CCA CRA

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!

Disclaimer: I received this review unit for free from CCA/KZ themselves, thank you very much. (I also bought a unit personally at my own expense, which is why I have 2 units.)
Review is done with my mod, which is explained down below.

Price: 14 usd

Specifications:
Impedance: 34ohm

Sensitivity: 105db

Frequency: 20HZ-40kHZ


S/M/L silicone clear tips



Cable: 2 core cable, plastic divider/connectors. The plastic cover around the wire is either transparent black/clear depending on the iem color (black or silver).






(black version)




(Silver version)


Build: Entirely plastic shell with transparent clear/black depending on the version, nozzle has a lip for the tips. The stock mesh (protection and also dampener) is pretty fragile though.

Fit: fits like their older iems, with no wing and is very secure. Average size.

Comfort: Very good, does NOT have the wing that some of their newer iems got which was NOT comfortable for me.

Isolation: Average, nothing special.

Mod: Remove the stock filter, put 1 piece of “Sony General Foam” in the nozzle and put a “500 mesh” on top. (links to the material at the bottom.)

Setup: Schiit Asgard 3 (low-gain, volume around 8 o´clock), stock tips L, stock cable 3.5mm, 500 Mesh + Sony General Foam

Lows: Elevated mid and sub-bass, sub-bass focused with epic texture and clean despite the big elevation, fast and tight. Mid-bass texture is a bit worse than the sub-bass, but still very good. Extends very low, although it doesn’t rumble that much due to the quick decay, so it isn’t fully a basshead set.

Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), clean due to the speed and tightness, although a bit more quantity would be better, good texture. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is clean and hearable.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), very clean and texture is quite good, still on the tighter and faster side while the quantity is elevated.

Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), very impressive extension and it does rumble although not that much (fast decay). Punch quantity is high but clean due to the speed and tightness, good texture.

Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), Very clean and elevated bass with lots of texture, fast and tight.

Mids: Excellent female vocal tonality, clean and neutral placement with great timbre. Male vocals are also very good tonally and has good timbre but can sometime lack some warmth (clean though) and are slightly recessed. It doesn’t have forward vocals though, so it isn’t for vocal lovers but it does do them very well for V-shaped iem.

Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Excellent vocal tonality, clean and neutral placement with very good timbre. Instrument tonality is also very good, with great timbre and is clean.

Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), vocal and instrument tonality could be slightly brighter but very good timbre, clean and neutral placement (vocals).

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), vocals aren’t shouty, but treble is a bit peaky.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), none shouty vocals but treble is peaky.

Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), Very good vocal and instrument tonality, clean and very good timbre, slightly recessed vocals.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), Vocal and instrument tonality could be warmer, but clean and has good timbre.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp with very good tonality and timbre.

Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), chaotic due to the imaging and slightly peaky treble.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality could be warmer and with more texture, clean and has good timbre. Violin tonality is excellent, great treble-extension, timbre and clarity.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), very good tonality, airy and clean.

Soundstage: Very wide, impressive depth and airiness.

Tonality: V-shaped, balanced between warmth and bright, and not particularly thin nor thick note-weight, very versatile.

Details: Extremely good (punches way above its price range) macro and micro-details.

Instrument Separation: very good separation and does not struggle with busier tracks, imaging is average and nothing special (although very good for the price).

Songs that highlight the IEM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdgvEulj0LU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y1RjtBaRWk https://soundcloud.com/djfusiont/king-of-dubstep-vocal-beats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh11u95kimU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMRxHpcKjEY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INTpLH-prt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbLPbGGaOBg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLBBRuVDOo4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSzyI3u5DFo

Good genres: Great match for my library, but Trance and EDM works the best.

Bad genres: Great match for my library, but Hip-hop and R&B are the weaker genres due to the fast/tight bass.

Comparisons:

IEM: CCA CRA (STOCK), stock tips L, stock cable 3.5mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), identical bass, slightly warmer overall on the modded version.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), identical bass, slightly warmer overall and more refined treble on the modded version.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), identical bass, slightly warmer overall and more refined treble on the modded version.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Extremely similar but a bit peakier on the stock version.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), sharper and more fatiguing on the stock version.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), better tonality on the modded version due to it being slightly warmer and less peaky treble.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper on the stock version.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Identical with the Cello. Violins are a bit sharper on the stock version but otherwise identical.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), a bit peakier on the stock version.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), Identical technicalities and timbre.

Overall: The modded versions is basically refining the weak spot of the stock version while not making any big changes to it overall.



IEM: KZ DQ6 (High-Density Tuning Foam), Elecom EHP-CAP20 tips L, cable A3 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends lower on the CRA with similar rumble (although faster decay so it is cleaner on the CRA). Punch quantity is higher and more textured on the CRA as well as faster/tighter. More tonally correct on the CRA and a bit better timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar quantity but a bit more textured on the DQ6 while it is faster/tighter on the CRA. More tonally correct on the DQ6 but a bit better timbre on the CRA.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the CRA, but a bit more textured and more quantity on the DQ6.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality is a bit better, cleaner, more detailed and with better timbre on the CRA and a bit more forward. Instrument tonality is a bit better on the DQ6 but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), cleaner on the CRA and a bit brighter, more fatiguing, similar peaky treble.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal tonality is similar but cleaner, more detailed and better timbre on the CRA. Instrument tonality is better on the DQ6 but cleaner, more detailed and better timbre on the DQ6.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), similar electric guitars but a bit more fatiguing due to the brighter tonality on the CRA but better timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, texture and timbre are a bit better on the DQ6 but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA. Violin tonality, timbre, treble-extension, detail and clarity are a lot better on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality is a bit better on the CRA due to the airier, cleaner and more detailed treble as well as better timbre.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), a bit wider and deeper on the DQ6. Imaging, separation, macro-detail and timbre are better on the CRA, micro-detail is a lot better on the CRA.

Overall: The CRA is the better iem, from timbre, technicalities to most of the tonality, although the DQ6 has the bigger soundstage and does have better mid-bass.



IEM: Fiio FD5, Elecom EHP-CAP20 tips L, stock cable 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends lower and rumbles a bit more on the CRA. Punch quantity is higher and more textured on the CRA, similar tightness but a bit faster on the CRA. More tonally correct and slightly better timbre on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar texture and tightness, but a bit slower and more quantity on the FD5, cleaner and more tonally correct on the CRA5 with a bit better timbre.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the CRA due to the faster and a bit lower bass quantity, similar texture.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), a bit more forward vocals on the CRA, a bit better tonality and timbre, cleaner and similar detail. Instrument tonality is slightly better on the FD5 but cleaner and similar detail on the CRA.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), shoutier and peakier on the FD5.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality are better on the FD5, but cleaner and similar detail on the CRA. Timbre is similar.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper on the FD5, but brighter and more fatiguing on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, texture and timbre are better on the FD5 but cleaner on the CRA. Violin tonality, treble-extension, clarity and detail are better on the CRA but timbre is better on the FD5.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality is slightly better on the CRA, cleaner and airier, similar detail.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), a lot wider, deeper and more holographic on the FD5. Separation and imaging are similar, more micro-details on the CRA but similar macro-details. Timbre is similar.

Overall: CRA is tuned better and competes with the FD5 in technicalities and timbre.



IEM: Tanchjim Oxygen, Final Audio Type E tips LL, cable A6 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends and rumbles a lot more on the CRA. Punch quantity and texture are a lot higher on the CRA, but faster/tighter on the O2. More tonally correct and better timbre on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), a lot more texture and more quantity on the CRA, but faster/tighter on the O2. More tonally correct and better timbre on the CRA.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner and more detailed on the O2 due to the lower bass quantity, faster and tighter bass, less textured though.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Vocals are more forward, cleaner, more detailed, more tonally correct and better timbre on the O2. Instrument tonality is better on the CRA, but more detailed, cleaner and better timbre on the O2.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), shoutier on the O2, similarly peaky treble but more fatiguing on the O2.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), Vocal and instrument tonality are a lot better on the CRA, but cleaner, more detailed and better timbre on the O2.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper on the CRA but overall brighter and more fatiguing on the O2.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality and texture are better on the CRA but better timbre and detail on the O2. Violin tonality and treble-extension are better on the CRA but better timbre and macro-detail on the O2.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality on the CRA but cleaner and better timbre on the O2.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), a bit wider but a lot deeper on the CRA. Imaging, separation and macro-detail are better on the O2 while micro-detail is better on the CRA.

Overall: They are very different in tonality, while the O2 is more of a specialist for acoustic/vocal genres, the CRA is the more versatile one and the only genres the O2 is doing better than the CRA are the acoustic/vocal stuff. O2 does have an edge in technicalities and in timbre, but they are still quite close.



IEM: Sony MDR-EX800ST (Filterless + PEQ), Final Audio Type E tips LL, stock cable 3.5mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends lower and rumbles more on the 800ST. Punch quantity is similar but more textured on the 800ST while it is faster/tighter on the CRA. More tonally correct on the 800ST with similar timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), more quantity and more textured on the 800ST, tighter/faster and cleaner on the CRA. More tonally correct on the 800ST with similar timbre.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the CRA due to the faster/tighter and lower bass quantity.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Vocal tonality is similar but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA with a bit better timbre. Instrument tonality is a bit better on the 800ST but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA with similar timbre.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), shoutier on the 800ST and similarly peaky treble.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality are a bit better on the 800ST but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are sharper and more fatiguing on the CRA, similar timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are better on the 800ST but cleaner and similar detailed on the CRA. Violin tonality, texture and timbre are better on the 800ST but better treble-extension on the CRA and similar detail.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality on the 800ST and timbre.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), Soundstage is leagues ahead on the 800ST in both width and depth. Imaging and separation are a bit better on the CRA and more detailed as well. Timbre is similar.

Overall: The CRA is more technical and more balanced tonally than the 800ST. But I do prefer the 800ST due to its bass and stage (which are both a lot better).



IEM: GS Audio GD3A, Elecom EHP-CAP20 tips L, cable A6 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends lower and rumbles more on the CRA. More punch quantity and a lot more textured on the CRA a bit faster/tighter on the GD3A. More tonally correct and better timbre on the GD3A.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), a bit more quantity on the CRA and a lot more textured, faster/tighter on the GD3A. More tonally correct and better timbre on the CRA.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the GD3A due to the faster/tighter bass, but a lot more textured on the GD3A.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality is a bit better and cleaner on the GD3A, similar detail, vocal quantity and timbre. Instrument tonality and timbre are slightly better on the CRA but similar detail and clarity.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), vocals are shoutier on the GD3A but peakier treble on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality and timbre are better on the CRA, similar macro-detail but cleaner on the CRA.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are a bit sharper and brighter on the GD3A.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre, texture and detail are better on the CRA. Violin tonality, timbre, treble-extension and detail are better on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality, timbre and cleaner on the GD3A.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), a bit wider on the GD3A but deeper and more holographic on the CRA. Imaging and macro-detail are similar but better separation and micro-details on the CRA. Timbre is better on the CRA.

Overall: They are both aiming for the same type of tonality, but the GD3A is pretty much doing the (almost) same thing better. If you want a hybrid, with less bass texture and upper-treble the GD3A is better though, otherwise just get the CRA.



IEM: Sony XBA-N3, Final Audio Type E tips LL, cable A6 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends lower on the CRA but rumbles more on the N3. Punch quantity is higher on the CRA, more textured and faster/tighter. More accurate tonality on the N3 and timbre is slightly better as well.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), higher quantity on the N3 but more textured, cleaner, tighter and faster on the CRA. A bit better tonality on the CRA with better timbre on the N3.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the CRA due to the much lower bass quantity and faster/tighter bass, similar texture.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality, clarity and detail are better on the CRA as well as a bit more forward, while timbre is a bit better on the N3. Instrument tonality and timbre are better on the N3 but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), slightly shoutier on the N3 but peakier treble on the CRA and more fatiguing.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality and timbre are a lot better on the N3, slightly more forward as well but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are sharper on the CRA but more tonally accurate while timbre is better on the N3.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are a lot better on the N3 but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA. Violin tonality, texture, treble-extension, clarity and detail are better on the CRA but a bit better timbre on the N3.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), a bit better tonality and timbre on the N3 but better clarity and detail on the CRA.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), similar width but deeper and more holographic on the N3. Imaging and timbre are better on the N3 but better separation and detail on the CRA.

Overall: They are both quite different, the N3 is a more relaxed, warmer and mid-bassy sound than the CRA which is more energetic and sub-bassy.



IEM: LZ A7 (Pop-Black, High-Density Tuning Foams), Final Audio Type E tips LL, Cable A3 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends lower and rumbles a bit more on the CRA. Punch quantity is higher on the CRA and more textured as well as faster/tighter. More tonally correct and better timbre on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar quantity but more textured on the A7 while it is a bit faster/tighter on the CRA. More tonally correct on the A7 but a bit better timbre on the CRA.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the CRA due to the faster/tighter bass, but similar quantity with a bit more texture on the A7.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Vocal tonality, timbre and clarity are a bit better on the CRA and a bit more forward, similar detail. Instrument tonality is better on the A7 but better timbre and clarity on the CRA.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), similar non-shouty vocals but a bit peakier treble on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality is better on the A7 and a bit more forward vocals, but cleaner on the CRA.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are sharper but more tonally correct and better timbre on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, texture and timbre are a bit better on the A7 but cleaner and more detailed on the CRA. Violin tonality is somewhat similar but better treble-extension on the CRA, similar detail and clarity.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality on the A7 but a bit better timbre on the CRA with similar detail and clarity.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), wider soundstage on the A7 but a bit deeper on the CRA. Imaging and separation are better on the A7 but similar detail.

Overall: They are pretty even with technicalities, tonality wise the A7 is the warmer and more relaxing one while the CRA is more energetic.



IEM: Shuoer EJ07m, Final Audio Type E tips, Cable A6 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends a bit lower on the 07m but rumbles a bit more on the CRA. Punch quantity is higher, more textured and faster/tighter on the CRA. More tonally correct and slightly better timbre on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), similar texture but more quantity on the CRA, similar tightness but a bit faster on the CRA.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), similar speed and tightness but more quantity and texture on the CRA.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Vocal tonality, clarity and detail are better on the 07m and also more forward vocals, timbre is better on the CRA. Instrument tonality and timbre are better on the CRA while detail and clarity are better on the 07m.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit shoutier on the 07m while the treble is peakier on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality and timbre are better on the CRA. A bit more forward vocals and more detailed on the 07m.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are sharper but a bit more tonally correct and with better timbre on the CRA.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are better on the CRA but a bit cleaner and similar detail on the CRA. Violin tonality, timbre, texture, treble-extension and clarity are better on the CRA, similar macro-detail but more micro-detail on the 07m.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), better tonality and timbre on the CRA, cleaner on the 07m.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), wider on the CRA but a lot deeper and more holographic on the 07m. Macro-detail, Imaging and separation are better on the 07m while micro-details are better on the CRA. Timbre is better on the CRA.

Overall: Tonality for my library is a lot better on the CRA and timbre is also better on the CRA being a single DD, but if you want a more balanced tonality then the EJ07M is better. Technicalities are indeed better on the EJ07M but the difference is not big at all (Diminishing return).



Conclusion: If you haven’t ordered the CRA already and if I didn’t make it obvious enough, I can´t recommend this enough. Price be damned, its performing way higher than it is priced at, they probably forgot a digit or 2 when it was put on sale.

Graph:

PEQ:

Sony EX800ST (filterless):

low-shelf: 25hz, Q:0.6, gain: 4db

low-shelf: 50hz, Q: 0.7, gain: 5.5db

low-shelf: 100hz, Q: 0.7, gain: 6db

peak: 2000hz, Q: 2, gain: -2db

peak: 3987hz, Q: 2.53, gain: 6.1db

peak: 5595hz, Q: 4.28, gain: -9.4db

peak: 6117hz, Q: 1.14, gain: 1.5db

peak: 8000hz, Q: 5, gain: -2db

High-shelf: 10 000hz, Q: 0.7, gain: 4.5db

Preamp: -10db

Mod material links:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002875037663.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003707507573.html

Cable source:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...zTm4ei7HEfP8AI1zxswrMw2ho/edit#gid=1801072063

Reference/test songs:

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

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

Disclaimer:

• GKEarphones.ph/Sir Jeff Yang sent me this unit in an exchange for an honest review. Rest assured that this review will be free from any bias/es as much as possible.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 5-10 hours per day, 4 days.

Source/s used:

• Hidizs AP80
• Not-By-VE Avani Realtek Dongle
• Samsung Galaxy S3 (WM1811 DAC)
• Non-HiFi smartphone (realme 5i)
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP

IEM and setup configuration: stock tips, stock cable, any form of EQ and MSEB off, 40-60% volume.

Sound signature:

• V-shaped sound signature, leans to the brighter spectrum. Controlled lows, recessed, nearly clean mids, bright upper frequencies. Below average soundstage, average imaging, and separation. Excellent detail retrieval for its asking price point, nearly the same as the KZ ZEX Pro.

Lows:

• Lows are present and controlled. Bass is punchy rather than being boomy. Decay is on the faster side and is sufficient for most tracks. Midbass bleeds slightly into mids, adding warmth to the lower mids. Overall, the lows are slightly elevated, controlled, and will please bassheads on a tight budget.

Mids:

• The mids are presented in a recessed manner. Lower mids are warm and may sound distant at some tracks. Male vocals have decent weight. Upper mids exhibit above average clarity for its price point with enough air and sparkle, but experiences sibilance on sibilant-prone tracks. The sibilance is tolerable on my experience but will vary depending on the user’s hearing sensitivity. Overall, the mids are good enough for most people but have some compromises as anticipated in this budget range.

Highs:

• The highs are bright and well-extended with a very good sense of air. Excellent detail retrieval, this IEM is one of the best IEMs I have owned and auditioned for under 20$. Overall, the treble of the CCA CRA is one of my favorites in the budget segment. It is the best for its asking price, but can never outperform the most detailed IEMs under 100usd such as the HZSound Heart Mirror and BQEYZ KC2.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• The soundstage is below average to my liking, it sounds like everything is inside your head. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t narrow by any means, it is just a little bit smaller compared to the KZ EDX, NiceHCK DB1, and KZ EDX Pro. Separation is also average, it can handle most tracks with a fair bit of congestion on very busy tracks. Imaging is accurate enough but not precise.

Comparison/s!

VS NiceHCK DB1

• The NiceHCK DB1 sounds airier when compared to the CCA CRA. The DB1 also has a wider soundstage. Mids are also less recessed on the DB1. The sibilance on the DB1 are also non-existent. However, the CRA packs more punch in the overall sound when compared to the DB1. The CRA sounds more bodied when compared. The bass is also textured on the CRA compared to the DB1 which suffers less textured lows. Imaging and separation are nearly the same.

Pros:

• Another compelling option for an all-rounder IEM under 20USD
• Controlled, punchy bass
• Fun sounding IEM that sounds good on most tracks
• Excellent detail retrieval for its price
• Very good fit and isolation for most people (subjective)

Cons:

• There is still some sibilance on sibilant prone tracks
• Below average soundstage compared to some IEMs within the price range under 20USD
• Barebone accessories (but this is already cheap in terms of price, so manage your expectations).

Thank you for reading!

Additional Photos:

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)

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.

CCA CRA - It's Illegal!​

First of all I would like to thank my buddy Daren Lee for this unit. Been spending a few days with this CRA now, but I just don't have the time to do a full review. So perhaps I just share my quick impressions on my thoughts on this nifty piece.

Click to expand...

To my ears, out of the box the CRA is a bright sounding unit. Timbral balance being closer to neutral, but not as organic or analogue as how I normally prefer. Focusing more on crisp and cleanliness of dynamic transients. Decidedly the tuning is not the normal KZ house sound I am familiar with, the reason being the lower frequencies are not boosted like what can be heard from the likes of KZ EDX or ZEX.

So, for a start. The Treble is very crisp and pronounced. However it does lack some of the airy smoothness on the decays. Markedly rolled-off slightly if compared to the likes of HZSOUND Heart Mirror. In stock form this is very audible, so after a very brief session I swapped in my trusted Kinera Leyding that helps taming down any hint of Treble aggression and some added smoothness to the decays. Treble energy and euphony level, thankfully is not as aggressive as Heart Mirror or KZ ZEX Pro, to me this is a plus - but Trebleheads may disagree. Again it is clean as it is crisp, however ultimately I feel that it lacks organic touch that takes away the feel of realism. In this regard I consider KZ ZEX (non Pro) treble to be more organic and smoother (after cable and tips swap). What bothers me as well, slightly, is that CRA does not jive well with Lo-Fi or aggressive music. So I would not use CRA for anything Metal/Rock/Indie, something that has lots of cymbal splashes and treble peaks. Keep it to Pop/Jazz/Classical/Folk music and it's all good.

As for the Bass. The presentation draws comparison to my beloved Etymotic ER2XR. It is fast, neat, and moderately pronounced. Definitely no hint of Bass bleeding into anything. However, unlike ER2XR, CRA lacks Bass micro details and textures, while being clean it can also sounded flatter on some tracks. But this is nitpicking from me. Perhaps if I am being critical, the Sub Bass suffered a bit from quick and prompt decays that at times barely audible, giving the impression of being rolled-off. Otherwise the overall performance of Bass is quite commendable for something this cheap. I have heard more expensive IEMs that performs worse.

Mids, it is wholesome as it is moderated sensibly. Not as recessed as how it is heard from the normal KZ/CCA tuning. Instruments and vocals exhibited great density and imaging. Not exactly warm nor does it sounded flat - natural I would say. Depending on the source, plugging CRA to something like Ovidius B1, CEntrance DACport HD, Cayin RU6, Lotoo PAW S2, Avani and iFi ZEN Stack will help to present the Mids with richer textures, but not so much with ESS based DACs. Ultimately, I can't really find any glaring cons on Mids for me to bitch about, regardless of price point.

Technically CRA is actually quite impressive. The soundstage is natively wide and spacious. There's good sense of space with proper breadth and cleanly defined spatial imaging. It is holographic enough to instill dimensional sensation.
Speed and resolution are quite commendable too, being single DD makes it easy for CRA to attain dynamics coherence and resolve even busy tracks. Details retrieval being quite good for Macro, but slightly off for Micro.

Efficiency is another great element for CRA. It already sounded amazing paired with 1 Vrms Avani. Scaled up higher with DACport HD at 4.1 Vrms and the only improvement I heard, headroom gets larger with more space allocated between the notes. Same case scenario of 15.1 Vrms of iFi ZEN Stack. Otherwise the overall presentation is consistent.

For a $12 IEM, CCA CRA is illegally good. This thing totally smashes the competition within the price bracket of up to $30. However I must admit that my current personal preference has evolved more towards "less euphonic" sound, of which I still prefer the more organic sound of ZEX (non Pro) over this CRA. But for those liking something clean, crisp and mildly bright, CRA is a no brainer.

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.

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!!

Quick Introduction​

No, CCA/KZ didn't send this unit to me. I bought it by myself with my own personal money, although I would love to receive a review unit from them Anyway, the unboxing experience of CCA CRA was totally standard and doesn't hold anything special by any means. You will only get three pairs of ear tips, the cable, and the IEM itself.

If you want to see my IEM Rank List, you can access it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15FKnagMKxWUSA5DNRIoFAAwpUCSuceocMoMJGIPUqo8/edit?usp=sharing

Build & Fit​

The first thing I noticed when I pull my CCA CRA out of the box is that it looks damn cool. I ordered the silver one, which suits my liking. The shell is made from resin, but there's an aluminum faceplate with the CCA logo written on it. The cable was pretty nice too, different from what you would get in this price range. Although, I would like mine to be more flexible so it would be easy for me to insert it into my case.

As for fit, I think that they're very comfortable, even for long listening sessions. I could easily wear this for 3-4 hours without feeling any discomfort whatsoever. The tips that came out of the box are also nice. I wear the medium-size ones, as they fit my ears better. If you have tried something like the KZ EDX before, CCA CRA has the same type of fit overall.

Frequency Response (Source)​

CCA CRA has a v-shaped kind of tuning, where there is an emphasis on the bass, especially sub-bass, and the treble area around 4-6 kHz. What I personally love about CCA CRA is that it has a good extension on both ends. The bass extends well, the same goes for the treble. However, CCA CRA still possesses the peeks around the treble area just like the other KZ/CCA products.

Sound Quality​

Source: Cyberdrive Aura DAC and Jcally JM20, with music playing on USB Audio Player Pro through my Samsung Galaxy A32. I also used my phone alone with Apple Music to listen to CCA CRA as they are fairly easy to drive.

Notes: CCA CRA tends to produce some white noise when I connected it through my Cyberdrive Aura DAC at low volumes. So, make sure you DAC is capable of driving sensitive earphones with low noise.

Tonality/Tuning​

Low/Bass​

Not gonna lie, but CCA CRA has one of the best bass performances under $20. It punches really deep due to the extension of the sub-bass. Usually, KZ iems with this of bass have bad bass control, but CCA CRA is a different breed. Although it has a great bass depth, it doesn't get boomy to the point where it's bleeding into the mids. The attack is pretty fast for a single dynamic driver, which makes it suitable for listening to literally all music genres that you like. It also has a good rumble when listening to bass-heavy songs. Not to mention, it has just the right amount of bass quantity. I had a pleasant experience listening to this with EDM, J-Pop, and rock tracks. But, I don't suggest you listen to tracks with double pedals as CCA CRA would have a hard time catching up with them. Personally, I really love this kind of bass approach, and CCA CRA has portrayed that really well. For what it's worth, I use CCA CRA on a daily basis because of the bass itself.

Mid/Vocal​

As it pursues a v-shaped kind of tuning, the mids on CCA CRA are a tad recessed and fall behind the bass and treble. However, the mids especially vocals on CCA CRA are clean and clear with good detail levels. However, due to this sound approach, the mids can be harsh at times, and there's a slight hint of sibilance when listening to badly mastered tracks. I have no problem with it, as I can still enjoy listening to the vocals with lots of enjoyment.

High/Treble​

Just like the bass, CCA CRA is probably one of the best IEM under $20 when it comes to treble performance. The treble on this thing is exceptional. It has a really good extension, even my Tin T2 Plus became shy if compared to CCA CRA. Also, the treble has just the right amount of spark so I can easily listen to this for a long time without any fatigue. It also has some airiness to the treble, which makes it a perfect candidate for orchestra tracks. However, I can't help but notice some metallic timbre when listening to cymbals. The texture can still be harsh at times, but luckily my ears can accept that. If you're sensitive to high frequencies, then I'm afraid that CCA CRA is not exactly what you're looking for. But if you can withstand sparkling trebles, you will appreciate the treble on CCA CRA as much as I do.

Technicalities​

Separation​

CCA CRA has a decent separation, especially in its price range. Instruments are separated really well, with a good amount of micro details.

Soundstage​

The only downside of CCA CRA when it comes to technicalities lies within the soundstage. It is below average and can be cramped to some people. For me, I have no problems with it, considering the fact that I don't listen to live tracks that often. Although I would like more headroom for my listening experience.

Imaging​

Just like the separation, CCA CRA is average if we're talking about the imaging. I could still pinpoint instruments and know where they're coming from. However, due to the soundstage, the instruments come across in an almost cramped space. Though once again, I have no problems with it.

Quick Comparisons​

CCA CRA ($14) vs KZ EDX ($10)​

In short, the CCA CRA completely destroyed KZ EDX, both tonality and also technicalities. The bass on the KZ EDX doesn't punch that deep, and sometimes it bleeds into the mids. The mids are sibilance, to the point where I can't bear listening to the EDX for a long time. Last but not least, KZ EDX has some serious metallic timbre and it can get very harsh at times. Tonality aside, KZ EDX does not compete with CCA CRA when it comes to technicalities as well. CCA CRA is one step ahead of the KZ EDX in terms of separation and imaging, although they have the same level of soundstage.

CCA CRA ($14) vs Tanchjim Tanya ($23)​

If we're comparing these two, it all comes to personal preference. CCA CRA is more fun to listen to and has a more edgy sound overall, while the Tanchjim Tanya has a laid-back kind of tune with a lot of smoothing going on. CCA CRA has more punch and most importantly, it's deep. The vocals sound more open, clear, and detailed but can be harsh and sibilant at times. The treble also has more sparkle and air to it. Tanchjim Tanya, on the other hand, does the exact opposite. Tanchjim Tanya's bass doesn't punch that deep and has a good amount of mid-bass punch. The mids sound more natural, smooth, and sweet. There's some smoothing going on in the treble area. It lacks sparkle and lacks airiness to it.

In terms of technicality, both are on the same level, but CCA CRA has more details, while Tanchjim Tanya has a wider soundstage. For the rest, they come pretty close to each other.

Conclusion​

For under $20, CCA CRA is a must-buy. It is a fantastically tuned v-shaped iem with a good amount of details. The bass is deep, punchy, and extends well, the mids are open clear, the treble is sparkling and airy at the same time, and most importantly, it is very extended. CCA CRA is a true all-rounder set that can fit any type of genre that you're listening to. Do you like rock tracks? Buy CCA CRA. Do you like orchestra tracks? Buy CCA CRA. Do you like EDM tracks? Buy CCA CRA. Do you like J-Pop tracks? Buy CCA CRA.

CCA CRA- “PSEUDO RESOLVING”



Just like my previous post where I was hallucinating that these can be used for mixing, I was completely wrong!

To give an analogy, if you want your 1080p video look much clearer, you can increase its brightness, sharpness, and contrast, but they will never be comparable to 4k in terms of resolution.

DISCLAIMER:

As usual, these were provided by KZ free of charge. I will try my best not to be biased, and I think it is possible because I did not spend my money on these. I will be fair and give the PROS and CONS of this IEM.
But as much as I would like to rank them, I think it is pointless because my cons can be a pro to others and my pros can be a con to some as well. This is a subjective hobby after all, and we chase different tastes in music.

SETUP:
All stock. Stock tips, stock cable.
Shanling M3x using Hiby player, shanling player

SOUND PROFILE:
Oh man, it’s hard to classify this. I agree with John Tay. Sometimes they are neutral with subbass boost.. sometimes neutral with treble extension emphasis, sometimes balanced. They resemble a lot with Monks SM in the vocals and treble region.

But there is one thing I am sure of, they don’t have enough midbass and upper bass to lower mids emphasis. I don’t really know what’s going on. It can be a subbass bleed, too fast driver that it lacked decay, or just they are not so resolving.

However, they do have clear and forward sounding vocals with very good treble extension. So, it catches more details than Heart Mirrors. But having very good treble extension does not always translate to better sound production, at least for me. They are not full sounding.

WHO IS IT FOR?
They are good for people who are starting out in the hobby. Although there is emphasis on the treble, I don’t really find it offensive. It is good for people who likes to listen to JPOP vocals, KPOP, western POP, anime songs, metal, some rock, alternative. Well, I can say probably it can pass as an all-rounder, but there is really a problem in the midbass for me, and I will explain that later.

TECHNICALITIES:
Soundstage is average, not wide, but above average in height, with little to no depth. Because of the lesser stage depth, layering of instruments is not that good, so it sounds like just one plane, as mentioned already by other reviewers. Instrument separation is quite good because of the fast driver. Decays are fast, but it is up to you if it’s a con or not. For me personally, I wish they have a bit more decay to give life and emotion to vocals.

PROS:

clear and forward vocals. -All Jpop tracks sounded good. Yoasobi, Yorushika, Eimi Fukada, Milet, Ado, Asuka Kirara etc. sounded eargasmic.

-because of the height of stage and recessed midbass, I guess this pushes the vocals forward giving them enough clarity.

snare sounds really good
-The snares have this air extension that can be captured in the upper mids to treble. And when this air is captured, it sounds tight and “springy”. 311 and incubus snares sounds really good particularly the tracks “under my umbrella” and “love song”

cymbals sound sharp and is not too splashy.
-They are not as peaky as the ZEXPRO for my ears. Although it can sound thin and can still be unnatural at times.

detail retrieval is above average in the upper mids to treble

Vocal layering is great.
-In the chorus of the track “all of me” by John Legend, you hear that autotuned vocal layering, and it is quite clear.

very good and tight subbass that has a fast decay -I don’t know it this is a pro or a con, because at times, the fast decay can make the kickdrum sound thin.

Now onto the cons. I don’t know man. The CRA is really good for the price. I might just be nitpicking, but the lack of emphasis in the midbass bothers me a lot. I am sure they sound fine for others. Don’t get me wrong, they deserve the hype. Just that midbass. It feels incomplete to my ears.

CONS:

it lacks the midbass punch.
-In the track “on the ground” by rose, the bassline sounds thin. Though you hear and feel the subbass, but it felt like the bass drum is out of tune or untightened.

-Similarly, in the track
“ordertaker” by Parokya ni Edgar, the kick drum lacks weight as well.

treble can extend too much at times.
-In sinne Eeg “we’ve just begun”, the cymbal strikes at 0:50 sounds unnaturally clean.

-It can also sound overemphasized at times. In the track “could you be loved” by Bob Marley, those high hats sounded like disco tweeters.

bass guitars may lack body and clarity.
-In hiromi’s “flashback”, there is a bassline that switches from F to B chord, and it was kind of hard to discern. There is also a steady A chord around 5:35 and it was not that clear for me.

-Another example is the track “by the way” by red hot chilli peppers, the bass line at 0:33 was also kind of blurred. Although I understand that the track is not really mastered well, I can clearly hear that bassline even on Heart Mirrors.

lower harmonics on guitars are blurred as well.
-The undertones of the 6th and even the 5th string of the guitar in Ed Sheeran’s “photograph” is basically non-existent, higher pitched, or just sounds thin. It sounded like he was strumming a ukulele, or a nylon 1st,2nd and 3rd string.

difficult to discern fundamental notes when catching chords.
-“Disease” by matchbox twenty has a pretty good bassline in my opinion, but it just did not feel complete to my ears.

CONCLUSION:
The CCA-CRA certainly is another well-tuned IEM. Very good tuning, balanced sounding to my ears, sometimes neutral with emphasis on both ends. However, a good graph does not always translate to a good listening experience for everyone. Today, I learned that I should not give much focus on reading graphs anymore. Of course, graphs are important as a baseline on how an IEM would sound, but the final verdict should be at that time when you put them on your ears. If it were not for that midbass, I would have praised the CRA even more. The tuning should match with the driver speed. If you have noticed, fast drivers from renowned companies always have that midbass bump. And I guess that is to compensate for the decay. I could be wrong. I don’t know really.

DO I LIKE THEM?
-actually yes. For the price of $15, you cant really fault them that much. I just have high expectations of how they would sound based on the graph provided by BGGAR..But then again, graphs only tell half the story.

IS IT WORTH TO BUY?

Of course, they are good. But yeah, this hobby is subjective, and we have our own preferences. Take my review with as much salt as you want.

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.

CCA CRA
V shaped
Safe tuning

Disclaimer: The test unit of this review was provided by GK earphones in return for an honest review of the CCA CRA. All of the impressions on this review is mine alone. Your experience with the iems may vary with the conditions you will subject it into.

Bass
well detailed and clear mid bass, with ample sub bass. It is in the just right amount and a slightly more than that of ZEX Pro. a slight bleed that sometimes overpowers the midcentric instruments (kimi to lu hana - AKG) although most of the time presentation is clear and has only a gentle thump with the occassional booms.
4/5

Mids
the piano sound full and smooth and the guitars have a good twang sound when needed but the sound lacks sustain at some tracks. the voices have good quality despite being recessed. Still for this asking price I believe this is a good pair.
3.5/5

Treble
The highs of the CRA is well controlled. The amount of highs is enough for me but a bit on the fast decay side of things. the sibilance is negligible with only a little amount(unless you look for it) to nothing. the CRA shares a bit of the ZEX Pro tuning with a bit of more highs which I personally appreciate because of the apparent clarity and sparkly sound it gives. CRA 's treble quality is good for its price. It has ample body that can support the ring not to sound thin and offensive but as I mentioned it also decays fast.
4/5

Sound stage, separation and Clarity
Soundstage is pretty standard to this price range. the size is comparable to a studio or music room. Which can suit your solo listening session or not. separation is ok, I can identify certain instruments while other times there are instruments that sound similar that it don't become easily identifiable. the clarity is good. layering is nothing to write home about but overall good enough.
3.5/5

Ergonomics, Styling, Accessories and Price
I love the looks of the CCA CRA, with the minimalist nameplate on the side and the accent of metal and clear plastic. The pair fits good for me without fatigue for long hours. The color of wire could have been better though since the copper cables doesn't create a monotone effect on the color combination of the iem. Accessories are pretty bare bones, with ok pair of silicone tips. for its asking price CCA CRA offers a competitive pair. For a casual listener and those on a budget this is a good buy.
4/5
If you wish to improve the performance of the CCA you could change the tips to foam tips or something like Final E tips. The foam tips makes the bass more tighter while the Final E tips makes raises the apparent clarity of the mids.
Changing the wires to balanced termination instead of se introduced some changes for me. Even using stock tips the clarity and bass tightness has improved. The instruments also appeared more separated. Although this might have also boosted the highs a notch up since the volume of listening I am comfortable was reduced to 80 from 90 in the Pioneer XDP300r.

If you are interested you can purchase them here

https://ph.xiapibuy.com/product/573093318/15711663407

https://www.kztws.com/products/cca-cra

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

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!

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

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

• 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