kkx2

Afbug, Thanx for the kind suggestions. I'm sure the impedance adapter is not the cause cuz i have tested it with a few of my sources (AC97, SBA2NX w SSRC resampler and Nomad Muvo) all running without the cable, but i still get the problem. Digidub, the ck7s are not exactly muddy in the normal sense since it doesnt sound blurry or what, but i feel the cymbals and many high-frequency synth sounds aren't really accurate presentations. I'm not sure if it's the attack or the decay or a mix of both that's wrong. What i do know is that if a song gets busy, it starts to get very cluttered up in the high frequencies, which can also be what Zephyron describes as "congestion problem". Why I thought it is different from a normal congestion problem is because those instruments don't sound natural to me even when the music is lighter, and because the cymbals (I'm referring to the small high frequency cymbals that are usually hit repeatedly to set a rhythm) still seem to have an attack/decay problem when the music's slower, I thought that was a sign of muddiness, just that this muddiness seems to be restricted to a very small frequency spectrum which I am not good at isolating. And yup, I guess this problem would be worse with the cheaper IEMs, which is why I always have mixed feelings about them. CK7 is clearly better than them. If not for this issue, I'd have given them a huge thumbs-up... The HJE70s are with my friend now so I can't really make an accurate comparison. Will do that later this week.

Zephyron, U are absolutely right in that I love 'fun' sounding headphones, since I come from the Porta-Pro(for portable listening) and Grados sound. That aside, I also would like to add that I have tried Etymotic ER4 and Beyer DT880 each for a few days, both of which were highly regarded as rather neutral sounding in many reviews (especially those on head-fi). Hence, those are the yardsticks for me when it comes to uncoloured sound. And I have no reservations about saying that those 2 pieces gave fantastic presentations, though I still preferred the sound signatures of my own headphones. IMO, CK7 is rather far from ER4 or DT880 in terms of neutrality n balanced sound. But I would be nitpicking if I were to compare them up against cans that are 3 times more in cost. Coming to the reasons why I have rather unfriendly remarks for CK7. They did sound alright to me at 1st and it did the details very good, considering its pricepoint as an IEM. But when I reach "Dogfight" by J-electrorock group Move (Initial D Best Song Collection Disc 2 track 25), the sound became unbearable. That was the track where I heard a really serious issue with the cymbals i mentioned above, where I heard a long indistinguishable, almost flat, saturated stretch of CHHHH sound in place of distinct rhythmic strikings of the cymbals. After a few more tries with the same track, I remembered remarking to my friend that these sounded like "cheap speakers" (No offence involved, sorry). If not for that, I could have easily lived with the occassionally unnatural and enhanced highs. By the way, I don't usually listen to rock stuff but the Initial D tracks were an exception. And as a side issue, I have my doubts as to how burn in could change the treble muddiness. Yeah, and sound is subjective, so Zephyron, ur views may be right too. I hope I have not offended CK7 lovers when my remarks sounded like I was bashing it.

I got myself a pair from Stereo Electronics too and mainly listening to it out of my ipod with a 47 ohms impedance adapter-cable (to counter the ipod's distortion issues with headphones lower than 32ohms). Wonder how much the sound is going to change with time, even tho i have 20+ hrs under it..... Ok... heady, u r not alone. It sounds dry and uninteresting to me. Details are very good for such a price, but that is about all there is to offer. Issues that I can easily overlook are the recessed mids and a lack of bass texture, though it is very present (but rather inconsistent since it comes in torrents at times while it's light on other times, though it can never be considered tight, nor is it flabby). What really destroyed my listening pleasure was the muddy highs in this pair of bright earphones. Compared against HJE70's 2 (to my ears) prominent peaks in the highs that may sound piercing, CK7 has an a rather uniformly accentuated high frequency range that doesnt have many glaring peaks but, to me, sounds rather undefined and even saturated at times when handling fast continuous cymbals and the likes. Soundstage is compressed as usual (I almost always feels this way with in-ears so far). I have run it through lossless music files too but the impression still holds. And afbug may refute the following remark: I thought this sounded really similar to the HJE50s, especially in sound signature (HJE50 probably is at least 85-90% of CK7, with HJE50 losing out mainly in details, high-end extension and low-end quantities.) Overall, it's of a similar class of performance as the HJE70, just that I enjoy HJE70s more. Maybe, i was expecting too much... Or maybe, the in-ears really aren't for me...

I don't own those 2 headphones but have tried them for awhile. IMHO, k26p is very bass heavy and the mids are recessed. px100 sounds more balanced among the 2 but it also has a slightly bloated bass. additionally, i think the k26p sounds muddy compared to the px100, so i'll say, in absolute terms, the px100 is the better of the 2 in terms of sound. Note that px100 doesn't offer isolation while k26p are supposed to offer isolation but i feel the cups are way too small to do that. both cans are very light. IMO, px100 feels like the more comfortable one among the 2. also, wearing the k26p can be quite cumbersome because of the way the cups can swivel while the headband is adjusted. a 3rd alternative that's worth looking at is the koss porta pro. IMO, sonic performance is tied with the px100, though it offers a different flavour with a warmer sound and a more bloated bass than the px. it's a fun listen, though the $19 more in price (at Hung Bros) may make you lean towards the px. just my 2 cents. the other parts i guez i cant answer.

Hi, guys. I just got my HJE70s 2 days ago for $165. Using them with the smallest rubber pads now and after more than 10 hours of playing, here's my impressions: Excellent construction quality and finish. Really like the aluminium housings. Looks fantastic. Sound wise, i agree with digidub they tend to sound bassy, but the bass comes across as somewhat grado-ish at times which is absolutely fun and enjoyable. Trebles are great, but the "S"s of vocals n cymbals tend to sound too bright and harsh. Depending on a person's tastes, this may be unbearable for some. Mids are slightly more recessed than what you'd get on an A900 (which is already recessed), but vocals sound nice still. I'll be using these as my porta pro replacement on the move. These are certainly better overall with more details than the PP but lags slightly behind in terms of sound stage. The other equally portable stuff I have tried in the same price category are the CM7 and CM7ti. While I didn't have the chance to compare them side by side, I think they are more or less equal in terms of detail levels, tho the CM7s lack bass and isolation. VS HJE50 or the EX71s, I think these are a whole league above them. IMHO, these are great semi-canals for their price (despite the hefty price tag, yes). While these have good sound performance, I'm glad they won't replace my more expensive cans. By the way, it'd b really interesting to see a head to head comparison of CK7 vs HJE70, since the CK7s look really impressive too.

Those are excellent budget stuff! Hey, Kross, count me in too. Shall have 2 sets. Thanx