toughnut
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
- Posts
- 1,876
- Likes
- 328
Retail price : USD575
Total paid including shipping, ear impression, etc : USD520~
Color (Face Plate/Body/Tube) : (Clear Blue/clear/clear)
Artwork : None
Cable : Westone ES
Turnover : 28 days (the day shipped till the day received)
Equipments:
Nokia 5800XM (main), Nano 3G, eeepc 701
ATH-CK100 with dual flanges plus modded Shure Olives
Music selection cover all major genres except country songs (exception for Taylor Swift LOL) and religious songs.
Synergy with source
Nokia 5800XM - Best synergy due to more forward mid and tout midbass.
Nano 3G - Hisses and more hisses. Soundstage seem wider L/R but less intimate.
eeePC - Sound big but boring. And hisses.
Method of comparison
Mage weighted against CK100.
For example,
0.9 = Mage 10% lower score than CK100
1.0 = Both Mage and CK100 equal in that particular aspect
1.1 = Mage 10% higher score than CK100
*This rating is subjective, just as a guide and not a quantitative measurement. Your 10% will 100% differ from my 10%
Build/Finishing 1.0
A tie. Polished clear acrylic versus industrial-finish titanium body. Nothing much to complaint on this aspect on both IEM. Mage's pin plug seems sturdy although not recessed (like UE custom). There is no bubbling in my Mage, so hat off to Sam and his crews. Only notice a few tiny scratches inside the custom which my friend told me it was inevitable due to molding process limitation. In term of robustness, CK100 win with no contest. That tiny piece of titaniums will take some major damages before decided to die.
Cable 1.1
CK100 use soft cables (dual jointed cables from one end to another) with low profile angled gold plug and Mage use Westone ES cable with angled gold plug. I love both cables but give higher marks for Mage due to lighter weight and ability to swap cable.
Packaging 0.9
Mage comes packed in a white hard board box with magnetic lock. Look nice but won’t be practical for daily usage. Accessories that come with CK100 can be considered as very limited but Mage top it off with only soft pouch (silver color!) and one cleaning tool. The soft pouch cant provides any impact protection. I cannot reason why USD500+ custom provided with a cheap pouch. Industrial standard Pelican 1010 case only cost USD10+ and it's a better option. IMHO, ditch the hard box and the pouch. Pack the Mage in Pelican or any other cases that PROVIDE protection and put all the documents, booklet, etc in a DVD case or even a simple envelope will do. Luckily the cleaning tool provided by UM is the best i yet to encounter so far. Metal loop at one end and brush at another end.
Communication
Nil... Zero communication. I added Sam on MSN but no response. Didnt bother to email him either because i know he is busy all the time. So i cannot rate the quality of communication. (I know i wont have much problem with the custom since everything so straight forward, no fancy artwork or request)
Sound Quality
High:
Detail 1.2
Quality 1.1
Dynamic 1.1
Straight out of the box, Mage has no shrill or harshness unlike CK100 although gone after few hours. Both are quite similar but extra edge to Mage in term of details. Details from upper mid onward are abundant and I can hear new things in the music never heard before on CK100. And CK100 already great at revealing details! Clarity of Mage also better but sense of air/space lower than CK100. High on CK100 sound bit snappier.
Mid:
Detail 1.0
Quality 1.0
Dynamic 1.1
I will say a tie, if not due to lower clarity of mid on Mage. It's less forward than CK100's and more warm and wetter. Both probably have the best mid among all the universal IEM, just CK100 and Mage have different presentation.
Low:
Detail 1.0
Quality 1.1
Quantity 1.3
Speed 0.9
BASS. The moment i put on CK100, I ask myself where the bass gone? Of course, that's QUANTITY wise. In term of quality, Mage only fare a bit better due to better control. Almost a tie if not due to quantity of bass.
Overall dynamic 1.1
Mage manage to sound big when required and still able to produce subtle sound during "big" sounding passage (if you get what i meant). It sound just more "variable". Mage very listenable at low volume. Layering capability also comparable with CK100.
Instrument separation 1.3
Probably the most noticeable improvement over CK100, sound wise. Imagine an image with all the objects in it being tagged with description/information. Everything sound clearly defined but natural at the same time. The tonal balance sound accurate too, based on few classical tracks I tested. The weight carried by each instrument more accurate compared to CK100 which sound thin on few instruments that hit low frequency spectrum.
Soundstage 1.0
Soundstage width from left to right and front to back equivalent of CK100. So soundstage on Mage IMHO among the best (soundstage/accuracy ratio wise). Sense of air/space on CK100 bit better than Mage but probably affected due to warmness of Mage.
Imaging 1.1
Easier to identify the location and position of each sound source as compared to CK100. Mage gives impression of individual speaker for each instrument placed around you. Subtle improvement over CK100 but really noticeable if tracks engineered properly.
Transparency 0.8
My main and initial concern when putting on Mage. It is a lot less transparent compared to CK100. But after getting used to Mage, I get a grip on its sound presentation. It is less forward and warm in nature. This gives impression of overall lower clarity and transparency. CK100 sound quite in-your-face, much more if paired with 5800XM. Imagine being on-stage next to the singer (CK100) versus sitting down stage (Mage).
Isolation 1.4
No contest IMO. I use dual flanges modded with Shure Olives on CK100 and the isolation pretty great, better than all my previous universal IEM. But custom provides a whole new level of isolation. The feel similar to the moments where the silicon putty being injected into my ears.
Fit 1.5
Perfect fit. Both sides fit perfectly and maintain seal even when walking, eating or drinking. Only break if smile too widely or cough. Initially I can break the seal if lying down on bed but somehow my ears get used to it and more "relaxed" now. So I am really happy with the fit provided by custom. My right ears seem to suck the custom in and create a vacuum seal, quite hard to remove compare to my left ears.
Comfort 1.1
Both are comfortable but Mage managed to sit flush on my ears due to custom body. Area of contact with my skin for Mage is higher but does not cause any irritation. Instead that create a more secure and comfortable fit.
Value 1.2
USD500+ versus USD400 (CK100). IMO, the fit, isolation and comfort worth the extra USD100. Gain in sound quality might not as much as what I expect initially but generally, it stills an improvement, although a subtle one. The moment I put on Mage, I feel terrified due to clarity and transparency level of Mage. But slowly I noticed the subtle improvement across the spectrum.
Conclusion
Am i happy with the purchase? Yes, but that also due to the fact of no refit required or issues with the build. But if i dont have Mage, i will still be happy with my CK100. I guess CK100 sound among the pinnacle of universal IEM and only custom to top it.
EDIT1: Mage sound signature reminds me of Westone UM2. More like turbocharged UM2 with heavy enhancement on the sound quality. Direct competitor in universal will probably be UM3X or ES3X if custom (just wild guess).
