Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 Canal Headphones

[Brian]

Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 Canal Headphones (http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/557/AudioTechnica+ATHCK7+Canal+Headphones/)

"So, are they truly studio-quality? Eh, if you had a studio you wouldn't put up with the sweepingly uneven amplification. You can compensate for it, and get some very impressive sound from these ATH-CK7s--rolls off the tongue, don't it?--but then they're going to be tied to whatever device you've got them plugged into. I can't use these with both my media player and my PC, because once I switch from my PC speakers, I have to reset my equalizer. And they would be a total waste if my media player didn't have a multi-band, customizable equalizer. There's no preset in the world that can correct for these babies."

[theqat]

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/accessories.php. 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.

[Kurtis]

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

[Wazza]

I read a lot about these earphones before buying them, and the most important thing I found was to actually break-in the drivers. I can't remember exactly now, but I found a table on the web detailing each set or brand of earphones, and a recommended time to break in the drivers.

Reviewing earphones out of the box can be unfair in this case, because actually, after I played music constantly into the earphones ( some suggested white noise even ) the fidelity, especially the bass response improved dramatically. I think it was 40 hours, I just let my iPod play away into them at close to full volume. It makes a big difference

The other MOST important thing is getting a good tight fit. The instructions tell you to wear these with the cable looped around your ear, (kind of backwards) but I did find this again improved the sound.

I also have a pair of Shure SE110, more expensive, but actually the Audio Technica's are far superior in my opinion.

I definitely recommend these earphones, but remember to get a good snug fit and break them in.