Audio Technica ATH-CKR10 Earphones Review

Audio Technica feels you need an iron yoke in your life

by Ed Selley
Hi-Fi Review

1

Recommended
Audio Technica ATH-CKR10 Earphones Review
MSRP: £250.00

What is the CKR10?

Some brands and makes have a reputation for going about the business of competing in a particular segment in a way that is often wilfully different to the accepted way of doing things. For years, buying a Citroen resulted in owning a car that didn't bother with normal springs or self cancelling indicators or other things one might take for granted buying any other car from the same period. This meant that if you were 'into' the design thinking, very little else would do but it did limit the wider appeal. As a result Citroen has spent the last 20 years working out how much weirdness is required to keep new customers happy while trying to make their cars normal enough for new customers to come on board.

In audio, a certain degree of idiosyncrasy is tolerated and indeed positively encouraged if the end result is any good. As with many categories though, the higher up the pricing structure you go, the easier it seems to get away with curious design practise. At a mass market level, customers- with some justification- expect a degree of consistency in the equipment they buy and won't be thrilled if you deviate too far from accepted norms. In the case of earphones, these rules may as well have been carved into stone. The public has a fairly strong idea of what it wants.

This meant that some of the design decisions taken by Audio Technica were all the more curious. As the recent review of the ATH-MSR7 showed, the company has an ability with headphones that isn't really a matter of debate. They have successfully produced comfortable, beautifully built and sonically excellent designs for many years. Their earphones were more of an acquired taste though. When I reviewed the CKS90 earphone- then the flagship- two years ago, I was very impressed but there was no escaping that the driver arrangement, fitting arrangements and the general design were all a bit... weird. Now, Audio Technica has been taking advantage of the upward trend in earphone pricing to release the CKR10. This promises to be a little more on the normal side but in doing so, has it lost any of the talent of the older model?

Design

Audio Technica ATH-CKR10
The CKR10 is an in ear monitor that uses a pair of dynamic drivers in a manner that doesn't sound dissimilar to the older models in the range. In reality, things have changed quite a bit. While the older models placed each driver in a separate chamber, the CKR10 does something I don't believe is done in any other earphone. The two drivers are mounted facing one another inside a cylinder that Audio Technica with a flair for the dramatic, terms an 'iron yoke.' In order for the drivers to then produce a useful output one driver is out of phase to the other meaning that they work as a pair rather than against one another.

This is an intriguing but rather logical design concept when the requirements of an earphone are taken into account. This arrangement allows for the drivers to function without a crossover but increases the radiating area and gives the CKR10 an almost isobaric aspect to the performance which is something unusual but potentially hugely desirable in an earphone. Dynamic driver earphones should generally have a bass advantage over rival armature models but can sound a little ponderous by comparison. This design system theoretically allows for a more compact arrangement that should be more responsive and therefore better able to rival an armature.
Audio Technica ATH-CKR10
In size terms the verdict is mixed. The actual driver housing is commendably compact but Audio Technica hasn't fully dispensed with their own distinctive design traits. The CKR10 is shallow but fairly wide and made even wider by the arrangement of the cable which joins the housing via a separate part of the chassis. The rubber dome (of which Audio Technica supplies four well spaced sizes) then mounts to a tube that sits at the front of the housing. The resulting earphone isn't quite as insectoid as the older CKS90 but it still looks a little unusual.

One significant change to the design and something that is likely to be well received is that the CKR10 relies entirely on the rubber dome to mount and fit the ear. Older models (and some rivals) make use of the pinna of the ear to make the fitment and while this is extremely effective, it is something that many people find consistently uncomfortable. The CKR10 by contrast is a comfortable earphone to wear for long periods and while it looks a little unusual the arrangement by which the cable meets the housing is effective at avoiding snagging or tangling.

In keeping with most products in the Audio Technica range, the CKR10 is also well finished and very sturdy. Nice touches like the titanium end caps help the CKR10 stand out without it being overly showy. The materials used are commensurate with the asking price and the little leather carrying pouch is a nice touch if not perfectly shaped (more of which in a bit). There is no shortage of competition but the Audio Technica is able to hold its own at the price.
Audio Technica ATH-CKR10
This is an intriguing but rather logical design concept when the requirements of an earphone are taken into account

Downsides?

The Audio Technica is entirely less weird than some of the previous models but it is not without some curiosities. The fitment is more comfortable than older models but the CKR10 doesn't feel as compact or well sorted as the identically priced Audiofly AF140. As an earphone it still feels pretty big. This can also be levelled at the carrying case which is pleasant but manages to be the wrong shape to easily pop into a pocket. Audio Technica has almost made a really practical, everyday earphone but then decided to make it a little curious just because they could.The final point of possible contention is that the cord has no remote or mic. This is not completely out of the blue at the price but it is something that might prove an irritant to some people.

How was the CKR10 tested?

The Audio Technica was put through the standard test procedure which was tested with a Motorola Moto X and iPad 3 and a Lenovo T530 ThinkPad with and without an Oppo HA-2 and Chord Hugo for more absolute points of reference. Material included lossless and high res FLAC as well as on demand music services like Spotify and Tidal. Some video on demand was supplied by Netflix and iPlayer.

Sound Quality

Audio Technica ATH-CKR10
One of the reasons why we were prepared to put up with some of the oddities of Audio Technica design practise was that they sounded pretty good. The CKR10 is less peculiar than some older models but the good news is that this is a seriously accomplished earphone. The unusual driver arrangement never sounds distinctively different from more conventional layouts but it is extremely effective.

This means that the Audio Technica sounds like a very well sorted single driver earphone. As there is no crossover between the two drivers, the performance is seamless from top to bottom. This is impressive but additionally, the bottom is extremely deep. The CKR10 is possessed of truly wonderful bass that is powerful and packed with detail. Although the arrangement of the drivers is not a true isobaric one, there is some of the speed and 'tightness' that speakers that are fitted with these drivers can achieve.

Listening to the latest Leftfield single Universal Everything gives the CKR10 the opportunity to shine. The powerful driving bassline is handled beautifully and the Audio Technica is a properly engaging to listen to. The deftness of the way it handles rhythms is immediately likeable and if you listen to music that lives or dies on the way that it times, this is an earphone that should go to the top of the list.
Audio Technica ATH-CKR10
Further up the frequency response, the news is still extremely good. The Audio Technica house sound manages to combine the accuracy of the company's studio heritage with a forgiving nature that allows you to listen to recordings that aren't perfect and still enjoy them. These qualities are alive and well in the CK10 and it manages to sound detailed and lively without sounding forward or aggressive. This also means that you can exploit the reasonable sensitivity of the Audio Technica to listen at impressively high volume levels if you want to.

What the CKR10 can't always do as effectively as the Audiofly AF140 at the same asking price is deliver the same sense of space and scale to large performances. Whether this is a function of the armatures in the Australian design or simply a different set of voicing priorities isn't something that is immediately apparent but it does mean that if you need to have a pair of earphones that gives you more of a sense of space and scope to music, the Audio Technica has to give a little ground.

Otherwise, the CKR10 does a great deal right and importantly it manages to deliver the bulk of its performance from the headphone sockets of portable devices. The performance on the end of the Moto X is consistently convincing and delivers a consistently entertaining and engrossing sound. If you attach them to an external headphone amp like the Oppo HA-2 they improve and can reflect the attributes of the external amp but unlike the vastly more expensive Nobles, they don't make a huge step forward when you do so. I will say that combining the rhythmically assured CKR10 with the equally propulsive HA-2 is huge fun though, it you are minded to do so.
Audio Technica ATH-CKR10
The CKR10 is possessed of truly wonderful bass that is powerful and packed with detail

Sound Quality/Film and TV

The Audio Technica has the advantage of that forgiving and refined presentation that makes all video material, whether well recorded or otherwise, sound smooth and easy to listen to. Where the Audiofly uses the impressive scale to sound almost cinematic- no mean feat for an earphone- the Audio Technica isn't quite so accommodating. It produces clear and intelligible dialogue from most material and that wonderful bass response is very welcome when the action steps up. No earphone I've yet found is truly one I'd pick for the business of watching films but the CKR10 is perfectly capable of a bit of catch up TV on the train after a day at work.

Conclusion

Pros

  • Fast, rhythmic sound
  • Usefully sensitive
  • Excellent build

Cons

  • A little oddly shaped
  • Carry case is bulky
  • Doesn't sound as expansive as some rivals

Audio Technica ATH-CKR10 Earphones Review

Audio Technica is a company that is so proficient across categories like microphones, headphones and phono cartridges that you feel that earphones doesn't have to be a category they need to dominate in the same way. Despite this, the CKR10 feels like a very definite statement of intent that the company wants a bigger slice of the category.

I liked the older CKS90 very much but there was little arguing that there were aspects of the design that very definitely made it a marmite product. With this new model, the company has very carefully toned down the deliberate oddities that went into their older models and kept what makes them distinctive, interesting and capable. This is a clever and appealing earphone that is one that really needs to be checked out if you are looking at this price point especially if you are not considering external headphone amplifiers. The CKR10 is still not a 'normal' earphone but it is a genuinely good one.

Scores

Build Quality

.
9

Ease of Use

.
.
8

Sound Quality

.
.
8

Design

.
.
8

Sensitivity

.
9

Verdict

.
.
8
8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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