[RADI0HEAD]

I am interested in hearing w4 owner's input on this, as I am debating on upgradin from my ck10s to 4's

 

To me there's just no comparison: I believe the CK10s are quite overrated - treble's too pronounced and bass is rather anaemic.
 
The W4 is a completely different beast - much more balanced and closer to rendering all 3 frequencies as they are found in real life.
 
To this day I'm very surprised at all the attention/ love the CK10s get and I can't help thinking |joker| has a lot to do with it as he rates the CK10s VERY highly and he's VERY influential in these forums. I like |joker| and respect the tremendous amount of effort he's put into his reviews - certainly something I can't even dream of achieving myself - but although I agree with quite a few of the things he says, there are some where I we just hear things significantly differently, namely the CK10 & SM3. 

Ever hear a drum kit live, in person? The cymbals are pronounced and the bass drum is fast, tight and almost anemic. Call it bright or too pronounced or anemic bass but that's what it sounds like in "real life".

Just look at the Etymotic house sound for example.

 

[buffalowings]

it's hard to believe etymotic earphones can actually replicate a real life actual bass drum kick especially with the bass roll off
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I am interested in hearing w4 owner's input on this, as I am debating on upgradin from my ck10s to 4's

 

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To me there's just no comparison: I believe the CK10s are quite overrated - treble's too pronounced and bass is rather anaemic.
 
The W4 is a completely different beast - much more balanced and closer to rendering all 3 frequencies as they are found in real life.
 
To this day I'm very surprised at all the attention/ love the CK10s get and I can't help thinking |joker| has a lot to do with it as he rates the CK10s VERY highly and he's VERY influential in these forums. I like |joker| and respect the tremendous amount of effort he's put into his reviews - certainly something I can't even dream of achieving myself - but although I agree with quite a few of the things he says, there are some where I we just hear things significantly differently, namely the CK10 & SM3. 

Ever hear a drum kit live, in person? The cymbals are pronounced and the bass drum is fast, tight and almost anemic. Call it bright or too pronounced or anemic bass but that's what it sounds like in "real life".

Just look at the Etymotic house sound for example.
 

 

 

[RADI0HEAD]

it's hard to believe etymotic earphones can actually replicate a real life actual bass drum kick especially with the bass roll off


 

Well believe it, I've spent many years behind a drum kit.

 

[DaEMoNteNTAcLe]

previous owner of ck10 here, recently heard w4.
i have to agree with music_4321 on his remarks for both ck10 and w4. w4 have a more balanced amount of lows, mids and highs, doesnt really feel like anything lacking.
ck10 feels like it is a bit tilted towards having more treble and lesser bass, while at the same time also feels flat. wierd isnt it?
whats probably more important here is.. coming from ie8.. ck10 might seem to have zero amount of bass, while w4 will sound like having clear/ not bloated bass instead.

 

[buffalowings]

I'm far from a bass head, and a kick drum from the etymotic is far different from a kick drum in real life
 
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it's hard to believe etymotic earphones can actually replicate a real life actual bass drum kick especially with the bass roll off


 

Well believe it, I've spent many years behind a drum kit.

 
 

 

[Kagelou]

I personally would consider price as well, seeing that the W4 costs around $100 more than the CK10.
Also, another reason why I am highly interested in the CK10 (apart from me being a treble head) is the fact that they are very small. I have small ear canals, so hopefully they will be perfect for me =]

 

[soozieq]

It's no surprise to me that those who don't like the CK10's (despite plenty of happy owners enjoying them) have to insist that they're "overrated". Same with those who don't like the SM3's; because they don't like them, they must be "overrated".
 
I had the chance to hear the W4's recently, and although it was a short listening session, it was enough for me to know I didn't care for the sound signature over my CK10's. Does that mean I think the W4 is overrated? No. It just means I don't like the sound signature. I like a lot of treble energy which I didn't get from the W4's.
 
I didn't care much for either the CK100 or the UM3x, and I know several people who thought the UM3x adoration was a load of hype, and others who (like me) couldn't warm to the strange ghostly presentation of the CK100's vocals.
 
But I don't recall anyone continually bashing them at every opportunity. Most of us realise that our hearing preferences are a matter of personal choice, and that just because we don't care for a certain sound signature, it doesn't have to mean that phone is "overrated". I am always cautious of blanket statements that don't take into account personal preference.

 

[AngryBaconGod]

I am always cautious of blanket statements ...

OK, what's the difference between balanced and analytical? If balanced are ... balanced.. are analytical unbalanced?

 

[Kagelou]

Completely agree. We all have our own different hearing preference, and that affects which set of cans we buy. For example, I personally don't like the Beats (SQ, not just because of price), but if someone really likes the SQ and didn't buy them just for looks, good for them! I am happy that they found the pair of cans that match their preference, and I'm not going to bash on them for buying Beats.
 
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But I don't recall anyone continually bashing them at every opportunity. Most of us realise that our hearing preferences are a matter of personal choice, and that just because we don't care for a certain sound signature, it doesn't have to mean that phone is "overrated". I am always cautious of blanket statements that don't take into account personal preference.

 

 

[Enanthate]

Quote:

It's no surprise to me that those who don't like the CK10's (despite plenty of happy owners enjoying them) have to insist that they're "overrated". Same with those who don't like the SM3's; because they don't like them, they must be "overrated".
 
I had the chance to hear the W4's recently, and although it was a short listening session, it was enough for me to know I didn't care for the sound signature over my CK10's. Does that mean I think the W4 is overrated? No. It just means I don't like the sound signature. I like a lot of treble energy which I didn't get from the W4's.
 
I didn't care much for either the CK100 or the UM3x, and I know several people who thought the UM3x adoration was a load of hype, and others who (like me) couldn't warm to the strange ghostly presentation of the CK100's vocals.
 
But I don't recall anyone continually bashing them at every opportunity. Most of us realise that our hearing preferences are a matter of personal choice, and that just because we don't care for a certain sound signature, it doesn't have to mean that phone is "overrated". I am always cautious of blanket statements that don't take into account personal preference.

Couldn't have worded it more eloquently.  Your experience with each phone will greatly vary depending on personal preference.  I would absolutely adore the CK-10 if the mids were a bit more forward.  Again this is my opinion, your best bet is to gauge whats more satisfying of a sound.....Balanced(Slightly forward bass, mids and treble)  or Analytical(Lean bass, dry mids and aggressive treble).  
 

 

[RADI0HEAD]

I'm far from a bass head, and a kick drum from the etymotic is far different from a kick drum in real life
 

 
 

My point is analytical iems are closer to the real thing. Kick drum "thump" is anywhere between 60-100hz. Boost below that and you get rumble, boost above 100hz and you get bloat, muddy or boomy. The only way manufacturers can add bass is to add more bloat around 100hz or higher. There is no way around this. Sometimes less is best, at least for me.

 

[music_4321]

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To me there's just no comparison: I believe the CK10s are quite overrated - treble's too pronounced and bass is rather anaemic.
 
The W4 is a completely different beast - much more balanced and closer to rendering all 3 frequencies as they are found in real life.
 
To this day I'm very surprised at all the attention/ love the CK10s get and I can't help thinking |joker| has a lot to do with it as he rates the CK10s VERY highly and he's VERY influential in these forums. I like |joker| and respect the tremendous amount of effort he's put into his reviews - certainly something I can't even dream of achieving myself - but although I agree with quite a few of the things he says, there are some where I we just hear things significantly differently, namely the CK10 & SM3. 

Ever hear a drum kit live, in person? The cymbals are pronounced and the bass drum is fast, tight and almost anemic. Call it bright or too pronounced or anemic bass but that's what it sounds like in "real life".

Just look at the Etymotic house sound for example.
 

Yes, I have - many times, in fact. To these ears the CK10's SQ came nowhere near what drums and many other instruments sound like in real life. The W4 comes MUCH closer to the real thing.
 

 

[AngryBaconGod]

You people aren't making this decision easy, what with the conflicting information!

Bass... extension versus bloat. Is the W4 bass bloated or not?

Which reproduces lowest frequency sound? Do either do a competent job between say 30hz and 50hz?

Does the CK10 push treble ahead of mids and bass or not?

When people call the CK10 analytical, do they really mean that treble is emphasized? I did some research on analytical versus balanced, and it seems clear to me that these terms have different meaning to different people. So I really don't know what anybody is claiming...

So again... which has the flattest (and widest) frequency response curve?

Thanks,
ABG

 

[Kagelou]

Analytical basically means that IEMs (or headphones) produce very detailed sound, almost so that you can pick out each individual instrument.
 
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When people call the CK10 analytical, do they really mean that treble is emphasized? I did some research on analytical versus balanced, and it seems clear to me that these terms have different meaning to different people. So I really don't know what anybody is claiming...

Thanks,
ABG

 

 

[RADI0HEAD]

Yes, I have - many times, in fact. To these ears the CK10's SQ came nowhere near what drums and many other instruments sound like in real life. The W4 comes MUCH closer to the real thing.
 

Then we can agree we are hearing things differently because I hear it the other way around.