CCA NRA

For this this review I've decided to test a somewhat new format. I've tried to reduce it to the most useful and necessary information, making reading and especially skimming easier. We all sometimes lack time to read in-depth articles, so this review should offer an alternative. Let me know how you like this format.

You'll find more reviews in this style here on Head-Fi or on my website Flightless Bird.

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Frequency Response​

About the IEM​

• Good and comfortable fit, even for longer periods of time
• Somewhat generic design we've seen plenty times from CCA/KZ and others
• Small scope of delivery, only 3 different tip sizes of rather basic tips
• Mediocre cable at best, just good enough at that price point
• EST resp. MST-drover (magnetostatic) as unique selling proposition at this price point.

Honestly, at that price point, the IEM and its accessories are good enough, no more and no less.

Sound Impressions​

• Subbass virtually non-existent
• Pleasant, relaxed treble attributable to EST/MST-driver?
• Unnatural timbre, sound feels somewhat artificial and robotic
• Lack of detail, especially on male vocals
• Overall relaxed, not very intrusive sound

Even at roughly 20 US-Dollar, the sound just isn't good enough anymore. While this also speaks for the good alternatives at that price point, this also shows that the focus probably was more on the driver technology than the sound.

Comparisons​

Blon BL03​

Advantages CCA NRA:
+ Treble
+ Relaxed sound
+ Comfort
+ Design

Advantages Blon BL03:
+ Bass
+ Details
+ Cable
+ More exciting sound

KZ DQ6​

Advantages CCA NRA:
+ Treble
+ Relaxed sound
+ Cable
+ Details

Advantages KZ DQ6:
+ Fit and comfort
+ Bass
+ Vocals
+ One (if not the) best KZ/CCA IEMs tonality wise

Conclusion​

The CCA NRA isn't necessarily a bad product. I'd just prefer a couple of other IEMs at the same price over the NRA. Blon's BL03, KZ's (CCA's sister) own DQ6 or Moondrop's SSP are all similarly priced but offer a more complete and mostly better sounding package.

The NRA might still be a nice experience for interested buyers, offering a somewhat unique driver configuration at such a low price. Especially the treble region really profits from the magnetostatic driver.

All in all, the NRA aren't a must-have IEM for every collector like the BL03 might be, but they surely are worth a look if you're looking for something (technically) different. The sound isn't disappointing but also not overwhelmingly amazing.

Would you pay extra for perfection or do you prefer to be more budget-conscious? The guest of this review CCA NRA checks both boxes to a degree.


Packaging and accessories are fine for the price range. The stock cable is different; KZ/CCA was normally using braided copper cables all across their products. This is a thick double-strand cable. Doesn't get tangled easily but it's very stiff, especially in the cold weather. Stock ear tips have a unique shape, they are different than what we see in most IEM’s. I didn’t have any issues with it but keep in mind I have small ears. People who are older than 35 or live in European countries will probably have issues with it. They mostly do.

The design of the earpieces is a mixed bag of feelings; they offer comfort with thin nozzles, I appreciate that but this is at the expense of being able to use mainstream aftermarket ear tips. Although they do have a lip for the ear tips to hold on these nozzles are tiny. You can always sacrifice one of these ear tips to make an adapter on the go. Just cut the core of the ear tip and leave it on the nozzle; budget range problems require budget range solutions.

They have good comfort and ok levels of isolation. Cable microphonics are not an issue but there is an issue that I think everyone should be aware of; the only venting hole that this IEM has is located on the bottom of the earpieces. Outside noise is not an issue but if there’s a wind blowing that will create turbulence on the venting hole. Creating a massive noise. This is the only fatal flaw I have experienced in this model. Because you cant easily avoid it; you either have to use your hoodie or just tape it; possibly affecting the bass performance.

Speaking of bass, let's talk about the sound.

CCA NRA has a detailed yet laid-back presentation with a rather balanced and sightly mid-focused sound characteristics.

Bass has good levels of detail, it's kinda soft but acceptable considering the price range. but I wouldn't count on this IEM to handle bass-heavy rock and pop genres.

Mids have noticeably good levels of detail and imaging quality. Vocals string instruments and cymbals have very good levels of detail and texture. This is something that you can’t find easily in this price range. most of the other options in the sub 30$ segment usually use cheap BA drivers or skip the BA’s all together. Leaving you with either poorly calibrated or sharp mid characteristics. Or veiled-thin vocals. Magnetostatic driver performs better than cheap BA’s in this regard. While BA drivers in this price range perform ok when they are tuned properly they don't have the texture of this modified dynamic driver.

Treble is another area where this setup shines. It's fast, spacious and well textured. Percussions and string ınstruments have a very soft yet detailed presentation you cant find in a BA driver in the budget segment. And ‘s’s ‘t’s ‘p’s have no sibilance or overly pronounced characteristics. They are detailed and soft.

Soundstage and imaging.

Soundstage is average but imaging and instrument separation is good on what this model excels. For bass-heavy tracks its not that good. But for more mid-treble focused ones it's great. The layering and the texture on the vocals is better than what BA containing hybrids.

Amp requirements and pairing is not an issue with NRA. Even the lowest end of smartphones can drive them. But they are easily reflecting the sound characteristics of the source. Its picky on the source in this area. Be sure that your source is clean.



Conclusion: in sub 30$ you usually get a slightly or overly V-shaped sound signature that performs ok on a wide range of genres. But they tend to disappoint in the instrumental and orchestral tracks. You don't get that fine detail and texture in the high hats, strings and cymbals. Yes a higher-end option like Whizzer Kylin HE-01 gives this to you easily but that model is on another level pricewise.

If you are listening to any genre that uses natural elements like leather drums, flutes, cymbals and strings this model is something that you can enjoy for a very low price. But if the songs or albums that you listen to have thicker bass notes like artificial bass you won’t be getting the same experience in this segment.

CCA NRA fits well with orchestral and instrumental tracks, jazz, and traditional folk songs. But for more modern bass-heavy genres it doesn't perform that well. Sure the magnetostatic driver performs well enough for you to enjoy the instruments residing on the mid and treble area. But the bass doesn’t have the necessary speed thickness and texture for you to enjoy the more bass-heavy tracks. It DOES provide a good experience with live recordings thanks to its transparent and detailed treble and mids but falls short with studio recordings. Had the manufacturer used a more refined Dynamic driver like the one on the TRN TA-1 that I reviewed recently it would perform well in the bass segment as well. and it would also improve the overall imaging and staging capabilities. I hope they can improve in this area. Electret drivers have good potential but the manufacturer needs to be careful with them. With proper tuning, they can shine better than BA’s but if you limit them to a certain budget the setups they are used with tend to underperform. NRA performs ok with most genres and shines with some certain ones but it could have been way better if it had a better dynamic driver and a more polished tuning on the lower frequencies.
I think the sweet spot for an IEM that uses this magnetostatic driver is around sub 40$ I appreciate the affordability but not for expense of the real potential of a component. I'm not exactly an expert but in my opinion this magnetostatic driver would work better with a Titanium dynamic driver like the one on the TRN TA-1.
While I think CCA NRA is a good option I also think that it's real potential is limited by its low budget range.
This product was sent to me by keephifi.
You can check out the CCA NRA via link down below.
https://keephifi.com/products/cca-nra

CCA NRA MINI-REVIEW

TONALITY: 7.6/10
TECHNICALITIES: 7.2/10
CONSTRUCTION:8/10
SOUND VALUE: 7/10

Disclaimer: I don't do this with joy...it is forced and uninspired review labor. CAA take my little nephew in hostage, if i don't do this review they will keep him for chain work in their NRA and ZEX factory.

TONALITY: Thick warm'ish W shape, balanced with slight mid bass emphasis and upper mids boost.

TIMBRE: Grainy, bright, neither natural or artificial but can feel like it's filter through a transistor radio some time.

SOUNDSTAGE: Quite wide and tall but with zero deepness to it.

IMAGING: Poor, hollow and hazy, compressed layering, lack of instrument space for proper separation.

RESOLUTION: Average to poor for the price, especially when it come to proper definition of instrument or micro-details.

BASS is the worst part of NRA to my ears, the slam is loose, tone is warm and timbre is grainy, this isn't clean bass at all and extension is not natural, while it doesnt intensely bleed on mids, their no proper separation neither. Transient-attack is slow. Definition is hollow. Kick drum and sub-bass easily mix togheter. Harmonic distortion is anothetr issue.

MIDS lack lower harmonic, so piano or male vocal can sound a bit thin or distant, female vocal in other hands are quite fowards in presence. Timbre is natural enough here, imaging isn't well articulated so everything feel stick togheter which can be a plus in term of cohesion but not in resolution. Slight sibilance can occur with female vocal but not in a problematic way, still it affect naturalness and make it sound a bit ''plastic''. Between lush and dry are the mids, neither too warm or bright, it's the kinda mids that isn't addictive or musical to my ears.

TREBLE might be the best aspect of the NRA, but in a half-done way....in fact, it feel like we listen to a prototype IEM not a fully achieve one. If we can find a bit of air, it's between mids and upper treble. Highs are the most snappy aspect of the sound as well as fastest in attack. It doesn't have decay, neither sparkle, and minimal brilliance to it. We can say it's dry, but in a EST way....similar to planar and piezo....but, man....perhaps it's my pair that have bad QC,but i can hear buzzing and sound artifact....anyway, percussions can sound quite good (crisp but thin), even when complex and varied in colors...that's when I can see EST potential and get excited.


COMPARISONS

VS KBEAR KB04 (1DD+1BA-22$)

Cleaner, clearer, brighter and more vividly balanced is the KB04.
Clarity and imaging is at another level here. Attack speed too.
BASS is tighter and punchier yet better separated, it's more textured and transparent too.
MIDS are crisper, cleaner, brighter, more centered and articulated, more transparent. Timbre is thinner, more textured but less natural. Female vocal are more intimate, less wide and upfront.
TREBLE is fuller and better balanced, it dig more sound info and is more emphasis. NRA feel it dig half-part of sound info.

All in all, tonality of the NRA is smoother and less cold than KB04 which is notably superior technically.

VS FINAL E1000 (1DD-30$)

Better balanced, smoother, fuller, lusher sounding. More warm-neutral. Tonality refinement is at another level here.
Clarity have greater amount of sound layers, more texture and feel unforced.
Soundstage is more holographic, bit less tall, bit deeper and feel more open.
Imaging is notably superior in instrument placement and layering even if it suffer from lack of air which is similar to NRA.
BASS is a bit flatter and more rolled off in sub bass, you have less rumble but less muddyness too. Tone is more realist. Speed is similar but control is better.
MIDS are fuller, lusher, wider, thicker. Both male and female vocal sound more natural and smooth. Layering is better articulated too.
TREBLE is more relaxed, less snappy but richer in tone nuance and texture. Thicker highs with more organic balance.

All in all, NRA is a piece of garbage compared to E1000. Its like Adele (or Agnes Obel) singing against a nobody using Auto-tune.

CONCLUSION

Sure, I can't say the NRA are plain bad for the price, the tuning hold up togheter and is well balanced as a whole, a sirupy thick whole. For those that doesn't know me, i can go overly grumpy when my expectation are let down and this is what happen with the EST tech in this...i was expecting something better than cheap BA or piezo which isn't the case. I don't see the point of talking about NRA and getting excited with its EST when **** **** was launch 5 years ago and offer a way more impressive and immersive sound with better technicalities but slightly less balanced tonality. KBear KB04, Tanchjim Tanya, Final E1000 or for 10$ more BQEYZ KC2 all offer a more impressive sound value than these overrated NRA. Do we need another ''jack of all trades, master of none''? If so, the NRA is there for you!

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PS: thanks to Keephifi for the review sample. You can now tell CCA to release my nephew.

For more honnest reviews, give a look to my website:https://nobsaudiophile.com/

Introduction​

The audio market has become very interesting in the last years and we have started finding different types of drivers even in the sub-50$ category, including low voltage electrostatic drivers (like this one which is a dynamic+low voltage electrostatic driver IEM).
CCA is a very popular brand among Chi-Fi fans around the world, both because it is KZ’s sister company and because of some of their popular releases such as the CCA C10, CCA C12 and so on.
I cannot hide my curiosity regarding the CCA NRA, mostly because these have recently become the leading actor of a big hype train, and I hate hype trains so I am always up to discover if what’s being said about a product is corresponding with reality.
Without further words, let’s get into the full review.

Disclaimer: the sample was provided by Keephifi for free in order to write a honest review. I do not represent CCA in any way and this is not a promotional content.
At the time of the review, the CCA NRA were sold for around €18 on Keephifi’s official online store.

BUY: KEEPHIFI (I am not affiliated with the shop, they only provided the sample for the review)

For more reviews, visit https://www.audio-monkeys.com!

Technical Specifications​

• Configuration → Hybrid: 1DD + 1 Low voltage electrostatic driver
• Sensitivity → 103
• Impedance → 25 Ohm
• Frequency Response → 20 Hz – 40000 Hz
• Cable → 1,25m silver-plated copper cable with 0,75mm PINs, my sample has no microphone but there is an option to have the cable with microphone
• Connector type → L-type gold plated 3,5mm jack connector

Packaging​

Very simple, practically identical to the old CCA and KZ boxes.

• The CCA NRA
• The cable
• 3 pairs of silicone tips
• User manual

Design and Build Quality​

The CCA NRA is made by plastic and has an matte silver aluminum faceplate with the CCA logo engraved on it: this means that the NRA will not catch your fingerprints and it’s a good thing. Considering the materials used, the earpieces are fairly lightweight although the build quality is very good for the price. I don’t see any pressure vent on the shell.

Cable​

The stock cable is definitely an upgrade over older cables provided with less recent CCA products in this price range. If we compare it to the stock cables provided by other IEMs in their price range, the differences are noticeable.
Unfortunately, there is no chin slider, but at least the cable has no microphonic effect (or if any, it’s really hard to notice).

Comfort and Isolation​

The NRA are very comfortable, at least to me: there are no sharp edges and the shell is smoothly molded. The nozzle is slightly longer than expected and maybe that’s why CCA provided three pairs of unusual wide bore cylindric tips that I have never seen in any of their older products.
Isolation is only acceptable and you’ll have to find the right tips (I think I will change tips after the review as I’m not a fan of the stock ones).

Sound​

How do these sound?
This is the real reason you’re reading this review (I guess).
[Personal preference: I listen to almost every genre, even though my main preference goes to EDM subgenres. I always like a bit more energy on the bass and on the highs, leading to a personal preference for Y-shaped sound signatures, but if I have to choose, I’d prefer having many different IEMs with various signatures, in order to choose a particular one of them when I want to listen to a specific genre. I love switching between my IEMs so it’s even better if they’re very different from each others.]

TEST GEAR

• DAC: Topping E30
• AMP: Topping L30
• Mobile phones: Poco F2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
• Portable DAPs: Benjie S8/AGPTEK M30B
• Other sources: Presonus AudioBox iONE

Do they need an amp?
The NRA don’t need to be amplified to sound good. When amplified, there are some improvements but it’s perfectly fine to use them with your smartphone and they can easily reach high volume levels too.

Sound signature
The CCA NRA are a fairy balanced pair of headphones with slightly boosted treble and midbass.

Lows: sub-bass is less forward than midbass, with fairly good extension but in limited quantity. Let’s say CCA tuned these by putting quality above quantity in terms of priorities, and in fact the sub-bass is clean and precise although it does not provide a real rumble.
Bass is slightly more forward, has good punch and authority but sometimes lacks some body, probably because sub-bass quantity is not enough to provide a real oomph. Texture is ok, nothing special.

Mids: the midrange is not recessed like on the usual V-shaped products in this price range. Male vocals are good even though they may not sound “real” on lower notes, and female vocals have some added energy. Instruments have good resolution considering the price range, and even if the tonality is not as good as on other products, they’re still a very good set performance-wise. These are more towards a technical approach than a natural or smoother one.

Highs: treble has good details and it’s very transparent athough there’s a peak around 8kHz which could bother the most sensitive people and that often lead to a slightly unnatural tonality. Except for this, the presentation is airy and clear and I think it’s probably the best treble in this price range in terms of technical performance.
Soundstage is slightly above average in terms of width and depth, whereas height is average. Imaging and instrument separation are very good for the price, moreover considering the competitors, this also thanks to the well-tuned treble and the non-intrusive bass.

Some comparisons:
CCA NRA vs KBEAR KS2
The KS2 are among the IEMs that I have recommended the most in the last year. This because they offered great comfort, high sensitivity in order to be driven from weak sources as well, good end to end extension, nice soundstage… overall it was a good product for the price and I do not regret my advices.
However, the NRA sets up a relatively higher bar, as technicalities are superior and it’s really easy to understand which is the most advanced product among the two.
Sub-bass is more prominent on the KS2, and digs deeper with a great rumble, thing that does not happen on the NRA, which on the other hand have a cleaner and more controlled sub-bass. Bass is more emphasized and powerful on the KS2, but the NRA have better textures although average for their price. The midrange is more forward on the NRA with better instrument resolution and cleaner vocals. The treble is more detailed on the NRA, although more fatiguing, being the KS2 slightly warmer thanks to their more prominent bass. Soundstage is bigger on the KS2, but the NRA has a lot better imaging and instrument separation. Both are easy to drive but the KS2 reach higher volumes.
Build quality is similar although the aluminum faceplate on the NRA makes them seem like a more “premium” product.
Comfort-wise, they’re very similar, whereas isolation is marginally better on the NRA.
The stock cable provided with the NRA is much better.
What should one pick? I think they have a different target. The KS2 are more engaging and fun, with a richer and more powerful low-end, whereas the NRA are more refined and technically better. Summing up, if you want something more precise and with better technical performance, the NRA are the best among the two, while the KS2 are the ideal choice for those who look for a powerful sub-bass and a more V-shaped signature, even though their technical capabilities are inferior.

CCA NRA vs Blon BL-03
This comparison is pretty curious and not because these two IEMs are similar, but because the Blon BL-03 are very popular in this price range and comparing them to other alternatives in their price range could help some people to evaluate what to buy in the sub-30$ price range.
Sub-bass is more prominent on the BL-03 and even though it does not reach the very lower registers, it can provide a bigger rumble than on the NRA. Bass is more powerful and thick on the BL-03 and also has better textures overall, whereas the NRA have a faster and controlled bass. The midrange is warmer and richer although slightly recessed on the BL-03. Male vocals sound deeper and warmer on the BL-03, and female vocals sound more forward and exciting on the latter as well. Instruments have a more natural timbre on the BL-03 but their resolution is way inferior when compared to the NRA. The NRA also have a more balanced midrange while Blon’s midrange is influenced by their slower and fatter bass. Treble is more detailed on the NRA, which also have more air on top, but smoother and less fatiguing on the BL-03, even though details are not as much as on the NRA.
Both are very easy to drive and reach high volumes with no issues.
Soundstage, imaging and instrument separation are better on the NRA, no doubts.
Build quality is good on both but the BL-03 are entirely made by metal and they may feel more durable in the hands.
Comfort-wise, the NRA win hands down, moreover because of the shorter nozzle that makes them hard to wear if not after trying many different types of tips. NRA don’t have this kind of problem, they are easier to wear and they insulate better overall.
The NRA are shipped with a better cable, while the stock cable provided with the BL-03 is horrible and progressively degrades overtime.
What would I pick? Apart from my personal perspective, the differences are substantial: the BL-03 are more engaging and they’re also the most natural set among the two, with a more “emotional” and richer presentation, whereas the NRA are technically better, with superior resolution and overall technicalities, faster bass and more detailed treble, better comfort and better stock cable, so they could be the winner for most of you.

Final Thoughts​

There isn’t much to complain about the NRA: they are good.
When I first heard about the fact that CCA was selling a set with a low-voltage EST driver for such a small price, my thoughts weren’t good and I would have really bet these were going to be bad.
I was wrong. Not only the NRA sound good, but they also do that with a pretty unique signature in their price range, without being overly bassy or excessively bright. Sure, the 8kHz peak may bother someone, but the NRA are able to keep everything else in a way that most people won’t be annoyed by their sound.
Summing it up, it is safe to recommend the NRA to the many that are searching for something different and technically capable in the sub-30$ category.

FOREWORD:​

This unit was sent to my by KeepHiFi for my written impressions.

REALITY CHECK: NRA ELECTROSTATIC, OR NO?​

Before going any further I would like to clear the air on this subject. From the first moment I listened to the NRA, immediately I know this is nothing like any Electrostatic sound that I am familiar with. I have owned several STAX units and a Shure Electrostatics. CCA NRA runs on something called “Magnastat”. Whatever that is, it does not require 200-580V of power to make sound like real Electrostatics does. A true Electrostatic unit will always come in pair with an energizer amplifier to deliver crazy amplified DC voltage needed to energize extremely thin membrane sandwiched between two electrified plates.
So it is not s surprise CCA NRA does not have that ethereal airy dynamics with blistering speed and resolution only an Electrostatic can deliver. Nor does the tonality reminiscent of either Shure or STAX Electrostatics.
Chi-Fi Audio brands should really stop using the marketing buzzword “Electrostatic” when it is clear the product itself is entirely something else altogether. It confuses the consumer base.

CCA NRA​

Now with the elephant out of the room lets talk about the IEM itself.

TIMBRE, DYNAMICS, TONALITY​

• I must admit the tuning approach for CCA NRA is NOT something I generally like. To my ears it is a W curved sounding unit. Definitely not neutral from the likes that I have grown used to listen to. There’s evident hump in Mids that sounded unnatural to my ears, oddly thick and with inward resonance – the vocals of peaky Soprano vocalists like Alison Krauss almost nasal sounding. This actually reminded me of the thick Mids of VE ZEN series and even early VE Asura. So take it like this, for a DF Neutral fanatic like me, this sort of Mids presentation is NOT something I like, it is warm and colored. However I know a great many will love this signature as it will add lots of depth and texture especially for Contralto and Baritone based vocals. Which means NRA actually sound so lush engaging for listening to Diana Krall, Sinne Eeg, Morrissey and Nick Cave – vocalists that exhibit strong texture nuances in the lower registers. And yes don’t use the NRA with Varg Vikernes of Burzum….you might end up throwing yourself out of the window…ahaha.
• As for Dynamics, I am pleased to find there’s ample airy transients throughout the range, especially in upper Mids and Treble. Which makes this NRA somewhat soothing and smooth. The level of vibrancy is admirably well controlled to not sound overly exciting as heard from the likes of QKZ VK4 or HZSOUND Heart Mirror. I daresay that NRA is a bit more matured sounding than those two. Depending on the source capabilities, dynamic range is as great as would be expected from pricier IEMs of higher caliber. So yes, I am impressed.
• Timbral characteristics for NRA is more on warm-organic in stock form. With the supplied stock cable and stock tips it is actually a bit darker than my normal preferences. Seemingly slow too. Swapping out the stock cable for VE Ultra Budget SPC or TACables Obsidian (SPC/Litz) helped to brighten things up admirably – with better transparency and tighter lower frequency responses. Further tuned with ultra-short Misodiko foam tips, my NRA now sounds a lot more attuned to my personal taste.

TREBLE, BASS & MIDS​

• NRA is not a bright sounding unit. Definitely not especially when compared to the sparkier presentation of Heart Mirror, QKZ VK4, Etymotic ER4SR or VE Duke. However it does not mean NRA is a slacker. It has substantial amount of Treble with great extension that this audible but not overly pronounced. And this largely depends on the tips being used. A big bore silicone tips would likely allow too much Bass to pass through and thus can overshadow the upper registers. On the other hand I must say that the Treble does sound slightly odd with less than realistic decays and texture, but this is extreme nitpicking from me who is so accustomed to BA, Electrostatics and Magnetic Planar Treble. I observed that drum snares and cymbal splashes just sounded a little “digital-ish”. Other than that Treble is very well controlled to not exhibit any annoying sibilance or spiky shimmer.
• Bass. I think any Basshead would find NRA Bass responses being enjoyable. Even me who is natively allergic to Bassy IEMs, I am shocked to find myself enjoying the deep and textured Bass of NRA. But then this will need to be achieved by tuning the tips and cable, tweaked to suit personal preferences. In my case I resorted to super narrow bore tips of Misodiko shorties and with further help from VE Ultra Budget SPC or TACables Obsidian. To my ears the stock setup has that overly commanding Bass presence with some tendencies to bleed into lower Mids. Totally fixable with the tweaks I did. So if you want it Bass heavy then pair it with the right tips (wide bore silicones). NRA offers great Sub-Bass and Mid-Bass responses as how I would expect from more expensive IEMs – again subjective to how the tips and cable are tuned and how good the source is. For my own listening I used Abigail, CEntrance DACportHD and VE RAP5 – all of which are excellent pairing with the NRA. With a less than Ideal setup, the Mid-Bass of NRA can overwhelm the spectrum, and this will make Sub-Bass becoming inaudible or outright submerged.
• Mids. Now as mentioned earlier NRA is not neutral sounding in Mids, at least from my perspective and this is entirely subjective to taste. Nonetheless I still find myself enjoying the Mids of NRA especially on vocals for the likes of Diana Krall, Sinne Eeg, Kylie Minogue etc. Instruments wise NRA offered thick tonality which is round edged and lacking bite. However this does not mean it is dull or boring, it is just not as crispy smooth as how I normally would prefer. The silver lining to this, NRA works great for Rock and Metal to compensate for dampening of shouty guitars and thundering blast beat drumming. There’s always a positive to everything if you look for it
  

TECHNICALITIES​

• CCA NRA is decently competent technical wise. In the upper register the Treble exhibited refined Micro details especially when plugged to an already technically competent sources like the DACportHD, Ovidius B1, TempoTec E44 etc. Macro Details are surprisingly good for an IEM of this price. Speed and resolution is average, but it is definitely a lot faster and agile than the likes of QKZ VK4 or TRN-MT1. Almost as speedy as Heart Mirror and perhaps on par to Moondrop Aria. So this is something NRA can be very proud of, it will not be easily congested or compressed sounding (again depends on the capabilities of the source). Soundstage is tall and with decent width, perhaps lacking a bit of depth. There’s a bit of focus on Left Right orientation with less forward imaging – old school stereo type of imaging if you will. Separation between layers are good to not get thing muddied when the track gets more complex, but don’t expect clinical level of precision as would be observed from the likes of KBEAR Aurora, Etymotic ER4SR or ER2XR.

CCA NRA, VERDICT​

For something that cost $22, CCA NRA is a good bargain. Despite the cons as mentioned above (of which most of them are subjective to my own taste), NRA does offer sound that may appeal to many. If anyone asking me what to buy between $20-50, CCA NRA will be one of them that I would recommend – but there’s a catch. You may need to tweak it a bit to suit your preferences. Play with the tips and cable pairing and hit the right synergy, the rewards will definitely be satisfying, in stock form, it is just not as impressive. Considering that we can get many SPC cables options nowadays that are highly affordable like the VE Ultra Budget SPC, and Misodiko or Fengru tips, these are all easily attainable.

Click to expand...

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Arriving in standard KZ packaging, initial inspection finds a rather nice included SPC cable, it's unlike any of the stock braided brown/silver KZ cables we've seen before, the cabling below the Y split is flattish, making these tangle and knot resistant. The thinner cabling above the Y split has a sorta rifling texture to it that also makes it tangle and knot resistant, I've only seen this type of cabling on some my Sony earphones.



These arrive with a set of these thin white tips that I couldn't get a very good seal with so i opted for some silicone tips i had lying around.

regarding sources i found these synergized particularly well with the CX-PRO CX31993 dongle.





Starting with the bass, it peaks at around 70hz, it's more midbass than subbass giving it the feeling of having good speed. sub bass is somewhat rolled as you can see from the graph, these are no VE BIE. The bass isn't hugely impactful, it's quick and light on the feet, low frequencies have good texture to them, good in quality just not the most potent in quantity.

Mids are in the form of a 2k Pinna and a 5k peak in standard KZ fashion, this particular iteration sounds very good in my listening, female vocals aren't sibilant or harsh on the ears on high volumes, it doesn't sound veiled like the singer is speaking behind a curtain, male vocals are much the same tale, listening to Sinatra and Jobin the vocals sound crisp and never muddy up the sound. Very satisfactory.

Treble is truly the star the show here, on the frequency graph we see a series of peaks starting from 8k and descending all the way to 20khz, suggesting a sparkly sound. The treble part of the frequency response is unlike any BA or DD I've ever graphed. The treble sounds crisp, very nicely detailed, not veiled in the slightest and not bright and exaggerated like ZSN PRO treble. instrument clarity is superb. The treble to me doesn't get irritating or piercing, but the peaks around 10k do give the NRA a slight sibilant emphasis, though i do not consider these sibilant.

Soundstage is at times holographic, a quality rarely encountered in Chifi. With CX-PRO the soundtage is so convincing at times it has me looking over my shoulders. This is seriously good stuff, i have a newfound love for this magnetostatic fidelity.

Imaging is impressive, instruments can be pointed out around you.

Soundstage is wider than it is tall, and more behind you than in front of you. Mids and bass sound as though they come from inside your head and treble instruments sound just the right distance away and a little behind you.



Peeking inside the housing we're met with a rather sizable DD, it is the first "triple magnetic" DD I've seen. The DD fires into a small vented cavity, airflow then goes through a small port hidden on faceplate.



The magnetostatic driver directly faces the DD and fires into the same vented cavity, the cavity has a tube that leads to the nozzle.



Magnetostatic drivers are unusual, they are different from electrostats as they do not use a high voltage step up transformer and they have only two leads, positive and negative, whereas an electrostatic has a third wire for DC biasing. A magnetostatic driver is made of two copper coils that are both facing a ferrous metal plate, The coils and plate are sandwiched between fixed magnets, for much the same reason why DD coils are surrounded by magnets. When you play music through the coils the magnetic pulses generated move the metal plate, generating sound. These drivers are physically incapable of reproducing low frequencies, every implementation of magnetostatic driver I've seen are paired with a DD to supply low-end. These drivers work the exact same way an electret microphone works, only the principal is reversed.

VALUE I just want to mention that these are the most affordable magnetostatic earphones to ever exist. Some other earphones i know to use this type of driver include the Shuoer Tape and Singer, BGVP Zero and the S*nfer MT300. The Singer, MT300, and Zero are all far from excellent according to reviews I've seen, and Tape Pro was a huge let down according to most impressions I've seen. NRA is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than competitors, and they sound delightful.

Comparisons:

MT300 (1/DD 1/BA 1/MAG) $165



This is my other magnetostatic earphone, the MT300 low end is more sub bass than mid bass, it sounds thick and impactful whereas the NRA bass sounds faster and thinner. Mids on the MT300 are not on the level of NRA, the lower mids are recessed and the upper mids are unnaturally boosted on the MT300, NRA is much more harmonius, the MT300 has brighter treble that is very much fatiguing without foam tips, the treble extension is also worse on the MT300 despite having the additional benefit of a knowles BA driver.

KZ DQ6 (3/DD) $22



Another offering from KZ. Pricing is about the same as NRA. Soundwise, the DQ6 is quite similar to NRA, the notable differences being a touch less low-end on the DQ6 and treble that is sibilant and rolled off after 10k. The mids and upper mids sound very similar between the two. if you loved the DQ6, these will sound familiar and better.

Whizzer HE01 (1/DD + HDSS) $80



This is my current favorite earphone, the best all-rounder in my collection. Compared to NRA, HE01 has more low frequency extension. Speed and texture is similar between the two. Mids are better on the HE01 as the HE01 doesn't have the slight sibilant emphasis that the NRA has, so vocals sound cleaner and more pleasing on HE01. When it comes to treble, HE01 sound a little more airier, though for literally a fourth of the cost the NRA is basically neck and neck with HE01 in terms of fidelity and raw details.

Overall, I find it very hard to not recommend the NRA, twenty-some dollars gets you exotic driver technology and truly impressive sound.

Introduction:
CCA is a well-known company from China that produces in-ear monitors, and actually a sister company of another popular brand, KZ. Similar to KZ, CCA mostly releases hybrid and multi-BA IEMs in the budget range. The NRA is one of the most recent IEMs they released, that retails for 21 USD. The NRA was provided to me for free by KeepHIFI in exchange for this review.

International purchase link

Specifications:
Driver units: 1 6.8 mm electrostatic + 1 10 mm dynamic, triple magnetic
Impedance: 25 ohms
Sensitivity: 103 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 40 kHz

Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03 and Shanling UA1

Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.

Unboxing and Accessories:
The NRA comes in a small, white sleeved box that's identical to the box that KZ uses. Upon removing the sleeve and the top lid, you will see the earphones inserted in foams, and underneath it are the cable and other accessories including the small and large eartips, with the medium already attached to the earphones, and the instruction manual.

Build:
The shells are made of resin and equipped with a metal faceplate. The faceplates sport the CCA logo. It is quite solid and gives a substantial weight to the shell. The shells are also transparent, giving a clear view to the electrostatic and dynamic driver inside. There are no vents at the rear side of the shell, but instead it was placed at the bottom portion. The nozzles have a metal mesh filter to keep dust out, as well as a lip to hold eartips in place.

The cable is a 2-core silver plated copper that is unique in both looks and touch. It is soft and lightweight with very good flexibility. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a chin slider, and I dream of the day when KZ and other budget brands start to add chin sliders to their cables. The 0.75 mm 2 pin connectors are made of plastic, while the splitter and the L-type 3.5 mm gold plated plug are made of hard rubber.

Now let's get to the sound.

Lows:
The lows have an upfront presentation, with the midbass being more forward than the subbass. The slam and rumble in the subbass are noticeably boosted, with the depth being just average and a slightly increased amount of decay. Midbass sounds thick and boomy, and often bleeds into the mids.

Overall, I consider the subbass of the NRA to be just ok. However, the midbass is where the problem lies as it smears the mids most of the time; affecting both vocals and instruments.

Mids:
The mids are slightly pushed to the back of the stage. Vocals, especially male ones, have an added weight to its notes. The level of articulation and transparency in the mids is just below average, and instruments in this section sound a bit squeezed in along with the vocals.

Overall, this is the part that needs the most improvement for the NRA. Recessed mids are not at all bad in and of itself, but if the mids also lack in terms of resolution, it becomes an unwanted combination.

Highs:
The highs are reproduced in a slightly relaxed manner. This section is placed at the center of the mix, and gives a decent amount of sparkle. Treble reach is average as well as the decay, with instruments like cymbals and lead guitars being fairly audible in the background for busy tracks.

Overall, the highs provide a decent amount of air that is nowhere to be found in the mids. It is good for long listening sessions as it is not fatigue inducing, but sometimes there are details that get lost in this section due to the presence of the midbass.

Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage has a below average expansion. The depth expands more compared to the height. Imaging is not that good because of the lack of clarity in the mids and the bloat in the midbass. Instrument separation is below average as well as the layering, and congestion is fairly present on most tracks.

Comparisons:
CCA NRA (1 electrostatic + 1 DD, 21 USD) vs. CCZ Coffee Bean (1 DD, 20 USD)
Now, this is where it gets interesting. When I compared them side by side, they sound exactly the same. I even wore the NRA on my left ear, and the Coffee Bean on the right, and I can't discern any difference at all. From the lows, mids, highs, and up to the soundstage, everything is identical.

Conclusion:
When I first saw that CCA will be releasing another budget IEM with something unique in it being the driver configuration, I was hopeful that it will bring something new to the table, considering that electrostatic drivers are unheard of in this price range. Let's not take away that it sounds ok and decent given its 21 USD price tag, but it's disappointing that it sounds exactly the same as another IEM that's using just one dynamic driver.

Price: $23-25

Specifications:

Impedance: 25Ω±10%

Earphone sensitivity: 103db±3db

Frequency response range :20Hz-40000Hz

Driver unit: 3 Magnetic & Electrostatic Driver


Packaging is typical CCA/ KZ , accessories are minimal but expected. The unit includes a cable that is build better than an average budget find and ear tips that are okay but I find them a little too thin.
The NRA is built with the generic guitar pick shape that will be most comfortable for the large variety of users. I personally found the comfortable for my ears and well built. The look is easy on the eye as well. Isolation will vary but for me it was just average.

Sound simplified :

Bass:
Mid-Bass:: punchy with a mild emphasis never overpowering but does lend some warmth to the lower mids, detail and texture is above average.
Sub-Bass:: has some depth but rolls off fast just enough to tease out some rumble there, overall the Bass has very good control and is neutral with little or no emphasis but good details.

Mids:
are centered with no forwardness, Lower Mids are warmish but mostly clear with no recession heard. They present balanced and detailed with some unnatural tendencies and brightness in the upper Mids but still are quite good considering.

Treble:
The highs present well they have clarity with a little sparkle on top but not as much as the average BA driver still there is details and a relaxed feeling to them without missing out on much. No harshness and its smooth nature is pleasant.

Soundstage and imaging:
both are average but not to say they're bad, soundstage is of medium width and depth and imaging is of average details with good separation.

Conclusion:
This is one of those hit or miss IEMs, it has some potential and given the price it does offer a unique signature that doesn't offend, so I find it worthy of mention. That said it doesn't like poorly recorded files and in my opinion pairs better with warmer sources , used in the testing was the xDuoo XA-10, ifi iDSD signature, and a number of mobile devices and amplifiers. It is surely a interesting find.

I would like to thank Ann from Keep Hifi for providing this unit for review. Product link:
https://keephifi.com/collections/in...s-monitors-earbuds-cca?variant=39496811872302

The NRA is the latest model from CCA, the sister company of KZ, and is the first of their earphones to feature an electret driver (also known as a magnetostatic unit), covering the high frequencies. This is complemented by a new design of 10mm dynamic driver with a triple magnet handling the bass region. Until now, IEMs featuring an electret tweeter have occupied a much higher price band so the NRA is a breakthrough product in this regard.

The NRA comes packaged in the traditional KZ/CCA packaging, a small rectangular box with a slip cover bearing a colour image of the IEMs and specifications on the reverse. Removing the slip cover, the earpieces are presented in a card cut-out. Below this is written, "3 magnetic dynamic & electrostatic earphones". Under the card cutout you will find the detachable 2 pin cable, the spare eartips and documentation.

The earpieces are similar to the previous CSN model with an alloy faceplate emblazoned with the CCA logo and a clear resin body through which the components can be seen. They are solidly built. There are no vents on the earpieces' inner surface but there is a small opening on the narrow tip. The 2 pin socket protrudes to accept QDC connectors. The earpieces were very comfortable and because of the short nozzles I used the largest of the supplied tips which provided a good seal and isolation.

The 2 pin cable is a new design and I think is the best yet from CCA/KZ. It is a 4 core silver plated copper type with QDC connectors. It handles well and the ear guides are very comfortable. There is a 90° 3.5mm plastic plug and a chunky plastic Y split but there is no chin slider.

The IEMs were tested using an Xduoo X20 DAP as the source and a burn-in period of 100 hours was allowed to settle down the components. Adequate volume was achieved with no need for additional amplification.

First Impressions
The first thing which struck me was the delicate, airy and ethereal nature of the treble. Bass was powerful, deep and well-textured and the mids were forward, clear and expressive. The general profile was W shaped and the stage was of average dimensions.

Bass
The bass was powerful, with good speed and a touch of warmth. Sub bass displayed some rumble but could have been more weighty, mid bass possessed a satisfying kick and there was a small amount of bass bleed.

Holst’s “Saturn” from the Planets Suite begins with harp, hushed strings and woodwind followed by a mournful descending bass line accompanied by percussion and brass. The NRA displayed an accurate bass pizzicato timbre and managed to preserve the atmosphere of the piece in the Vienna Philharmonic's vintage Decca recording under Herbert von Karajan. Near the conclusion deep organ tones are joined by tubular bells and harp and the whole effect was very well conveyed.

"Suite Gothique” by Leon Boellmann is a large-scale romantic French organ piece and is a severe test of bass. Marie-Claire Alain's performance explores the full range of the magnificent Cavaille-Coll instrument and the NRA rose to the occasion admirably but just fell short in conveying the full weight of the pedal notes, especially in the last four dramatic chords at the conclusion where I felt the sub bass was a little disappointing.

The pulsing bass rhythm and sound effects in "Welcome to the Machine" from "Wish you were here" by Pink Floyd came over well on the NRA providing the track with a solid foundation. It was most effective, especially when contrasted by the menacing quality of Dave Gilmour's guitar chords.

Mids
The NRA's midrange was a little forward but was lively and immediate. It became brighter as the frequency increased. The timbre was brighter than neutral and the forward nature of the reproduction did tend to impact on the staging.

The vocal performance of the NRA was direct and expressive with voices forward in the mix yet not unbalancing the effect. In Rosanne Cash's "This has happened before" her voice was projected well and the acoustic guitars on each side were evenly balanced. The Dobro solo in the bridge was clear and well defined and the backing vocals were also nicely separated. This was ideal material for the NRA.

"L'heure Exquise" is a beautiful duet for cello and piano by the Venezuelan composer Reynaldo Hahn. Julian Lloyd Webber and John Lenehan delivered a beautiful meditative performance set in a reverberant acoustic. The timbre of the cello was bright and clear, highlighting the details of the bowing and the decay and overtones of the piano were very accurately portrayed. As before, simpler pieces seemed to fare better than complex and more dynamic tracks.

In Chloe Hanslip's wonderful reading of the Violin Concerto No.1 by Jeno Hubay with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, her violin was clearly presented above the orchestra in a spacious manner. The tonality of the instrument was bright and immediate but occasionally sounded sharper than ideal and pushed the solo forward in the mix.

Treble
The NRA possessed a clean, airy and detailed treble somewhat brighter than neutral with good extension without being peaky or harsh, but occasionally did become a little over-enthusiastic, especially at high volume and sometimes there was just a hint of unnatural timbre.

The high notes of the electric harp in "Hirzel" by Andreas Vollenweider displayed a delicate and ethereal quality full of detail. The NRA's electret tweeter demonstrated what it was capable of and it was evident how different the tonality was compared to a BA driver. The electric guitar solo later in the piece had plenty of impact and was suitably aggressive without being harsh.

The sprightly violin parts and clever counterpoint in Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik” were entertainingly presented by the NRA and showcased its excellent clarity. The playing of the Vienna Philharmonic under Karl Bohm was authentically portrayed and encouraged further listening, so much so that I listened to all four movements!

Gerry Rafferty's classic single, "Baker Street" is a great production. The lead saxophone sounded natural, the bass was well textured and vocals were clear. While all this was going on the NRA's precise treble depicted the delicate sound of the celesta with excellent precision.

Soundstage
The NRA's staging was roughly spherical with a reasonable dimension but not extending beyond the ears. The bright treble ensured good separation, imaging and layering. The staging did tend to compress during louder passages, however.

The interplay of the various string sections in Arvo Part's "Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten" was expertly depicted by the NRA in the version conducted by Dennis Russell Davies on ECM. As the piece progressed and the scoring became more and more dense, all the elements remained clearly audible, allowing the complex counterpoint to be appreciated.

"The Cello's Song" is a cinematic piece by Kostia and David Arkenstone with solo cello backed by a colourful electronic and acoustic accompaniment. The staging in this work is very wide with all manner of instruments featuring in a complex production. The NRA presented a fairly expansive interpretation but I would have liked a little more width in the staging.

Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" features a prominent part for bass drum. In the version by the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Eiji Oue, the impact of the initial strike was very impressive with a believable decay and atmosphere. The ambience of the hall was very well rendered and added to the realism of the reproduction. The distant trumpet solo sounded very spacious with a real sense of depth of field.


Comparisons
CCA CSN
CCA's CSN is a 1DD + 1BA hybrid and features the excellent KZ XUN DD coupled with the familiar 30095 BA. It has a mature, well balanced tuning which makes it suitable for many genres. The CSN's bass is more authoritative with the XUN driver providing more weight in the sub bass. Its treble is not as bright as the NRA's but still retains plenty of detail. The mids are a little more recessed and not as forward. The CSN is more relaxing to listen to.

TRN TA-1
TRN's TA-1 is also a dual hybrid with an 8mm dual magnetic DD for the bass and, unusual at this price, a Knowles balanced armature (33518) for the treble. Its build quality is excellent. Like the NRA its general profile is W shaped but the treble is more conservatively tuned and the bass is stronger. The midrange timbre from the Knowles BA is very good and slightly preferable to that of the NRA. The staging is also a touch wider with good imaging.

KBEAR Lark
The Lark is a dual hybrid (1DD + 1BA). It has a neutral profile with a well balanced sound and a warm/neutral and mature tuning. Compared to the NRA it is more "audiophile" and natural with a neutral bass and a flatter midrange. The treble is delicate and gently contoured and is not as bright as the NRA. Timbre is very natural and open. It has a more measured presentation than the NRA and is more musical rather than technical.

Conclusion
CCA must be congratulated on bringing electret technology to the market at such a low price and achieving such a successful implementation. I did find the NRA was not forgiving of poor material and sounded at its best with simpler pieces and high quality recordings, but this was testament to its technical abilities. I found the sub bass a little shy but the remainder of the spectrum was well balanced with only the occasional bit of extra brightness in the treble and a tendency for the stage to compress at high volume. However, improved results were obtained with a warmer source. The NRA presents an alternative, entertaining and immediate sound with good technicalities. It holds its own against the competition and represents excellent value.

Disclaimer: I received this review unit for free from HifiGO, thank you very much.

Price: 23 usd

Specifications:

Impedance: 25Ω±10%

Earphone sensitivity: 103db±3db

Frequency response range:20Hz-40KHz

Driver unit: DD + MST (Magnetostatic) driver


Accessories:

S/M/L wide bore silicone tips


Cable: Measures at 0.66 ohms, which is pretty bad and uses plastic divider/connectors. But other than that, it is a pretty decent cable.




Build: Metal faceplate and plastic build/nozzle (has a lip and metal filters). Decent build quality and uses forward 2 pin connectors.

Fit: very good, size is on the average side and shouldn’t be a problem for most people except the ones with very small ears.

Comfort: Very good due to the size and shape for my ears. Can’t spot a vent but it feels like it is vented at least.

Isolation: Average, nothing special.

Setup: Schiit Asgard 3 (low-gain, volume around 7-8 o´clock), Sony EP-EX11 tips L, stock cable 3.5mm

Lows: Mid-bass focused but not actually bloated due to the pretty good speed. Sub-bass is rolled-off, with poor extension, low rumble and lacking texture. Does impact the overall tonality, where the note weight is a bit thicker due to the mid-bass shelf and also bottlenecks the clarity and detail.

Mid-bass: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), quantity is decent but lacking tightness/texture while speed is good, lacking clarity though. The (02:55-03:01) section with the chopper is hearable but not very clean.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), quantity is elevated so it is fun but lacking texture and could be tighter, speed is pretty good though.

Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), poor extension and doesn’t rumble that much. Punch quantity is lacking in quantity and texture while it could be tighter, speed is good though.

Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), Lacking a lot of quantity, texture and clarity. Speed is good but could be tighter.

Mids: Vocals aren’t recessed nor forward and tonality is pretty decent. But it is bottlenecked by lack of detail and clarity, ends up sounding somewhat low-rez to me.

Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), vocal tonality is decent and is neutral but lacking some detail and resolution, timbre is unnatural though. Instrument tonality is pretty good but lacking in detail, clarity and has unnatural timbre.

Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), vocal and instrument tonality lack some brightness and detail. Timbre isn’t natural either.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), not peaky at all, it actually lacks clarity here.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Crescent (02:07-02:26), separation is decent but imaging isn’t good enough and is chaotic.

Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality is decent but lacking in detail, clarity and has an unnatural timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal and instrument tonality is good but lacking a lot of detail and clarity. Timbre is slightly unnatural.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp but lack texture (a bit too smooth) and detail. Timbre isn’t that natural either.

Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), a bit peaky, chaotic and lacking clarity.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), cello tonality is decent, but lacking in clarity, texture and has unnatural timbre. Violin tonality is lacking a lot of brightness, clarity, detail, treble-extension and unnatural timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), tonality is decent, but lacking in detail and clarity. Timbre is unnatural as well.

Soundstage: Average for this price, nothing special.

Tonality: Balanced tonality, with unnatural timbre. Doesn’t fit my library nor my personal preference though.

Details: below average even for this price sounds somewhat low-rez, the bass-shelf certainly isn’t helping either.

Instrument Separation: separation is decent but poor imaging.

Songs that highlight the IEM:

Good genres: rock/metal (not really, but better than other genres in my library)

Bad genres: Everything else in my library



Comparisons:

IEM: KZ DQ6, Elecom EHP-CAP20 tips L, cable A3 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), a lot lower extension and a lot more rumble on the DQ6. Punch quantity is higher, more textured and a bit tighter on the DQ6 while speed is similar. Tonality and timbre are a lot better on the DQ6 as well as more detailed.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), quantity is higher on the NRA but more textured and tighter on the DQ6 with better tonality and timbre, so it sounds more fun and natural (as well as more detailed) on the DQ6.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), a lot cleaner due to the tighter and lower bass quantity on the DQ6, better clarity and timbre as well.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), a bit more forward vocals on the NRA but more clarity and cleaner on the DQ6 with better timbre. Instrument tonality and timbre are better on the DQ6 as well.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), peakier and more fatiguing on the DQ6 but better detail, clarity and timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), a lot better vocals and instrument tonality, timbre, detail and clarity on the DQ6.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars are sharper and more fatiguing on the DQ6 but better detail, clarity and timbre.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello/violins are a lot better in all aspects on the DQ6.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), peakier on the DQ6 but a lot better clarity, detail and timbre on it.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), a lot bigger soundstage on the DQ6. Detail, instrument separation, imaging, timbre and coherency are all a lot better on the DQ6.

Overall: Just get the DQ6 unless you want something more relaxing and with an unnatural timbre.



IEM: Blon BL-03 (mesh-mod), Radius Deep Mount Tips L, Cable B3 4.4mm

Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends and rumbles a lot more on the 03. Punch quantity is a lot higher and more textured while it is tighter and faster on the NRA. A lot better tonality and timbre on the 03.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), the 03 actually sounds like it has more mid-bass due to it being slower and looser than the NRA but still ends up being more tonally correct and with better timbre along with more resolution and clarity.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), bass is tighter and faster on the NRA with similar texture and quantity. But cleaner and more detailed on the 03 with better tonality and timbre.

Mids: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), Vocal and instrument tonality and timbre are leagues ahead of the NRA and is also more detailed with better clarity.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), a bit peakier on the 03 but more clarity, detail and better tonality/timbre on it.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), Vocal and instrument tonality and timbre are leagues ahead of the NRA and is also more detailed with better clarity.

Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), sharper and more fatiguing on the 03 but better clarity, timbre and tonality.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello/violins are a lot better in all aspects (except treble-extension) on the 03.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), a lot better tonality, detail and clarity on the 03.

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is a bit wider on the 03. Detail, separation, imaging, timbre and coherency are a lot better on the 03.

Overall: Just get the 03 unless you want something more relaxing and with an unnatural timbre.



Conclusion: NRA being CCA/KZ´s first iem that utilizes something other than a DD/BA is actually not the utter disaster (nor the budget killer) I was imagining. But that is all it is, there are other iems in the same price range that are a lot better than it (03/DQ6) that I would recommend ahead of it. Which means I cannot recommend it, other than to sate your curiosity and being a paying alpha tester. Since it’s under a month of its release and KZ has announced their version of the NRA already, being the ZEX.

Thanks for reading.

Graph:

Cable source:

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

Reference/test songs:

To be heard while reading the intro ...



My side hurt from the lumps, but I didn't mind. After falling over while seated on a thin blanket, lumps of sand underneath the wool dug into my rib cage and cast my hips at a strange angle. The sun touched everything in sight, scintillating off the tops of countless small mounds of pure white sand, glinting like spinning diamonds off the crests of the waves breaking beyond. The deep hollow sounds of crushing Pacific rollers reverberated somewhere far away in my thoughts, a backdrop that will echo forever in time.

Surefooted and crossing side to side there in the edges of the surf, a white tipped tail connected eventually to the wise blue eyes of a large dog, devoted in his duties to monitor his young charge, a girl of ten, our daughter, squealing and laughing at how wet her pants had become despite the warnings from her mother. Rising too fast, some preternatural force swung me upright, torso arcing through the air like the keel of a sailboat having righted itself after a knockdown. With sand still clinging to my head and drunk on one glass of wine that felt like three under the cleansing rays, I reclaimed and wiped down my eyeglasses. Just at that moment two little arms stretched out suddenly toward the sky, inversely punctuated by a pink woven hat, her blonde curls trailing behind in the embrace of the ocean winds that blew uninterrupted and uninterested in the machinations of the land behind them. Arms outstretched, not in victory, but in a small moment of triumph of the senses washing away one's cares. To breathe. To be alive. "A good idea", I thought, falling back over, succumbing to the rollers, inhaling deep breaths, and still unbothered by the lumps.

While being watched by a flat voice, the words "we should probably get back" sauntered into my ears from the other side of the blanket, breaking the moment. "Back to what", I asked myself, solemnly. Back to what. I loaded up the Jag with our belongings while the serious task of beach-comb accounting took place between the girls, sifting through what to keep and what to give back to the sea. All of us now guarded by deep leather seats, we sat quietly, vulnerable to tomorrow. I glanced into the rearview mirror to observe the dog and our little girl both staring in silence over their shoulder as the blue grey mists faded into the gurgles of the journey back to the city, back to our small apartment among the sharp and steep hills of San Francisco.

Can you hear your memories? Because I can, with the CCA NRA.

Preamble Musings

Let's talk a bit about big budget driams. More like shattered driams. (with all due apologies to Blon's marketing team)



Except for the Oriolus Isabellae, I can't imagine having recently plunked down $250 and more for one of these pixie-dust encrusted DD units only to be thoroughly trounced in every way by a $24 CCA product. That's what I imagine that I'm hearing. I don't have any of these fancy DD units to compare directly, but I can imagine that right now my first thoughts would be related to how much of the original tips and packaging of those more expensive sets I kept around so I could dump them immediately and put towards more exotic amplifier tech.

Based purely on hype (... and reviews with only slightly less hype), the Isabellae looks like its own thing - a world of mids focused nuance, fluidity, and coherency - and I'm jonesing for a pair of those super bad right now as it would fill a gap in my otherwise vee shaped chifi collection. Unfortunately, I also have 4 adult children in 2 countries that are separated by the Atlantic ocean. With only a few months before the holidays arrive and with travel involved, expensive hobby purchases just aren't in the cards.

In lieu of egregiously selfish retail therapy, I'm really thankful to have these little budget wonders like the NRA and the Geek Wold GK10 to keep my spirits up and my mind occupied during these covid times. I am self employed in my home office, and besides working 10-12 hours a day, I only have my new (well, more like revived from the dead) headphones hobby to lean on for entertainment. All the KZ chifi units I've bought to date, beginning with the CCA C12, I still enjoy very much. There is not a single disappointment in the whole lot, and frankly speaking, I'm really surprised about that because I'd expected a couple of misses.

Should you buy them? Price aside, you should really consider trying a set of the CCA NRA. It offers something fun and unexpected and you just might find that it's a better daily driver than mid-fi priced sets of IEM. If they get destroyed, well - just go on and order a backup pair at the same time. Problem solved. Price considered, if you're new to IEMs or to the audio hobby and reading all of these reviews and audio sites, and you want to taste what the "audiophile" thing is all about, look no further: get one of the small dac/amp devices (I'm using FiiO's BTR3K and it's excellent) and a pair of these NRA units and just sit back and enjoy the music for the next 6 months. There is so much here to like, and the dynamics of this set will keep you engaged and tied up for a long while as your listening shifts between analytical listening to critical listening. These can do both just fine.

A person could spend a lot more money and still get less sound quality. The NRA is a warning shot fired across the bow of a crowded and hyper competitive market for budget audio gear: the bar just got higher and for a lot lower cost. The message to bigger budget chifi makers is this: you are now a bit ...



Cable and tips: I love, love love love this old school, glued (molded?) two wire cable. It's smooth and virtually tangle free and has no microphonics. It's built like headphone cables used to be made 20 years ago, and gosh darn it, it just works. Of all the pin types available, I find KZ's QDC style to be the least scary to use and the most reliable. The translucent, shallow, wide bore tips that KZ is shipping right now are really garbage but they sound hysterically great. That is if they fit your ears. The large is just a bit small for me so I had to swap out to starlines, which provided a few millimetres more protrusion into the ear canal and solved any fit issues. There's a tiny bit of treble lopped off, but it isn't much.

Bass: After more listening I find the tuning to be near perfect for my tastes. The bass and midbass is punching way above it's weight here as a more audiophile focused pair. It's neutral without being thin, textured without being harsh, and has ever so slightly just enough slam dialed in to make percussion a standout. Given the interest in the MST drivers on this set, the bass is very much an unexpected and happy surprise to my ears. There is a healthy amount of subbass dialed in as well, despite what the graphs have shown so far. Witch house jams like Lorn, BLVCK CEILING, axius link, and skeler are incredible across the full spectrum. One of the first sets I've not had to jack up the subbass to fully enjoy, and it somehow manages to do it without being overwhelming. For me this is truly Goldilocks bass and completely unexpected. Cray.



Mids: if there is one area that is potentially open for critique, it would be the upper mids. I think the addition of a tweeter BA like the 30095 would ruin the set. Instead, I think a next-model-up in the catalog is begging for a single BA unit focused on upper mids, or maybe something as simple as just squeezing a bit more power out of the MST units. Given the near infinite variations of driver tech in hybrids out there on the market, this is a near impossible ask. As they are, there is nothing wrong with the mids at all. They are crystal clear, lyrical, and fluid. They are not TOTL quality, but for what you're paying here, I think it makes TOTL sets look criminally expensive.

Back in my day we were perfectly secure in our manhood to mix it up around cross dressing ballerinas while having torrid affairs with androgynous women. We never speak about those monsters but Annie's vocals still just reach right out and grab me right in the feels. "The monsters are crazy. There are monsters outside." Separation in instruments and vocals is superb in the midrange. No genre and no album has thrown these off course in terms of technicalities, and the timbre is really very good.



Quick mids comparisons: GK10's BA/DD hybrid is probably the best I've heard to date and, in this listener's opinion, still bests the NRA by a smidge. GK10 has good tonality and timbre coming from it's dedicated mids DD, and a lot of micro-contrast provided by the a mids focused BA on the edge of the notes. I'm really interested in the Yanyin Aladdin for similar reasons, as it's one of the only hybrids that seems to be noticed for its magical bit of tuning in the midrange frequencies. KZ's BA10 has equal amounts of texture, definition, and volume everywhere in the spectrum, but they don't have the tone and timbre as this NRA. DQ6 is probably the closest since the primary DD is likely identical.

Male vocals are also excellent to my ears. Even at glorious streaming bitrate of 480p, which is probably about on par with most 90's era cassette tape players, this still sounds great. Tonality is really a lot better than I expected out of these. Imaging and positioning are fine. I'd call the sound stage "perfectly adequate", and that's just fine to me. Sound stage that sounds wider than "good" has come to sound fake to my ears, so the NRA for me is right on point. Maybe that's because I'm feeling ...



Treble: in line with the high hopes, CCAs first MST budget drivers really shine in their treble delivery. Like the cable, CCA's tuners went Old School here and dialed in a lot of what used to be known to loudspeaker manufacturers as "presence" - that is mid-treble in the 6-8kHz region. For what they might be missing in top end sparkle they make up for in such a clear and fluid treble delivery from the MSTs that you can't help but to be shocked that this kind of sound is coming from such a low cost device.

These are not quite as detailed on the treble region as your average high-driver count BA hybrid or all BA designs, but it still offers a tremendous amount of resolution and space around instruments and voices. Because the bass is so well controlled, you have ample room for the mids and treble both to breathe in the track. Overall, I notice that there is almost no fatigue coming from these compared to higher powered BA sets like my C12s and BA10. The ever so small trade off in technicalities compared to all BA treble is worth the gain in tone. I don't have other piezo or EST/MST hybrids to compare to, so I won't comment too much more other than "this is what it sounds like ..."



EQ: very close to my ZAX settings. Just a few dB bump from 10-17kHz to add some sparkle and sound stage. To my ears, tastefully done treble extension is like hitting a mono <---> stereo button. Doing so on the NRA produces a pretty drastic shift in imaging from what I hear, and the cool thing about these NRAs is that they don't come with the fatigue or pressure that BA units typically kick out. There's not much in the way of strident noises when over extending the treble, but it does turn sibilant pretty quickly, similar to the DQ6. Cymbals get splashy not from more than about 4dB anywhere in the upper range. Middbass lovers can crank to their heart's delight. Both bass and midbass scale well under EQ, per most KZ and CCA drivers.

Final thought: how good is "really good"? Given the cost / performance ratio here, it's a mind blowing value. The tuning should be a hit with most people, and there's nothing too colored or too opinionated in the sound that would make them a gamble as a recommendation to others.

More than that, I believe the NRA's real strength is to provide a new and near perfect low-cost introduction to the audiophile hobby in the same way that those first sets of Grados, AKGs, or Fostex were for us old timers. Get a pair and try 'em out. I'd like to see CCA make enough profit from these to roll out $75 tribrid to slay the $1000+ price segment. "A new religion that will bring you to your knees ..."

Introduction:

CCA NRA is another budget offering from the CCA company. CCA is a well know brand for making budget I.E.M in different price ranges. There NRA line is said to feature a electrostatic and magnetic driver implementation.


Specs:

Price: $23-24
10mm 3 Magnetic Dynamic Driver with 6.8mm electrostatic driver.
Impedance: 18Ω.
Cable port: 2 Pin 0.75mm gold plated pins
Frequency Response Range: 20Hz-40kHz.
Sensitivity: 103dB

What’s in the box:

The Box is your typical CCA box, a white colored box with the picture of the NRA in front and some technical Specs at the back, nothing that special. The following articles are inside:


NRA I.E.M
Crystal silver plated cable
Typical white silicon tips
Inlets


My Sound Source:


I used the NRA on my Shanling M3X, on dual DAC and high gain mode. As for the Player Applications, I circled around the Hiby Music App with MQA enabled, as well as the Build-in Shanling App, and at times venturing for a Tidal Playlist via UAPP app. I used the standard or stock set up of the NRA (stock cables, and tips). I also utilized the 3.5mm port


Built:

The NRA seems decent in its build quality. The front panel is made from Zinc Alloy and looks nice. The housing is said to be made from a medical grade resin. I got the aqua green colorway. It has weight to it, but just right that it is not too heavy nor too light. The ear nozzle is also made from resin as well no add on metal nozzle. It looks ok, but for me seeing the soldered aspect of the DD drivers and the implementation is not pleasing for me.


My Subjective Impressions:

Disclaimer: I tend to love warm sound signatures with focus on the mids clarity of the vocals. you can say that I am a bit of a bass-head as well as a loud head, ramping the volume of my M3X up to 50-85. I also generally listen to alternative, punk, rock, and classical music playlists. I am not an audiophile, and my taste would tend to reflect an average consumer user to an enthusiast level.

This i.e.m. is a warm to neutral sounding i.e.m. it can hold its piece for busy tracks, but don’t expect too much. The vocals are a bit laid back (just a bit) but still is fine.



Bass

The Bass is very textured, it has depth and thickness in it. It kind of resembles the EDX bass but without air and is well controlled. Basically, the bass feels accurate and well detailed. It has a thump feeling and at times feels punchy. It does not overpower the mids nor did I feel any form of bleed from them (not yet). You can really feel the waves of the bass guitars and the thumb of the bass pedals and the strike of the snares.



Mids

The Mids are also good, they are a bit laid back (just a little) but still is still defined and well detailed. The mids are more textured for the NRA vs the EDX Mids.


Highs

The highs are nice. Its not peaky nor elevated, its just right. The cymbals sound crispy, as well as the strums of the strings. Even at higher volumes the highs sound nice.


Soundstage and imaging

On non-busy tracks, you can basically hear every instrument as well as where they may be located. On busy tracks it at times had a hard time to be accurate. Sound stage is quite good. Feels as if I’m inside a middle-sized room.


Conclusion

For $24 this can be a good starting I.E.M for beginners. Sound quality is nice, decent and detailed too. Overall, my experience with the NRA is quite enjoyable and FUN.

Where did I get it: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/4829026

If want to watch an unboxing and quick summary of the review, please check it here: https://www.youtube.com/user/braced29