kingpintps
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2009
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My first proper review on Head-Fi - please be kind 
(sorry about the crappy pictures in advance)
Kept the review short so happy to answer questions in the thread.
Background: I have been an audio enthusiast for about 10 years now. Living in India, access to quality audio hardware has always been an issue in the past - where most of the people are concerned about bigger problems in life, this has not been an easy (or cheap) hobby to pursue or maintain (and absolutely not something I would have wanted to complain about too much - it's a luxury here!). Where 99% of the music plugged in crowd was happy with the cheap earphones, there was little value for retailers to import such expensive gear. Thankfully, with the boom of e-commerce recently in the country and expansion of Amazon's global shipping options, quality gear is finally becoming more accessible!
Since cost has always been a factor in importing audio gear, most of the time I have been only able to hold on to 1-2 pieces of hardware of a certain form to make way for a much more nomadic and consequently expensive lifestyle. I downgraded all my audio hardware to more reasonable gear ditching some very nice speakers, headphones and earphones in the process (some of them like q-Jays I still regret). When I came across the news about launch of an all new IEM line from Audio Technica - I became super excited! I had absolutely loved the sound of ATH-CK10 and even though I got a very good price for selling them after using for about 2 years, I increasingly regretted that decision and missed the signature AT sound. They really were the perfect earphones for me - great speed, accuracy, incredibly detailed, respectable sound stage, compact earpieces that sat flesh with the ear, and incredible build quality. The only two issues I had with them were 1. That they would not stay inside the ear canal for me consistently and 2. Their sibilant treble which would sometimes drive me crazy after a busy day at work.
Since I currently only possess the UE 500 as my sole set of earphones and v-Jays as my only headphones, my reference point would be from memory of the previous ones I have used, primarily ATH-CK10, since the rest don't sound anywhere as good.
Source: Cowon J3
Amplification: None
Decision and Purchase: After reading number of opinions on the new IEM line for AT, I picked out ATH-IM02 as my target. It seemed to fit in with my preference of clear, transparent sound with a tight bottom end. I also wasn't a fan of the bulkier size of IM03 or IM04 since my ears are on the smallish side. Even though I wanted to try a 3/4 driver earphone, I realized that ATH-IM02 was the perfect fit for me as a complete package!
Placed an order on Amazon on 16 Jan 2015 from their market place retailer "Export-from-Kobe" who were shipping it directly from Japan. The pair directly sold and shipped by Amazon from US would have cost me close to $215 with shipping and custom duty. I only paid $160 inc. shipping for the Japan export. They were shipped using standard EMS with tracking and were delivered on 30 Jan. Packaging was great as expected and the contents were new and in great condition.
Packaging and Accessories: Great packaging quality as expected from AT. Much better than the rather minimal packaging of CK10. The earphones comely safely housed in a strong foam cutout placed neatly inside a solid cardboard box with the carry case holding the additional ear-tips at the bottom. Comes with a carry case + 3 pairs of silicone tips (S/M/L), 1 pair of Comply tips
Build Quality: Spectacular! I was getting flashbacks of holding CK10 when I pulled these out the box. The cable is just as thick, strong and easy to unwind as on the CK10. The earpieces themselves are built of translucent plastic housings which feel super solid in the hand - though I'm not a fan of their look and size. CK10 looked amazing in comparison with the brushed metal plates and were only half the size with same number of BA drivers. ATH-IM02 do look more serious than CK10 however, which is a good thing. I love the guided cable which make it much easier to hold the earpieces in my ears - something I found sorely lacking in CK10. The carrying case supplied with ATH-IM02 is again, almost twice the size of the round one that came with CK10. I like the idea of having more space to store the earphones but I would struggle to fit these comfortably in my jeans pocket with a cell phone, car keys and wallet - something which was quite easy with the CK10 case. Build quality and look and feel of the case however, is much more refined and definitely a step in the right direction!
Comfort: Average. This is the only area where I would have hoped for a more complete package in IM02. The earpieces are on the larger side and definitely don't fit as comfortably in my ears as q-JAYS or CK10. I have to pull my earlobe up to make them fit inside every time I wear them, which means it's not easy to take them out or put them in on the go as easily. The real + is the form-able cable guides which do a great job of keeping the earphones in their place whether I am walking or moving around the house - something I had major issues with on CK10 which would fall out every time I even tilted my head. IM02 sit flush with the ear but when lying on the side of my face, I can feel them poking deeper inside my ear - again, not as comfortable for sleeping with as CK10, but not too much of a pain either – it is possible!
Sound – 8.5/10: Plugging these in to my Cowon J3 and playing my favourite EDM tracks was bliss! I was instantly transported to the time I had first tried the CK10 and I couldn’t believe how similar the ATH-IM02 sounded to CK10 sans the sibilance. They sound clean, super transparent, fast and extremely detailed – exactly the reasons I missed dual driver balanced armature drivers vs. dynamic drivers. By the time I finished my first track, I knew I would not at all regret my decision.
Bass – 8/10: ATH-IM02 sound very similar to CK10 to my ears – slightly less quantity of bass but very well defined with a solid punch in the EDM tracks. Compared to UE500’s dynamic driver, the bass here is much more refined and well mannered. On the UE500 I can almost feel the driver bloating under pressure and the slowness of decay. This is the perfect quantity of bass for me – whether it’s hard hitting EDM, smooth Jazz or contemporary pop, but for those of you who love bass, ATH-IM02 may leave you underwhelmed.
Mid-Range – 9/10: Again, the mid-range of ATH-IM02 reminds me very much of CK10. Very very detailed – UE500 and q-JAYS were clearly very V-shaped when compared to ATH-IM02. Songs come alive with these and the vocals sound extremely smooth and realistic.
Treble – 9/ 10: This is an area where for my ears ATH-IM02 trump the CK10 – purely because of the lack of sibilance. To most experts out these this would be regarded as a rolled-off high frequency range – but for me this is just perfect and definitely more of a musical sound. I find the details and brightness of the high frequency just right and cannot sense that much of a difference compared with CK10. Not having to endure sibilance means I can have these plugged into my ears for more than 1 hour without any fatigue – makes it the perfect earphones for me!
Conclusion: Audio Technica fans you will not be disappointed! I have been a long-time fan of CK10 and kudos to AT for keeping the same sound signature as those legendary earphones while fixing the sibilance issues and improving the wear ability. I’m not a fan of how these look and their rather bulky size – but these are small compromises to make considering their awesome sound, absolute flawless build quality and great fit and comfort. I read some reviews online before purchasing these that said that they sounded much darker and the sound had been made too smooth to compete with Sennheiser’s and Shure’s of the world – I’m sorry, I don’t agree I’ve heard Shure 425 and Sennheiser IE8 and these sound much brighter to me. Most of all – I’m so happy I finally have the CK10 sound ringing day in and day out in my ears again – without the sibilance.
Value for Money: STEAL! At their current market price of around $150 - I cannot think of a better pair of earphones which offer such a complete package. I was not looking for the best earphones that money can buy, but rather the perfect earphones for my needs under a budget of $300. At this price, I am a very very happy Head-Fi'er. Thank god now I don't have to buy the Sennheiser's and Shure's - no offence, but my heart (and ears) belong to Audio Technica.
(sorry about the crappy pictures in advance)Kept the review short so happy to answer questions in the thread.
Background: I have been an audio enthusiast for about 10 years now. Living in India, access to quality audio hardware has always been an issue in the past - where most of the people are concerned about bigger problems in life, this has not been an easy (or cheap) hobby to pursue or maintain (and absolutely not something I would have wanted to complain about too much - it's a luxury here!). Where 99% of the music plugged in crowd was happy with the cheap earphones, there was little value for retailers to import such expensive gear. Thankfully, with the boom of e-commerce recently in the country and expansion of Amazon's global shipping options, quality gear is finally becoming more accessible!
Since cost has always been a factor in importing audio gear, most of the time I have been only able to hold on to 1-2 pieces of hardware of a certain form to make way for a much more nomadic and consequently expensive lifestyle. I downgraded all my audio hardware to more reasonable gear ditching some very nice speakers, headphones and earphones in the process (some of them like q-Jays I still regret). When I came across the news about launch of an all new IEM line from Audio Technica - I became super excited! I had absolutely loved the sound of ATH-CK10 and even though I got a very good price for selling them after using for about 2 years, I increasingly regretted that decision and missed the signature AT sound. They really were the perfect earphones for me - great speed, accuracy, incredibly detailed, respectable sound stage, compact earpieces that sat flesh with the ear, and incredible build quality. The only two issues I had with them were 1. That they would not stay inside the ear canal for me consistently and 2. Their sibilant treble which would sometimes drive me crazy after a busy day at work.
Since I currently only possess the UE 500 as my sole set of earphones and v-Jays as my only headphones, my reference point would be from memory of the previous ones I have used, primarily ATH-CK10, since the rest don't sound anywhere as good.
Source: Cowon J3
Amplification: None
Decision and Purchase: After reading number of opinions on the new IEM line for AT, I picked out ATH-IM02 as my target. It seemed to fit in with my preference of clear, transparent sound with a tight bottom end. I also wasn't a fan of the bulkier size of IM03 or IM04 since my ears are on the smallish side. Even though I wanted to try a 3/4 driver earphone, I realized that ATH-IM02 was the perfect fit for me as a complete package!
Placed an order on Amazon on 16 Jan 2015 from their market place retailer "Export-from-Kobe" who were shipping it directly from Japan. The pair directly sold and shipped by Amazon from US would have cost me close to $215 with shipping and custom duty. I only paid $160 inc. shipping for the Japan export. They were shipped using standard EMS with tracking and were delivered on 30 Jan. Packaging was great as expected and the contents were new and in great condition.
Packaging and Accessories: Great packaging quality as expected from AT. Much better than the rather minimal packaging of CK10. The earphones comely safely housed in a strong foam cutout placed neatly inside a solid cardboard box with the carry case holding the additional ear-tips at the bottom. Comes with a carry case + 3 pairs of silicone tips (S/M/L), 1 pair of Comply tips
Build Quality: Spectacular! I was getting flashbacks of holding CK10 when I pulled these out the box. The cable is just as thick, strong and easy to unwind as on the CK10. The earpieces themselves are built of translucent plastic housings which feel super solid in the hand - though I'm not a fan of their look and size. CK10 looked amazing in comparison with the brushed metal plates and were only half the size with same number of BA drivers. ATH-IM02 do look more serious than CK10 however, which is a good thing. I love the guided cable which make it much easier to hold the earpieces in my ears - something I found sorely lacking in CK10. The carrying case supplied with ATH-IM02 is again, almost twice the size of the round one that came with CK10. I like the idea of having more space to store the earphones but I would struggle to fit these comfortably in my jeans pocket with a cell phone, car keys and wallet - something which was quite easy with the CK10 case. Build quality and look and feel of the case however, is much more refined and definitely a step in the right direction!
Comfort: Average. This is the only area where I would have hoped for a more complete package in IM02. The earpieces are on the larger side and definitely don't fit as comfortably in my ears as q-JAYS or CK10. I have to pull my earlobe up to make them fit inside every time I wear them, which means it's not easy to take them out or put them in on the go as easily. The real + is the form-able cable guides which do a great job of keeping the earphones in their place whether I am walking or moving around the house - something I had major issues with on CK10 which would fall out every time I even tilted my head. IM02 sit flush with the ear but when lying on the side of my face, I can feel them poking deeper inside my ear - again, not as comfortable for sleeping with as CK10, but not too much of a pain either – it is possible!
Sound – 8.5/10: Plugging these in to my Cowon J3 and playing my favourite EDM tracks was bliss! I was instantly transported to the time I had first tried the CK10 and I couldn’t believe how similar the ATH-IM02 sounded to CK10 sans the sibilance. They sound clean, super transparent, fast and extremely detailed – exactly the reasons I missed dual driver balanced armature drivers vs. dynamic drivers. By the time I finished my first track, I knew I would not at all regret my decision.
Bass – 8/10: ATH-IM02 sound very similar to CK10 to my ears – slightly less quantity of bass but very well defined with a solid punch in the EDM tracks. Compared to UE500’s dynamic driver, the bass here is much more refined and well mannered. On the UE500 I can almost feel the driver bloating under pressure and the slowness of decay. This is the perfect quantity of bass for me – whether it’s hard hitting EDM, smooth Jazz or contemporary pop, but for those of you who love bass, ATH-IM02 may leave you underwhelmed.
Mid-Range – 9/10: Again, the mid-range of ATH-IM02 reminds me very much of CK10. Very very detailed – UE500 and q-JAYS were clearly very V-shaped when compared to ATH-IM02. Songs come alive with these and the vocals sound extremely smooth and realistic.
Treble – 9/ 10: This is an area where for my ears ATH-IM02 trump the CK10 – purely because of the lack of sibilance. To most experts out these this would be regarded as a rolled-off high frequency range – but for me this is just perfect and definitely more of a musical sound. I find the details and brightness of the high frequency just right and cannot sense that much of a difference compared with CK10. Not having to endure sibilance means I can have these plugged into my ears for more than 1 hour without any fatigue – makes it the perfect earphones for me!
Conclusion: Audio Technica fans you will not be disappointed! I have been a long-time fan of CK10 and kudos to AT for keeping the same sound signature as those legendary earphones while fixing the sibilance issues and improving the wear ability. I’m not a fan of how these look and their rather bulky size – but these are small compromises to make considering their awesome sound, absolute flawless build quality and great fit and comfort. I read some reviews online before purchasing these that said that they sounded much darker and the sound had been made too smooth to compete with Sennheiser’s and Shure’s of the world – I’m sorry, I don’t agree I’ve heard Shure 425 and Sennheiser IE8 and these sound much brighter to me. Most of all – I’m so happy I finally have the CK10 sound ringing day in and day out in my ears again – without the sibilance.
Value for Money: STEAL! At their current market price of around $150 - I cannot think of a better pair of earphones which offer such a complete package. I was not looking for the best earphones that money can buy, but rather the perfect earphones for my needs under a budget of $300. At this price, I am a very very happy Head-Fi'er. Thank god now I don't have to buy the Sennheiser's and Shure's - no offence, but my heart (and ears) belong to Audio Technica.
