EarphonesMid PriceReview

IKKO OH10 Review (2) – On Our Wall Of Excellence

Pros — Organic sound + great imaging = universal sonic appel.

Cons — V-shape; heavy earpieces, shoddy cable.

Executive Summary

The Ikko OH10 is one of the few iems that make V-shape palatable, as you get compensated for by great imaging. A gourmet burger in the restaurant of fine Audio…

Introduction

The OH10 “Obsidian” has been hanging on our Wall of Excellence for a while, mainly triggered by Alberto, who had written a glowing review. He characterizes the OH10 sensibly and exhaustively so that there is not much room for things to add.

I have tested the OH10 for 1/2 year with endless source combinations.

IKKO is a company that has excelled through excellent builds and a rather small quality rooster of iems (and lately other products), each of which has had a rather long shelf live. The company obviously designs sustainable quality, which is not easy to find in the Shenzhen environment.

Ikko OH10 (right) and OH1S.
OH10 (right) and OH1S.

The OKKO OH1, their first offering, may have been a bit bright for my taste, but it stuck out from the field because of its sturdy metal build and the unusual shape of their earpieces. It was recently superseded by the smaller OH1S, which is highly underrated because of anti-hype by the usual YouTube screamers. The OH10 was introduced between the two models. It has been on the market for a while, and it is still as relevant as on its first day.

Specifications

Drivers: 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver + Knowles 33518 unit
Impedance: 18 Ω
Sensitivity: 106 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 20-40,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: 2-pin, 0.78 mm
Tested at: $199
Product page/Purchase Link: Ikko Audio

Physical Things and Usability

Please relieve me for once from describing the photo showing the content. Yes, the cable is crap and I use Final E tips.

Ikko OH10
In the box…

The metal earpieces are super heavy and relatively big – and probably more suited for home use, but their haptic is great. The nozzles are long enough. Fit is good, comfort depends on how much I move, and isolation is average.

Tonality and Technicalities

Equipment used: iPhone SE (first gen.), MacBook Air + ifi Audio nano iDSD Black Label with IEMatch, Hidizs S9 Pro/Apogee Groove/AudioQuest Dragonfly Red/Earstudio HUD100 w. JitterBug FMJ, AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt, Astell & Kern PEE51; grey stock tips, IKKO I-Planet foam tips. 75 hours of break-in.

I was for the longest time in the belief the OH10 featured a crisp single dynamic driver…but it is rather a 1+1 (dynamic driver and balanced armature driver) constellation…which speaks for its cohesion. Both drivers obviously harmonize well with each other.

Ikko OH10
Frequency response of the IKKO OH10 shows a V-shaped geometry.

To give you the helicopter perspective: the OH10 excels by its fantastic bass slam and its excellent imaging. The price paid is recessed vocals and treble extension.

OK, ’nuff said already. Now you know what Alberto and I think of the OH10.

Co-blogger Kazi gave his snappy account on Facebook:

  • Unique shell design and very dense shell material. 
  • Too heavy for some, myself included. I find them to weigh down on my ears after a while.
  • Isolation is lacking.
  • Sub-bass is excellent. Punchy, agile, with good amount of rumble.
  • Mid-bass is slightly thinner than expected but got good texture. 
  • Vocals are recessed. Not gonna set the world alight with midrange performance.
  • Upper-midrange can feel peaky at times. I found them to be too up-front on some hard rock tracks. 
  • Treble is inoffensive, decent amount of sparkle but lacks the extension and air of upper-tier stuff. 
  • Good staging, not as wide or deep as E5000 but fairly balanced across all three axes. 
  • Imaging is decent, did not stand out to be as much as, say, the Falcon Pro. 

IKKO OH10 Compared

People keep asking for comparisons with the IKKO OH1S “Gems”, which is redundant as both sound totally different. The OH1S is more forward and brighter, and one cannot replace the other. That’s why companies run different models simultaneously…duh!

Ikko OH10
Similar graphs, different sound.

More interesting appears to be a comparison between the OH10 and the Unique Melody 3DT with its three dynamic drivers. As you can see, both have largely overlapping frequency responses. But I have to disappoint you again as both iems sound completely different. The UM 3DT is much more analytical and less engaging than the OH10.

But what this tells us the limitations of frequency response graphs for characterizing the sound of iems.

Also read Alberto’s comprehensive review of the OH10.

Concluding Remarks

The IKKO OH10 gives $$$ conscious audio enthusiasts access to premium quality at a mid-tear price. With its excellent imaging, it plays in the league with the big, expensive boys…not on top, but well above the bottom.

What you sacrifice is comfort through the large and heavy earpieces and some vocals intimacy through the V-shape. But the OH10 does full justice to high-quality sources way above a phone.

It is for good reason a standard staple on our Wall of Excellence…and will remain there for a long time…and im my collection. Kudos to IKKO for demonstrating sustainability in the short-lived world of Shenzhen consumerism.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Jürgen Kraus signature

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Disclaimer

The Ikko Gems OH1S were provided by Ikko for my review and I thank them for that. I also thank Alberto and Kazi for discussion.

Get the Ikko Gems OH1s from ikkoaudio.com

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Ikko OH10
I use the SeeAudio Yume’s stock cable.
Ikko OH10
Ikko pin included.

Author

  • Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

    Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

3 thoughts on “IKKO OH10 Review (2) – On Our Wall Of Excellence

  • How do these compare to the Shozy Form 1.4? Are they similar enough to have just one of the two?

    Reply
  • Rodolfo Raventos Aedo

    Estos son mis audífonos favoritos por su coherencia tonal, sobre todo que entrega una gran textura en la zona baja y su imagen sónica inmersiva que aumenta si lo amplifico con fuentes balanceadas. Es un audífono para disfrutar la musical. No es un audífono analítico y esto en un principio no me gusto, pero ahora lo agradezco ya que no me fatiga al tener largas escuchas. Es para sacar sonrisas por como te muestra la musical.

    These are my favorite headphones for their tonal coherence, especially the fact that they deliver great texture in the low end and their immersive sonic image that increases if I amplify it with balanced sources. It is a hearing aid to enjoy music. It is not an analytical hearing aid and I did not like this at first, but now I appreciate it since it does not tire me by having long listens. It is to get smiles because of how the musical shows you

    Reply

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