[kingpintps]

So I have finally decided to move on from the q-JAYS (which I still love) and try to buy the famed Audio Technica.

Reasons I want to upgrade to CK10:
-The itch to upgrade
-Hopefully a more refined, detailed sound
-Build quality
-Small size
-After reading various impressions by |joker| and other members.

Budget ~ $300 USD (incl shipping and duty -  which can be quite substantial to India)
Music preferences - Mostly trance with jazz, house and flavors of rock thrown in for good measure.
Sonic preferences - transparency, detail, speed, well defined bass and treble richness, looking for more quality rather than quantity in the lower end.
Earphone experience - LOVED the q-JAYS, wasn't too impressed with HJE900

What I need from you guys is head to head sound only comparisons (only from people who have heard them both please) along with the music you use them for, and any negatives you can think about the CK10. I plan to buy these for atleast 12-18 months of future listening, before upgraditis hits again. 

I searched a lot and read the thread below, but it wasn't really very conclusive:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/469903/ath-ck10-vs-q-jays

Any/All thoughts would be appreciated.
 

 

[yello131]

Ortofon e-Q5 might be be option for you, (e-Q5 is rather new model but there are  several reviews on the net so you can have an idea..
 
Also DBA-02 is great IEMs. in my opinion is better then Ck10, very transparent and well made (not as good as CK10 but not bad) and cheaper as well.
 
P.S I believe Dimitri from Musica acoustics is still running a special for Headfi members on e-Q5s  ($250US).
He also got DBA and CK10  at his Japanese shop for reasonable price.
Check his out
 
 
 
 

 

[kingpintps]

^ Thanks for the info..I've dropped an e-mail to Dimitri about the CK10..let's see if he can manage to arrange them for me at a good price.

I actually read up on Ortofon e-Q5, but couldn't get my head around the weird fit and perceived comfort. As this is going to be bit of an investment - for atleast an year, I really don't want to risk it on something that is so unorthodox in terms of fit and somethinge that I might possibly end up hating after 2 days.

The DBA-02 sound pretty great at that price, and I saw rawster's review which rates it pretty high and almost comparable to the CK10. But reading the following comparison with the q-JAYS, really put me off these:
http://www.headfonia.com/dual-drivers-q-jays-dba-02-ue700-westone-2-sf5pro-and-jh5pro/3/

This guy, practically says that q-JAYS are mostly better than the DBA-02..so it's really hard for me to justify their purchase. Is it possible for someone to compare these?
 

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

.

The DBA-02 sound pretty great at that price, and I saw rawster's review which rates it pretty high and almost comparable to the CK10. But reading the following comparison with the q-JAYS, really put me off these:
http://www.headfonia.com/dual-drivers-q-jays-dba-02-ue700-westone-2-sf5pro-and-jh5pro/3/

This guy, practically says that q-JAYS are mostly better than the DBA-02..so it's really hard for me to justify their purchase. Is it possible for someone to compare these?
 

Not to badmouth another reviewer but I don't hear any of the earphones in that review the way the person who wrote it does. He also rates the UE700 pretty highly and I think they are by far the worst implementation of the TWFK driver in existence. They are like the CK10 without any of its strengths and with the weaknesses magnified two-fold. Worst part is the treble spike being lower compared to the CK10, which causes bouts of ear-ripping sibilance with some tracks.

 

[kingpintps]

^ thanks |joker| I was just going through your impressions of DBA-02. So in your mind, DBA-02 are far enough from the q-JAYS to warrant a purchase and close enough to CK10 to be given fair consideration? I know returns will be diminished in terms of sound at this point, and that's what makes it so hard.
 
I just discovered that subject to availability, I should be able to find the DBA-02 in India at almost 1/2 the price of getting the CK10 shipped from Japan. So my 2 main concerns remain - Build Quality and Comfort. The DBA-02 look noticeable bigger than the CK10 and it doesn't look like I can have them flush with my ear comfortable enough to use them for sleeping. The build looks pretty distant from CK10 as well..they look (and possibly feel) really cheap. But I'm finding hard to deal with the price difference...aargh decisions! Have I already fallen in love with you CK10?

 

[mark2410]

 
Quote:

Quote:

.

The DBA-02 sound pretty great at that price, and I saw rawster's review which rates it pretty high and almost comparable to the CK10. But reading the following comparison with the q-JAYS, really put me off these:
http://www.headfonia.com/dual-drivers-q-jays-dba-02-ue700-westone-2-sf5pro-and-jh5pro/3/

This guy, practically says that q-JAYS are mostly better than the DBA-02..so it's really hard for me to justify their purchase. Is it possible for someone to compare these?
 

Not to badmouth another reviewer but I don't hear any of the earphones in that review the way the person who wrote it does. He also rates the UE700 pretty highly and I think they are by far the worst implementation of the TWFK driver in existence. They are like the CK10 without any of its strengths and with the weaknesses magnified two-fold. Worst part is the treble spike being lower compared to the CK10, which causes bouts of ear-ripping sibilance with some tracks.

lol, been spending some time with the 700 since i pm'ed you last.  told you it was an ear bleeder.
 
anyway, for DBA and Q id still hand it to the Q's as being the better, its a fabby little IEM.  as for the CK10 i cant deny if you like lots of treble its pretty excellent and does surpass all the rest in refinement and detail.  as such i would say it is an upgrade on the Q-Jay's.

 

[ljokerl]

 
Quote:

^ thanks |joker| I was just going through your impressions of DBA-02. So in your mind, DBA-02 are far enough from the q-JAYS to warrant a purchase and close enough to CK10 to be given fair consideration? I know returns will be diminished in terms of sound at this point, and that's what makes it so hard.

Signature-wise the DBA-02 is between the two but closer to the CK10. If you are looking to move from the q-JAYS to something a little less dry and more balanced, the DBA-02 will do it but it's not quite a full-on substitute for the CK10.
 


Quote:

lol, been spending some time with the 700 since i pm'ed you last.  told you it was an ear bleeder.  
anyway, for DBA and Q id still hand it to the Q's as being the better, its a fabby little IEM.  as for the CK10 i cant deny if you like lots of treble its pretty excellent and does surpass all the rest in refinement and detail.  as such i would say it is an upgrade on the Q-Jay's.

I never said the UE700 was as good as the q-JAYS/DBA-02/CK10 or that it wasn't sibilant as hell sometimes but I still like it more than the SF5Pro.

 

[shigzeo]

For what it's worth, I concur about the UE700. However, the CK10 is my favourite IEM of all time, no matter the price. I like it for its sound that can be coaxed into delivering a lot of bass (use small mouthed Comply tips) as long as you stay away from the horrible stock tips. It is also the best made IEM I've seen at any price. The cable is made here locally and only sold to Audio Technica and costs an arm and an ankle. It is light, strong, and nearly as silent as a Westone at first, and later, as it doesn't crystallise and the Westone cable does, quieter. But with stock tips, it is just 'good' to 'okay' sounding with a heavy emphasis on treble. Still, putting those stock tips on anything makes it sound bad.

 

[kingpintps]

Thanks guys..so the general impression is that CK10 is better than DBA-02, but there's not much in it and it's a decent enough upgrade from the q-JAYS. This was very helpful.

I've got a response from Dimitri, and he is offering a good price for the CK10. It's still almost double that of the DBA-02, but I am really attracted towards the CK10, so I'm just gonna go for it and hopefully it will be worth the extra money. It's always nice to indulge yourself once in a while.

shigzeo - One last impression from you on using the CK10 for Trance. I'm assuming that as it is your favorite IEM, you have used it for listening to trance as well - and liked it. Am I correct here, or did you only use it for other lighter genres?

 

[kingpintps]

So I pulled the trigger on the CK10 yesterday and should receive them in a few days. 
 
yello131 - Thank You for the recommendation. Dimitri was great to deal with!!

If anyone is interested to buy any new products, I would highly recommend to deal with Dimitri from Musica Acoustics..he has been a pleasure to interact with and has been very very patient in helping me with the purchase. 

Also, he has an opened box CK10 up for sale for about $200 USD. It is a brand new pair but was used for Demo at his local shop. If anyone is interested in buying those, drop him a note.

 

[yello131]

 
Quote:

So I pulled the trigger on the CK10 yesterday and should receive them in a few days. 
 
yello131 - Thank You for the recommendation. Dimitri was great to deal with!!

If anyone is interested to buy any new products, I would highly recommend to deal with Dimitri from Musica Acoustics..he has been a pleasure to interact with and has been very very patient in helping me with the purchase. 

Also, he has an opened box CK10 up for sale for about $200 USD. It is a brand new pair but was used for Demo at his local shop. If anyone is interested in buying those, drop him a note.

Hey Pal,  You are very welcome, very glad you have managed to order a Ck10 from MA.
 
P.S. wow, 200 dollars for a new pair for Ck10  that is cheaper then what Dmitri offer to me. Are you sure it is a new with all accessories and box?

 

[kingpintps]

Yeah, well it's an opened box unit which has been used for demo purposes - so it must have been slightly used and I can only guess about the accessories.

Here is his quote:


Quote:

I also have an Open Box /Second Hand unit available for $200USD. The SH unit is fully functional but it has been in used as Demo unit at my shop here in Tokyo. If you know somebody who might be interested please let me know.

I guess if you ask him for more details, he will be happy to supply them - condition, accessories, etc.
Quote:

 
Quote:

So I pulled the trigger on the CK10 yesterday and should receive them in a few days. 
 
yello131 - Thank You for the recommendation. Dimitri was great to deal with!!

If anyone is interested to buy any new products, I would highly recommend to deal with Dimitri from Musica Acoustics..he has been a pleasure to interact with and has been very very patient in helping me with the purchase. 

Also, he has an opened box CK10 up for sale for about $200 USD. It is a brand new pair but was used for Demo at his local shop. If anyone is interested in buying those, drop him a note.

Hey Pal,  You are very welcome, very glad you have managed to order a Ck10 from MA.
 
P.S. wow, 200 dollars for a new pair for Ck10  that is cheaper then what Dmitri offer to me. Are you sure it is a new with all accessories and box?

 

[kingpintps]

 
Finally!! received my CK10s an hour back. Here are some pictures (excuse the background, I haven't changed my sheets in a few days):
 
Thank You Japan Post Service, I got these in the promised time of 3 days:


 
 
Nicely packed in bubble wrap and surrounded by foam in quite a sturdy box. Good protective measures from Musica Acoustics:

 
 
Dimitri also added some leaflefts for Ortofon e-Q7 and Final Audio Design:

 
 
Here they are ^_^. Enjoyed the packaging, simple and to the point.
 

 
 
The package. Really like the small carry case. Feels quite solid in the hand:

 
 
55 ohms: 
 

 
 
CK10:

 
Still getting to grips with the sound. Will post comparisons with q-JAYS and HJE900 soon.

 

[anchorman69]

Quote:

lol, been spending some time with the 700 since i pm'ed you last.  told you it was an ear bleeder.  
anyway, for DBA and Q id still hand it to the Q's as being the better, its a fabby little IEM.  as for the CK10 i cant deny if you like lots of treble its pretty excellent and does surpass all the rest in refinement and detail.  as such i would say it is an upgrade on the Q-Jay's.

I never said the UE700 was as good as the q-JAYS/DBA-02/CK10 or that it wasn't sibilant as hell sometimes but I still like it more than the SF5Pro.

Hey Joker, what do you think of the SP5pros? They seem pretty terrible in your opinion!?

 

[rawrster]

so how do you like the CK10? I should get mine next week