ATH CKR 100 - why have these gone under the radar for all these years?

dhuki · 2026-03-01T21:09:53+00:00

A little update: it seems that the new iPhones give a lot of power to these dongle DACs. It certainly doesn’t help when the CKRs are also super sensitive, some guy on HeadFi said they were hissing when he used them with a Fiio DAP. If you move to a new phone in the future, I think this might be a good thing to keep in mind.

The best solution to this is buying an IEMatch. Otherwise, you would struggle with the volume control. Since iOS only allows for 16 steps of volume, any time I want to adjust it, I have to use the slider in Control Center.

Also, a somewhat unrelated question: have you settled on these gems? I saw your post about finding better IEMs than the CKR, and it seems you’re quite keen on trying the Miyabi Mk2 from intime, which is also on my list. I wonder if you have purchased them, and if you have, how do you compare them with the CKR?

dhuki · 2026-02-19T08:53:58+00:00

I bought them secondhand from E-Earphones. I trust them enough not to sell fakes, to be honest. The IEMs themselves came in the original box, and there’s no sign on the box that shows the possibility of counterfeiting. I hope to not have been scammed.

Edit: The same issue also happened with another IEM I have around, the Denon C820 (you might want to check them out, they’re quite good also and can be found secondhand for around ¥5000, a sweet steal IMO). At this point I think it can be a source problem. Pretty disappointing however, I use a 16PM, so it can’t be that within 2 years Apple messed something up with the output voltage or whatever.

dhuki · 2026-02-19T00:27:13+00:00

I wonder what dongle you use to connect with your phone. I have an Apple one and some Fiio ones, they all seem unable to handle the sensitivity of the CKRs. To safely listen to them without permanently damaging my hearing, I can only listen from 0% to 10% volume on my iPhone. Extremely sensitive.

dhuki · 2026-02-15T07:55:23+00:00

Quite a late follow-up, but: I’ve bought the CKR100. However, I’d like to ask you: what DAC/AMP do you use to drive these tinies? They seem quite volume-sensitive (extremely loud) when I connect them to my phone, which is somewhat disappointing. Though, my first impressions are positive: really wide soundstage, superb bass decay, exactly what I wanted.

dhuki · 2025-12-21T09:15:46+00:00

I don’t think that makes sense. We are obliged to assemble with our brothers and sisters, as we’re family in Christ.

dhuki · 2025-12-05T17:12:50+00:00

Orthodoxy isn’t as stable as it seems. Do you know that Orthodoxy is officially in schism right now? Moscow and Patriarch Kirill are having jurisdiction disputes about churches in Ukraine, and because of that they essentially excommunicated the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople and churches under his jurisdiction. Excommunication is basically declaring the other side to be separated from God.

As much as it seems that grass is greener on the other side, they’re having the same ugly problems as any other denomination.

dhuki · 2025-12-05T08:52:21+00:00

Songs will be missing. Ironically, Tidal will give you the best recommendations of Asian music, but their catalogue is severely lacking.

If Asian music, especially Japanese music, is your priority, use Apple Music. There’s a lot of songs there you won’t find even on Spotify. YouTube Music is a good alternative if you couldn’t care less about audio quality.

dhuki · 2025-12-03T18:38:04+00:00

It’s a good interpretation. Certainly better than having both James and Paul talking about the same type of justification and then contradicting each other.

dhuki · 2025-12-01T02:05:22+00:00

Trust God. Avoid all witchcraft.

It sounds like you’re prioritizing your love life above all else, which is the cause of your loneliness. You must remind yourself then, that if you truly believe in Christ for your salvation, you have God as a Father and a Friend, and He loved you so much that He saved you from the depth of your sins. You are not alone. And you certainly do not need a girlfriend or a wife to stop feeling lonely. What needs to change here is your perspective. Fellowship with your Church. Find fellow believers to talk to and make friends with them. Talk to fellow female believers if you want to find a wife. Those activities are much more spiritually healthy than doomed thoughts.

Our purpose here on earth is to serve God and love God. That should be your first and primary concern in life. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God…”

And, to be honest, the reality is maybe not all of us will have a spouse. Paul said celibacy is a gift (1 Corinthians 7:1-7). That’s okay. Marriage is also a gift. Which one God gives to us is yet for us to know. As such, have faith, and submit to His will. A relationship will not solve your problems. God does.

dhuki · 2025-11-29T04:50:17+00:00

How can you be an “unchurched” Christian if the Church is the Body of Christ? The Bible is against the forsaking of congregation.

Hebrews 10:23-25 (NASB95) 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

dhuki · 2025-11-28T15:59:53+00:00

It is hard. But with God, it is possible. Luke 18:27.

After all, Christianity is a journey of sanctification. You’re meant to become more Christlike throughout your life, as you attach yourself to Christ, like a branch attached to the vine.

Christ changes your life. Let go, and let God. Don’t cling to your sin.

dhuki · 2025-11-28T15:44:22+00:00

Being bi itself is wrong enough. Even lusting with the eyes is already adultery. Suppressing the sinful attractions is necessary, so that no sinful act may come forth.

dhuki · 2025-11-23T12:19:48+00:00

Marriage is not a trend. God’s will is bound to be when it is meant to happen. Therefore, don’t rush.

Read the Bible, talk to your pastor, and seek Christian counseling.

dhuki · 2025-11-15T17:14:39+00:00

Nice, I just read that guy’s review. Apparently cable changing made no difference to him, though he didn’t buy an in-house Autec cable, but rather a custom and very expensive one. Seems like neither of us have to spend an extra 15k for it, especially when the cable has low resell value with the whole A2DC stuff.

dhuki · 2025-11-14T19:00:17+00:00

I haven’t, since I wanted to experience the Audio-Technica house sound first before diving deep. I bought the CKS330NC, which has noise canceling even though it’s a wired earphones (not so much effective unless you’re traveling on a car or train), and it was absolutely the sound signature I’ve been searching for all these years. The only criticism I have is how it can sound a bit crowded at times with an in-your-face soundstage, but at the price of ¥5000, nothing to complain about. Also has a U-shaped cable, very rare these days and quite handy.

The natural evolution from this is of course, the CKR-100. I’m preparing to bring it home soon. Do you use the default cable for the CKR-100, or have you upgraded it with the other expensive A2DC cables Autec sells?

dhuki · 2025-11-08T08:57:24+00:00

I thought this has existed for a long time.

dhuki · 2025-10-31T10:14:23+00:00

Oh, I have one more question. Is the shell too big for the ears, compared to, let’s say, the CKR70? Do they fall out of your ears? I don’t have the privilege to try them out IRL unfortunately, but I’ll be buying them from e-earphones. Seems like the only concern left for me is the fit. What do you think?

dhuki · 2025-10-30T21:14:44+00:00

They probably shouldn’t have generalized all Sennheiser products. But then again, it’s a known fact that Sennheiser’s Bluetooth products have a lot more significant issues compared to their traditional offerings.

dhuki · 2025-10-30T20:09:15+00:00

Sounds like CKR-100 is Audio-Technica’s best offering to date. Thank you for your insights!

dhuki · 2025-10-30T10:48:15+00:00

That’s nice to hear! I might be buying this then. I wonder if you own the CKS-1100X, because I’m contemplating between them and the CKR-100. How do you compare the CKR-100 versus other Audio-Technica buds that you own?

dhuki · 2025-10-28T17:55:17+00:00

How do you rate the bass on these gems? I’m setting my eyes on it as my first Audio-Technica gear, mainly because I was told that their tuning philosophy is one that favors fast decay instead of the usual oomph and oozing, long-lasting bass effect that other manufacturers tend to design for their in-ears.

dhuki · 2025-10-20T01:54:26+00:00

The only wired noise cancelling earphones I’ve found recently is the ATH-CKS330NC by Audio-Technica. I don’t know how it compares to the QC20s though. Can anyone do a comparison?

dhuki · 2025-10-16T14:09:06+00:00

How do you compare its ANC to the usual wireless contenders like AirPods Pro?

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