BudgetEarphonesHmmReview

CCA C10 Pro Review (1) – Not for Noobs?

IN THE BEGINNING

CCA has decided to follow others in releasing a “pro” model of one previous IEM, the well received C10 model. The $35 CCA C10 Pro is a familiar recipe, a safe and popular tuning packed into the same shell as their C12. Characterized as a mild v rough Harman outline, the CCA C10 Pro adds some additional sparkle up top and leaner bass then it’s kissing cousin KZ ZS10 pro. If this is interesting or if the color scheme of your favorite sports team is black and gold, keep on reading.

CCA C10 Pro

GOOD TRAITS

Familiar design and tuning that made the KZ ZS10 Pro and CCA C10 popular.

CCA C10 Pro

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Bass articulation; Smooth out the peaks and sibilance.

CCA C10 Pro
CCA C10 Pro

SOUND

While I never purchased the CCA C10, I do own the cousin model the KZ ZS10 Pro which was well done for this price segment way back in 2019. The CCA C10 Pro seems to be either a C12 minus one driver or a C10 in the C12 shell with design changes. This is all conjecture at this point since I own neither the C12 or the O.G. C10, I can only rely on past discussions on how similar they were.

Tuning is unoffensive and while peaky in some areas, it is a cross between a typical shouty Chi-fi tuning and a Harman curve. The upper midrange is knocked down a few decibels from the ZS10 Pro and the bass is not as thumping. The bass instead is sort of a lazy affair, present in the room but not screaming look at me spectacular. You might bring it home to mom and dad, but you are not going to brag to your friends about it. The KZ ZS10 Pro measures roughly the same quantity, but I feel the quality is better on the KZ. I find the bass sometimes gets drowned out on the CCA C10 Pro, I wish it had better articulation. Occasionally there is some growl coming from the lower registers which helps to fill out the bottom required for some genres. It’s good to have a little oh yeah down there.

Midrange does not sound too forward since CCA decided to keep the peak halfway between 2kHz (Chi-fi standard) and 3kHz (Harman Standard). Vocals sometimes come off a little raspy, not real breathy and there is some sibilance that peeks through (pun intended). On the lower end they sound full and thick with a some bass warming it up. Treble is exciting and not dull, CCA C10 Pro adds some extra sparkle at the tippy top and this probably where they feel the CCA C10 Pro has now earned the “pro” achievement for the additional crispness. Guitars and brass really come alive with this style of treble tuning, and cymbals are very present. We are not talking Nicehck NX7 or KZ ZS6 levels of tearing your face off, just additional sparkle and sizzle.

Soundstaging is wider than deep, timbre is a little sterile and metallic sounding but cohesion is good and the multiple driver configuration allows it to be fairly resolving.

CCA C10 Pro

COMFORT / ISOLATION / DESIGN

Fitment is comfortable and stays in place, a pretty standard universal shell making the isolation a tick above average. I do like the color scheme, but this is merely a personal preference. The familiar KZ ZSN , ZS10 pro faceplate has been sharpened with accents. Cable is silver and surprised they didn’t opt for a copper or gold colored cable to match. Don’t take fashion tips from me though, wires are on their way out.

CCA C10 Pro

FINAL WORDS

For $35 or so, it’s a good pick but if you already own the ZS10 Pro or the CCA C10 and are completely happy with them, you could skip this refresh. On the other hand if you wanted to add a different color scheme to your collection I say go for it. It’s definitely a crowd pleasing medium V with warm vocals and crispy bacon-like treble. However a word of advice to the manufacturer, if you are going to put “Pro” in the name some of the basics need to be right- looking at you sibilance. Nothing ground breaking but a solid offering.

CCA C10 Pro

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Earphones; silver 0.75mm 2 Pin cable; S/M/L eartips

CCA C10 Pro

SPECIFICATIONS

Drive unit: 1 Dual magnetic dynamic bass + 4BA (50060 mid, custom mid-high, 30095 tweeter)
Impedance: 24Ω
Sensitivity: 109dB/mW
Frequency range: 20-40000Hz
Cable Length: 1.2m±3cm
Cable conductor: 1.25 4N oxygen free copper plating silver Mic/no Mic options
Earphone interface: CPIN 0.75MM interface

CCA C10 Pro

GRAPHS

Left vs Right
CCA C10 Pro vs KZ ZS10 Pro
Impedance Plot

CCA C10 Pro
CCA C10 Pro
CCA C10 Pro
CCA C10 Pro
CCA C10 Pro
CCA C10 Pro

MY VERDICT

thumbs sideways

Our rating scheme

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DISCLAIMER

Volunteered to review this set to see what was new. Get the CCA C10 Pro from Wooeasy over at Aliexpress.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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Author

  • Durwood (Chicago, USA)

    Head-Fier since 2007. From an early age Durwood liked to tear apart perfectly good working things to see what was inside, always an urge to understand what made it tick. His love of music started at the local roller rink and as a result grew up with pop, electronic music (think Freestyle, Trinere), and early hiphop from the 80’s. Hit the grunge era and Chicago house in his teens when B96 had their street mixes with Bad Boy Bill, Bobby D, Julian Jumpin Perez. Became a DJ at the local now defunct roller rink because why not? A sucker for catchy TV/movie themes (Thank you John Williams). Car audio was his first audio passion, but now with a family his audio time is spent listening to headphones. The nickname is not self-proclaimed, bestowed to him multiple times and fits his experiences in life. Collector of technology and music- a maximizer trying real hard to be a satisficer. Simplicity is the goal, but the maximizer fights every step of the way.

Durwood (Chicago, USA)

Head-Fier since 2007. From an early age Durwood liked to tear apart perfectly good working things to see what was inside, always an urge to understand what made it tick. His love of music started at the local roller rink and as a result grew up with pop, electronic music (think Freestyle, Trinere), and early hiphop from the 80’s. Hit the grunge era and Chicago house in his teens when B96 had their street mixes with Bad Boy Bill, Bobby D, Julian Jumpin Perez. Became a DJ at the local now defunct roller rink because why not? A sucker for catchy TV/movie themes (Thank you John Williams). Car audio was his first audio passion, but now with a family his audio time is spent listening to headphones. The nickname is not self-proclaimed, bestowed to him multiple times and fits his experiences in life. Collector of technology and music- a maximizer trying real hard to be a satisficer. Simplicity is the goal, but the maximizer fights every step of the way.

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