[tomscy2000]

Quote:

Nice reviews on these, i wonder how ck100pro is compared with k3003s and fitear mh 334.
 
I tried ck100pro but its isolation is not as good as ck100 and also feels heavier.
 
looking for more impressions before deciding on which one to get. Also looking forward to jokers fitear 334.

Yes, the CK100Pro is decidedly on the heavy side. For what it's worth, I do think the K3003 is a superior earphone (though I would rather buy the CK100PRO) as it does do a good job with sibilance control while still retaining a lot of sparkle. The CK100PRO can sound hot on the treble with some sibilance-prone tracks. The TO GO 334, on the other hand, probably has more conservative treble than both of the other two. Check out Sonove's measurements of all three. AnakChan just posted some impressions of the 334, as well.

 

[shsh]

Quote:

Yes, the CK100Pro is decidedly on the heavy side. For what it's worth, I do think the K3003 is a superior earphone (though I would rather buy the CK100PRO) as it does do a good job with sibilance control while still retaining a lot of sparkle. The CK100PRO can sound hot on the treble with some sibilance-prone tracks. The TO GO 334, on the other hand, probably has more conservative treble than both of the other two. Check out Sonove's measurements of all three. AnakChan just posted some impressions of the 334, as well.

thx alot for your advice, will look into it.

 

[outeirino]

Hi friend a lot of work in your usefull comparison !!! nice products from AT always, thanks

 

[pangivan]

I just got Ck100 pro too. However, the treble is way too sharp on both stepdance and Iqube (Ipod classic as the source). However, when I plug it in C&C BH , the problem solved. Hence, I believe only C&C BH can match will ck100 pro. Indeed, it wasn't that great because my desktop amplifier can improve it more. Can anyone suggest me some portable amplifier will suit this baby?

 

[sajo5]

What a great review! I agree totally, the [size=x-small]CK100PRO have a few technical improvements over the CK100, and you can definately hear the difference. The CK100PRO improved alot on the accuracy of the sound particually the bass, but the 3 drivers maintain a superior balance. They have a detachable/replacable cable and they also look much more professional. Personally I think they offer a better overall listening experience[/size]

 

[ThatNzGuy]

Interesting, are the connectors on the cables the same as those UFL connectors you find on wifi cards in laptops? Those things transmit and receive 100mbps data bandwidths.
Null audio selling cable replacements for S$149 a set D: 
I'm definitely liking the sound of these, a bit heavy on the pocket though :/

 

[JohannLiebert]

Cant believe no one else has the ck100pro.
how do the ck100pro compare to the westone 4?

 

[Omnirai]

Quote:

Cant believe no one else has the ck100pro.
how do the ck100pro compare to the westone 4?

 
The presentation feels more up front with the CK100pro, more "vivid" for lack of a better word. The W4 has a certain laid-back, smooth and slightly thick sound to my ears while the CK100pro is ruthlessly detailed and clear, almost to a fault. Treble is much more sparkly and forward on the CK100pro, and can be sibilant with certain tracks and sources while the W4 treble is smoother and more forgiving. Ck100pro also sounds more airy due to the treble presentation, and clarity across the spectrums is better (nearly everything else sounds veiled to some degree after hearing the CK100pro). Both have controlled bass that isn't over-emphasized, but CK100pro has a better PRaT factor to my ears due to the more upfront presentation. While neither are basshead earphones, the W4's bass feels slightly more subdued but both have excellent control and decay with the Audio Technica being slightly quicker to my ears.
 
Both are excellent, balanced headphones but presentation is very different. W4 is smooth and slightly mellow while the CK100pro is energetic and crystal clear. The Ck100pro might be more fatiguing than the W4 though, with the sharper treble and the immense detail that can get overwhelming with longer sessions.

 

[nhat_thanh]

^ pretty much agree with the comparison above. Except I thought the CK100 PRO has better bass response, clean, tight, punchy and fast, while the W4 has boomy, thicker bass, which I didn't like.
I also thought the Pro have the edge in imaging and soundstage.
 
 
Does anyone experience hiss with the CK100 PRO? I haven't seen anyone mention this, but almost every DAPs (iPod, iTouch, Zune, Sony) I tried with the ck100 PRO, the hiss level is very high, what worse is treble is terribly harsh, the whole tonal balance just sound wrong, too bright.
The only source/amp that make them listenable to me is the DACport which has 10 ohm of output impedance, the hiss is still there but is greatly reduced, the background is much more cleaner. The result is the treb was much more tamed, more in control and doesn't sound harsh, there are still plenty of sparkles of course. And yes they do sound great with my DACport, while the others were unpleasant.

 

[JohannLiebert]

Thanks for the comparison.
So you are saying that listening to mainstream-music with mediocre production quality sucks with the ck100pro?
I read about this in-ear being picky with sources. What about a sony z1050 with a fiio e11. could anyone guess?
 
last but not least, nhat_thanh, where did you get the ck100pro? couldnt find any online shops in the eu

 

[nhat_thanh]

Quote:

Thanks for the comparison.
So you are saying that listening to mainstream-music with mediocre production quality sucks with the ck100pro?
I read about this in-ear being picky with sources. What about a sony z1050 with a fiio e11. could anyone guess?
 
last but not least, nhat_thanh, where did you get the ck100pro? couldnt find any online shops in the eu

From my experience, the ck100 Pro don't go easy with mainstream music when I use the silicone tip, which have the treble emphasized, it can sound rough and edgy.
On the other hand, the comply tips are up for the job, because the treble is tamed down, the sound is smoother, though they don't have a lively energy like the silicone tips. I would say I much prefer the comply tips overall, sound good with anything really.
 
If my pair aren't faulty (unlikely lol), then pairing the ck100 Pro with E11 is not a very good idea, the hiss is very high and the treb is harsh like I said above. Also, the Pro is already efficient enough to use without amp anyway. Haven't tried the z1050 so I can't comment on that.
 
I think the ck100 Pro only sold in Japan, my friend bought them for me when he went there.

 

[Omnirai]

CK100pro has a slight hiss with the E11. I don't find it "very high", it's only slightly audible when there's no music/during very very quiet segments. There's no audible hiss straight out of an ipod. I no longer find my pair's treble harsh - maybe it's burn-in, maybe it's acclimatization, who knows. It's still treble-centric, but it's fine with about 90% of my tracks. They are indeed very punishing of low-quality tracks though, due to how revealing they are. What I can tell you is the CK100pro are EXTREMELY source and tip-dependent, especially the treble response. A source mismatch (I hear the Cowons match terribly while the Sony Z series fare better) or poor-fitting tips can lead to very unpleasant and shrill sound, but if you find the right combination for your ears the CK100pro are right up there with the best of the best.

 

[ThatNzGuy]

The z1050 has a somewhat warm sound.
You can probably do without the e11.

From what i know, only audio technica japan and australia stock it, only at jp make it.
Youll likely have to import it, id recommend a proxy since the market price is around 36000yen
Cdjapan has it for 44500yen excl shipping, around 450 euro + youll likely get hit with import taxes.
Pricejapan proxy service also has it listed.

 

[Haonan]

Hey guys, just wanna say I'm sorry for the late reply on this thread, however I will try my best to address and answer each and everyone's previous enquiries regarding the CK100PRO's to the best of my personal knowledge/experience. I don't actually post on HF much these days but I have been actively updating some new information regarding the CK100PRO's over at HardwareZone, one of my local forums based in my country so I will try to copy and paste those that I feel will be helpful to some of you out there, who don't have a chance to audition these pair of IEMs based on where you are from.

I think there was one previous question posted by MuppetFace asking about the main differences between the CKW1000ANV woodies and ATH's current BA flagship CK100PRO's, so I will try my very best to address that in my following post according to what I know.

1) The body housing of CKW1000ANV comprises of wood+titanium material. The back portion of the iem itself indicated with ATH logo is comprised of wood, but the housing sides surrounding it is made up with titanium material surrounding over the wooden housing. According to Audio-technica's japanese press and earlier editorial site reviews from both PhileWeb/AV Watch Impress sites, the additional titanium over wood is ATH's way of supposingly dealing with the sound vibrations/distortions internally, while for JVC's way iirc they actually uses some brass circular metal pieces inside the FX700's to deal with this issue. Minijack plug itself also got indicate the 50th anniversary thing and is made up of titanium material too, ala not as cheapo looking as CK100PRO's in this case. you can refer to this Head-fi review for more info, I think blazer has described it pretty well.

2) Production for the CKW1000ANV's were limited only to 2500 sets ard the whole world, and yes this was manufactured in China instead, similarly like the CKM99/CKM1000 siblings dynamic iems. Alot of their prev anniversary stuff was actually only produced in JP in the past as far as I know, but as we all know Tohoku East Japan suffered a major quake in 2011, maybe production costs-wise don't allow AT to produce/manufacture them in JP solely?

3) The CKW1000ANV is based on angled-nozzle design similarly as CK100PRO's, but due to it's design seems to be for wearing straight-down normally, while for the CK100PRO's due to its modular cable design and strain relief it's better to be worn over the ears, but can also be worn straight down too. (but will look pretty weird actually, like the cabling strain relief parts are sticking out of yr ears)

3) There's no detachable/modular cables on it like the CK100PRO's, because of CKW1000ANV's aesthetics form and bcos it's also being pushed as an anniversary ATH product so I don't think it's viable for the makers to make it into a modular design as it would likely defeat/hurt the 'limited edition' purpose and marketing actually. Above is solely my speculation though, but so far I don't think I have seen other international iem makers who makes wooden iems in modular form so far, correct me if im wrong.

4) Both of them have different SQ/signature, the CKW1000ANV's has a richer tonality in the midrange and also with slower transients, bottom-end is also slightly more heavy with regards to bass presence/definition. Very hard to describe it to u exactly unless you have heard some of ATH's earlier wooden creations, but IMO it's very close and I would say prolly considered a hybrid of the ESW9/ESW10JPN headphones but offered in a more portable IEM form-factor.

 

[Haonan]

CK100pro has a slight hiss with the E11. I don't find it "very high", it's only slightly audible when there's no music/during very very quiet segments. There's no audible hiss straight out of an ipod. I no longer find my pair's treble harsh - maybe it's burn-in, maybe it's acclimatization, who knows. It's still treble-centric, but it's fine with about 90% of my tracks. They are indeed very punishing of low-quality tracks though, due to how revealing they are. What I can tell you is the CK100pro are EXTREMELY source and tip-dependent, especially the treble response. A source mismatch (I hear the Cowons match terribly while the Sony Z series fare better) or poor-fitting tips can lead to very unpleasant and shrill sound, but if you find the right combination for your ears the CK100pro are right up there with the best of the best.

^What he said. And I thought I will share the following information below, with fellow members such as Omnirai and nhat_thanh who have commented before that they have experienced some rather harsh brightness/sibilance issues in terms of the treble with their own pair of CK100pro's. I hope the following will be useful to you guys, because currently from my portable source setup which is the Walkman NW-Z1070, I don't have any kind of treble harshness issues with my own pair. Please kindly note the below information has been posted before in one of my local forums, so I'm just cross-posting over so I'm sorry if alot of things doesn't seem to be spoken correctly in terms of first-person perspective.

No harsh highs experienced on my pair here, although in live CD recordings I would still perceive some slight sibilance while hitting high notes, mainly frm some of my older CDs featuring female vocalists. (afaik you can't avoid sibilance with certain CD recordings, it's all originally recorded into there especially live performances)

Although I do understand how the dynamics of a song track tends to scale when played at higher volumes, I have nv needed to listen at high vols with my CK100pros, the 100pros as I had mentioned in my initial review seems to be driven easier than the ex-flagship CK100, despite having higher impedance specs officially. (39ohm vs 23ohm on the CK100)

On my current Sony Walkman Z, I usually only listen it at only 11-steps vol in a quiet environment, and 13-steps vol while on noisy trains/outside environment. Even on my iPod Touch 4th Gen, I don't usually go past half of the volume slider, despite tat iPhone 4/4S generally have slightly more output power than my iTouch 4G from my own personal experience.

I do wish to share what a chinese discussion over at Mobile01 (taiwanese forum) have previously shared abt the CK100pros though, since I do lurk there occassionally.

According to one poster shaolin131 (post #6) who commented on CK100pro's harshness characteristics for its treble quality, he forwarded/translated the following info from a japanese blog review as seen here originally.

(Ranking in terms of treble harshness factor, from most harsh to no sibilance)
iBasso D2+ Hj Boa > Qables iQube > iPod touch > NW-Z1050 > Luxman DA-200

Below are some additional notes from shaolin131 (from post #31 onwards), seems to be from his own listening exp.

• iPhone 4 (connected via headphone out): no noise hiss experienced, but treble sound is thin with harshness/sibilance experienced.
• NW-A728 (connected via headphone out): acceptable to slight irritable noise hiss levels under no playback silence, no harshness/sibilance experienced in treble.

The conclusion? From my own iPod Touch 4G experience prev and what shaolin131 has shared over at the Mobile01 thread, it seemed that most Apple iDevices seems to have a slight peakiness/harshness character in the treble SQ quality when paired with CK100pros. However most Sony DAPs do not have this sibilance problem at all, or at least the report from this japanese blog review seems to reflect/coincide exactly with what I'm currently experiencing out of my current DAP which is a NW-Z1070, just that the one mentioned in the above japanese review is the 16GB variant model instead. (Z1070 = 64GB model, if you haven't been following Bloodaddict's Walkman Z thread closely)

I can't exactly tell ya whether Sony DAPs are warm by nature or not, since I only had their NW-HD5/Z1070 so far in terms for their digital Walkmans, the rest of my own collection are just their older cassette/CDP Walkmans. However I did had some hands-on experience with the older A820 series as well as their X1000 series, and those overall has a warmer tonality and sounds darker in its upper-mids/treble similar as my NW-HD5, while the current NW-Z1000 series is overall a more neutral, transparent and analytical DAP in short