ATH-CK10: identifying fakes, will it play nicely with my music, and other pre-plunge questions

[itldob]

Hi.
 
I'm a closet audiophile who's been lurking for quite a while and am now suffering from a dire case of gear lust over the ATH-CK10.
 
My current IEM is the Klipsch S4i, whose sound is a little muddy for my taste and, after only a year of owning them, whose cables are showing noticeable wear and tear. The stress relievers where the cable connects to the housing are split, the cable moves around within the housing, and the wires are constantly getting tangled up. 
 
The ATH-CK10 have everything I want: neutral and analytical sound signature; discrete aesthetics; good isolation; and, most of all, class-leading build quality. That said, I do have a few questions:
 

• The vast majority of my music has been purchased via Amazon or iTunes, so it's mostly 192k or 256k encoded MP3 or AAC files. According to @ljokerl's stellar reviews, the ATH-CK10 is "more forgiving of poor quality source material than most other high-end IEMs," but how forgiving is that? Am I going to be distracted by compression artifacts?
• How can I tell if I get the genuine article? The ATH-CK10 has been discontinued but AccessoryJack.com still has it in stock. They seem like a solid company, but I do find it a little alarming that they're the only ones still selling this unit.
• Tips. @ljokerl prefers the Sony Hybrid tips for these. Do others dislike the stock tips too?

 
Thanks for the help!

 

[kiteki]

 
1. The CK10's sound excellent with 92Kbps MP3 (and up).
 
2. I've never heard of a fake of the CK10, ever, pretty sure you're totally safe. The CK10 has not been discontinued, they are still in supply in Japan and I'm sure that's where accessoryjack imports them from.
 
3. My favorite tip was the medium stock tip, I tried Sony hybrids, decored shure olives and Comply.
 
 
The CK10's are a great IEM, but you can also consider the Jays q-Jays and the Ultimate Ears UE700 which both use the same driver and are cheaper, they both offer roughly 90% of the sound quality.
 
Either way... have fun!!
 
 

 

[itldob]

Thanks for the answers. I learned they were discontinued from the Audio-Technica site -- based on what you said, I'm guessing that's not for the world-wide audience. Good to know.

 

[kingpintps]

1. I mostly use them for 192/256 kbps MP3s and they sound pretty stellar - no noticeable artifacts!
 
2. If you do not trust Accessory Jack (They seem to be alright in terms of what I have read around the forums), you can try contacting Dimitri from Musica Acoustics. He has a shop in Tokyo and probably can get you a original new pair at a good price.
 
3. Sony Hybrids work best for me as well - the stock tips are indeed quite average - you can get a list of compatible tips on the main CK10 thread here. Some people have also had great results with Moster tri-flanges, even though they were quite uncomfortable for me.
 
What's your music preference? I think this would have the greatest effect on whether you love them for their price or not. 

Welcome to the club of CK10 obsessed!

 

[itldob]

My CK10s arrived just a little bit ago. I'm using the medium stock tips and I have to say: wow. Absolutely spectacular sound and awe-inspiring build quality.
 
Quote:

1. I mostly use them for 192/256 kbps MP3s and they sound pretty stellar - no noticeable artifacts!
 
2. If you do not trust Accessory Jack (They seem to be alright in terms of what I have read around the forums), you can try contacting Dimitri from Musica Acoustics. He has a shop in Tokyo and probably can get you a original new pair at a good price.
 
3. Sony Hybrids work best for me as well - the stock tips are indeed quite average - you can get a list of compatible tips on the main CK10 thread here. Some people have also had great results with Moster tri-flanges, even though they were quite uncomfortable for me.
 
What's your music preference? I think this would have the greatest effect on whether you love them for their price or not. Welcome to the club of CK10 obsessed!

Sorry to have missed your message till today.
 
1. Agreed.
 
2. I ended up ordering from Accessory Jack and they arrived exactly as advertised, very quickly. Thanks for the rec, though.
 
3. It may just be that I'm used to my Klipsch S4i or that they fit my ears particularly well, but the stock tips seem to work for me. I'll probably grab a set of Hybrids just to try them out, but isolation, bass reproduction, and sound quality are all top notch right now. In fact, I've had to turn my music down a few notches since getting these.
 
Re: music preference, most of my time is spent with the prefixes post- or prog-[1], where the detail on the CK10 is simply amazing. The most remarkable part so far is the cymbal work -- I didn't know half of it existed, and with the CK10 I can actually listen to the cymbal splash recede.
 
I haven't yet tried them with pop, techno, or other genres that might not benefit as much from the detail. That doesn't really matter to me, though.
 
 
 
[1] - more specifically, post-metal like Grayceon, Giant Squid, Isis, and Pelican. Post-rock like Mogwai, Halifax Pier, and GYBE. Prog-rock like King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, Pure Reason Revolution, Anekdoten, and Anglagard. Chamber rock like Karda Estra, After Crying, and Uzma. Pop like...no, those specifics are far too humiliating.