stevenich
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2011
- Posts
- 4
- Likes
- 0
Hi Guys,
This is my first review so be easy
I just received a CK4 from Musicaacoustics.com. Delivery and price was awesome!! Dimitri was great to deal with.
I will keep this very simple.
The Good:
-This unit offers the highest quality sound I have heard from a portable player(Some exceptions explained later). This includes modded first gen Ipods, Hifiman 60X. The internal amplifier is also very good. Still not as good as the external portable RSA, ALO and the like.
-The unit is easy to use. Menu's are very plain. The unit is quick to respond.
-WAV, FLAC and Mp3's sounded Awesome!!
-Firmware was easy to update
-USB transfer was very fast. It has to be at least 2.0.
-Video quality is average
-The "line-out" sound quality was very good. My Modified NAIM CD player was only slightly better! Mainly low end and imaging was better. The CK4 held it's owwn for sure.
-Came with Audio Technica A770 ear buds. Not bad!!
The Bad:
-24/192Khz BIT HD files I played had "ticks and pops" like album static. This was on every track I listened to. The sound quality was amazing between these audible noises
-The MicroSD slot is hard to use. I also expect problems from this design if the slot is used regularly.
-No Touch screen features on the nice display. Ok, so I am spoiled with my many phones and Ipods. This is a personal bother more than anything.
-HD playback only supported on WAV files
-The "Music" folder is not seen by Windows 7. I can't copy files directly to the Music folder. I had to copy everything to the root folder. The unit updates the files but doesn't put them in the proper folders.
-Headphone jack doesn't support IEM's with mic(like ones used on Iphones). No issue for me but Phonak and Klipsch users beware
-Pop and clicks when selecting certain menu's.
-There are no instructions in English at all. To get the unit to the "English" settings requires you guess at the menus until you find it It was almost fun.
-User defined EQ bands are very generic. I would like to see a 20Hz-20Khz 31 band, but I'm just dreaming
Conclusion:
If you are looking for an incredible sounding source for your MP3, WAV and FLAC files and you don't mind the bad points above then this is your unit!! If you have GB's of WAV files and you want to see how good they can sound, go for it (I did) The ~250.00USD price is fair for the quality parts in the unit and the sound is quite good. "Expect nothing more" than great sound and you will be fine.
If you want a player with Wi-Fi, touchscreen, pandora or Spotify interface this isn't for you. This unit offers no neat or convenient features.
I think the unit could be improved alot with firmware updates and that is why I am keeping it. The WAV files simply sound awesome.
I can post menu pics if people want.
I also received a pair of Ortofon e-Q5's. I will review them after the "burn in" period Initially they are quite good!!
I hope my first review format is OK.
-Steve
This is my first review so be easy
I just received a CK4 from Musicaacoustics.com. Delivery and price was awesome!! Dimitri was great to deal with.
I will keep this very simple.
The Good:
-This unit offers the highest quality sound I have heard from a portable player(Some exceptions explained later). This includes modded first gen Ipods, Hifiman 60X. The internal amplifier is also very good. Still not as good as the external portable RSA, ALO and the like.
-The unit is easy to use. Menu's are very plain. The unit is quick to respond.
-WAV, FLAC and Mp3's sounded Awesome!!
-Firmware was easy to update
-USB transfer was very fast. It has to be at least 2.0.
-Video quality is average
-The "line-out" sound quality was very good. My Modified NAIM CD player was only slightly better! Mainly low end and imaging was better. The CK4 held it's owwn for sure.
-Came with Audio Technica A770 ear buds. Not bad!!
The Bad:
-24/192Khz BIT HD files I played had "ticks and pops" like album static. This was on every track I listened to. The sound quality was amazing between these audible noises
-The MicroSD slot is hard to use. I also expect problems from this design if the slot is used regularly.
-No Touch screen features on the nice display. Ok, so I am spoiled with my many phones and Ipods. This is a personal bother more than anything.
-HD playback only supported on WAV files
-The "Music" folder is not seen by Windows 7. I can't copy files directly to the Music folder. I had to copy everything to the root folder. The unit updates the files but doesn't put them in the proper folders.
-Headphone jack doesn't support IEM's with mic(like ones used on Iphones). No issue for me but Phonak and Klipsch users beware
-Pop and clicks when selecting certain menu's.
-There are no instructions in English at all. To get the unit to the "English" settings requires you guess at the menus until you find it
It was almost fun.-User defined EQ bands are very generic. I would like to see a 20Hz-20Khz 31 band, but I'm just dreaming
Conclusion:
If you are looking for an incredible sounding source for your MP3, WAV and FLAC files and you don't mind the bad points above then this is your unit!! If you have GB's of WAV files and you want to see how good they can sound, go for it (I did
) The ~250.00USD price is fair for the quality parts in the unit and the sound is quite good. "Expect nothing more" than great sound and you will be fine.If you want a player with Wi-Fi, touchscreen, pandora or Spotify interface this isn't for you. This unit offers no neat or convenient features.
I think the unit could be improved alot with firmware updates and that is why I am keeping it. The WAV files simply sound awesome.
I can post menu pics if people want.
I also received a pair of Ortofon e-Q5's. I will review them after the "burn in" period
Initially they are quite good!!I hope my first review format is OK.
-Steve
