ATH-CKM50 Dynamic Bloom Inner Earphones product reviews

The truism "You get what you pay for" has been around for a long time, and it's really brought home when you compare items you can buy from discount stores against similar items bought from reputable, quality suppliers. I compared a set of similar earbuds bought from a major chain store dressed in red (who shall remain nameless) against these earbuds, and the difference was as radical in quality as it was in price.

The 'el cheapo' set was priced at a fairly affordable $9.99 and appeared very similar to these: the same rubberised ear grommets, plug, cable, pretty box... not much to either of them at first glance really. After unpacking though, the differences started to become apparent...

The cheapies had a single 1m cable... meaning if you like to wear your player up close to you, you will end up with a dangerously large loop of cable hanging off you just waiting to snag on things. These set have a short cable on the end of the buds, and an included 1m extension cable. This means that if you have your player in a short pocket of clipped to a sleeve, you have very little 'loose loops' to catch on doorhandles or other protrusions. This, if nothing else, impressed the heck out of me!

These buds come with three, differently sized rubber grommets, meaning a snug and comfortable fit no matter what size your lughole is... whereas the cheapies had a single 'one size to fit them all' approach, which left them wide open to being too tight or way too loose for some users.

Sound quality was by far the biggest difference though, with these headphones giving a much crisper, cleaner sound profile than the cheapies could ever dream of offering. From a bass so deep I didn't 'hear' it so much as 'feel my skull bouncing to the beat', right up to a treble so tight I had to wind the volume down in case my glasses started to crack in sympathy. At least, that's how they felt with the buds in.

Comfort is possibly the second most important factor... as they will, all going well, be jammed into the sides of your head for prolonged periods of time. These fit that bill perfectly, as well as my ear canals. The three sets of grommets ensure that there is a snug fit for almost any size or shaped ear. I happily wore these for well over an hour without any discomfort, while the cheapie set started to hurt after only 9 minutes.

Overall, though the price tag is a little steeper than I would be happy to pay without some kind of reassurance or 'right of return' guarantee, I am so very glad I got to test these. It means that I can now see how the price is justifed, and how they are excellent value for money. If you value quality, then the price is very reasonable. If you are just after something cheap... werll, you have plenty of other options and I sincerely wish you the best of luck.