My new C10
Took my brand-new C10 for a little test-drive over the past couple of days.
First impressions:
- Fit is very good. I had no problem with insertion, or the default eartips. They are comfortable, and it would be easy to keep them in my ears for a long time.
- Isolation is above average for a Chi-Fi. Not quite as good as the CNT-1, but it does noticeably cancel noise. For instance, I can barely hear the mechanical keyboard I am typing on right now. Whereas, with the King Pro, I can.
- Very attractive housings. I chose the Cyan colour, and it looks exactly as advertised. The base metal also glimmers silver.
Despite the non-trivial build quality, they aren't heavy at all.
- Cable looks halfway like it is a KZ or NiceHCK upgrade cable, but it isn't. Doesn't make any weird noises, and coils around my ear perfectly.
Now that I've established that it fits well and looks good, how does it sound?
- It's pleasant enough starting out - no screeching or harshness. It's relatively relaxed-listening by KZ standards.
- Mids are not recessed. If there's a V-shape here, it's not as pronounced as on something like the V80.
- Vocals are surprisingly clear. I mean, they beat out my CNT-1 often, and are at least on par clarity-wise with the KZ7. This is a key feature of the C10, for me. I have a good chance of having the vocals presented up-front, in an unambigious manner.
This clarity extends to multiple vocals, and male and female vocals are presented simultaneously with ease.
Unfortunately, I find that in some songs, the vocals compete in the foreground with percussion tracks.
- It's easy to drive, and seems made for use with my iPod touch. In combination with its’ pretty decent isolation, this could make it a viable candidate for a low-cost transit IEM.
Now for the bad:
- The C10 handles small groups of instruments / vocals well, and won't miss a beat, but I find it can be a little muddy when presenting larger groups of instruments that are supposed to be part of a big soundstage. It just loses some coherence there.
A few co-existing vocals and instruments seem to be 'stealing' a good deal of the available soundstage, if that makes any sense. The soundstage isn't large.
- It might be lacking subtlety with vocals, in that other IEMs like the King Pro and KZ7 in particular present a high dynamic range and positioning of vocals, but the C10 seems simplified in its vocal positioning and range.
- Although the tuning is relatively inoffensive, it still has some of the KZ steel. I don’t enjoy isolated strings with the C10. It's a softer tuning than the KZ7, yet I find the KZ7 more compelling with certain albums. The KZ7 somehow brings out the intent of a song better for me, whether it be sad or upbeat or whatever. The C10 just feels mellower and more laid-back.
Observations
It is said that the C10 is just the KZ7's drivers retuned. If so, it has led to something noticeably different. The general observations I made here apply: the C10 is more comfortable, easier to deal with in general, less harsh, less peaky. But the KZ7 presents a more compelling sound with its harmonized bass and treble cannon, and throws the sound around in more locations. The C10 is thus kind of a 'lobotomized' KZ7, made to have a permanent smile on its face. It lacks a little flair, and especially élan.
Overall, I'd say it lacks in technicalities compared to more expensive KZ IEMs, or the similarly-priced V80. It's less harsh than perhaps any of those, and makes for easier listening. But its overall quality is 'blunted' in comparison. The fit and cheap price make it convenient and easy to pick up, as it's pretty hassle-free. Easy to recommend for a newcomer.
I found myself using it while I did chores. It doesn't get in the way or demand too much attention. It's like pleasant background music. The tuning has something of a homogenizing effect, which drops technicalities in high bit-rate music, but softens the harshness of low bit-rate tracks. Could be good as an exercise IEM, much like the ZS-10 Pro. It's actually good for chores, because it's so unobtrusive.
Sample Tracks follow (below)