[waynes world]

  Finally got these. Surprisingly comfortable for such monsters. I find the grey T-Peos H-200 tips work well. 

 
Congrats! I love the vsonic gr07be/vsd1 double flange tips on the 1k's, but I'm trying out the h200 grey tips, and they do indeed sound great!

 

[quartertone]

I quite like the those Vsonics too, but they're not quite as comfortable for me and the greys give a slightly clearer sound.

 

[akarise]

Does anyone have suggestions for a wide bore tip that fit the CKS1000? I just realized how big a difference having a wider bore size made in terms of the sound... Can't believe I've been using the stock tips after all this time  -_-

 

[DannyBai]

Auvio and UE tips work

 

[icomrade]

I just bought a pair of these for 154 on amazon; they literally just started tax in NJ like today!! Hopefully I enjoy them, I mostly listen to alternative and rock, not real bassy stuff.

I own a pair of AD900s so I kind of am biased towards AT.

 

[Dsnuts]

You'll dig em. You have to give them a good burn in and use wider bore tips than stock but otherwise.. Oh and I hope you have a good neutral source to use with the CKS1000 as well. Will bring out the best in the earphones.

 

[quartertone]

Pretty addictive sound. Shame they're too bulky to wear in bed.

 

[waynes world]

Whadda ya mean? They stabilize the head wonderfully!

 

[quartertone]

Ha, if you sleep on your back maybe... I'm a side guy.

 

[acompli]

My CKS1000s arrived last night. This is my first higher end IEM purchase. This model was a dark horse candidate for me as I spent weeks trying to decide, beating out the GR07 BE and dba-02 mkII at the last minute.
 
First impressions: Clearly these are much higher quality than I'm used to. I was conflicted on whether or not to go for a specifically bassy IEM because I wasn't sure if my preference for slightly bass-heavy sound would carry over from my experience with cheap earbuds and IEMs. These do sound just a tad on the bassy side for my tastes, which is both good and bad.
 
The bass almost feels like it extends way up into the mids at times. Not so much bleeding as having a strong, somewhat overwhelming presence. I like a v-shaped EQ, but if I had created this sound through EQ alone I would be itching to up the mids. This is welcome on some songs, not so much on others. A few examples:
 
The Only Ones - "Another Girl Another Planet": This straightforward guitar/organ-driven rock song carries a nice punch thanks to the low end but completely loses its edge. The rhythm guitars sound muddy and muted and the solos feel like they're straining to "open up" but can't. The keys sound buried. The most prominent high sounds (the cymbals particularly) are rather sibilant. It's a dealbreaker for me if a song like this can't come through properly.
 
Stevie Wonder - "Superstition": Wow... never heard this song in this way before. Almost has a studio-fresh feeling, like this is the way it was meant to sound. Percussion is fantastic and detailed, sounds like being in a room with a drummer. The bass is awesome and really sets the key. The guitar feels present and really pops. Only thing to criticize here is that the horns and Stevie's voice could be cleaner, with a bit more sparkle.
 
I'm sure (and I hope) that these improve significantly with burn in, and that using some tips other than the stock can help me come closer to my desired sound. I tried the M sized stock tips last night and had quite the opposite effect... using the L makes them sound better, but this is when the mids and highs got lost. I get the sense the mid lows are causing the muddiness, whereas the sub bass is spectacular.
 
This is also where I begin to worry about source... I capped the "high endness" of my purchase around the $200 mark because of source concerns. Chiefly I listen to music through my Galaxy S4 with Spotify at 320. I actually don't think that's the problem here. My iPod sounds about the same but with more sibilance on tracks at 196. But I can't really know because I'm new to this sort of thing. From what I had gathered from this thread though, and from other resources, lack of amp and mainstream audio devices shouldn't be an issue with these IEMs.
 
I'll listen to any suggestions and will report more after further burn in. I'm still excited about these because they sound awesome. But doubt has crept in and I am wondering if I should switch to a more neutral IEM like the dba-02.

 

[Dsnuts]

Burn in will change the way they sound for the much better. I would get a good several weeks of burn in before listening to them again. A more neutral source plays well with the CKS1000.

 

[icomrade]

What do you recommend to burn-in with I generated some pink noise in audition for my other set of headphones, but I only used it for like 24h I don't know how I'm going to able to burn these in for so long. I saw this http://www.jlabaudio.com/index/burn-in and was curious if anyone used it for their pair here.

 

[acompli]

  Burn in will change the way they sound for the much better. I would get a good several weeks of burn in before listening to them again. A more neutral source plays well with the CKS1000.

 
Thanks for the reassurance.
 
I really can't wait until these are well burned in. Got them going as we speak.
 
The bass is truly outstanding, and the soundstage seems like it has great potential. I guess the best way I'd describe these out of the box is they sound like the lows are sitting on top of the mids, with a hand over the mids' mouth even. If the separation is increased and clarity is improved with the mids, plus if the highs are tempered just a smidge, these IEM's will be absolutely awesome.

 

[quartertone]

  I would get a good several weeks of burn in before listening to them again. 

 
LOL, what a waste to leave such great phones unlistened-to for several weeks! They can be burned in on the job, as it were.

 

[acompli]

   
LOL, what a waste to leave such great phones unlistened-to for several weeks! They can be burned in on the job, as it were.

 
I was kind of thinking the same thing, but I think it was meant more as "give them a few weeks before passing judgment" and that's my intention.
 
I'm going to give them a well-rounded burn and listen to only bass-oriented music with them in the meantime. Hopefully I'm not locked into that use permanently with them... I really want them to have a more balanced and even sound on rock music.