Updated my CKR100
review with the following text.
---- UPDATE after a couple of months of use -----
If you buy these, please do buy the upgrade cable as well. I know it's already expensive and ATH must have put in their upgrade cable as the stock for CKR100. Anyway I got the ETHOS cable for around 70 dollars, and the sound is great! Much better than with stock cables. So, the sound impression that follows is with this cable.
I have a decent collection of IEMs and these are my absolute favourite. I can't listen to anything else now. The detail and resolution of the CKR100 are, IMO, the best that dynamic drivers can get you.
Let me tell you why these are the best!
Bass, Resolution, Vocals. They are simply amazing, and most satisfying. No other IEM gave me this perfect combination of the three most important parameters that make an IEM great. Just perfect. No sibilance at all, tight bass, with perfect decay, mesmerizing vocals, perfect colour. This is how an IEM should sound (IMO). It has all the details. ALL of them (you need to upgrade the cable to notice this)
More than the sound, there are couple of things which make these IEMs the real winner. That is,
A. The Form factor - No vents here to allow any outside wind in. The semi-closed design also gives a decent isolation, and no leakage of sound that could disturb anyone around. Also, the straight-down conventional method is super simple to wear, and remove when necessary. In just a second, they are out and you can make some conversation and pop them back in. I find this is what makes me pick them up every time I go out.
B. Housing material - The hard/shiny body of these makes sure that these are solid forever, constant use won't tamper them. Think wooden housings, like JVC woodies or Keyaki, touching them means some dirt is going to be deposited there whether you intend or not. It's going to lose the shine, and even the sound is going to change after a considerable amount of use. This forces me to use the Keyakis indoors, and not take much of a risk with them.
I've also learned a thing or two with my earphones experience. For me, dynamics are the best. BA's don't cut it for me. I'm not a super analytical listener, and all the extra on-you-face details simply bores me and distracts me from enjoying the music. Example: Ety ER4, ATH E70. Even the musical BA's like E-Q5 and FAD IV don't give me as much satisfaction as a good dynamic driver does me.
The only other IEM that gives me so much satisfaction across all genres is the Sony EX800. The downside with these are the open vents (terrible sound leakage, and wind noise). The EX800 bass feels a bit (just a little) loose sometimes. This is not the case with CKR100.
Also, a word comparing E70s. The drum-kit grabs all the attention with the E70s, and I also notice that the timber is a bit off (I guess, between 200-800 hz range). Also, the vocal sibilance puts me off. The CKR100 has the perfect timbre, every drum hit sounds authentic (not the case with E70). And everything plays out in a very balanced manner. E70 will win with micro-details at the expense of sibilance.
So, overall, I'd say this is the best 500 dollars (including the upgrade cable) I've spent on earphones. No regrets.
Adding half a star to my initial rating. Still loses half, just because of the cable.
