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Sonic Dragonglass - Ikko OH10 Obsidian Review

Project A³by Project A³  in 100-299 , balanced armature , chi-fi , dynamic , headfi , hybrid , hybrid iem , iem , iem review , iem review 100-299 , ikko , in ear monitor , project a3 , review 0 comments
Sound Review by Hoshi星
Disclaimer: Ikko has graciously provided us with this sample unit in exchange for an honest review. The views discussed below are a reflection of Project A3's thoughts surrounding the product. The sample has been run-in for at least 50 hours prior to reviewing in order to achieve an accurate representation of the product.







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TL;DR
Not Recommended if you like:
  • "Basshead" IEMs or are looking for something very bass-forward for your next IEM.
  • Neutral/Reference IEMs for mixing, recording, or just everyday listening and that's your taste.
  • IEMS with a deep and secure/highly isolated fit
Recommended if you like:
  • Fun, engaging IEMs that can work as an all-around IEM.
  • Shallow fitting  IEMs if you have discomfort with ones that go deep in the ear canal.
  • A good deal on resolution and clarity at this price range.
 

 
Introduction:
Ikko is a company that had entered the scene in the last year or so with the Meteor OH1, a well-received, entry-level offering that was pleasing to pretty much anyone that got their hands on it. Today Ikko is at-bat again this time with a step-up model, the OH10. With similar but upgraded aesthetics, a new configuration and a bump in the price at $189. We will look into the OH10 on the value proposition and performance it offers in today's review.



ProsCons
  • Attractive polished housing
  • Versatile, crowd pleasing tuning
  • Stylish case and accessories
  • Impressive clarity
  • Heavy housing with shallow fits can cause IEMs to fall off
  • Lackluster and flimsy cable
  • No hard protective case



Specification:
  • Balanced Armature: Knowles 33518
  • Dynamic driver: 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver
  • Sensitivity:106dB
  • Frequency range:20Hz-40kHZ
  • Impedance:18ohm
  • Cable length:1.2m
  • Connector;2-pin 0.78mm
  • Cable type:4 strands of 8 high-purity oxygen-free copper-plated 5n silver-plated



Gear Used & Tracklist:
Shanling M0 | FiiO Q1 Mk II | Hiby R6 | Zorloo ZuperDAC | Massdrop x Cavalli CTH
Genres Artist Songs
Live Recordings Diana Krall Desperado (Live)

Natalia Lafourcade Soledad y El Mar

Case Lang Veirs Atomic Number

Depeche Mode Question of Lust (Live 1998)
Instrumentals Max Richter On the Nature of Daylight

Santa Esmeralda Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Nils Frahm Toilet Brushes (Live)
Jazz Bill Evans A Waltz for Debbie

Chet Baker I'm a Fool to Want You

Sons of Kemet Your Queen is Harriet Tubman

Ryo Fukui Scenery
Rock Avenged Sevenfold Nightmare

The Stooges Down On The Street

Avenged Sevenfold Unbound (The Wild Ride)

Guns N’ Roses Sweet Child O’ Mine

Ozzy Osbourne Crazy Train

Green Day 21 Guns
Classical Niccolò Paganini La Campanella (From Violin Concerto No.2 In B Minor)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Year 1812 Solemn Overture

David Arnold Independence Day
Pop Hu Yang-Lin (胡楊林) Perfume is poisonous (香水有毒)

Fish Leong (梁靜茹) Love Song (情歌)
Western Pop Anamanaguchi MEOW

Iamamiwhoami Chasing Kites

Algiers Dispossession

New Order Bizzare Love Triangle (Extended Mix)

Marian Hill Breathe Into Me

Tyler, The Creator EARFQUAKE

Tones and I Never Seen the Rain

Red Hot Chili Peppers Around the World
ACG Saori Hayami オレンジミント (Orange Mint)

RADWIMPS 前前前世 (Zenzenzenzense)

RADWIMPS スパークル(Sparkle)

DAOKO Cinderella Step

Kana Hanazawa 恋愛サーキュレーション (Renai Circulation)




 
Unboxing:
The OH10 comes in a sturdy box, with anime type art that may not appeal to all audiences but is not something so overt that it would throw off someone who wasn't into that kind of art. It's pleasing and simple and at the very least adds character to the packaging. There was nothing grand about the contents of the box, a cute little Ikko logo pin plus the usual fare that is to be expected at this price point and coupled with it was a nice feeling but unstructured leather pouch which is good for mobility but doesn't do anything for protection.



Scalability:
Primarily designed as a mobile device, the OH10 is easily powered by most devices and while some higher quality sources seemingly add more control this is very minor and generally, the OH10 doesn't greatly benefit from higher-end amplification. On the flip side, this means that pretty much almost any device can be used to plug the OH10 into and enjoy its full sound.

 
Fit:
The fit of the OH10 is something I struggled with, while not uncomfortable in any sense, the shape lends itself to a shallow fit because of the rather shallow nozzle and the wide shell made it so that the fit for me personally was shallower than I would like, thus making me prefer tips that were on the longer side to compensate for it.

That coupled with the weight of the OH10 meant that at times falling out of my ear was possible. Those who like their IEMs to fit like this should be rather pleased though and outside of that personal issue, there was nothing else I could think of regarding the fit.



Sound Signature
Engaging and Fun The OH10 presents an engaging sound signature, with the tuning skewed towards a V-shape with a bump in the upper mids in what used to be called a J-Style tuning. 

Thus there is an ample amount of bass provided coupled with boosted treble frequencies and a relatively more relaxed mid-range but has just a bit of a little boost. It's a crowd-pleasing tuning that doesn't skew too much in the way of either spectrum so that it attracts the most number of people, though some say this could be a rather safe choice, at this price range people prefer something all around as a general use item versus something targeted and niche, and this play into the OH10 very well.



Lows
Pros
  • A good amount of sub-bass present, percussive rumble is good, decay does not linger.
  • Mid-bass is presented smoothly, ample control at normal volumes.
  • Solid bass articulation and resolution.
Cons
  • Bass does not have the slam due to reserved mid-bass.
  • If pushed, the driver cannot keep up and starts to distort at higher listening volumes
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Green Day - 21 Guns

The OH10 allowed the drum slam on the hook of 21 Guns to give the reverberative impression, providing a full sense of impact on the bass drum hits as well as the bass line, without totally overpowering the guitar riff and vocals. It is impactful without being muddy.




Mids
Pros
  • Clean and transparent midrange, with impressive clarity.    
  • Natural timbre, not sacrificing tonality for clarity and transparency.
Cons
  • Lower midrange more recessed than the upper midrange
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Kana Hanazawa - Renai Circulation
RADWIMPS - Sparkle

Using both these songs to contrast the vocals, you can tell the larger emphasis on the higher-pitched voice of female vocals giving them a slight forwardness that is almost reminiscent of something like my Polaris V1, however, there is a slight of dissonance with the mids that I feel could be bridged better. However, the clarity and transparency still shine through on both songs, so I tend to look past it.




Highs
Pros
  • Clear and mildly energetic treble.
  • Air and sparkle present, crisp presentation.
Cons
  • Maybe fatiguing to some.
  • The upper treble is rolled off, somewhat dampens cymbals and other high frequencies.
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
DAOKO - Cinderella Step

This song enters with tizzy cymbal crashes and synths, both highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the treble presentation. The beginning highlights the sparkle and energy of the treble fully showing how it isn't one that is a dark tuning, however, there is just the mildest sibilance at the very end of the cymbal crashes not enough to be disconcerting and splashy treble will be at it's most uncomfortable for treble sensitive folk. But at the same time, you can fully appreciate the air and crispness of the OH10 with the song.



Soundstage
Pros
  • Good width that is apparent in spaciously recorded tracks.
  • Decent depth, nothing that stands out as confined.
  • Spatial recognition is good
Cons
  • Layering and definition start to falter once the volume gets pushed up.
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Depeche Mode - A Question of Lust

In A Question of Lust, the complex and layered instrumentation of the live version shines, as with many live recordings where the bass doesn't endlessly reverberate against itself the OH10 doesn't end up congested and let's the inherent technical capability of the IEM shine, it also isn't prone to the aforementioned con due to the fact that it's a relatively complex but somewhat relaxed song.



Separation
Pros
  • The resolving capabilities mean the separation in most tracks is good.
  • The reserved upper bass doesn't intrude or cloud the signature.
Cons
  • Louder volumes lead to losing that aspect as the drivers seem unable to keep up.
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

Here we have a "dirtier" recording a track that has a bunch of different segments from a relatively simpler start but tends to slightly ramp up as the song goes, especially towards the guitar solo portion.

Here  as long as volumes are reasonable the Ikko performs well with the guitars and shouty vocals of the song more complementary over fighting over each other while the bass drum and bass line play the sidelines supporting the entire exchange.



Musicality
Pros
  • Highly musical and engaging tuning overall.
  • Bass brings the rhythm to the party.
  • The good tonality and detail round out the package.
Cons
  • The dampened upper treble somewhat limits the potential of the OH10
  • The lower mids could use a boost to really fill in the W signature and round out the mids.
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Saori Hayami - Orange Mint

Here is a mostly synth fueled J-Pop track the Ikko performs capably and musicality shines and the bass beat serves as the backbone of the song with just enough impact to keep things moving along, and the tuning really shows with the vocals cutting through most of the mids, as shown by the upper mids favored tuning. The tones and chimes that go along aren't lost due to the fact that the Ikko has sufficient clarity to bring to the table, and this allows the fun pop song to shine well.



Comparison Chart
How we compare: We chose other similarly priced earphones or similar offerings from the same brand that Project A3 has reviewed in the past, to ensure that we remain as impartial as possible in our comparisons.
Ikko OH10 NS5 Mk-II (Natural) Tipsy Dunmer Pro
Suggested Retail Price $199 $199 $189
Driver Configuration 1BA+1DD Hybrid 1 DD 2BA+1DD Hybrid
Scalability Source improvements give slight improvements in control of the low end. Source improvements give a better bass response. Source improvements lead to tighter treble control
Fitting Shallow fit with heavy shells. Standard length nozzle with a somewhat flat main shell  Basic UIEM shape that is semi molded around the ear shapes
Comfort Comfortable but prone to falling out of the ears. Also heavy. Light, unobtrusive, low profile shell. Preferable for those who listen in their sleep. Light shell, higher profile than others but no obvious discomfort.
Sound Signature Slightly W-shape with emphasis on upper mids. (J-Style tuning) "Balanced" with an emphasis on the midrange Conservative V-shaped tuning.
Lows Smooth, unobtrusive, but still boosted particularly the sub-bass. More reserved midbass. Reserved but still present, just enough to give depth but not basshead at all. There is a bass enhanced version available. Slightly above neutral, with a good slam and a boost along the midbass. 
Mids Upper mids are favored, lending to more intimate and forward female vocals. Clean overall. The shining aspect of the NS 5 MK II, great reproduction, lively mids that engage the listener, vocals and instruments shine through. Reserved among the three, plays a supporting role to the energetic bass and treble.
Highs Mildy energetic, and clear. Upper treble has a roll off likely to prevent being overtly tizzy. With good air and sparkle, not as forward as the mids but adds to the pleasant signature as well as the sense of clarity. Boost in the treble gives energy that might turn some people off, but all in all balances out well enough.
Soundstage Good width but depth not outstanding. Spatial recognition is good. Good width, okay depth. Nothing particularly notable. Notably wide as well as deep.
Separation Good separation in most tracks due to clarity. Can get congested once the volume gets increased. Clean and clear, the NS5 has very impressive separation with very little problems when it comes to discerning track elements. The relaxed mids lend to a natural presentation that is capable and accurate as long as the other frequencies don’t overpower it.
Remarks J-Shaped tuning tries to give the best all around performance trying to sacrifice as little as possible. Jack of all trades. The most balanced of the three, providing those who are after one of the best mid-treble combinations at the price bracket. Classic V-shaped tuning that provides good energy and a fun listen.
 

Conclusion:
The Ikko OK10 presents a capable option in the price bracket, if not an outstanding one. It shows good sonic performance in most aspects relative to the price range, without notably achieving the same. But with a cohesive tuning direction, an attractive design, decently premium feel, and mostly solid build, there is the foundation for a good value option that anyone looking for a high-performance do-it-all IEM would be happy to own. There is a lot to like about the OH10, the clarity you get especially stands out, and not a lot to dislike either. And it is only their second offering you understand why Ikko might fill in the rest of their IEM roster in time, but for now, they still execute well and I would have no reservations recommending the OH10 Obsidian to anyone who is looking for what it provides.

Be sure to follow Project A3 on Facebook for more reviews*.



*All ratings are accurate as of date of publication. Changes in price, newer models may affect Project A3's views on the performance and value of the reviewed product.



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Project A³ is a collection of individuals that are passionate and dedicated to consumer and enthusiast audiophile products. Originating from various countries and involved in different fields what they all have in common is an appreciation for listening to music in the best way possible.
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