[Narc]

Havent been able to get a source for the Sony Hybrids to ship to Ireland without an absurd €50 (or similar) shipping charge. If anyone can provide an affordable supplier then I'd appreciate it.

 

[jrwong28]

would u like to trade these with a pair of westone 4s???

No sorry not going to trade for W4R i am a audio technica fans it's means to be a collection for me one for use one for collection where u live? try hard u might still find one or two left in your country

 

[W1CKED]

So, I got an unused Viablue plug lying around and my CK10 got virtually no warranty.. I decided to put them together..
 
The outcome is this multi-metal bling; titanium, aluminium, gold, bronze
 
 

 
 
I don't know if this is a placebo effect or not, becuase I don't have another CK10s to compare with, but the sound seems to be a tad bit improved based on my memory.
 
I got weightier and more impactful lows, more headstage, crisper note attacks, less smoothing-out, and even better imaging. These are all subtle improvements though, albeit noticeable. All without any sacrifice of the things that made us love the CK10s. Overall, they somehow sounded even more pleasing. I'd give them 9.35 / 9.4 in |joker|'s scale.
 
The downside is that they are a little more susceptible to hiss. And the metal plug would potentially scratch the faceplate so badly lol.

 

[Narc]

I don't know if this is a placebo effect or not, becuase I don't have another CK10s to compare with, but the sound seems to be a tad bit improved based on my memory.
 
I got weightier and more impactful lows, more headstage, crisper note attacks, less smoothing-out, and even better imaging. These are all subtle improvements though, albeit noticeable. All without any sacrifice of the things that made us love the CK10s. Overall, they somehow sounded even more pleasing.

 
I also think I got a slight improvement in bass (little deeper and more prolonged) when I had the right angled jack added. Again, I did not have a side by side comparison so it was just from memory but it did seem to sound more pleasing and less than before.
 
I've never owned an amp but I would imagine that, whatever about the sound sig of the amp, the line out doc connection would give superior quality sound over the normal headphone jack.

 

[Narc]

I have two new CK10s for sale, see following link.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/650761/ath-ck10-bought-new-from-licensed-distributor
 
The bass has considerably more impact on these new models compared to the second hand pair I owned previously as according the IJokerI, the filters get clogged over the years if you do not keep them clean. These things make my Sennheriser IE8 sound like listening to music through a wall - they are glorious.

 

[gnauhZ]

Anyone willing to sell a used pair? PM me!!

 

[rbf1138]

I've been out of the loop for a bit, but I was curious if there is a consensus to what IEM fits and sounds as good as the CK10 at a similar price point these days. What would be a good replacement/step up from them?

 

[W1CKED]

Quote:

I've been out of the loop for a bit, but I was curious if there is a consensus to what IEM fits and sounds as good as the CK10 at a similar price point these days. What would be a good replacement/step up from them?

 
I'm still asking that to myself also.. 
I think the DBA02 MkII sounds close but not quite at the same level of CK10, not to mention about inferior fit, ergonomics, and build. I've heard pretty much all of the end-game universals but never found something that I like more than my CK10. The thing is that, there are nothing that sound similar but up to the same level, and there are something that sound technically better but in a very different way which I don't enjoy as much. And pretty much all of those are inferior to CK10 in terms of comfort, isolation, and ergonomics.
Btw, I've read about CK100PRO having the same sound signature as the CK10 but I've never listened to them. So my CK10 (terminated in Viablue) is pretty much the end of my universal road and I'm perfectly happy with it. My next purchase would be a custom for sure. 

 

[Phasma Phasmati]

Quote:

These, along with the CK100, had picqued my interest within the past few weeks, and with the price floating around $200 for the CK10, I thought I'd give these a try before venturing into the purchse of the (twice as expensive) CK100's. These were purchased from newegg and arrived at my office last Friday.

A little background: I have been into audio (mostly two-channel stereo) for approximately 25 years, and had, at one point a few years back, assembled a fairly high end system. Unfortunately, that system has been parcelled out due to life's circumstances. For instance, I needed to buy my daughter a used car for her 16th birthday so i sold my turntable setup to fund the purchase. Seems kind of funny, really, when you think about it.

I got into headphone listening about three or four years ago. I dove right in and purchased more equipment than I had the time to listen. Along with the home gear, I also got pretty heavy into portable IEMs. At one point I had a few amps, along with a broad array of non-custom monitors (Ety ER6; ER4P (with S cable); ER4B; Shure E500; Shure SE530; UE 5 Pros; UE 5 EB; IE8 (twice), along with a few others.

I sold most everything (portable-wise) a few months back, as I wasn't using them at all. And I really didn't see myself getting back into it.

But a couple of weeks back I found myself thinking I should've kept at least one or two IEMs and it just so happened that that very evening, someone was selling their IE8's. This head-fier had purchased from the same vendor I had previously made my purchase (NCIX) so I felt comfortable enought that it would be the real deal.

Up until last Friday, I have been exclusively listening to the Senns for approximately two to three weeks. It's been my gym IEM, office IEM and an all-rounder used quite often as of late.

The CK10's arrived about midmorning on Friday. As I removed the contents from the container, I was really pleasantly surprised by the cabling. It seems like a heavy-duty wire compared to the Senns, being a bit thicker. Yet, they are very fluid in movement and easy to use. By that I mean that they hold almost no memory of their shape, which is very unlike the UE cabling and similar to the Senns.

The IEMs themselves are really (and I mean really) tiny. This was one of my concerns prior to my purchase, as I've got fairly large ear openings and was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get a proper fit.

Before I forget, the included pouch is rather diminutive and cute. My container of choice for all IEMs has always been an Altoids tin can. I could probably fit three or four CK10s into just one can.

Upon first listening to the CK10s through my iPod Classic, I noted that sound was rather tinny and lacked anything that resembled the lower frequencies. To say I was a wee bit disappointed is an understatement. And the fit just didn't feel quite right.

But no true head-fi'er worth their salt will let things lay in this manner, and I began my fidgeting, jamming, poking, pushing, shoving, etcetera of the IEMs into my ears; over-the-ear, straight in, sideways and nothing seemed to really work.

The sleeve of the CK10s have no ridge or anything of the sort to kind of "lock" the tips. The stem is smooth as a straw, and the tip sort of slides right on. I was a bit reluctant to insert the IEMs into my ears deep out of fear of the tip falling off the stem deep in my ear canal. But, I had read other head-fi'ers talking 'bout the "deep" insertion. So I took a deep breath, and sort of pushed the IEMs gently deeper and deeper until I could feel a rather solid (and sound proof) seal.

Then the CK10's came to life.

With the proper fit, the CK10s are at the top of the universal IEM heap that I've personally had in my possession. The music (mainly Jazz of all variety) just comes alive. These cans offer a clarity in the musical presentation that is truly remarkable. Very Ety-like, and yet smooth at the same time. I'm able to listen further into the recording with ease and pick out subtle nuances, which makes listening to well known recordings a fun game of sorts.

The bass is light, tight, and agile. It doesn't get in the way of the other frequencies. It's there, and is able to hit pretty hard, and then get out of the way. A couple of CDs I like to use for testing a speaker's bass quality/quantity are a few cuts from Stanley Clarke's "East River Drive" and "Mezzanine" from Massive Attack.

With the CK10's, the bass, when present in the recording, is brought to life through the IEMs. I was rather surprised that the low frequencies extended as they did. The lows were tight, controlled and fast. Absolutely no bloat in any way, shape or form.

For those who've heard a well designed and set-up minimonitor with a quality supporting cast, to include a properly treated listening room, the CK10s are very reminiscent of that type of sound. The sound where you sit and are totally awed by the sheer quality and palpability that you're hearing, where the sound is very cohesive and whole, while at the same time you're able to listen into the recording.

Listening over the course of the weekend consistently brought me awe at the quality of the sound these things bring to the table. For the first time since I've been into this hobby, an IEM caused me to question the need for my full sized cans. I remember thinking, "So this is what the JH13 crowd's been feeling" a few times during the course of listening sessions. Until the CK10s, I couldn't really understand how one could live with just an IEM.

I guess with anything audio, it's all about how the particular item fits with you, as the listener. For me, the CK10s are unequivacolly the best IEMs that I've had the pleasure of listening to. I'm really curious about the CK100s, but an emotional chord has been struck with these tiny giants.

I thought the Audio Technica ATH-CK10 was discontinued? Or did you acquire the IEM through other means?

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Havent been able to get a source for the Sony Hybrids to ship to Ireland without an absurd €50 (or similar) shipping charge. If anyone can provide an affordable supplier then I'd appreciate it.

 
No Amazon.com in Ireland? Bummer. I never could deal with flanged tips.
 

 

[Narc]

Quote:

 
No Amazon.com in Ireland? Bummer. I never could deal with flanged tips.
 

No I can order through Amazon but all the Sony Hybrid sellers are based in the States and the shipping on these 8 dollar tips turns out to be over 50 bucks for some reason. I may contact the seller directly to reach a compromise. Cheers for the info though.

 

[grokit]

There's 54 different sellers, you should be able to check their shipping rates individually online.

 

[W1CKED]

I went to Sony shop in my country and ask them for "XBA replacement tips" and thus I got a noise-cancellation ones that got foam stuffed inside, which is awesome

 

[sonicaudio]

If anyone has the ck10 in good to excellent condition and is looking to sell please send me a PM. I would like to buy them.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

I have bought quite a lot of tips.
So far the Sony hybrids are my favorite, I havent tried the Shure flanges yet (have to mod them).

clockwise - sony hybrids, etymotic flange tips, monster, comply, monster packs, audio technica finefit, shure and franken hybrid(jvc foam inside audio technica finefit).