Finally, my review on the
CCA A10!
ABOUT CCA and
CCA A10 in-ear earphone:
Currently, CCA A10 is the latest earphone to hit the market by CCA (Clear Concept Audio), a sister company to KZ (Knowledge Zenith) …with full force, fingers-crossed, and ready to go! But, will it be a personal favorite or just another day at the headphone shop?
First off, I want to thank Mr. Wu from CCA for sending the CCA A10 in return for an honest review. My views on the sound signature may be different or beneficial to some, so please compare my review with others before making your own personal decision whether if this product is right for you, or not. Right now, the cost starts as low as $35 to $39 US dollars, though price may vary elsewhere due to the country delivered, coupon offers, or shipment cost.
As many in head-fi may know by now, CCA is becoming "common ground" for competitive in-ear earphones at a fraction of the cost. They have launched several in-ear models like; CCA C04, C10, C16, CA4, and now their newest model A10 with an all BA structure consisting of a BA 22955 for bass, BA 29689 for MID’s, and BA 30095 for High’s.
*Courtesy of CCA
SOUND SIGNATURE:
They have a balanced, but bright and vividly sounding signature throughout the midrange and treble with plenty of details and a surprisingly low natural sounding punchy bass coming from a BA “bass” armature.
PACKAGE:
They carry the usual accessories and packaging since the launch of the C04 and nothing out of the ordinary since then, which includes a pair of in-ear metal (alloy) plastic housing earphones, detachable cable, extra large and small silicone ear tips, and manual and warranty card all in one small square packaged box.
NOTICEABLE CHANGES:
I will be honest and admit that at first receiving and listening to the A10 I was a little disappointed on the harsh and sibilant sound that came out of them, but that’s when patience paid-off! It all changed after burning them in for at least 100 hours! -Just clear, vivid, airy, and exceptionally tuned earphones! Though, it’s important to note that my review also consists of the changes of ear tips for better comfort and openness. Current ear tips installed: AUVIO medium silicone ear tips.
SOUND:
BASS:
The bass is articulate, punchy, and can demonstrate good quality detailed bass, especially in the sub-bass region where they shine! The A10 relies on the quality and quantity of bass, which keeps the whole signature quite technically balanced!
MIDRANGE:
The midrange has a sense of space, lush, and transparency that leaves you almost breathless, while it’s nicely tuned with the lower treble region giving you exceptional clarity and coherency.
TREBLE:
The treble demonstrates perfection in the lower and upper peaks, while maintaining a good flow of vividness and detail. This type of upper signature is hard to achieve and I think the A10 can really do it well! If you’re not careful, you can be immersed and carried up to cloud nine, literally!
SOUNDSTAGE:
The A10’s soundstage is rare and plays a vital role in the whole signature, which is hard to achieve in many earphones. They demonstrate a better than average soundstage and imaging, due to the fact that they are capable of having some of the best frontal and depth soundstage I’ve heard in a long time. Resolution is also epic and grand for such a forgiving low price point!
COMPARISONS:
HIFI BCD -vs-
CCA A10
Both the A10 and BCD has nice and detailed soundstage separation and imaging, one coming as a micro driver while the other an all BA setup. But, the A10 has better frontal and depth soundstage, besides having a similarly wide soundstage. I can detect that the A10 has slightly better quality bass, especially in the sub-bass region where they shine, but are both the same in quantity. Midrange is slightly more forward with the BCD giving them incredible accuracy with vocals, though the A10 has a sense of space and transparency in the same mid-region that takes you to cloud nine, IMHO! Both have excellent treble details showing off the best of what a dynamic or a balanced armature can achieve! Finally, the BCD plays with a sense of sounding raw, natural with plenty of details, while the A10 plays with the sense of sounding transparent, airy, and with slightly better technicality.
CCA C16 -vs-
CCA A10
So here are two top in-ear earphones offered by CCA…and make no exception, they are both good in quality and value! While the C16 came as no surprise with great sounding midrange to upper midrange carrying 16 BA’s, it has an almost neutral sound signature boasting quick speed and raw details on top with excellent upper to lower bass response. The A10, in the other hand, provides excellent technicality providing the best soundstage possible with the added front and depth soundstage spectrum…It’s really hard to say “you missed a note” with this type of soundstage! Though, both can be said to have different sound signatures, which is perfectly fine with me. So, if you asked me? …Both are winners in my book! From here and now, it’s all about “personal preference”.
PROS:
Excellent technicality, superb bass, great build quality, detachable cables, better than average frontal and depth soundstage.
CONS:
Not for bass heads, needs many hours of play time to achieve its premium signature -100 hours to be exact! Cables are a little thin and lite for its weight (can easily be changed for better ones).
FINAL COMMENTS:
Finally, the CCA A10 are a pleasure to have and can be viewed as a level of premium quality for such an insane low price, IMHO.
Where to purchase them...
1)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33034197841.html
2)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33036770213.html
Hope this review can be of help towards your next purchase...
-Clear