Pros:
- Decent build
- Non-fatiguing treble
Cons:
- Bloated midbass
- Midrange transparency is inferior
Introduction:
OKCSC is a store in AliExpress that sells cables, adapters, and other accessories. They also sell DIY materials, and it was only recently that they decided to venture into manufacturing and selling their own branded earphones. The ED10 is one of their first products under the brand, and currently retails for 14 USD. The ED10 was provided to me for free by OKCSC in exchange for this review.
Specifications:
Driver unit: 1 10 mm dynamic, biocellulose diaphragm
Impedance: 22 ohms
Sensitivity: 106 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with iBasso DC03, Shanling UA1, Tempotec Sonata E35, and Zishan U1
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The ED10 comes in a small white sleeved box that's very similar to KZ, CCA, and other budget IEM boxes. Removing the sleeve and the lid will reveal the earphones inserted in foams. Below it are the cable and other accessories including the cable and small and large eartips, with the medium one already attached to the earphones.
Build:
The shells are made of translucent plastic that is smooth and has a glossy surface, with metal nozzles. The faceplates have the OKCSC on the front. I received the purple variant, and it looks almost exactly like the candy variant of the KZ ZST. At the rear side of the shell, there is a single vent but it seems to be covered by a piece of tape. The nozzle has a lip to hold eartips in place and the metal mesh filters are recessed, which makes it harder to remove by accident.
The cable is a twisted 4-core. The material used was not specified but it should be copper. It is soft, lightweight and a bit thin and it's identical to what TRN, CCZ, and other budget brands use in their IEMs. The angled 2 pin connectors are made of plastic, the splitter is made of hard rubber, while the L-type gold plated 3.5 mm plug is made of hard rubber as well with a metal sleeve.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows are placed at the front of the stage. Subbass has a strong, above average level of rumble. There is an adequate amount of depth, with a minor increase in the decay. Midbass sounds thick and bloated and interferes with the mids even in not so bassy tracks.
Overall, bassheads will definitely be satisfied by the amount of rumble and impact the ED10 brings in its lows. However, like many other IEMs with strong lows, the mids are inevitably affected.
Mids:
The mids have a laid back presentation, with a below average level of clarity and transparency. Vocals have an elevated weight and audibly sound narrow even with just a small number of instruments. The midbass bleed also worsens the resolution.
Overall, those who love clear and clean mids might wanna look for something else since this section is the ED10's weakest point.
Highs:
The highs are smoothened out a bit, and placed at just the right spot. The reach in the treble and the accompanying decay is just average. The amount of sparkle is decent, however, there is a considerable amount of details that get lost due to the presence of the midbass.
Overall, the ED10 give off a decent amount of sparkle in this section. But, just like the mids, the forward and bloated nature of the midbass significantly hinders the treble to perform at its best.
Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage of the ED10 is on the narrow side. The depth has more focus and expands better than the height. Attributable to the poor resolution in the mids, and the midbass bleed, the technicalities of the ED10 are all below average, and that includes the imaging, inbstrument separation and layering.
Comparisons:
OKCSC ED10 (1 DD, 14 USD) vs. CCZ Coffee Bean (1 DD, 20 USD)
When I received the ED10 and got a look at the specs, I had a strong hunch that this is going to sound identical to the CCZ Coffee Bean, just like the CCA NRA. And I was right. Everything from the lows, mids, highs, up to the soundstage and other technicalities, the ED10 performs exactly the same as the CCZ Coffee Bean.
Conclusion:
Some Chi-Fi brands are notorious for copying original designs of western brands. From the design of the shell, the packaging, even the logo sometimes get blatantly copied. And now, even Chi-Fi brands just copy their fellow Chi-Fi brands, which I don't understand. The ED10 is decent for its price, no doubt about it. But it sounding exactly the same as the CCA NRA and CCZ Coffee Bean leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and this is something that should be stopped.
Tags:
In-Ear Monitors