - With the stock cable, there is background hiss present when plugged into my PC and tablet, but not the phone or amp.

Tone: Large quantity of clean bass. Less bass bleed into the mids than expected. The mids are quite hollow and distant. They can be described as cold or lean. The treble is fine: good extension.

Tech: Staging width is pretty average. Depth is subpar. Imaging and separation is not that great. The space between the instruments is small. The detail is pretty good.

Song Tests (CRA vs ER2SE):
Kevin Penkin - Nanachi In The Dark

(0:32-1:04) The sub-bass can be felt. The rumble is present and there is a good amount of vibration. With the ER2SE, the bass could still be felt, but it isn't as strong as the CRA. The instruments in this song do not sound right.
(1:20-1:36) The instrument sounds hollow and not natural. On the ER2SE, it has good tone.
(2:00-2:15) the mechanical sound in the background doesn't sound correct. The main instrument sounds too cold. On the ER2SE, the mechanical sounds has more dynamics and the main instrument doesn't sound wrong. The staging does not go outside the head. On the ER2SE, the stage width is less but the depth is a little better.

Hiroyuki Sawano - Blumenkranz

(0:47 - 1:00): The whispers are barely audible and the bass actually interferes with the mids. On the ER2SE, the whispers are there.
(1:12 - 1:36): The vocals are cold. The instrument separation isn't good. On the ER2SE the vocals are fairly cold as well. Instruments and vocals are better separated. Not a lot of stage width on the ER2SE.
(4:00 - 4:18): Main instrument doesn't sound warm enough and it is missing the "hazy" sound.

Evan Call - Back in Business

(0:33 - 0:40): Again, the piano tones do not sound warm enough.
(0:50 - 1:05): There is a "tap-dancing beat" in the background (that also begins at the start of the song) that is barely audible. On the ER2SE, it is slightly more audible with the tones being more defined.
(1:18 - 1:21): This short, stringed part in the song doesn't sound natural. On the ER2SE, the tones of the strings are more dynamic.

Conclusion: While the detail and air is pretty exceptional at this price point (and even compared to the ER2SE), the recessed mids plus the pretty bad separation and stage depth prevents me from rating these highly. The cons are apparent in nearly every song that I listen to. The rating is 3/5 because while it does detail exceptionally well for its package: I don't gravitate towards wanting to listen to it.

CCA and KZ have one of the widest collections of IEMs in the industry. CRA from CCA has got an amazing rep in my country for both its excellent sound performance and its pocket-friendly price tag. The pair is available for a mere 14$ in the international market. I have also heard some good praise for the set from fellow audiophiles in my country. CRA packs a 10mm dynamic driver unit on each side that is said to deliver a quality performance. It is widely recommended as a pretty solid set that can be recommended to people who are looking for anything around a 25$-30$ price bracket. So, I got to check it out. I am late to the party, but I have enjoyed the pair well enough. Let’s begin without wasting any more time.

A Short Disclaimer:-

CRA here came to me as a review sample provided by HiFiGo alongside a few other purchases made by me. But that doesn’t affect my judgment on the set, all the impressions, and comments made in this blog are completely my own based on my own experience with the pair. You can check out more information about CCA CRA on the HiFiGo store from the link below.

https://hifigo.com/products/cca-cra

Design & Build Quality:-

One might expect cheap plasticky ear shells under the 20$ price tag. But considering that, the CRA has got pretty-looking ear cavities. CCA has designed it with transparent resin material ear shells that have a glossy finished metal covering half of their face cover area. The shells are lightweight and have a universal fit-like shape. The pair adopts standard 2-pin connectors like every other CCA/KZ IEM. Overall, a pretty-looking set that also fits nicely. CRA actually fits perfectly with me, the shell shape is good for me and its lightweight design works in its favor. It covers my entire ear canal and provides me with a good level of isolation from the surrounding noises as well.

The included cable is what you get with most KZ/CCA IEMs. It’s a two-core flat cable with a 3.5mm termination.

Driving the CRA:-

Super easy peasy. You don’t need any kind of special gear or audio players for the CRA. It has a fairly low impedance rating of 34Ω and a high sensitivity of 105dB. CRA can be driven straight off a smartphone without any trouble. I used it with my Redmi Note 10 Pro, HiBy RS2, and Shanling M7. Runs pretty well straight off my phone with no issues.

Sound Impressions:-

What does one expect from an IEM priced at 20$? I personally expect an IEM with a fun, bass-oriented sound signature that I can use roughly on a daily basis. Well, that’s exactly what the CRA delivers. It packs a punchy bass response. What makes the CRA stand apart from IEMs in this price range is its clean midrange presentation. Even with such a punchy lower end, the midrange sounds clean and precise. It reproduces some actually good vocals in my favorite tracks. Instruments are well-separated and the stage presentation is decently wide. I won’t call it super wide or anything like that, but it creates an immersive experience for me by captivating me with its presence.

Lower-end shows some prominence in the mid-bass region. It sounds slamming and deep-hitting in bass-heavy tracks. But it doesn’t lose its character and its tone. Sub-bass has a clean and rumbling presentation. Overall, I would say the bass response is pretty clean and well-textured. There is no muddiness or graininess introduced with such a heavy bass response.

The midrange sounds a bit recessed to me. Lower mids are pushed back while the upper mids are more expressive with the CRA. This expressive upper midrange presentation gives the set its immersive feel. The vocals sound crisp and well-textured. The midrange is complemented very well by a punchy bass response for an engaging presentation.

CRA surprises with its treble performance as well. It delivers quite an inoffensive presentation with a smooth treble frequency region. Percussions and Cymbal Crashes sound pronounced with the set, but at the same time, the CRA sounds quite smooth. It goes a little peaky at times when listening to heavy metal or rock genres with a lot of treble details.

Dynamically, CRA sounds decent with average imaging and layering presentation. Personally, I find the set good enough for regular day-to-day rough usage with a fun, engaging sound tuning but lacks a bit of dynamics.

Final Words:-

CCA CRA lives up to my expectations. It delivers quite an amazing sound with good punchy bass and a clean midrange. Treble region is also mostly inoffensive and delivers a decent amount of details for the price point. If you are looking for a set for day-to-day rough usage, CRA delivers a pretty good performance!!

Review Of The CCA CRA​

Introduction​

The CCA is a sister brand of KZ or Knowledge Zenith, a company which I believe brings commoners into this hobby. With great affordability and variety of IEMs, KZ is in actuality a medium through which people get to taste what music should sound like. My own journey started from KZ. Under CCA, I understand that KZ release a differently tuned version of their IEMs, where they retain the quality of sound. So CCA released their entry level budget IEM called CCA CRA which is about $15, let’s see if these are worth the price.

Disclaimer​

*Thanks to HiFiGo team as this unit tour has been arranged by HiFiGo, lovely people. And as mentioned in all of my reviews, same goes with this one too and that is, each and every thoughts below mentioned are my personal own thoughts and they are not fiddled with any outside influences. Interested may visit this link.
*I will be referring these IEMs to as 'CRA' for the rest of the review.
*And at last I will only be reviewing the CRA on the basis of their performance, I do not care what these are made of or packaged with when newly purchased unless it affects the sound in any sense what so ever.

Specification​

The CRA houses a 10mm Dynamic driver which adopts an ultra-thin 3.8μ diaphragm. The impedance is of 34 ohms and sensitivity of 105dB. The frequency response is from 20hz to 40kHz. Although some websites shows different data on impedance and sensitivity, so please look on different website to know more about this.

Sound​

CRA has a more U shape sound signature, but many may agree upon this IEM being V-shape sounding. The treble is extensive and exciting where as the mid range is engaging and clean. The bass region is impactful and punches hard.

Treble​

The treble is where this IEM surprised me, the treble extension is really great with good details which do not pixelate or changes the nature of vocals or the instruments. The upper mid range have enough air and space to sound open with a hint of sibilance where as the lower treble is exciting and forward in the mix, the vocals in the upper region tend to sound metallic especially female vocals but when it comes to lower treble the timbre retains and keeps them expressive. The instruments like cymbal crashes sounds hot and peaky in the upper treble region while the same instruments sound very energetic in the lower treble. The overall presentation of this region is exciting and extensive where some sibilance and hotness is felt.

Mid Range​

When it comes to the mid range, the mid range sounds very light and smooth. The upper mid range has enough presence in the mix to sound balanced and clean. The lower mid range becomes shy and recessed. The vocals in the upper mid range sounds fuller and crisp, while in the lower mid range vocals sounds muffled. Some instruments are a little pushed back where acoustic guitars sounds over shadowed most of the time but the saxophone performs satisfactorily. Yes, both in the both upper and lower mid range, the instruments sounds fine with enough presence to keep the balance right. Overall the mid range sounds smooth, relaxed and somewhat dull.

Bass​

The bass impressed me a lot, the presentation is powerful and hard hitting, while keeping everything. in control not bloating over the lower mid range. The bass emphasis is on the sub bass range though still mid bass bleeds a little over the lower mid range. The bass response is punchy with hard hitting/ on your face bass, the rumble sensation is godly and still keeps the presentation clean and intact. Here and there with heavy bass tracks, the response was quite boomy as well. But do I not love it. Especially due to the bass tuning I find the whole presentation to be attractive and fun, with good details and resolution. Overall presentation of this region is hard hitting bass with rumbling sensation on a next level.

Technical Performance​

The technical performance of the CRA is quite impressive. The stage is wider and have more space than most of the IEMs that comes under this price range. The CRA have good imaging and layering which I expected from a 15 dollar IEM. There is a good separation between sound elements

Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation​

The soundstage have adequate head-stage, where the stage is wide enough to not sound mushed or congested. The imaging and layering has a vigorous presentation where everything clear. The separation is done right where the instruments and vocals are distant and sounds spacious. I can easily pin point where the sound is coming from.

Speed & Resolution​

Coming to the resolution, these are captivating and details are expressive and rich, not what I counted on. The attack and decay of notes are precise and fast than most of DDs in this price bracket. All in all these perform way better than I anticipated.

Conclusion​

To conclude this review, I can only ask people who likes relaxed and warm sounding IEM to steer away from this. Other than this, I can easily recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, engaging IEM with good details. I loved this and I am keeping these. One of the better tuned IEMs under this price category.

Sources And Tracks Used​

Sources​

Apple iPhone XS Max
LG G8X
iPad (4th generation)
Apple Dongle Dac
Shanling UA1 Pro
iFi HIPDAC
Venture Electronics Megatron
Questyle M15
Apple Lossless
UAPP
Localy stored Flac and Wav Files

Tracks​

Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove
Boston - More Than A Feeling
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere(Remastered)
Toto - Africa
The Police - Every Breath You Take
George Benson - Affirmation
Daft Punk - Doin' It Right
Daft Punk - Derezzed
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy (End Titles)
GOJIRA - Amazonia
The Mars Volta - Inertiatic ESP
Fergie - Glamorous
50 Cent - In Da Club
Jay Z - Holy Grail
Erbes - Lies
Nitti Gritti - The Loud
Juelz - Inferno

The CCA CRA caught my attention after seeing people mentioning that it low end hits hard, plus it look like it could fit what I’m looking for. I already had ER2se’s but I wasn’t happy with the er2se bass performance. So I gave the CRA a shot.


The cable felt alright at first, they started to change it shape and bend, straightening it out doesn’t work as it returns to being bent. If that wasn’t bad enough, the cabling as well the CRA encasement didn’t seem to have any markers on it, to tell you which side was Left and right. Maybe I just couldn’t see it due to the transparent encasement for the connector.

Besides all of that the stock cable was fine for a while, I did find the pause and play button on the cord useful for my dap, the button didn't fell durable. The cable it self wasn’t good quality as it started to bend and get stuck. Unbending it would slowly see it bend back up. Over time it started to get worst, which caused me to switch to a 3rd party cable which solved that issue.

The ear tips that comes with the CCA didn’t make my ears hurt, they just didn’t sit right in my ears. The medium size pushes it self out of my ear while sitting just outside the ear hole. The smaller one stays in but t here is no seal, so nothing sound like they should. To remedy this fix I switch to spin-fit 100 ear tips which solved this issue.

I found that 4.5mm genetic foam ear tips worked well too with the CRA, but they could had done better with the stock ear tips, it would’ve been better to input spin-fits or even foam ear tips with the IEM's, instead of the bad stock ear tips.

The source of the music that I listen to came from to places, local music off my Hiby R3 micro SD and thru Spotify sent to my Hiby R3 thru air play.

The low bass really does have some impact behind it, I read that it suppose to be on the heavy side with the bass, listing to dub-step, dnb and other bass focus songs heard it. One thing that the bass doesn’t do which is bleed into the other freq, while at the same time it wasn't muddy.

To me voices doesn’t stand out, There not thin and i have no issues with hearing the main singer and the background singers. It just doesn't stick out if that makes sense. I would say they are in front of me in general, not on the stage but in front of me. With the backup singers on the sides.


When I listen to a synth-wave song called Fairy Fountain in the Legend of Synth-wave Album, I clearly heard the soft hitting of the drums and snare and the heavy hit of the bass drum. While they was being played they were separated from each other, which includes the Synths and the small part of piano that were there, as well the other instruments.

None of the songs give me the feeling of being in my head, they feel as they are outside my head with the exception of the singers and bass if they make sense.


I did play a couple of games such as destiny 2 and fallout 76 and the low bass had force behind the gunshots. I didn’t have an issue with immersion when I was playing either games.


Over all while it isn’t the normal type of sound signature I like, I still found my self enjoying the CCA CRA. Sadly I wish the stock ear tips and cabling was better. Though to be fair they was cheap so I can’t fault them for the quality of the tips and cabling.

Package

Standard KZ/CCA package with almost no acessories. Just the pair of IEMs itself, 3 pairs of eartips and the cable

Sound

Bass - Strong but clear

Subbass focused with superb texture, midbass is a bit recessed (for a V-shaped) but still have good enough weight to bass guitars and kick drums to not sound dull. Bass decay is on the faster side, so it isn't that looser

Mids - No bleeding at all

Very well articulated with not that distant or too close vocals (vocal lovers should look elsewhere), the instruments are nicely detailed and well separated

Treble - Insane extension for 15 USD

Cymbal are crispy and eletric guitars are very lively, sometimes open hi-hats can extend a little more than desired but for me it doesn't bother. Sibilance can arise in some tracks but I think this more depend on the recording itself than the IEM (old recordings specially). This level of treble performance is amazing, considering the old KZs with weird 2k and 4k peaks (hello EDX)

Is Worth It?

Absolutely, if you want a V-shaped set with deep bass and extended treble, but if you are a neutralhead or vey treble sensitive you should stay away from this set

Stock sound is meh.. can be considered "good" for the price, but this set has a lot of potential for EQ.

At this price I only have edx, which is outright bad imo, this set is so much better tonally and technically.

Slightly higher priced blon bl03 sounds a lot more mature and realistic, far better Soundstage, vocals, overall presentation. Resolution is pretty much the same if not cra is slightly ahead.

Disclaimer: I bought this product using my own money, i bought this from a online store. this review is only my subjective opinion regarding the product and is not influenced by anyone/anything.

Background: Im a beginner in this hobby, spend my time reading forums, watching reviews and reading audio related topics. (i did that for years cus im indecisive at buying gears and im broke lol)


Bass:
This is a V-shaped iem, the bass is prominent on this pair but not that muddy that overpowers the other frequency, some little mid bass bleed is there but also gives the male vocals a little more body.
the subbass is more prominent than the midbass that makes this pair good for genre that calls for it, if im gonna nitpick about the bass id like to reduce the subass a bit and have a lil bit more midbass, i noticed on some tracks specially bassline oriented ones is; the bass is prominent yes, but the bass guitar notes is not separated well due to the extended subbass, it doesnt bleed too much tho, but im still looking for some midbass details.


Mids: A little bit recessed, given that this is a V-shaped iem so mind the signature, sometimes it falls behind the bass and the treble, but thats on uncommon circumstances.
heres the good thing; the mid details on this iem is very very good, the instruments are very well separated and its clear, theres the track "bungantulog" - Zild, the pre chorus vocal harmonization is really really well separated and well layered on this pair, you can hear the many octaves of layered vocals, and the guitar strums on acoustic tracks you can hear the pick strumming the strings of the guitar even the track is a little bit busy, concidering the tuning, and price, its performing well technically speaking.


Treble: heres also the iem's selling point, though we hear differently some people day its not sibilant some people say it is, for me im somewhere in the middle, it extends yes, for me it extends well not being too much sibiliant although theres a slight hint of harshness, im a fairly high volume listener but for me not too much to make it unbearable.
and due to this extension the cymbals and crashes very sparly but as i said not overly sparkly it still retains the natural presentation.
the treble also has some details to it, but given its extended presentation it loses some details when the high frequencies are somehow busy.

Technicalities: This iem performs surprisingly well on this aspect, youll get revealing and detailed vocals and extended yet detailed treble. (the bass is a lil bit different tho, but its v-shaped ofc)

Imaging-wise: somewhat average, but for the price its really good. i use this for gaming, it does the job, and it's comfortable. (fps)

Separation: well well done not getting too chaotic jus a little bit, and the revealing nature of the mids makes the separation stand out.

Soundstage: decent, ive heard a much much worse and this is really far from that, it's a bit wide but not too much, its not too much narrow and all i can say is its decent.


Conclusion: CCA CRA, V-shaped, and is technically capable, youll get a improve V-shaped tuning, with a fantastic detail retrieval, for the price under $20, on this price bracket truly CRA stands out in the crowd.

Disclaimer:

The CCA CRA has been sent to me by Hifigo as a part of a review circle. I am not working or affiliated to Hifigo and I am not being paid or influenced otherwise to say anything positive or negative about this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Note: Please note that my opinions and ratings are based on price, category, market competition and personal expectations and are subjective in nature.

If you are interested you can purchase it from here – link.

Introduction, build quality and comfort

CCA CRA is one of the budget offering by CCA which is a sister brank of KZ. It’s a single DD IEM that has a ultra thin 10mm diaphragm with upgraded dual magnetic driver speaker. It has recessed 2 pin connection. The cable provided is a silver plated OFC cable. The shell of the IEM is transparent with reflective faceplate having the CCA logo on it. The shell is lightweight, and the fit of the IEM is quite good. It provides comfortable listening experience. For the price it is overall a good build quality.

Score for build quality and package: 8/10



Sources Used
Cayin N6ii (R01) via 4.4mm phone out
PhiDeca Dac + Sapphire amp

Sound

The bass slightly accentuated in quantity, with good amount of punch and details. The sub bass is present too with decent amount of details. The bass is clean and well controlled and doesn’t bleed into the mids. CRA has a V shaped tuning. Mids sounded pretty good and natural. The presentation is pretty clean and appropriately forward. The treble has slight peaks but helps with the sense of airiness and extension. Treble even seemed sparkly. Nevertheless, the treble sounded nice and clean without being harsh.
Soundstage is pretty average however quite decent for the price. The imaging is also decent.

Score: 8/10



Conclusion

The CRA priced at 15$ is a really good IEM, specially considering the price. It does all things right and probably that’s all should expect. Pointing out any shortcomings will be nit-picking and that is totally unjustified. If you are looking for something cheap and nice sounding, this won’t disappoint.

Overall rating: 8/10

Build: Light but strong. Nice, polished look.
Comfort: Light. Small. Great fit, they don't fall out. Seal is great.
Isolation: Vented. Isolation is very good, despite the vent.

Bass: +11 dB at sub bass (20 Hz). Gradual slope in the mid bass. Boost in the sub bass area so it doesn't impede the mids.
Midrange: Lower mids are perfection. Slightly relaxed upper mids.
Treble: +10 dB 8kHz peak. Fantastic air unheard of in many 50x more expensive sets. Too sharp in the presence region, bound with big midtreble peak gives piercing sharp sound, especially with larger volumes.
Tonality: B-

Tuning is very good in general. Boosted in the sub bass, great mids and great extension. Two peaks cause sibilance with higher volumes. Treble sounds thin and unnatural. Cymbals sound plasticky.

Detail: Very smooth sound. Controlled and precise.
Imaging: Somewhat veiled, which impedes with the imaging.
Dynamics: Wonderful dynamics. You really feel that bass. Rarity, especially with budget sets.
Technicalities: B-

Clear, detailed and dynamic. Fantastic for the price. Game changer.

Score: B-

Value: 14.57 EUR with the mic. Worth the blind.

vs Olina
------------
Two recent giants in their price category. CRA is new king of the budget v-shapes ($15), Olina is the interesting new entry in the $100 bright neutral category. They are in the very different price categories, but let see how they are compared one to another.

Tips
----
1) Narrow bore S stock tips
2) S stock tips

Build and look
--------------
1) Olina is medium size and light, very beautiful with marble plate and shine, blue aluminum shell.
2) CRA is small and very light, with nice see trough resin.

1) > 2)
Olina wins it for me. Good build and I really like the look.

Comfort
-------
1) Good. Comfortable. Has some movement which needs readjustment.
2) Perfect. Small, very light. Plug n' play.

1) < 2)
CRA wins it here, but it's not that the Olina is uncomfortable. CRA is really small, light and achieve fantastic seal. Everything you expect from IEM.

Isolation
---------
1) Very bad. 2 vents per shell. Almost open back.
2) Very good. Despite having a tiny vent on an inner side of the shell, it does a solid block of the oustide noises.

1) < 2)
CRA wins it easily. It is in fact one of the best isolation on a vented design I've heard, yet.

Tonality
--------

Bass
====
1) Gradual fall from +6dB. Perfectly tuned. Warm, punchy, boomy bass.
2) Gradual fall from +13dB. Big, fun sub bass tuning. Not impeding into mids. Impactful. controlled, but overly boosted.

1) >= 2)
Olina is better in tuning and naturalness. Somewhat lacking in control. CRA would have impressive control, but that is mitigated by overly boosted sub bass. Olina is better by less exaggerated tuning and warm timbre. However, CRA bass is not far behind.

Test tracks:
Chameleon - Trentemoller
Sadness - Enigma
They Just Haven't Seen It - San Holo

Mids
====
1) Great. A little pronounced in upper midrange.
2) Great. A little tamed in upper midrange.

1) >= 2)
Both have greatly tuned mids. Olina wins on clarity, but not by much.

Test tracks:
Crazy - Daniela Andrade
My Work - JFDR

Treble
======
1) Excellent. Nice extension. A little hot in the presence region.
2) Problematic. Nice, uniform extension. Too sharp in the presence region, bound with big mid treble peak gives piercing sharp sound, especially with larger volumes.

1) > 2)
Biggest CRA issue. Despite achieving great treble response, tuning issues make it sharp, sibilant and unnatural. Olina can get hot in treble, but never crossing into sharp, sibilant territory.

Test tracks:
Red Light Zone - Colonia

Overall
=======
1) > 2)
Olina has great tuning over all registers. CRA has exaggerated sub bass, but done in a tasteful manner. Real problem is treble which, while extended, is sibilant and unnatural.

Technicalities
--------------

Detail
======
1) Very good.
2) Good.

1) > 2)
Olina is clearer and more detailed.

Test tracks:
Dire Straits - Love Over Gold

Imaging
=======
1) Solid.
2) Very good.

1) > 2)
Olina imaging is more precise and soundstage is much bigger.

Test tracks:
Nils Frahm - An Aborted Beginning

Dynamics
========
1) Very good. Bass punch is excellent.
2) Good.

1) > 2)
Olina wins it with refinement and excellent bass punch. CRA is very good with authoritative bass hits.

Test tracks:
Dire Straits - The Man's Too Strong
Chemical Brothers - Leave Home


Overall
=======
Technicalities are clear on the Olina side, but CRA is very good in detail and dynamics.

Value
-----
1) redefines the price bracket
2) worth the blind

1) < 2)
CRA is the greatest value in HiFi currently. At it's price it managed to make so much of that good, that nothing can be compared to it. Tuning, comfort, isolation, detachable cable, optional mic. Olina is great new contender in the $100 arena, it gets most of the stuff right and very little wrong.

Overall
-------
Olina
Pros: really big soundstage, great punch n' slam, comfortable build, great looks
Cons: abysmal isolation, which makes it unusable in the noisy environments, hot upper mids. Hot upper mids would be manageable on medium volume, but with low isolation this makes them unusable outside

CRA
Pros: comfort, fit, very good isolation, fun but clean, controlled and detailed bass, excellent mids, fantastic treble extension (rarity with single DD), very good dynamics (rarity at the price point), very detailed sound (unavailable previously at the price point), easy to drive, microphone (optional)
Cons: too sharp in the presence region, big mid treble peak, piercing sharp sound, sibilant, unnatural plasticky cymbals

Olina mostly wins easily in every category, which is to be expected at almost 7x the price, but it is surprising how much CRA gets right for so little money. If they managed to control treble a little more, it would easily be an end set for many.

hype
/hʌɪp/
noun
extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion
“The CCA CRA was hyped as an IEM that outperforms significantly more expensive earphones.”

Man does it feel difficult writing this review. I am not quite sure why. Maybe I’m subconsciously scared of the blowback for trashing the community’s latest darling? Maybe I’m wondering how to word this to not read like blind hate?

Or maybe the reason is much more prosaic - I hated listening tho these so much that I don’t want to recount that experience.

Whatever the case is…
Sigh…
We gotta talk about the CRA.

The Other Things

I’m going to keep this part brief - anyone who wants to know more about the build quality, design and accessories should watch my video review of the CRA, here I’m going to focus mostly on the sound.

CCA CRA is a brand new IEM from everyone’s favourite chi-fi brand, KZ.
It uses a single Dynamic Driver enclosed in a typical KZ-style shell with no pseudo-custom elements. This universal fit, coupled with the small size, means that no one should have problems fitting it or getting a good seal, but it is not going to be supremely comfortable for anyone either. It’s an average fit.

When it comes to looks, the CRA delivers. It utilises a two-tone look achieved with a combination of resin and polished plastic, giving me strong Cyberpunk vibes. Not bad. The earphone sports a QDC connector for connecting cables, and I can’t stress how much better this system is than your standard 2-Pin plug. I really wish other companies like Moondrop or Tanchjim would adopt this connector instead of sticking with regular 2-Pin.

As for the cable that connects to these pins, it’s simple and functional - just two wires glued together until the y-split. It’s quite stiff to the touch and quite kinky unless you heat-treat it, but it gets the job done. I much prefer it to the old KZ cables. I wish I could say the same about the included tips. They seal much better than KZ’s older Starline tips, but they make my ears itch about an hour or so of use - it seems like I am the only person with this problem so far, though, so your mileage may vary.

Sound Signature



The CRA is unapologetically V-Shaped.

Compared to the Crackhead Target, which is how a good V-Shaped set should be tuned in my opinion, you can see a frankly ridiculous boost in the sub-bass - 5dB above the target, which already features a 10dB bass boost. Combine that with a huge contrast between the lower and upper midrange and very bright treble - that 5kHz peak is definitely real - and you get a parody of a V-shaped signature, something that would feel at home in a pair of Raycons.

What that means in practice is that vocals sound thin, midrange is extremely recessed, the sub-bass dominates all the other sounds, and the treble is just on the edge of being too sharp - keep in mind, that’s on the edge for me, and I am very tolerant of sharp treble, so if you are more sensitive to sharpness than me, you will find them intolerable.

If that signature sounds like fun to you, more power to you. My friend and fellow reviewer @RikudouGoku loves it, for example. But personally, I found it extremely boring - I listen to music for the melody and the instruments, not just the wub-wub of the sub-bass. Listening to my review playlist on these and A/B testing with other sets in a similar price range felt like a chore.

One of the few genres I enjoyed on these was metal. In Kingslayer by Bring Me The Horizon I couldn’t stop tapping my feet to the rhytm, and I loved the presentation of electric guitars in DiE4u by that same band. In Am I Evil? by Metallica, the electric guitar and kick-drum took priority over all the other instruments, but that is not necessarily a bad thing in a metal song.

However, not even all of metal sounds great. In Paranoid by Megadeth, the bass felt disjointed, the plucks of guitar strings were ridiculously overemphasised, the cymbals were very sharp, and the vocal, while decently forward, very thin. A terrible offender was A Place For My Head by Linkin Park, where yes, the electric guitars sounded amazing, but both the vocalists sounded distant and lifeless.

The CRA can work for pop music with female vocals, like Cyn’s Drinks or KDA’s Drum Go Dum. The lack of mid-bass makes for a "clean” presentation in these songs, but in my opinion, the same feature makes these songs lack a certain kind of musicality.

Electronic music is the last genre that works well on the CRA. Everything else is a no-go.

You would think a V-Shaped set would do well at rap, but when I tested the CRA with my favourite rap songs like No Name by NF and E-Girls Are Ruining My Life by Corpse, even though the bass was skull-shaking and the snares drove the rhytm nicely, the vocals were stupidly recessed… Which, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the vocals the main part of a rap song?

And don’t even try instrumental music. I played Harvest Dawn from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion soundtrack and I burst out laughing. This amount of bloat really reminds me of Raycons or old-school Beats.

Speaking of bloat…

Bass

It is not a secret that I prefer a neutral sound, but that does not mean I hate bass. When I reviewed KZ’s own DQ6, I raved about the bass response, despite it having a huge bass boost. I just thought this is important to mention before the following paragraph.

The bass on the CRA is not only too much, it’s also poorly executed. The sub-bass dominates the music and crowds out the mid-bass, leading to weird effects like in Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby by Cigarettes After Sex, where the bass guitar in the intro is certainly strong and hits you... But doesn't have that "warm blanket” effect that it would on most bass boosted sets. Even worse is Nirvana’s Something In The Way from their MTV Unplugged concert, where you certainly feel the cello coming in at 0:44... But you can’t hear it at all.

Tuning aside, the quality of the bass is quite good, especially for the price range. Both the bass guitar in Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby and the bass synth in E-Girls Are Ruining My Life are nicely textured. In the under-$40 price range the quality of the bass beats everything except the DQ6, which is a huge outlier in that regard itself.

Mids

If music were a soup, the bass would be the salt, the mids is the stock and vegetables, and the treble is the spices. You don’t want to have a soup with no salt or spices, you need at least some of them to make it tasty. Everyone has a different taste for how much salt and spice they prefer, but one thing is certain, you don’t want to overdo them.

Well, the CRA is like a tomato soup made from a great, flavourful stock and fresh, tasty Spanish tomatoes, that someone then added three ladles of himalayan salt to and then put in a whole jar of rotten coriander.

It makes you sick, despite most of the ingredients being great.

And the mids on the CRA really are of great quality. There’s so much detail here. When I volume matched and A/B tested the CRA versus the $110 Moondrop Starfield… Yup. The CRA retrieved MORE detail from the music.

In Something In The Way, you can hear subtle details in Kurt Cobain's strumming of the acoustic guitar. In Blowin’ In The Wind by Bob Dylan there’s so much complexity to the Harmonica's sound that you really can get lost in it. In DiE4u by Bring Me The Horizon, you can hear the electric guitar's strings being plucked at 2:59. This is is real detail, too, not just fake detai courtesy of a boosted treble response, because the Heart Mirror (an IEM known for having good technical performance for the price already) does not show it despite a very similar treble level.



I can’t stress enough how great the CRA is at retrieving details in the midrange. It is not only great for the price. It is great period, matching sets like Tanchjim’s Hana 2021, a $180 IEM known for good detail retrieval.
Which is a god damn shame, because of how recessed and veiled the entire midrange, is. One of my favourite songs recently is Civil War by Guns N’ Roses and listening to it on the CRA just makes me sad. It resolves all the instruments really well, but it all just sounds off regardless.

Treble

Let’s start with the good.

It extends well.

Okay, that’s it. Remember that rotten cilantro analogy?

A soup with too much salt would be edible, if disgusting. A soup with too much salt and a bunch of rotten cilantro, well, it will make you sick. And so does the treble here.

I have no idea who thought this kind of treble boost was a good idea, but dude should get a Darwin award along with his job termination. It truly is atrocious. I have probably the most blessed ears when it comes to treble tolerance, because I never found the aforementioned Heart Mirror, nor most cheap KZs even, particularly sharp. Even still, the CRA was toeing the line for me many times. If you have any less treble tolerance than I do, avoid at all costs.

In April Showers by Aimer, you have strings playing in the background. On most sets, I would say they are beautiful. On the CRA, they are annoying. So is the harmonica in Blowin’ In The Wind. So are the strings and cymbals in Supremacy by Muse. So are 3/4 of the songs on my playlist. Extremely annoying. When we discussed my video review on Discord with other people who bought it after the initial wave of hype, some even described it as painful.
When it comes to the technical performance in the treble, cymbals and hi-hats in songs like Teenagers by My Chemical Romance or the aforementioned Am I Evil? by Metallica are extremely detailed, but their timbre is so bad they sound like paper.

Technical Performance

This is the one part that CRA does well.

As I mentioned earlier, detail retrieval and treble extension are strong parts of this set. So is the resolution - the CRA manages to separate all the instruments in busy songs like Civil War and DiE4u, to a legitimately impressive extent. Despite all the soup talk earlier, you don't have to worry about your music blending into one. With all the “CRA is worth $300” hype talk, the detail retrieval and resolution are the only parts of this IEM that could belong in that price bracket.

Coming back to the sub-30 dollar market, though. After it separates them, it feels as if the CRA does not know where to place the instruments, because the imaging is really weird sometimes. It separates from left to right really well, but front to back placement is almost non-existent. Combine that with a weirdly claustrophobic soundstage - the sounds feel like they’re placed on the inside walls of your skull, being neither spacious, nor intimate - and you start to remember how much you paid for this set.

Some songs that show off the poor imaging particularly well are Letter by Yosi Horikawa, where the placement of objects is solid, but the presentation feels very 2D, and Villain by K/DA, where listening to the part between 2:17 and 2:45 on a good set gives you goosebumps, as if you're being seduced by a succubus. On the CRA, thanks to 2D imaging and recessed midrange, no such effect.

Comparisons

VS Blon BL03



Both the Blon and the CCA are V-Shaped sets, however the 03 does this tuning much better. First of all, the bass-boost isn’t as isolated to the sub-bass. You also have some more upper mids, as well as a treble that’s still elevated, but not as much as on the CRA.
In practice, this makes the Blon set sound much more organic, natural, musical, and over-all pleasant, not to mention you are able to turn the volume up louder without it becoming unpleasant, which means that you can take in more of the mids. Even volume-matched, though, the mids on the Blons have a much fuller body to them, rather than sounding like ghastly illusions from another plane of existence.

In Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby the bass guitar is much warmer and more full on the Blons, vocal competes with the synths for space instead of conceding it, and the percussion in the background has actual timbre.

The CRA only wins where you would expect it to win - it resolves more detail in the midrange and bass. This is especially aparent between 1:35 and 1:47 in Drinks by Cyn.

VS KZ DQ6



In the past, I’ve described the DQ6 with foam tips (graph shows a mod that sounds quite close, but not quite the same) as a better Blon BL03 with less treble. It follows within reason, then, that since the Blon destroys the CRA, so will the DQ6.

And indeed it does, throwing a few punches that the Blon would not. The DQ6 brings the midrange much more forward. It has more detail in the bass (though less in the mids and treble) than the CRA. And it has insane soundstage and imaging that the CRA could only dream of.

Conclusion

It’s hard to rate the CRA. On the one hand, I really want to commend KZ for innovating with their driver tech to get this amount of detail retrieval and resolution at such a ridiculously low price. I also want to commend them for learning from their collaboration with @crinacle and using proper dampening materials to tune their infamous peaks down.

On the other hand, they made the decision to boost the crap out of the bass and treble instead of just reusing the tuning Crin did for them on the ZEX Pro.

On the third hand (I have four, shut up), I know that I am not necessarily the target audience of this tuning as someone who does not like a ton of bass and gets most of his music enjoyment from exploring the intricacies of the midrange.

On the fourth hand (told you) the technical capabilities of this driver are BEGGING for a more refined tuning, and this IEM just sounds… Bad.

So I decided to split the difference. I could place it in E Tier, because that’s how bad the tuning is to my ears. I could place it in B Tier, because that’s where the detail retrieval belongs. And in the end, I will place it in C+ Tier. C Tier is where the good earphones belong, and this one certainly has something special that, for the right person (someone who likes big bass AND loves to EQ), makes it more than just good.

At the price it really doesn’t have an equal. Even the Blon 03 and KZ DQ6/DQ6S are twice the price of the CRA. Sure, that just means you’d have to deny yourselves three Starbucks coffees to save $15, but the point stands. So I will award it two value stars as well.

It feels wrong to rate the CRA so highly despite it being one of the most boring, most annoying and straight up worst experiences I have had listening to music lately. Thankfully, if you caught one of my last two streams, you know that I created a new, very subjective rating system, based only on how much I actually enjoyed listening to an earphone. The scale starts at -10 (absolute dumpster fire), and goes through 0 (where the REALLY good stuff sits) all the way up to 3 (absolute perfection). This scale shouldn’t really matter to you unless you have literally the same taste I have, but it matters to me. I call it the Scale of Suck. And on that scale, the CCA CRA scores a very prestigious -8.

Tier: C+
Tonality: D-
Technical Performance: B-

Value: * *

Scale of Suck: -8

The CCA CRA have been sent to me free of charge by KZ, the brand behind CCA. The only request they have made is that I publish this review including a few links that I will post on my blog. They have not made any other requests or comments, therefore, this review will be the usual combination of being as sincere as possible and avoiding any bias, however, as I always point out in these cases, the IEMs did not cost me anything to try them out and that is something you should consider when reading (or watching) my review.

To see the links, you can visit the post on my blog (here) but they did also send me a discount code that you can use on their site which I will leave here. I actually don’t know how much the discount is but the code is: DRCRA

Intro…

If you are not really into the budget IEM market, you may not know that CCA are actually a brand that is part of KZ (Knowledge Zenith) and that their products are designed and manufactured by the same people. The reason for this is something that you would need to ask KZ about but my guess is that it allows them to cover more ground and, although they compete against themselves, if you are competing against yourself, you have more chances of winning

The reason I mention this, apart from sharing the info, is because I have reviewed quite a few KZ IEMs on Acho Reviews (and tried quite a few more that I haven’t reviewed) but I have never actually reviewed, or tried, a CCA product.

It is not that I have avoided CCA for any specific reason, it’s just that models sent to me for review have, coincidently, all been KZ and the models that I have purchased (which have been more than I have been sent!) have also been KZ.

Basically this means that I was expecting KZ style with a different name, which you could say that the CRA is (to a certain extent), but what if the best KZ is actually not a KZ?



Presentation…

The presentation of the CCA CRA is very similar to the usual KZ presentation. A simple white box that shows an image of the CRA on the front with some basic information on the back.

Removing the outer sleeve reveals the IEMs in a plastic cutout at the top, with another white box below them containing a couple of sets of tips, the cable and the usual KZ style warranty card.

There really isn’t anything exciting about unboxing the CRA, with the contents being the minimum that can be expected for the price which I haven’t mentioned yet but I probably should give this review some perspective, the CRA cost less than 20€!

Therefore, for the price, I really can’t complain about the contents or packaging as I would rather something at this price have 99% of the cost dedicated to the sound of the IEMs!



Build and aesthetics…

The CRA are IEMs that use a generic shape found on a lot of models but it is a shape that is ergonomically comfortable for most people, including myself. The interior of the shell is transparent with the faceplate being silver and a small transparent window to see the insides. They are also available in black for those who prefer them.

I must say that the aesthetics of the IEMs are simple but do have some thought and effort put into them, which I can’t complain about as I find the resulting looks to be non-offensive, with nothing that really stands out but doesn’t scream “cheap” either.

The included cable is the same as the cables that have been included in all the recent KZ models, with the wires covered in a transparent silicon type material. I will say the same here as I have said in other reviews of IEMs using the same cable: it is not the best cable in the world but it is miles ahead of the older style cables that they used to include and I feel that it is more than adequate for the IEMs.



Sound…

Let me start off by sharing the first thought that came to mind when I first tried the CRA, “ Wow! These have a lot of bass! ”. If you have followed any of my other reviews (or ramblings) in the past, you will probably think that this will lead to me saying that these IEMs are not for me, as I don’t like bass. But that is not the case.

Let me just clear up the part about not liking bass first. It is not that I don’t like bass, I love bass, I’m a bass player! What I don’t like is bass that takes over the sound, making itself the center of attention. Sometimes I will be in the mood for a bass boost but in general I prefer a bass that is good while not taking over the whole sound signature. There are plenty of models out there with lots of bass that manage to keep themselves balanced at the same time, mainly because they have good bass that they control and not an exaggerated uncontrolled low end.

I have to say that the CRA are a set of IEMs with lots of bass but it is well controlled, clean, detailed and does not take the rest of the sound signature hostage. So, let’s take a look at the usual frequency ranges and my opinions of them.

Starting with the sub bass frequencies I feel is a good description as the lowest of notes on the CRA are also the most elevated. I like an increase in subbass as we get lower as this counteracts the natural hearing roll off, making things still seem balanced. The CRA have a subbass that is more than an increase, it is actually the start of a long slope that drops at the same consistency all the way to almost the center of the mids. If you look at the graph, you will see what looks like a ramp that spans from the lowest of notes (20Hz on the graph) to almost 800Hz.



Now, if I had looked at this graph before listening to the CRA, I would have immediately dismissed them as being far too bassy and probably muddy for my tastes. The thing about receiving things for review sent by others is that I (mostly) don’t get to choose what they send and this, for better or for worse, means I get to spend time with stuff that I would usually not choose. This is one of those cases, also being one of the occasions when I didn’t get what I expected (which is not always bad!).

Due to the way that the subbass and midbass (and even the lower mids) are presented, I really need to lump the subbass and midbass together as I feel they are one big part of the sound signature of these IEMs, so let’s just refer to bass in general in this review.

The bass is elevated, without doubt, being far more present than I would ever choose but at the same time, the bass is clean, articulate, controlled and… well… good. I found that these IEMs inspired me to listen to some old school Hip Hop (80s and 90s) and I found myself enjoying the sound signature of some of the better recorded stuff, such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg, etc. However, I will say that the stuff that is not well recorded, many times due to the bad quality of samples used for the instrumentals, does not translate well on the CRA. These IEMs do have a way of pinpointing issues in the bass areas, which is a good thing if you listen to well recorded music. If you are looking for something that boosts the bass on an early Eminem mixtape, then these are not the best candidate.

Listening to other styles of music, such as the acoustic based music that I usually listen to, I did find them to be a little bass heavy but not really offensive. For example, “Way Down Deep” by Jennifer Warnes, has some bass hits that can be very overpowering with bass boosted IEMs, but with the CRA it was still a pleasant listen, even with a little too much bass.

Moving over to something a little more electronic, such as “Sun is Shining” by Bob Marley & Robin Schulz, again there is far more bass than is needed but it doesn’t take over the sound and make itself the centre of attention. The bass is clean enough to let the remaining other frequencies break through without feeling that they are totally disconnected.

Obviously I couldn’t skip over my usual “sub”test on a set like this, which is “Chameleon”. There is a wall of bass with this track, as is to be expected, but it actually controls the low end on this track much better than some other sets with much less bass.

Moving on to the mids (finally!), these IEMs do have a V shaped tuning to them, with the lowest part being found around the 800Hz mark. Starting off with the transition, this is remarkably clean if we take into consideration what I would expect from the graph. However, the cleanliness of the low end again works in the CRA’s favour to not cause a sensation of muddyness or bleed. It may not be the cleanest transition ever but it is certainly not something I would complain about.

After the 800Hz mark, the presence starts to climb towards being more present in the higher mids. This is again a smooth rise and the presence around 3kHz is enough to bring voices forward a little but the highest point is around the 4kHz to 5kHz range. I feel that this helps even more with the presence when that huge low end is happening. When songs have less bass presence, I was expecting the voices to be a lot harsher and fatiguing but to be totally honest, they are not actually that bad at all. I was expecting Sara Bareilles to sound a lot harsher on her live cover of “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” but she was actually quite and enjoyable listen, even though it is not the best presentation of her vocals, it is still rather impressive for a 20€ set of IEMs with this kind of tuning.

Up in the treble there is another little peak of presence that adds a some sense of air and extension in the higher ranges. The extension of the highest ranges is not spectacular but is better than a lot of other single dynamic options, with that little peak that seems to increase the sensation. This can cause some sibilance with certain tracks and voices, for example “El Cuenta Cuentos” by Nach has quite a bit of sibilance, especially if raising the volume a little. The typical test of “Code Cool” is proof that the sibilance is just a little too much.

Soundstage is on average with the majority of IEMs in the lower price brackets. It is not terrible but does not present itself as wide and open. Inside the space the placement is actually not bad though. They seem to do a fairly good job of separating layers and placing images in a way that make it seem like there is a little more space than there actually is. “Strange Fruit” is nicely presented and it is easy to place each of the voices, as it is also easy to get a feel for the live recording by Sara Bareilles I mentioned a moment ago.

Detail is also more than acceptable for an IEM at his price range, in fact, I would say that it is acceptable for IEMs that sit in a much higher price range. Things like string slides, microphone placements, or even the noise of the room that “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” was recorded in, are all easily identified on the CRA.



Conclusion…

Ok, so we have a budget set of IEMs with a crazy amount of bass on tap and I don’t dislike them, in fact, I actually like them quite a bit. They are not a set of IEMs that I would personally use all the time (you all know my tuning preferences by now) but the time I have used them over this past week has been a very pleasurable experience and they are going to become another new reference point for me.

If the Titan S that I reviewed recently have become a reference point for me for their tuning and build at that price point, the CCA CRA are a reference point for me as to how to get a huge amount of bass into a budget IEM and avoid it taking the rest of the sound as a hostage.

Yes, there is a bit of sibilance that can irritate me but is more than tolerable, especially if avoiding sibilant tracks. The build is decent enough, the comfort is fine and the whole package is just a decent option.

If you are looking for a budget set of IEMs that has enough bass for even the biggest of bass heads but is still coherent and well presented, the CCA CRA are a great option. I am sure that these IEMs will make a lot of people happy.

As with all my reviews, this is also available in Spanish on my blog (here) and on YouTube (here)

INTRODUCTION:

CCA (Concept Clear Audio) brand based out of China is a sister brand of KZ but acts like a brother where CCA always rectifies the mistakes of KZ by implementing some mature sound and releasing it to the market. Their previous models like the CST, NRA are the ultra budget ones and gave a biggest hit in the market and to add to that list the CRA has been released and in this review let’s check out how it fares against this competition.



DISCLAIMER:

This unit has been provided to me by HiFiGo as a part of a review circle. The whole views are based on my observations with this product and based on my pairings with it hence it might differ from person to person.

If you are interested in purchasing this product then please feel free to go ahead with this unaffiliated link: Hit me!

SPECIFICATIONS:

Driver: Upgraded 3.8μ Ultra-thin Diaphragm Composite

Impedance: 34 ohm

Sensitivity: 105dB

Frequency range: 20hz-40kHz

Plug: 3.5mm

Pin: 0.75mm 2 Pin

Cable: OFC cable

DESIGN AND FIT:

The CRA is pretty usual in terms of design with some changes in the faceplate. Now the faceplate got a new look where they possess that nice robotic and modern look with half transparent design. The CAA does come with its usual QDC type connector area which is kind of proprietary but it's better than MMCX though ☺. The nozzle is angled to attain a good fit and the included eartips does provide that nice snug fit.

The given cable is now pretty much improved over the last generation where now it got more premium in hand and doesn’t tangle that much due to that outer sheath. The cable has good heft in the hands also the stock cable included here is OFC instead of SPC and that does make some changes sonically. No case is included and not even like a sackcloth but hey! See the price please!



SOUND:

The sound profile of the CRA leans over the slight V shaped sound with excellent sub bass focus and treble clarity one can find in this price range. The sound being a v shaped doesn’t mean that mid range is recessed rather they are nicely presented well forward with excellent airiness and separation in the tracks. Will dissect the audio in detail and let's see why this earphone got the term Kingslayer!

BASS:

The bass in the CRA is very good in terms of sub bass response more than the mid bass. The sub bass focus is done sweetly here. Most of the IEM’s in this price range would have that bloated mid bass region whereas this is the only exception i have seen in this price range. The mid bass is cleanly portrayed out with enough fullness and body while the sub bass takes the center stage thus giving that rumbling experience.

SUB BASS: The star show here! The reach is very good with more than enough rumble in the low end and enough to give you goosebumps every time you listen to your favourite tracks. The control is very nice where the sub bass never interferes with the mid bass region giving a clear separation over the two regions.

MID BASS: The mid bass is neatly done with minimal distortion and bloat. The mid bass quality is pretty nice. The quantity is more than adequate and that's the sweet aspect of this earphone by not providing that bloomy centered out mid bass. The fullness is very good and the body it provides is carried along by that nice mid range which we will discuss in the next section.

Overall the bass is excellent with nice sub bass focus, clean mid bass region without any sort of bloat, controlled, well textured, faster and tighter bass. Literally i can't find any major con in the bass region.

1. Boom – Tiesto& Sevenn
2. The Batman – Michael Giacchino

MID RANGE:

Mid range is pretty neatly done considering its a V shaped tuning but instead of not going in the traditional route the midrange recession is not that drastically done. Even in the graph they are not that recessed and mostly for me they appear balanced. This might appear v shaped only because of that nice and essential sub bass and treble boost.

Both the male and the female vocals are presented well with nice richness and fullness. The male vocals might sound a little bit distant due to that less lower mid range emphasis but that's not a big deal at all. The notes don't sound thinner and not very fuller too whereas they are at a very sweet spot of attaining that musical tonality.

Talking about the tonality they are beautifully portrayed out with natural richness along with that added warmth and brightness. The timbre of the instruments are very good too where the piano notes and the kick drums do have that natural strike and tone. It also possesses some good amount of air moving around the stage thus the separation in the tracks are pretty much appreciable.

The layering is good but not that impressive in terms of precise instrument placements. The upper mid range is slightly emphasised hence the female vocals do sound slightly sharper in some specific tracks but never reaches the stage of too much hotness and unbearable. Overall the midrange is pretty impressive with that natural tonality and timbre accompanied with that added brightness gives added bit of clarity and openness to the sound.

1. Easy On Me – Adele
2. Jungle – Tash Sultana

TREBLE:

The treble in the CRA is pretty good with that above average extension and detail retrieval. In the initial listen itself one can easily spot that treble extension in the top end and that minute detail retrieval that no earphone in this price range has.

First the air presence, it's humongous for the price and with that added brightness the whole presentation feels very clean, open and vivid. The extension does help in giving that energetic splash and brilliance in the top end. The shimmer it possesses is very good and has that lively and energetic sound.

The electric guitar strings and the cymbals strikes have that splash to it giving a nice presence on the stage. The cymbal crashes however has that overly bright nature hence they might sound more sharper and they don’t appear that clean. The guitar strings have that nice pluck and the strings sound very lively. The attack and decay of the percussion instruments are more likely precise.

The sibilance is kept under control and occasional harshness can be felt in some specific tracks and that's not a huge deal breaker considering the qualities it possesses. Overall I'm pretty impressed with the treble section of the CRA providing some nice energetic, lively sound with above average extension and clarity in the upper end. The brilliance and shimmer in the top end is just unique for this earphone considering the price its quoted.

1. Jack Of Speed – Steely Dan
2. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

TECHNICALITIES:

STAGING: The staging is fine and it's not the greatest aspect of the CRA. It's well rounded with adequate width and height. It's not too intimate, rather they are adequate on stage. The depth can be felt very nicely due to that nice sub bass presence. Overall the presentation feels grand and wide even though this doesn’t have the widest stage is due to that presence of brightness and air in the top end.

IMAGING, LAYERING: They are good in the CRA but definitely not the best. The staging being not that great, the imaging and layering are average too but for the price nothing to complain about. The instrument's placements are still quite precise and they can be spotted out easily but they are true until any complex tracks come to play. In those tracks they struggle a bit to cope up with those instruments which is pretty much an expected result.

The detail retrieval and track separation are above average and even one of the best in this price segment. The extension, brightness and the air it possess helped in achieving this nice technical aspect.

VERDICT:

CRA, the latest and the ultra budget offering from the house of CCA (Concept Clear Audio) just destroyed the competitors in this price range or if not even above its price range. CCA being a well matured company always provides some nice value for money earphones and it has been proved by their recent launches like the CST, NRA etc.. Personally I like the CCA tuning over the KZ since the CCA always has that mature sound.

The CRA is no exception here where the sound of this little gem is outstanding. An earphone which has that full sub bass focus with that clean shimmer, brilliance in the treble section with natural tonality delivering lively vocals and clean instrumentals under 20USD is a long term objective which was not delivered in the past times until the CRA came into existence! The technical aspects like the detail retrieval and track separation it possesses are very rare to find in this price and even above it.

They sound beautiful, look beautiful and most importantly they are priced insane! Nice alloy build, QDC connector ( 2 pin could have been even better ), great fit, much improved cable and what not! They just possess some serious value for money!

Overall the CRA is a blind buy and it's a must buy for every audiophile out there. This IEM should be in everyone's collection since this is the pair to be beaten by the competitors. A true KINGSLAYER in this ChiFi budget world!

Intro

I don’t think you need any introduction to CCA. They’re KZ’s sister brand and I believe you guys are seeing a lot of IEMs from both KZ and CCA almost every month. Yes, models after model, not sure what’s the strategy here. That aside, let’s check out how CRA sounds.

Packaging

Packaging is bare minimum as expected from the budget range, cable, eartips and IEM itself. Nothing much to shout out about and also to nitpick for its asking price.


Build/Comfort

CRA itself is made out of plastic, it is very light and I have no issue wearing it for long listening sessions. No weird edges that cause discomfort.



Source

Ibasso DX160 -> CCA CRA (Swap to 4.4’s SPC cable)
Tidal MQA -> Audirect Beam 3 Pro -> CCA CRA (Stock cable)


Sound (Based on my experience with balanced cable)

CCA CRA has a balanced tone to my ears and setup. Not too bright nor warm, very easy to listen to and like. Let me put it this way, on stock form with SE, it is good enough but the potential is not maximised, when i swap to balanced cable and it’s safe to say the difference is very audible in terms of more control on the bass and also noticeably bigger soundstage.

Bass

• Sub bass rumble is average and you are able to feel it when its called for, don’t expect it to rumble like bass head kind of IEM of course
• It’s a little thin and very evident on tracks like Post Malone’s I Fall Apart. The bass sounded quite tinny.
• Both sub bass and mid bass doesn’t attempt to overpower each other and the transition is balanced
• Bass is fast enough to not cause the bass to feel muddy/bloated
• Occasional bass bleed (Track dependent (EG - Linkin Park’s Somewhere i Belong))

MIds

• There’s a slight recess on the vocal
• Good enough details
• A little splashy to my ears
• Average mids performance

Treble

• There’s a slight graininess to my ears, and it's quite obvious
• Good amount of air and sparkly treble
• No sibilance
• However where you crank the volume up, it will get a little harsh
• The extension is average and nitpicking it is just unfair given its asking price

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is very tip dependent, it's a known fact for most of the IEMs, i’m using the stock tips and the soundstage is quite wide however lacking in depth to my ears.
• HRTF is average
• Imaging is good enough as i’m able to pinpoint the instruments, however it does suffer a little from busy track

Driveability

• Very easy to drive
• Doesn’t benefit much from amping, however source does color the sound a little
• Pretty much it will work with anything you have but it will definitely benefit from good source

Final Thoughts

Will it beat IEMs twice of its asking price? Let’s be real here, no, it will not.
Is it good for it’s asking price? Yes, it is. In my opinion, this is a good set for those who are new in this hobby and still exploring what kind of signature they are into.

It will not break a hole in their pocket for sure as it cost only $23, and that’s fair given its performance.

If you already have several other IEM at similar price points, this is just another sidegrade.

I am giving this a 4/5 based on the price performance ratio for this IEM and i think it is fair.

If you are interested in having one, head over to KZ’s site to grab a pair.
CCA CRA

*A big thanks to KZTWS for sending CRA over in exchange for my review. My opinion and thoughts remain unbiased and not influenced by KZ in any way despite receiving the unit F.O.C

Hello Everybody, this is my short impression of the hyped CCA CRA. This is my first IEM review after a long hiatus from this hobby and I'm by no means an expert nor I am the most knowledgeable in this hobby. This is just my experience with the IEM, hope it’ll be of help and informative for you guys.

So, when I heard about the release of the CCA CRA and some people saying that it’s got an extended and sparkly treble, I was very excited. Being the treblehead that I am. So I jumped the gun and ordered one from China.

My First impression was.. Okay, there’s a lot of low end on these. The bass is actually quite extended and emphasized. People are talking about the Treble, but the bass here is no slouch either. Now, for me, I’m not much of a fan of the bass, but I think I will satisfy some bassheads out there.

The bass is thick and extended. The midbass is a little boomy and unrefined for me. The detail and speed isn’t really that impressive. The sub is rumbly. When the kick drum gets a little too busy and quick, the note definition starts to get mushy and boomy. It does bleed a bit to the mids. Its V shaped so it is expected.

The Mids. Low male vocal does sound pretty lush and thick because of the bleed. Female vocal sounds forward and engaging, might be a little sharp sometimes, but not to a point where it gets bothersome. Sibilance in my experience is not that bad, some people actually experienced a lot of sibilance. Acoustic guitar sounds sparkly and has a nice body and texture to it, distortion sounds gnarly on these. Piano sounds clean and crisp. Very lively.

Treble is where this thing shines, at least for me. Well extended, clear and sparkly. May be a bit aggressive for non treble heads but coupled with the big bass I think it is still bearable for the treble sensitive, but don’t get me wrong it is not sharp and painful at all. But then again I am really into treble so take that with a grain of salt. Detail and separation are nice.

Soundstage is quite expansive, not the biggest, but certainly pretty wide. There are instances where I swear I heard sounds coming out of my room or from the adjacent terrace outside my room, but it was just the song that I was listening to. Imaging is pretty good, clear left and right, good centre image with everything in between sounding pretty discernible, not the most accurate and the clearest though.

Overall this IEM for what you pay for, is a very solid. Engaging, clear and lively especially if you like brighter sound. Not the most versatile of IEM because of the treble though, some brighter recordings might be a problem for some. But it is a fun IEM on a budget.

Thanks for reading this review. Please visit my youtube (nois.reviews) channel and Instagram for more photos and videos. Thanks Guys!

Disclaimer : The CCA CRA was provided by hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the CRA here.

Build and Fit
CRA comes with sleek metal faceplate and with the gunmetal color the overall aesthetic gives off a "futuristic" vibe. I do however have some issue with the fit. The top of the chassis has a smooth circular arc which does not sit well with my concha. When the earphone is pushed in, it does create a pressure point right at the arcing point. It is not a dealbreaker but worth mentioning. The cable does not tangle easily but it is a bit stiff.




Amp Needs
At 34 ohm, 105dB/mW, no dedicated amplifier is needed for the CRA.

Sound Quality
The CRA is catered more towards the mainstream market in my opinion. Coming to the bass, it is boosted. There is a certain divide between the midbass and the subbass. While the subbass has relatively deep extension, it has very commendable detail retrieval for its price but the impactful midbass comes across as a one note "thud" which bleeds into the midrange. This creates a rift in the bass and makes it appear disjointed : while I am hearing good detail retrieval from the bass, the impact lacks texture and detail. If you are not listening to complicated and busy passages, you will not run into any more issues with the CRA.
If you are in for a bit of casual listening then it is the same case. It has a mild sizzle in the treble region to add some energy but it will not get in your way. To the more experienced listeners, the sound will appear to be grainy and a bit splashy. There is grain throughout the sound and vocals, specially female vocals appear to be splashy as well. Although I doubt there is room for complaint at just 15 USD.
The CRA does not score strong when it comes to the technicalities but there isn't any dealbreaker either (considering the price).




Conclusion
At 15 USD, one must keep their expectations in check. The CRA is intended more for the casual listener who craves for a bass-centric sound and not for those who are looking for balance in their sound. For those looking for a more balanced sound, may I route you towards the KZ EDX (non pro).

Disclaimer: This was sent by Sir Jeff (KZ) in an exchange for an honest review. Your listening experience will always be subjective.
- Observations and Subjective review are true to my listening experience.
- No forms of monetary "over the table" were given, or discussed on the duration of my review.
Sources used:
UAPP
Redmi Note 8 pro (stock 3.5mm)
Redmi Note 8 pro + Odyssey OHD
Hidizs AP80
My take on the pair:
- Sound signature is V-shaped, leaning to bright. so-so soundstage, average imaging, clarity and separation. Decent detail retrieval.
Build Quality:
- Bad Tips, really needs change. But suggesting you use it first before changing.
- Fit of the pair is awfully discomforting to me. As much as i loved the CCA CA16 Pro's fitting, this pair does not vibe with my ears. But changing tips made the experience better.
- Usual packaging quality. Can always be improved.
Subjective opinion on most important parts:
Lows:
- Very much present, punchy. However, it lacks micro details which can be a turn-off for people who are listening to long periods of time. I personally feel that the bass energy on these pairs somehow overpowers the lower mids on busy tracks.
Mids:
- Recessed mids, Warm-sounding lower mids with inference of being bright. The magnitude of male vocals is just enough, But on the female range, it's just too colored when paired with warm sources. Sibilance is very much present on sibilant tracks, and will be showing itself when using wide bore tips. It is also shouty on wide bore tips.
Highs:
Well-extended, very much decent output. Out of all $20 below priced IEMS i've tested personally in and out, this does not disappoint. Detail retrieval is decent, and will wow anyone that has never listened to any pair of IEM(S). The sparkles emphasis on tracks can be annoying and peaky. It may vary depending on choice of music.
Comparison:
CCA CRA VS ND NSK
In a nutshell, ND NSK has better control and attack of mids over CRA. Considering they are almost similar (?) In tuning. Personally, they're competing head to head, but i strongly agree that CRA still wins by a margin over NSK.
Final thoughts:
CCA CRA is a good pair, I would say. As a target consumer of chi-fi products, easy recommendation along with zex/zex pro. There can be better alternatives on these pairs of course, but CRA begs to be seen a second time. The fitting OOTB may discourage you, but do change the tips, since CRA can change your mind. I was a bit amused by this but i'm gonna say it still needs a lot of improvements.
Purchase this at: https://shopee.ph/product/573093318/15711663407

Thanks!

• Some tracks sound really good and some really bad, highly inconsistent.
• Although not as sibilant as other kz/cca iems, they can get a bit too sibilant on some tracks.
• Thin style sound (Audio Technica-esque)

For the price they're pretty good but I would not buy if I auditioned first.

iems I own or previously owned.

Mangird Tea, CCA ca16, CCA NRA, Sony WF1000XM3, CCA CRA, CCA CSN, KZ ZSN Pro, KZ DQ6, CCA C12, KZ ZEX, KZ EDX Pro

CCA CRA: Truly Budget, Trebly Starlet

If you think of a budget IEM, what are your expectations? Cheaply build? few accessories? badly tuned? Not at all to be exact as the audio market became even more competitive that some brands make their ultra-budget range products even more compelling to the consumers who were in tight budget or starters on audio hobby. That’s the current situation on the portable audio market and CCA isn’t a stranger on that matter.



We are aware on CCA's standing on the budget segment like her well-known and super popular sister that won the hearts among the budding hi-fi audio enthusiast, Knowledge Zenith (KZ) as they both keep releasing products in monthly basis. CCA currently release their newest ultra-budget IEM, The CCA CRA.







CCA CRA is a single Dynamic Driver IEM which has a decent quality polycarbonate shell with a half metal alloy faceplate as its aesthetic choice. It is on a medium-size proportion that it really fits well on my medium-size lug holes. When it comes to isolation, it blocks at least 70% of the external noises from the outside due to its well-thought ergonomics as it fits well in my ears without any discomfort and fatigue. There are two vent holes for escaping excess air pressure coming from newer dynamic driver with dual magnetic layer tech which has very thin diaphragm and made of composite polymer for better treble response and separation of instruments and vocals. CRA uses a QDC-type connector like most CCA products which still that I have qualms in this kind of connector.



Like most entry-level and ultra-budget level products in Chi-fi brands. the packaging of CCA CRA is very plain and stale as it has only basic included accessories like the IEM shells, extra eartips of different sizes, a smooth, parallel SPC OFC cable with a L-shaped 3.5mm termination jack and an instruction manual.




These set are pretty easy to drive as they can be powered up by decent sources like smartphones and tablets. They are already loud at 40% volume level that they do perform consistently in any devices.




As for its tonality, what was its sound signature. CCA CRA has a V-shape tuning as bass and treble are noticeably elevated over the mids as it on a notch in the frequency range spectrum.



LOWS/BASS:

As a single DD IEM, I expected a very responsive and tactile bass, it delivers but there are some caveats that I will pointing it out later.

The bass has that impact, fast response and well-presented within the frequency range, its a fence-setter in between being punchy and boomy. The sub-bass is more prominent in CCA CRA as it has good depth reach that you will hear a discernible rumbling on it especially in electronic bass instruments such as drum machine machines and synthesizers in most electronic music.

Mid bass somehow a bit lacking in my hearing preference as it has that insufficient slam that I usually want to hear at least a more substantial texture especially on bass kicks and bass guitars as I want to hear a more authoritative, sustaining and weighty. CRA gives a bit dull and hollow sounding on those instruments.

I can also hear a tad of bass bleeds in some tracks despite of that less texture mid bass that is quite unusual in a physical sense.



MIDS:

As an audio enthusiast that loves a more prominent midrange on the tuning. I can surely describe the mids of this IEM is a bit recessed in my liking, they sound more on a thinner side but they still remain sounds very articulate, clean and surprisingly, they are well-detailed of its asking price for a cheap single IEM.

It give a more importance on female vocals over male vocals as it gives a more open, sweet and bright while male vocals are bit lacking on density note as it sounds more soothing and subdued.

Instruments on more a bright timbre ( some instruments produce some BA-like metallic timbre in some tracks) that it gives a crisp and cacophonous sounds on guitars, violins and pianos. Percussive like snares has a shrilly and metallic characteristics rather than a precise and penetrating that I usually prefer.

Overall, compare to some ultra-budget IEMs out there when its comes to mids quality, CCA CRA is somehow a bit an improvement over its competitors in some ways.



HIGHS/TREBLE:

This is where I’m quite impress on how it renders the treble quality, its has good extension and clarity for a single DD (probably due to that thinner diaphragm that improves the treble response even further). It is on bright side in my treble quality scale.



Upper mid/lower treble peaks are a bit prominent and have some glare on this one as sibilance and a hint of harshness are noticeable on some tracks especially on female vocals and even male vocals are also present (specifically on David Bowie and Freddie Mercury tracks). Despite of these perceived unpleasant aspects, they still remain clean and stay at the threshold that doesn’t bother to most listeners except for treble sensitives.



I really like how the cymbals strikes were presented here as they sound more natural, has that shimmer and well-extended nature while hi-hats has a defined shorted crisp tune.

In general, CCA CRA has good resolution and decent treble quality for a single DD and its given price range. As I expected its more geared on macro details performance but micro-details performs decently to be commendable.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

This is where the CCA CRA's weakest point and its overall technical aspect.

The sound field dimension are still balanced and well-proportioned. The width of a perceived stage is bit constricted and confined in my liking as they are just narrow to average size. Though, it has good depth and considerable height ceiling that makes the shortcomings on the wideness.

Imaging and separation doesn’t even perform impressively on this one as the sense of spacing on between instruments and vocals is a meagre one. As for imaging quality especially on layering aspects are not that particularly well-layered and accurate as they are on more on a vague and fuzzy cue and on some way, it just performing decently in stereo panning perception.



As for coherency performance, it performs very cohesive and precise as it was a strongest asset of most dynamic drivers IEMs that it is well less sound “out of phase” and distorts less.



As I put my conclusion on this review. It seems that the ultra-budget range is even more competitive as ever. CCA delivers a lively, fun and engaging product for a budding audio enthusiast who wants an improvement from just a mediocre sounding consumer earphones that you usually found on easily available on stores or market. Definitively, if you look on its asking price, you will certainly well-satisfied on its performance and price to ratio value as it provide a well-tuned and balanced sounding IEM.

CCA CRA is currently at very cheap and affordable price of $14/£10.



SPECIFICATIONS:

MODEL: CCA CRA

IMPEDANCE: 25Ω

SENSITIVITY: 99dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz - 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: QDC-TYPE 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNITS: One (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER



PROS:

• Cheap, a budget friendly for a novice in audio hobby.
• New, nimble dynamic driver
• Good fitting as it insert well on the ear canal
• Very versatile tuning for most genres
• Commendable treble quality
• Laudable clarity and decent resolution capability for an ultra-budget IEM.

CONS:

• Bass bleeds is present in some tracks, male vocals and bass instruments are bit jumbled up.
• Some instances on being harsh and sibilant on some tracks.
• QDC-type connector
• As usual, a mere essential contents and packaging.

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)



Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to CCA nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.



Once again, I would like to thank Jeff Yang for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on his generosity towards me and other reviewers.





If you are interested this IEM product from CCA, Just check out the link below:

https://shopee.ph/product/573093318/15711663407