This is backed up by a clear mid-range, delivering beautifully clear instrumentation. However it was clear, so to speak, that these earphones lack the extra warmth some listeners will crave -- what the bright treble delivers in airy, natural and open soundstages, it substracts in the warmth you'd expect at live performances.
Lining up a sterling competitor to the CK10s -- the Custom-3s from Klipsch -- another dual armature offering, highlighted this point. The Custom-3's natural warmth and diminished brightness in the treble created a much more natural reproduction of Grace Griffith's vocally-driven performance of Carry You than the CK10s, which conversely offered extra detail and spaciousness, but with a colder overall tone.
Perhaps the other contributor to this characteristic of the CK10s is its delicate bass presence. Like the Audio Technica W5000 headphones, the bass is tight, effective, but noticeably careful not to overpower -- almost the antithesis of the Denon C751s, with their epic bass presence.
But when not being critically compared to other models, the CK10s are excellent earphones. Some folk rock from Capercaillie and Mary Black sounded terrific: an open soundstage, cracking percussion, bright fiddles and violins, and instrumental separation few earphones can match.
Conclusion
Clarity and sonic detail are the defining factors of the CK10s, and if this is something you're been looking for, you'll definitely miss out on a treat if you pass over this model. They're most suitable to general pop, rock, country and folk.
If you want similar clarity but booming bass for your electronic and dance music, check out the Denon AH-C751s. If you want warmth and extra power for vocals, rock and metal, read up on the Shure SE530s or Klipsch Custom-3s. And for less money but comparable bass, mids and a duller treble, inspect the Jays q-Jays. All of these cost less than the CK10s.
Edited by Marian Smith
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samu 31 March 2010
Good: Fantastic sound quality
Bad: Appalling build quality
Comment: Fantastic sound utterly let down by shocking build quality. If they cost a tenth as much, it would be pathetic; at this price, it's evil. My first pair disintegrated within months of careful use; the replacements (which took an age to arrive) have done the same. I could get another replacement set, presumably, but honestly I never want to see these or any other Audio Technica product, ever again. Avoid. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
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