Review: Audio-Technica ATH-CK5

[Leon]

The Why

I've seen nothing but positive remarks over these canal phones, plus these are inexpensive: the MSRP is only 3500 yen, and I paid close to that here in taiwan (Japanese residents can probably find it in the 2000-yen ballpark). I bought the white variant, the only color officially distributed by the local importer.

The What

The CK5 is Audio-Technica's first pair of canal phones, nicknamed P.ear by the company. It features "loop support", a semi-oval soft plastic piece growing from the side of the driver housing. This is supposed to maintain the angle at which the earpieces go into your ears, and also relieve pressure, so that it's not depending solely on the repulsive force of silicone.

The look is minimalistic. If you take a pocket knife you can cut off the "loop" and it'll just look like a very oddly retro pair of earbuds. Which IS a Technica family look - I was tempted to buy the EC7 and cut off the ear hanger so it'd just look like retro earbuds The CK5 seems strong enough, but the material used is noticeably cheaper than any Sony canal phone. The cable is angel hair caliber - likely thinner than the infamous Sony ones. But given the price, I'm more than happy to think of it as cheap chic, and I find it more likeable than the Pana HJE50.

The How

AT's silicone earpieces are quite noticeably thinner/softer than the Sony, Sharp, or Apple ones. They're also smaller.

When I first put these phones on, the loop only got in the way, but somewhere along the line I managed to make sense of it. Usually when I use earbuds, they tend to go in at a slant from the rear. With the loop present, I tend to insert the buds straight in, and the buds are right up against the "front" side of my ear canal (the side closer to my face). Or you put the buds in, then rotate them. The loop is up against your outer ear, so as you rotate it will push the housing into position.

All in all the "loop support" is a way of making sure you insert these earbuds the way AT intends you to, each and every time I can't say it's a must-have, but it's interesting.

I have problems with the size of AT's silicone tips. M seems too small and L I can't seem to fit properly. The obvious fix here is to substitute with Sony tips.

First impression

The last time I bought an AT phone (the ES5 "Earsuit"), it changed so dramatically during the first few hours of listening, including the overall tone. I don't see the CK5 being as dramatic, but please remember that these words are subject to change - I plan to come back to the thread later to add to the review.

The CK5 was pleasant to begin with, but then it got so pleasant it turned into a wide-eyed, uhm, Hot Pocket-eating grin. Unlike the Sonys, or even the Sharp MD33, there's no potential for discomfort. For a pair of canal phones it's very light and airy, like a minivan built extra tall just for the showroom appeal of redundant headroom. There's no sibilance at all, and Damage will be happy to hear that, unlike the Apple in-ear phones, the CK5 sound doesn't feel recessed or "boxed-in".

There isn't much bass or low frequencies, it seems, but the center of gravity is very low - they seem to "dive" down very well. One reviewer said the bass reminded him of bass on the Sennheiser MX400/500. If you get these phones and find the low end inadequate, you can use Sony silicone tips - they'll give the bottom end a slight boost.

The CK5 is very much a Technica phone in that it doesn't seem to "emote" the sound. By that I mean it doesn't alter the midrange in a way that "tugs at the heartstrings", unlike Panasonic which is all about emotive female vocals. Sony and Sharp canal phones also have this spicing-up to a much lesser extent, but the CK5 appears to do with a "dry" midrange. Not inadequate, it's just straight-forward.

It also seems to provide less isolation than the Sonys - I'll have to report back on this.

Overall

The CK5 is a great surprise. I chose this over the Panasonic and JVC canal phones, so I can't say how well it stacks up to those two. But as far as my ears go, I think we can all skip the EX51, EX71, MD33, or the iPod in-ear phones. The CK5 is one of the most pleasant low-end earphones I've ever come across

[Leon]

The earpieces (tips) that came with the CK5:

Comparison with the Sony M tip (left)

Sony M (left) and AT M (right)

The "paper" here seems flimsy

[atrain]

right, i'm going to buy some. excellent review leon. just out of interest anyone know if the other colours have any change in the wire thickness, ala ex71 white/black?

[Christopher]

Very nice, Leon - the pictures really assist in the overall presentation and your humble words make this review a pleasure to read as always. How is the fatigue aspect of these 'phones?

[Leon]

the fatigue part, I haven't listened to these for long enough yet. I'll definitely have to report back. Some bloggers complained that the loop thing digs into the ear after a while... will have to check that as well.

[Ishiyoshi]

Thanks for the review, Leon. The included pictures were thoughtful indeed. How does the B&O A8 compared to the ATH-CK5?

[Leon]

Okay, lemme talk about the A8 first. I like the A8, and that pretty much means I'm no longer welcome at head-fi... lol. But there's no way to kill the account or anything... I don't want to email a mod or something... anyway

The CK5, being inexpensive and canal phone, doesn't have the delicacy of the A8 or E888, etc.

The A8 has the delicate timbre that high-end earbuds are required to have (E888 owners will know). It's more impartial - probably not accurate, but it's very clear this instrument is playing in that corner, the second one's fifteen degrees to the north, and so on. Unlike cheaper phones, the details don't obscure the overall sound stage.

By comparison, the CK5 is more "peaky", with more extreme highs and lows.** I could be imagining this, but I think it's less "atmospheric" - less of the mood & brood intended by the recording comes through.

**not as extreme as the Sony EX, of course.

[Leon]

UPDATE : the silicone tips

I haven't used the tips bundled with the CK5. I think they're probably too supple, so the ear canal and the loop together can sometimes "squash" them. Prospective owners may do well to have a set of Sony tips handy (for instance).

So I've been using the Sony tips, and the Apple tips. The sound is largely unchanged - the phones itself is the deciding factor I guess. The tips have an effect but it's not overpowering at all.

Sometimes the loop will dig into the ear - they're there to prop things up like a tower bar for car suspension, but they're not going to defy gravity/anatomy. Just don't shove it up against the ear, I guess

Edited August 8, 2005 by Leon

[Ishiyoshi]

Okay, lemme talk about the A8 first. I like the A8, and that pretty much means I'm no longer welcome at head-fi... lol. But there's no way to kill the account or anything... I don't want to email a mod or something... anyway

The CK5, being inexpensive and canal phone, doesn't have the delicacy of the A8 or E888, etc.

The A8 has the delicate timbre that high-end earbuds are required to have (E888 owners will know). It's more impartial - probably not accurate, but it's very clear this instrument is playing in that corner, the second one's fifteen degrees to the north, and so on. Unlike cheaper phones, the details don't obscure the overall sound stage.

By comparison, the CK5 is more "peaky", with more extreme highs and lows.** I could be imagining this, but I think it's less "atmospheric" - less of the mood & brood intended by the recording comes through.

**not as extreme as the Sony EX, of course.

←

Thanks for being objective, Leon.

[Leon]

Thanks for being objective, Leon. 

←

I try... cause I'm so guilty of not being that sometimes

[ntwc]

hey guys, sorry for bringing up an old thread.

i have been searching for some earphones lately because i bought a new mp3 player and i want to hang it around my neck so i needed a 3 pole earphone that's 50cm-ish (i currently own a pair of Sharp HP-MD33S's, my mp3 doesn't play out of both ear pieces as it doesn't support 4 pole and an 4 to 3 pole extension cord is too cluttery and gets in the way) and i stumbled upon the ATH-CK5. i just have a few questions to ask and would greatly appreciate if they could be answered

1. is the delicacy of the cord worse than the Sony ex-71 series? (like does it deform when it touches your sweat and does it rip easy)

2. is it a Y shape cord (like the stock iPod earphones) or is it behind the neck (like the Sharp HP-MD33S's)?

3. how do these compare (sound quality wise) against the Sony MDR-ED31SP/LP (the Sony specs seem better except the max input amount) and the Sharp HP-MD33S?

[cauldron]

Hey ntwc,

The cord isn't delicate, they seem like they would last.

The CK5 has behind-the-ear cord. If you prefer the Y cord, you can get the cheaper CK31/32.

The CK5 is low on bass. It's a pair of phones for people who like lots of high frequencies. If you like a lot of bass in your music, then the MD33 (or perhaps the Sennheiser CX300??) might be the way to go. The CK31/32 have a bit more bass, and less treble.