[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I'm currently using my iPhone 4 as my portable music player and if I had to choose between getting an amplifier (Fiio E7 maybe?) or a dedicated player (Cowon J3?), which should I get?

 
Neither, keep the iPhone 4.  Save your money for something better than the E7 or J3 if you decide you want to upgrade.  
 
Figured out the mid's issue w/ the CKM500 for me.  After A/B w/ the MDs they have better clarity and apparent detail as a result in mid/upper mids.  The problem w/ the vocals is the CKM500 sounds like it has a severe recess in the lower mids which takes the weight and heft out of the vocals which is why they sound a bit thinner and delicate.  This translates as vocals sounding like they are always coming from the lips and mouth without air coming from the throat and diaphragm.  This is where phones w/ more complete midrange provide a fuller, richer harmonic to vocals and other stuff living in the same area.  You can get a sense of air rising from within and passing out in a cohesive fashion.  To illustrate, listening to Lionel Richie's 'Stuck on You' one can hear it clearly when he tries to say the word 'home' at the end of the phrase at 1:10.  The word 'home' just drops off a cliff which is the same area where lower mid harmonics would be building up the rest of the vocals.  For me it's the difference between actually singing and mouthing lyrics.
 
In the end, the CKM500 has clear detailed mids, but at a cost which makes me find them somewhat incomplete but certainly delivers a 'wow' factor upon first listen.  The bass is also more mid bassier than the MDs which reach deeper and hit harder.
 
I like the CKM500 a lot, especially for $70+ and the specific reasons I got them.  They'll have to tide me over till the IE800 comes out and when I'm not using my ES5 or UERM.  

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

I ordered a pair of CKM500s and unfortunately, they only arrived after I went on a 3 week business trip.
 
I'll be returning home this weekend to them
 
But I was wondering if anyone can offer some advice?
I'm currently using my iPhone 4 as my portable music player and if I had to choose between getting an amplifier (Fiio E7 maybe?) or a dedicated player (Cowon J3?), which should I get?
 
Thanks in advance, can't wait to listen to these!

 
The biggest upgrade for me was a 32GB Micro SD card !
With better earphones, compressed files just doesn't cut it anymore.

 
 
....and yes, I had a great time re-ripping my CD collection into lossless Wav format.

 

[Cya|\|]

Quote:

Grr... I switched to the more comfortable size "2" tips and like Cyan noted, the bass is too weak now. I'm not home so I can't put the size 3 tips back on. And I know once I do, my ear canals are gonna be sore again. Poop.
1) The bass is good but gets overshadowed by the super prominent mids. When I CAN hear the bass, it's excellent...
2) The highs/mids have intense sibilance, particularly on "S" or "SH" sounds by vocalists and snares/high hats on drums. It's REALLY annoying because I cannot turn my music louder because of how painfully sibilant they are. These IEMs are VERY SHOUTY!! RAWR
Overall I'm getting more used to the sound of these, but I just wish the two issues I mentioned above could get fixed. I'll go back to the size 3 tips when I get back home in two days and see if that helps bass.
On another note, and these are not something I'm holding against the IEMs, but the low levels of isolation make the above problems worse.

 
I've settled with size 2 so far. Size 3 isn't good for long listening session, for my ears. With size 2, just push them as inside as possible, and the bass will be strong enough (though considerably less than with size 3), but imo more neutral than with size 3. Ofc this depends on ears size.

 

[Cya|\|]

By the way guys, don't worry, I'm not criticizing the ckm500.

 

[TemplarUK]

Quote:

Well I know the sense of having tips inside your canals is not the best sensation on the planet. I know some headphone guys that stay away as they just can't handle having something in their ears.
 
Once you get used to it. It won't be a big deal. Otherwise you might have to look into some complys. I didn't think they bloated out the bass end too badly but I will have to try them again. I thought they added a bit of openness to the sounds actually. Or I could have been trippin. Lol! Will report back tomorrow.

I've been using the T-400's for a week now and have no issues with them fitting the CKM500's and in anyway interfering with the bass quality...if anything helps. Now I'm using them with my RoCoo-P (my trusted friend..) and combo of this+CKM's+comply...is stunning....the sound stage is awesome, the instrument separation is phenomenal but balanced..this little combo is turning into my own personal crack habit.

 

[soundstige]

Ouch, why WAV? You don't have that many CDs you want to put on your 32GB micro SD?
Quote:

 
The biggest upgrade for me was a 32GB Micro SD card !
With better earphones, compressed files just doesn't cut it anymore.

 
 
....and yes, I had a great time re-ripping my CD collection into lossless Wav format.

 

[xer0x]

Quote:

Figured out the mid's issue w/ the CKM500 for me.  After A/B w/ the MDs they have better clarity and apparent detail as a result in mid/upper mids.  The problem w/ the vocals is the CKM500 sounds like it has a severe recess in the lower mids which takes the weight and heft out of the vocals which is why they sound a bit thinner and delicate.  This translates as vocals sounding like they are always coming from the lips and mouth without air coming from the throat and diaphragm.  This is where phones w/ more complete midrange provide a fuller, richer harmonic to vocals and other stuff living in the same area.  You can get a sense of air rising from within and passing out in a cohesive fashion.  To illustrate, listening to Lionel Richie's 'Stuck on You' one can hear it clearly when he tries to say the word 'home' at the end of the phrase at 1:10.  The word 'home' just drops off a cliff which is the same area where lower mid harmonics would be building up the rest of the vocals.  For me it's the difference between actually singing and mouthing lyrics.
 

 
That's exactly what I was hearing as well, but didn't quite know how to express. It almost seems as if AT was too worried about bleed between the mids and the bass, and so tuned it this way as a compromise...
 
 

 
Helps a bunch if you work in the aviation line, those guys have earplugs on almost the whole day.
 
...with these, earplugs never felt so good ! 

 

 
Ha, I ended up using my IEMs instead of earplugs at firing ranges when I could get away with it... 

 

[jarrett]

Quote:

Ouch, why WAV? You don't have that many CDs you want to put on your 32GB micro SD?

 
Maybe he has a Sony Walkman. I have to do the same with mine haha 

 

[jasonb]

I ordered a pair of CKM500s and unfortunately, they only arrived after I went on a 3 week business trip.
 
I'll be returning home this weekend to them
 
But I was wondering if anyone can offer some advice?
I'm currently using my iPhone 4 as my portable music player and if I had to choose between getting an amplifier (Fiio E7 maybe?) or a dedicated player (Cowon J3?), which should I get?
 
Thanks in advance, can't wait to listen to these!

There is nothing wrong with the iPhone 4 as a source, especially with these. These are very sensitive and are easily driven by an iPhone 4. I very rarely exceed the 1/2 volume mark. Usually i am right under 1/2 with these. The iPhone 4 seems to pair very well with these. You should like the combo.

 

[jasonb]

I heard a tiny bit of sibilance on some tracks when they were only a couple days old, but after a few hours it went away. They seem very smooth now.

 

[FieldingMellish]

Quote:

 
Neither, keep the iPhone 4.  Save your money for something better than the E7 or J3 if you decide you want to upgrade.  
 
Figured out the mid's issue w/ the CKM500 for me.  After A/B w/ the MDs they have better clarity and apparent detail as a result in mid/upper mids.  The problem w/ the vocals is the CKM500 sounds like it has a severe recess in the lower mids which takes the weight and heft out of the vocals which is why they sound a bit thinner and delicate.  This translates as vocals sounding like they are always coming from the lips and mouth without air coming from the throat and diaphragm.  This is where phones w/ more complete midrange provide a fuller, richer harmonic to vocals and other stuff living in the same area.  You can get a sense of air rising from within and passing out in a cohesive fashion.  To illustrate, listening to Lionel Richie's 'Stuck on You' one can hear it clearly when he tries to say the word 'home' at the end of the phrase at 1:10.  The word 'home' just drops off a cliff which is the same area where lower mid harmonics would be building up the rest of the vocals.  For me it's the difference between actually singing and mouthing lyrics.
 
In the end, the CKM500 has clear detailed mids, but at a cost which makes me find them somewhat incomplete but certainly delivers a 'wow' factor upon first listen.  The bass is also more mid bassier than the MDs which reach deeper and hit harder.
 
I like the CKM500 a lot, especially for $70+ and the specific reasons I got them.  They'll have to tide me over till the IE800 comes out and when I'm not using my ES5 or UERM.  

 
 
Yes, the RE-262's reveal what condition the mids are in the CKM-500's. I am loving both for what they do in their respective price points.

 

[oneoseven]

If anyone in this/looking at this thread is looking to sale their CKM500 I'm trying to find a pair without going through eBay and CDJapan isn't expecting stock soon.. Just pm me.. Thanks =)

 

[Aaron126]

My CKM500 finally arrived. It sounds very good out of the box. I had high expectations for it, which kinda blew the experience a bit for me. It's a lot better than the CKM55 I had previously (which I loved too). Clarity, detailed mids, defined bass... vocals sounded warm at first, which seemed odd. It sounds better after a few hours of use. My previous in-ear was EX500 and that one had some very colored treble... the CKM500 has detailed treble, unlike the EX500 which just exploded there. The EX500 wins in terms of live music. The sound signatures are so different, and I love that. I can't wait to put my hands on a EX600 and compare those to the CKM500 and see how each complement each other. Also, the CKM500 just performs amazing in terms of piano. PIANO SOUNDS AMAZING. 

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

Ouch, why WAV? You don't have that many CDs you want to put on your 32GB micro SD?

 
Lol!   ...I've just picked up a 3 TB portable HDD for my ripped CD collection, should last me for the next ...hmmm, 20 years. With 4 pcs of 32GB Micro SD, I've got about 120 CDs worth of original high quality mastered  music   ...enough to last me thru a 2 weeks holiday aboard.

 
I guess whoever said "Ignorance is bliss" is very apt here, I was very happy and contented with my 256 kbps, MP3 files until I went and compared them with the raw Wav files straight from the CD, these CKM500 made me realise I was eating apple pie without the juicy apples insides !
 
Quote:

 
Maybe he has a Sony Walkman. I have to do the same with mine haha 

 
Nah, the last Sony Walkman I had only plays cassettes (can we even find these anymore?)
Wav files are not going to make much difference if you listen to them in a noisy environment, most of the time I listen to them in a calm bedroom in the dead quiet of the night and more often then not, fall asleep with them !
 
Good luck and have fun re-ripping your collection !

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

Ha, I ended up using my IEMs instead of earplugs at firing ranges when I could get away with it... 

 

    ...that would be like not wearing any earplugs at all !   ...some of the sub-bass hits are more impact-full than 50 Cal rounds going off !