iKKO High-Ear C

IKKO High-Ear C
1DD+4BA
$79

Hi there, before I begin this review, I would like to thank iKKO Audio for sending this IEM for me to review,
but as always, the content of this review is 100% my personal opinion.

Just in case you're interested on buying it, you can grab it on the link below
https://www.ikkoaudio.com/en-eu/collections/all-products/products/high-ear-c

Unboxing
Inside the box you get :

• IEM
• Cable
• Eartips SML
• Documents

Build Quality


The faceplate is made from metal, it has iKKO logo and High-Ear C branding while the main body is from PC / plastic / polycarbonate, it is very lightweight, though somehow the body is looking a bit generic but on the plus side it feels sturdy regardless of the material used.

The High-Ear C is using 0.78mm QDC connector type, but you can also use any normal 0.78mm 2 pin connector cable.

As for the cable itself, I can't comment much about it, its functional, but looks generic as well.

It has minimal microphonic effect, so no worries if you rub your cable to your shirt/ stage costume, there will be minimal noise from it.

Fitting
The High-Ear C fits really nicely to my ears, it is also super comfortable because of how lightweight the IEM.

Sound
Tested using iFiZEN DAC V2, Moondrop Moonriver 2 Ti, Stock Cable, Stock Eartips
Music is mostly from Apple Music (J-POP, J-Rock, Anisong, EDM, RAP, Jazz, Metal)

Tonality in General : “W-Shaped” Forward Bass, Upper Mids, Lower treble

For the Sound part I will make the review in perspective that High-Ear C as a “Monitoring Grade” tools.

Bass :It has a boosted bass though not by bass head quantity, the bass itself sounds rather forward probably to make “monitoring” bass sound / rhythm related easier.

The bass presentation is speedy, with OK punch but not the deepest rumble, itis very suitable for listening to double pedal music and the bass itself has good separation.

For example separating between bass guitar and bass kicks from drums.
The bass presentation here allowed me to hear every notes very well.

Individual who needs a bass monitoring sets such as drummers / bassist would appreciate the iKKO High-Ear C a lot.

Midrange : I can hear that the upper midrange part of this set is a little bit forward, myself as a “hobbyist” singer do appreciate this because it do help me monitor what I sounds like while singing, you can distinctly hear your voice is separated from the music / background.

Treble : The iKKO High-Ear C has a sparkly lower and mid treble that helps you getting immersed with your performance, in example if you're a drummer that wants to monitor cymbal / hi-hats sounds, you can easily do it with the High-Ear C thanks to the forward, sparkly but smooth treble presentation.

In my opinion the tonality of the High-Ear C is indeed tuned to be “Monitoring Grade” IEM.

It does the advertised job pretty well, though you can still use it for your personal music enjoyment grade as well, for that purposes, I would describe the High-Ear C as an energetic sounding IEM.


Technicality

Stage : Above average, it has decently large sized stage for its price and it has exact wall placement with symmetrical width and depth.

Imaging : Average, it sounds 2.5D to my ears, and by that I mean it in a positive way it is pretty decent for its price, but it lacks a bit of information to be called 3D / holographical sound.

Separation & Positioning :Very good, it has clear and distinct separation, you can also easily pinpoint which sound is coming from.
Not only that, the High-Ear C is very good for gaming purposes.

Detail Retrieval : Is above average for its price, probably thanks to the driver count that help give the High-Ear C more details compared to the competition.

Comparation

iKKO OH2 Opal

iKKO own single DD IEM, it has a rather “flat” tuning compared to the High-Ear C, the focus of the OH2 Opal IEM is the midrange, it has a very lush sounding midrange that almost sounds like mixed of HD580, HD650 and HD660s for real, though for tonality, it backs to your own preferences.

As for technicality, the High-Ear C beats the OH2 Opal probably thanks to the driver count that help brings more detail and overall technical capabilities compared to the single driver OH2.

Moondrop Aria & Aria SE
Has similar price, the Aria has better build compared to the High-Ear C, but for its fitting and comfort, I give points to the High-Ear C because it fits more snugly on my ears.

As for the sound, Aria OG has a typical mid bass boosted Harman tuned VDSF target, while the Aria SE has less bass quantity and more focus on its midrange and clarity.
For tonality, as always, it backs to your own preferences.

Technicality wise, the High-Ear C does beats both Aria OG & Aria SE probably again thanks to its driver count that help much with its technicality.

Conclusion

Do I recommend the High-Ear C?

As a “Monitoring Grade” IEM the answer is YES, it do its advertised job pretty well, but what for personal enjoyment IEM?
Well it depends on your sound preferences of course.
The iKKO High-Ear C has an energetic sound, if you're into that kind of sound then the answer is YES.

In the end, do use your own judgement, myself as a reviewer just giving you more perspective and data on how an IEM sounds on the Internet free for you to process by yourself.

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch review of this IEM here


Thanks for reading this far,

-littlenezt