amazon iKKO OH10 Obsidian reviews
iKKO OH10 Obsidian is an upgraded version of the highly acclaimed OH1 Meteor pair last year. Let’s admit it: This is one of the rare pairs of 2019 earphones made by sound-loving engineers, for serious music listeners.
Open the box
Like the Zerda ITM03 product series that we explored in the previous article, OH10 Obsidian is packed into a box with very nice graphics. Although the box has a lot of details, it is still more eye-catching than other brands, often trying to ‘write’ more words on the box.
Like its predecessor OH1 Meteor, OH10 Obsidian has a Hybrid speaker design, including a 10mm Dynamic Titanium diaphragm for the bass section, and a Balanced Armature Knowles 33518 for the remaining sound bands.
The inner box is covered with velvet, reminding me of the material used in the box of the Earsonics Velvet pair from France.
We have a great box-opening experience, when the first thing we see is the very high-end back of the headset.
All accessories are placed below, including 3 white, 3 black and one leather pouch. Leather bags may not be as durable over the years with materials like plastic or braided fabric, but they do give a very different and classy feel!
Design
Last year’s iKKO OH1 Meteor pair was one of the most comfortable Inear headphones I tried, despite having a heavy metal exterior. OH10 Obsidian therefore does not change the design, only changes from blue paint to glossy black only.
The faceplate is cut with diamond cuts, completely different from the headsets of other brands on the market. This face especially when exposed to the sun will create iridescent, extremely fancy.
The inner part is very well designed, fits the ear mold so it just fits perfectly! The sound tube does not go too deep, so choosing ear cushions is also easier, I can even wear a smaller or larger size cushion but still very comfortable.
The detachable cord, using the 2-pin standard, is very popular, with all pins connected to metal to prevent breakage. The wires connected inside are also made of good material: 4 OFC pure copper strands of oxygen, coated with silver.
Although there is no difference in design compared to OH1, OH10 Obsidian easily retains a very high position in the ranking of pairs of headphones with complete quality and comfort this year. Perhaps there are good things then we should not change too much!
Technical data
– Driver: DD 10mm covered with Titanium, BA Knowles 33518
– Sensitivity: 106dB
– Frequency response: 20Hz-40kHZ
– Impedance: 18 Ohms
– Connection: 2-pin 0.78mm
Sound quality
+ Setup: Asus laptop / Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – DAC / External ITM03 Zerda – iKKO OH10 Obsidian
During the OH10 Obsidian evaluation, I also had the opportunity to test out its Zerda DAC / Amp USB Type-C ITM03, and realized that one pair of headphones must not ‘plugged in’- the sound quality is really different when paired with a good source. If plugged into a smartphone or laptop, OH10 is still a good pair of headphones, but to ‘squeeze’ the quality of it, a mid-range DAP or DAC / Amp good enough will still be recommended.
The most impressive feature of the OH1 pair, and still continued in OH10 is that despite the Hybrid speaker design, but the sound quality is very good, there is no distracting difference between the sound bands. Partly because the bass of these pairs of headphones is reproduced by Dynamic diaphragm covered with Titan, having high hardness, it should be turned on with high speed, high punchy properties, not cumbersome like other low-range Dynamic. The sub bass is still accessible, especially with slow ballad songs like Alison Krauss’s Away down the river, but as mentioned, just press just enough, make a ‘impression’ to the listener and immediately cut it off.
The way the headset expresses bass is praiseworthy, but the strip of ‘catch’ immediately attracts the attention of the user located in the middle range. Indeed, it’s been a long time since I heard the voice of a neutral singer, leaning toward analytic and highly detailed as in OH10 Obsidian. Cecile Corbel in Entendez-Vous is transparent, slightly more echoing than the accent so it becomes airy to the song, the high-mid always hits the top but has less sibalance. With this neutrality, OH10 is also not ‘tired’ of having to show the instruments according to their tone, very versatile! In my opinion, those who are looking for cleanliness in the mid, with good detail in this sound strip should not ignore this pair of headphones.
I must say that OH10 Obsidian is a very difficult pair of headphones, because when it comes to the final range of treble, the ears still perform well. Treble up very high, sharp and create the ‘glitter’ required for the song. I can still ask for more thickness in this negative range, but when it comes to the fact that it’s coming from a Balanced Armature membrane, it’s easy to ignore.
where can you get a iKKO OH10 Obsidian online
ikko OH10 1BA + 1 Dynamic Driver 2-Way Hybrid 2Pin 0.78mm Detachable HiFi in-Ear Earphone IEMs: Buy it now
Conclusion
Indeed, it has been a long time since I was assessed a pair of headphones with complete sound quality such as OH10 Obsidian, and also did not have to use words like “not good” or “need finishing” in the article. While still facing certain obstacles such as being manufactured by a new company that is available in the market (iKKO), it is still a wired headset in a market that is ‘wirelessizing’ and requires a source of quality. The volume is good enough to squeeze out all the sound, but OH10 Obsidian is still worth it for those who still look for a pair of high quality, full Inear Audio headphones.
Advantages
– Perfect finishing, beautiful
– Wearing comfortable, very good ergonomics
– Ability to unplug wires
– Use high quality drivers
– Sound clean, bright and high detail
– Every sound strip has good finishing
Defect
– Need a good quality generator
– Sale price is no longer in the cheap range.