[okur]

If it comes to fuller-sound, it could change my mind, though I've been looking for something not good, THE BEST for trance. Others can only be "satellite genres"

 
That's the most attracting side of Ck10 - spaciousness/imaging and seperation - for me at least which was tempting me to buy it. I'm becoming impatient to have it!

 

[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

Quote:

I think jant71 got it exactly right - the DBA-02 is fuller-sounding in the bass and mids than the CK10 is. However, the CK10 has an extremely satisfying atmospheric quality to it due to the excellent imaging/separation. In the end it comes down to personal preferences - comparing the two directly (am I the only one who's been able to do that at length

?) I still found the CK10 more satisfying so it seems that I'm willing to sacrifice the fullness of the DBA-02 for the spaciousness of the CK10. Others are not. Pretty simple, really.

 


not sure if i agree on the mids...
but on the bass.. hmm.. i would not call it body, rather.. i call it richness in details. i think ck10 have fuller sounding, which of course, makes details somewhat less apparent. but quantity, dba-02 have more on the low end compared to ck10.
mids.. i would say the low mids on dba-02 is more obvious, due to the richbass as well, but i think mids on the ck10 is better bodied, in fact.. i think overall ck10 feels fatter in the sound, and dba-02 is thin but rich sounding.
otherwise, i agree on the atmosphere, ck10 feels huge in the air/space present

Quote:

Why? 

um.. to list it out;
 
1. dba-02 treble is always harsh and aggressive to my ears, ck-10 only does it sometimes
2. dba-02 sounds emphasized, too forceful, all light and heavy notes comes out strong, ck-10 is more smooth flowing for both light note and heavy notes.
3. dba-02 have rich but thin body, ck10 have better body, similarly rich, but not emphasized on details and texture.
4. dba-02 female vocal is just good, ck10 have even better breadth and whispers, and sounds sweeter too.
5. dba-02 soundstage is good for iems, but still its a brainstage, its inside ur head kinda feel. ck10 have soundstage, similar to headphone, the outside the head feel.
6. dba-02 gets trampled by my cans in every way, details, texture, smoothness, soundstage, etc, even though my cans is not yet properly amped, and only driven with small portable setups. ck10 can still manage a good soundspace and details down to the lowest note in a more effortless way.
7. dba-02 looks good, but ck10 is an adorable beauty.
 
well.. that's my opinion.. probably i have a different understanding on what full-body is, but i compared both before selling my dba-02.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

 


not sure if i agree on the mids...
but on the bass.. hmm.. i would not call it body, rather.. i call it richness in details. i think ck10 have fuller sounding, which of course, makes details somewhat less apparent. but quantity, dba-02 have more on the low end compared to ck10.
mids.. i would say the low mids on dba-02 is more obvious, due to the richbass as well, but i think mids on the ck10 is better bodied, in fact.. i think overall ck10 feels fatter in the sound, and dba-02 is thin but rich sounding.
otherwise, i agree on the atmosphere, ck10 feels huge in the air/space present


um.. to list it out;
 
1. dba-02 treble is always harsh and aggressive to my ears, ck-10 only does it sometimes
2. dba-02 sounds emphasized, too forceful, all light and heavy notes comes out strong, ck-10 is more smooth flowing for both light note and heavy notes.
3. dba-02 have rich but thin body, ck10 have better body, similarly rich, but not emphasized on details and texture.
4. dba-02 female vocal is just good, ck10 have even better breadth and whispers, and sounds sweeter too.
5. dba-02 soundstage is good for iems, but still its a brainstage, its inside ur head kinda feel. ck10 have soundstage, similar to headphone, the outside the head feel.
6. dba-02 gets trampled by my cans in every way, details, texture, smoothness, soundstage, etc, even though my cans is not yet properly amped, and only driven with small portable setups. ck10 can still manage a good soundspace and details down to the lowest note in a more effortless way.
7. dba-02 looks good, but ck10 is an adorable beauty.
 
well.. that's my opinion.. probably i have a different understanding on what full-body is, but i compared both before selling my dba-02.

 
A lot of people have complained about some of the above things so you're not alone. Let me point out that the DBA-02 is not a forgiving IEM. If your music is mastered like crap, it will sound like crap on the DBA-02's. If there is any weak point in the recording and/or playback chain, the DBA-02 will let you know. It might be you had a bad fit or simply that you don't like the sound signature of the DBA-02.
 
I had one guy telling me that his DBA-02 made his mp3's sound bad.

 

 

[tacomn]

ya im worried about this as im going unamped with a new ipod and crappy mp3 rips 

 

[JosephKim]

Tacomn I feel your pain :/. However, for those on a budget like me, Im willing to take a chance. Youd have to spend another $100 or more for the ck10 right? and even more for the SM3 which I was also considering.

 

[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

^ sry about the comment up there.. the question was why i moved to ck10.
to put it simply, dba-02 is a very good iem, i just dont like dba-02. i am treble sensitive.
 
to explain more, dba-02 taught me what is rich and detailed bass, something single driver ba and bassy iem failed to show me.
ck10 taught me how musical extreme details can be.
 
for the price, dba-02 is really a value.. where else can u get a dual driver with very good frequency range? it is good, and more towards analytic, better than re-0 in both bass and mids, with probably similar treble (i did a/b vs re0). i would consider dba-02 to be quite balanced in quantity of bass, mids and treble. but the treble presentation is too aggressive for my liking. i dont listen to rock.  
i never have any fit issue with dba-02.
 
ck10 is very expensive.. but i would consider it as an upgrade over dba-02, since if i consider it as a musical instrument, it is more refined. imho dba-02 deserve to be a gatekeeper to the top-tier iems, especially for the price point. those top-tiers have an extra personal trait and strength, which makes them stand out above dba-02, but otherwise does anything else mostly similar.. u cant improve a cheap instrument in a recordings with better speakers anyways..
 
oh, as for mp3.. i ditch them way back after getting my modded ipod.. mp3 are so plain dull and lifeless, doesnt have bass and treble extension, with mids that seemed to be pressed flat. imma flac user. i do support anyone getting the dba-02.. just be prepared to hear a different kinda bass if u r used to dynamics. no boom or rumble, just pure detail and texture.

 

[rawrster]

I definitely don't consider CK10 a step up at all. I find it odd that you would move to the CK10 if you are treble sensitive considering the CK10 is much harsher than the DBA-02 in comparison.
 
Although yes I quite agree with LFF. The DBA-02 is quite revealing and made some of my mp3 sound pretty bad.

 

[drew879]

Just thought I'd let you guys know Dmitry responded to me this morning and said: "From the last info from FA, the shipment will be on the next week."
 
I interpret that as Fischer Audio will be sending him the DBAs next week, and then he will ship to his customers.  So if he's not shipping until around next Friday, 8/13 at the earlist, then it looks like it may be more like the end of August / early September before I get mine in the US.  Doh.

 

[slaters70]

I have to toss in my two cents. When I listen to the DBAs with the stock tips, they are sibilant, no other way to say it. I would not want them.
 
When I listen to the DBAs with the Ety tri-flanges (and this is where the personal aspects of this IEM come into play), there isn't even a hint of harshness or sibilant, and the treble is smooth and beautiful to my ears. I really don't believe, for whatever reason, you got a chance to hear the DBAs sounding their best. Some others who really like them use the OEM tips, and no sibilance.
 
I did once own the CK10s, and could never get a comfortable fit with them using tri-flanges, and with short tips, they sounded very harsh to me. I did really like the CK10 sound sig with the triple flanges, but they didn't feel good for long-term listening. If they had, I would probably still own them. Then, I got the DBAs and all bases were covered. So there you go.
 
In essence, I had the reverse experience with the two IEMs (they both sounded harsh with short tips to me, but one is comfy and the other not). Both are excellent, but in the end, I prefer the DBAs for the reasons Jant71 mentioned, and Joker reiterated (the reasons that would accout for preferring the DBA over the CK10, which he does not, but understands why it could be so).
 
Quote:

^ sry about the comment up there.. the question was why i moved to ck10.
to put it simply, dba-02 is a very good iem, i just dont like dba-02. i am treble sensitive.
 
to explain more, dba-02 taught me what is rich and detailed bass, something single driver ba and bassy iem failed to show me.
ck10 taught me how musical extreme details can be.
 
for the price, dba-02 is really a value.. where else can u get a dual driver with very good frequency range? it is good, and more towards analytic, better than re-0 in both bass and mids, with probably similar treble (i did a/b vs re0). i would consider dba-02 to be quite balanced in quantity of bass, mids and treble. but the treble presentation is too aggressive for my liking. i dont listen to rock.  
i never have any fit issue with dba-02.
 
ck10 is very expensive.. but i would consider it as an upgrade over dba-02, since if i consider it as a musical instrument, it is more refined. imho dba-02 deserve to be a gatekeeper to the top-tier iems, especially for the price point. those top-tiers have an extra personal trait and strength, which makes them stand out above dba-02, but otherwise does anything else mostly similar.. u cant improve a cheap instrument in a recordings with better speakers anyways..
 
oh, as for mp3.. i ditch them way back after getting my modded ipod.. mp3 are so plain dull and lifeless, doesnt have bass and treble extension, with mids that seemed to be pressed flat. imma flac user. i do support anyone getting the dba-02.. just be prepared to hear a different kinda bass if u r used to dynamics. no boom or rumble, just pure detail and texture.

 

[slaters70]

Yes, I find that curious too. Moving to the CK10 from the DBAs due to treble sensitivity isn't logical based on my experiences with both.
 
Quote:

I definitely don't consider CK10 a step up at all. I find it odd that you would move to the CK10 if you are treble sensitive considering the CK10 is much harsher than the DBA-02 in comparison.
 
Although yes I quite agree with LFF. The DBA-02 is quite revealing and made some of my mp3 sound pretty bad.

 

[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

Quote:

I definitely don't consider CK10 a step up at all. I find it odd that you would move to the CK10 if you are treble sensitive considering the CK10 is much harsher than the DBA-02 in comparison.
 
Although yes I quite agree with LFF. The DBA-02 is quite revealing and made some of my mp3 sound pretty bad.

um.. to me ck10 is way smoother on the highs.. fluid in a word, compared to dba-02..
im also able to, and now am using lower volume with ck10 compared to dba-02, i used to be near half on sansa fuze with dba-02.. im mostly on quarter volume with ck10, or less.. without feeling that im missing any bass note.. i do fail to hear clearly some of the notes on dba-02 at that low volume.
maybe i'm more sensitive to a certain frequency.. which is more prominent on dba-02 vs ck10...
i got similar seal with dba-02 and ck10.. i use both with comply, so definitely not a fit issue, since both will be similar.
 

 

[yianni]

Quote:

If it comes to fuller-sound, it could change my mind, though I've been looking for something not good, THE BEST for trance. Others can only be "satellite genres"

 
That's the most attracting side of Ck10 - spaciousness/imaging and seperation - for me at least which was tempting me to buy it. I'm becoming impatient to have it!

i was the same way as you i listen to only trance and was impatient and couldnt wait so i bought the dbas off a user here and i was disappointed but, my dbas might be defective i sent them in yesterday 

 

[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

 
Quote:

I definitely don't consider CK10 a step up at all. I find it odd that you would move to the CK10 if you are treble sensitive considering the CK10 is much harsher than the DBA-02 in comparison.
 
Although yes I quite agree with LFF. The DBA-02 is quite revealing and made some of my mp3 sound pretty bad.

 
Quote:

I have to toss in my two cents. When I listen to the DBAs with the stock tips, they are sibilant, no other way to say it. I would not want them.
 
When I listen to the DBAs with the Ety tri-flanges (and this is where the personal aspects of this IEM come into play), there isn't even a hint of harshness or sibilant, and the treble is smooth and beautiful to my ears. I really don't believe, for whatever reason, you got a chance to hear the DBAs sounding their best. Some others who really like them use the OEM tips, and no sibilance.
 
I did once own the CK10s, and could never get a comfortable fit with them using tri-flanges, and with short tips, they sounded very harsh to me. I did really like the CK10 sound sig with the triple flanges, but they didn't feel good for long-term listening. If they had, I would probably still own them. Then, I got the DBAs and all bases were covered. So there you go.
 
In essence, I had the reverse experience with the two IEMs (they both sounded harsh with short tips to me, but one is comfy and the other not). Both are excellent, but in the end, I prefer the DBAs for the reasons Jant71 mentioned, and Joker reiterated (the reasons that would accout for preferring the DBA over the CK10, which he does not, but understands why it could be so).
 

 

i havent heard the dba-02 with the ety's.. nor do i have any means of getting them.. so that might be the case of me not experiencing the dba-02 in its glory.
 
genre preference is also a possibility.. i prefer vocal orchestra, and those wierd2 ancient/vintage instruments.. especially japanese strings.. and found ck10 to better the dba-02 in this aspect.

 

[bisayaboi]

I'm hoping Ethan can ship out the DBA-02's by the beginning of next week.
 
I want to use 'em on my trip to NY on the 16th-18th.

 

[David58117]

 
Quote:

 

 

i havent heard the dba-02 with the ety's.. nor do i have any means of getting them.. so that might be the case of me not experiencing the dba-02 in its glory.
 
genre preference is also a possibility.. i prefer vocal orchestra, and those wierd2 ancient/vintage instruments.. especially japanese strings.. and found ck10 to better the dba-02 in this aspect.

What about timbre?  I heard people saying (earlier in this discussion) that the DBAs were more accurate than the CK10s...that was one of the reasons I decided on the ck10s.  
 
By timbre I mean the quality of the instrument...that a violin or drum set is going to sound as faithful as it does in real life...