The real problem with these is the included eartips, which are universally terrible. If you feel like it, get some Ultimate Ears dual flange eartips from (f.ex.) http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/store/ac... I use them and can attest that they solve almost every problem with the ATH-CK7s--you get a better seal leading to better detail, better noise canceling, better bass, less shrill treble, and better balance between bass, mids, and treble.

If you were to say "there's no reason you should have to buy 3rd-party eartips to make your IEMs sound acceptably good," I'd absolutely agree with you. The only reason I know how great the UE tips are is that I happened to buy the ATH-CK7s based on some reviews that turned out to be incorrect and then found some other forum posts stating that the UE tips provided major improvement.

theqat: Thanks for the feedback and the extra info. :)