[Slater]

Yeah, with 27 Ohms impedance and 105 dB sensitivity I'm sure the needs loads of power

I won't even mention the improvements after 200 hours ..

Wait until you hear it at 300 hours!

 

[perfecious]

These are quite good actually.

I think they are great value. I think they really REALY need to source a new cable provider.

I think they are great value as well. As for the cable, I think if they do include decent cable, KZ wouldn't be selling their "upgrade cables"...

- - -

But anyway, I've been listening to the C16 whole day (haven't eat anything whole day as well). The DM6 has the edge when it comes to resolution, as of this moment. Knowing the cable situation, I will reserve final judgement when I get a better one. Thankfully, I have a friend that will let me try his cables to see what works best, and I will order something nice. They are KZ upgrade cables, so... nothing expensive. And since this is kinda my "update" post, I will share some music experiences.

The C16 really shines with acoustic stuff. Listening to Vaya Con Dios - The Best Of album, it's... mesmerizing musical bliss. It actually performs better than the DM6 with this, I'm not kidding, despite the slightly lower resolution compared to the DM6. Dani Klein's voice is clearer, and the acoustic guitars sounds better, while with the DM6 it's a bit "grainy". Here are some must-listen tracks from the album:





Another track I really like when it comes to acoustic-ism (LOL), is of course - Scarlet Pimpernel by Black Sabbath:



Of course, lossless is really recommended, as always.

- - -

Listening to some other stuff, here is a track that a friend recommended (I'm sure HeadFi is familiar with it), very good for soundstage (The DM6 takes the edge here, but still - very close):



It's like you're there.

Another short track I use for testing "immersion", is Jean-Michel Jarre - Equinox 8 (From the AERO album):



It's a rain/thunder storm mix. The raindrops are more detailed/precise (again, because of the resolution) on the DM6, but the rumble from the thunder is stronger on the C16, making more "immersive" and surrounding (almost scary, as if you are sitting in the middle of the storm )

- - -

And now something for us detail lovers - this is Bryan Ferry - Limbo. It's a very famous song (sure most people know about it), but it's bursting with detail. The way it's mixed, and all of the little details is... amazing:




Sounds really impressive on the C16. DM6 - again - slightly better, when it comes to the "clarity" of the details.

- - -

That's it for now. Something very important to note, and I can't stress this enough, is that my experience is based on very specific setup - the C16 are used with the Axon 7 in SuperHiFi mode, with the default player (best sound quality achievable on that device). I use the DM6es with the UAPP player, in regular HiFi mode (that's the only good setup for the DM6 on that phone). This is very important. The SuperHiFi setting with it's filtering, the specific warm signature of the DAC/AMP and HiGain (in combo with the higher internal impedance of that device) does some MAGIC with the C16, that i'm sure most people using different devices will not get (they might get better results, not sure, but that's specific to my experience).

That's why I say that in that mode, they are almost the same sounding as the DM6, minus the higher resolution on the DM6 (which again, I cannot say for certain that it's the C16 fault, because the cables I currently have are kinda bad, with high resistance, and they act like "filters", killing transient performance, or it could also be the "phasing issue" because of the placement of the drivers in the C16, OR a combination of both, which is why I am holding judgement on the resolution for now, and just sharing the current experience. I use very high quality copper cable with my DM6, so that's that), and not as sibilant as the DM6 in the 6-8kHz region.

Based on that experience, I would say that players like the Zishan DSD (with it's high internal impedance, which is a huge problem with the DM6), might sound really good with the C16. That player uses the same DAC (AKM4490) as the axon 7, so, yeah. All I can say is, for Axon 7 users, the C16 is a perfect match, even though there is a small noise/hiss. You WILL be blown away. I just love the sound of the CCA C16 with that device. The soundstage is the same as the DM6 (the layering especially, and the imaging). If that sounds weird for some, because they have different tuning, it's because of my specific scenario, which I've described with my source, which basically changes the signature of the C16. If somebody is interested, I can go into more detail, but the best way to convince you, is for one to hear it with their own ears, using the Axon 7 in SuperHiFi mode, and comparing to the DM6. I can get the raw signature of the C16 in regularHiFi mode. but, it's more "laid back", the vocals are slightly back (the 1,5kHz bump is noticeable), but the soundstage is wider. It works better with some music (instrumentals mainly), while the SuperHiFi setting is just awesome with everything. It's just a click of a button to switch between the too, so...


Um yeah, I will update when I test some better cables, to let you all know if there is a change. As of now, I think the C16 is awesome.

Cheers!

 

[B9Scrambler]

Some additional thoughts on the C10. Overall quite nice, but much too mid-bassy and smooth for my tastes.

Head-fi / The Contraptionist

​

 

[1clearhead]

Getting a pair of my own soon. I haven't really been enthusiastic about IEMs for a long time, but I want to see how good the C16 really is.

Glad you're back, bhazard!

 

[mochill]

CCA C16 can definitely produce dynamic bass response when called for.

 

[DynamicEars]

Some additional thoughts on the C10. Overall quite nice, but much too mid-bassy and smooth for my tastes.

Head-fi / The Contraptionist

​

nice review as always.. finally an honest review that not hyperbole hype about C10. I believe C10 is good for the price with smooth trebles but i think i would prefer bqeyz over it, glad I didnt jump into the hype train

 

[SybilLance]

Some additional thoughts on the C10. Overall quite nice, but much too mid-bassy and smooth for my tastes.

Head-fi / The Contraptionist

​

As is your wont, Scrambler, quite a balanced, fair review, clearly pointing out what you think are the C10's strengths and deficiencies.

As my near-exclusive go-to pair of headphones for these past 2 months I can aver that the conformation of the C10's shell—very different from that of the KZ ZSN—with its thick, short and lipless nozzle that projects at an unusual angle makes it one of the most finicky in finding an ideal eartip insofar as I'm concerned. The provided tips with their relatively stiff silicones with those medium bores initially resulted in a sound very much like what you've described: overly smooth treble, a thin, somewhat recessed midrange and with much of the energy focused on the mid-bass. Strangely enough, soft silicone wide-bore tips brought out what I've been describing here and have written down in my Impressions as that balanced, coherent sound with that controlled, precise, deep low end without that mid-bass bloat; a midrange that's now on equal footing with the rest of the frequency spectrum and that I could only describe as delicious; and a treble that despite it's smoothness of character manages to be finely resolving and detailed. My problem lay in keeping them secure in my ear canals. Soft, slow-rebound wide-bore ball foams eventually slip out. That ridged annulus found at the bottom edge of SpinFits cause pain during extended listening sessions. Spiral Dots I have yet to try. Nevertheless the sound afore-described is what I've been hearing all this time. This is what I honestly believe is the "final" signature of the C10. My own individual perceptions, of course.

 

[SweetEars]

The C16 is an amazing IEM, and it does improve with time and with amplification. I am still noticing improvements after more than 200 hours, and it does respond to a healthy input. Some of what you are hearing is due to the C16's ability to show the differences in source equipment, which is testament to its accuracy and neutrality. Personally, I have never heard better bass on an IEM. The better the source and material, the better they sound. I agree with you about the cable, though, after all it's the same as the one supplied with the C10.

what about youtube material?

 

[Nimweth]

what about youtube material?

I'm sorry, I have not used them to listen on YouTube. I use them exclusively on my DAP/Amp. They are very revealing and I am sure the quality of the material on YouTube varies so you will hear what is on the original, warts and all!

 

[Zerohour88]

Some additional thoughts on the C10. Overall quite nice, but much too mid-bassy and smooth for my tastes.

Head-fi / The Contraptionist

​

first C04, now C10. Might I assume you also have a C16 review in progress?

 

[B9Scrambler]

first C04, now C10. Might I assume you also have a C16 review in progress?

Not at the moment though I can get one in if needed.

Edit: Apparently it's already scheduled to be shipped out soon. So yeah, I'll be giving it a review sometime in the near-ish future.

 

[peter123]

Not at the moment though I can get one in if needed.

Edit: Apparently it's already scheduled to be shipped out soon. So yeah, I'll be giving it a review sometime in the near-ish future.

That's great news mate! I'll most likely wait for your thoughts as I haven't seen any comparisons with something that I'm familiar with.

 

[kr0mka]

Yeah, with 27 Ohms impedance and 105 dB sensitivity I'm sure the needs loads of power

I won't even mention the improvements after 200 hours ..

Are the C16's really 27 Ohms? Or do I have a differently wired version? I checked with my multimeter and for me, a single iem measures 41.5 Ohms, I have also measured my ZS10, and they measure 32 Ohms as in the specifications.

 

[peter123]

Are the C16's really 27 Ohms? Or do I have a differently wired version? I checked with my multimeter and for me, a single iem measures 41.5 Ohms, I have also measured my ZS10, and they measure 32 Ohms as in the specifications.

I honestly don't know but it's what the specs I've found says.

 

[kr0mka]

I honestly don't know but it's what the specs I've found says.

Yeah, I'm just wondering, since the specs seem to not state the truth