BudgetPhotography

PhotoGraphed: IKKO OH2 vs. IKKO OH1S

This is a visual intro to the IKKO OH2 Opal. IKKO have been a company offering a small but fine selection of iems. That has changed lately as they have expanded into electronics. We at audioreviews.org have followed their iems since their OH1. The $199 IKKO OH10 made it even onto our Wall of Excellence.

The OH10 have a very safe, likeable V-shaped tuning with no peaks or pierces and huge stage. They are a first taste of the premium segment at a mid-tier price…and therefore a rare example of justifying the otherwise hollow marketing term “entry level” (with respect to premium).

The smaller $159 IKKO OH1S shows a completely different tuning with a strictly linear bottom shelf and a rather “vivid” treble that caused some confusion with the reviewers. The rumour arose that the OH1S don’t have “enough” bass and to much spice in the upper registers. In fact, their bass response is just fine and the treble extension may be a matter of taste.

What was also unusual is their oval nozzles for which I had issues finding third-party tips suiting my ears. On the other hand, the included IKKO foams work well in that they provide a good seal and help with the bass.

IKKO responded to the criticism of the OH1S with the new IKKO OH2. They are a tad larger than the OH1S and have the same accessories – at a much lower price. The biggest difference is in the tuning: while the bass shelf was kept the same, upper OH2’s midrange was somewhat reduced, and much of that treble extension was shaved off. The result is a more generally appealing sound.

Read my review of the IKKO OH2.

Specifications IKKO OH2

Driver: Low-resistance deposited carbon dynamic driver
Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 107 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 20-20,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: High purity oxygen-free silver-plated copper/MMCX
Tested at: $79
Product page: IKKO Audio
IKKO OH1 Opal and IKKO OH1S
The devil is in the treble: the OH2 offers a more soothing top end. Bass is actually plenty. The sub-bass drop-off is a artifact of the coupler used.

Images

IKKO OH1 and IKKO OH1S
Fasceplate comparison: OH1S in blue, the slightly larger OH2 in white.
IKKO OH1 and IKKO OH1S
Compact shapes.
IKKO OH1 and IKKO OH1S
Thickness check.
IKKO OH1 and IKKO OH1S
MMCX connectors for both.
IKKO OH1 and IKKO OH1S
Nozzle check.
IKKO OH1 and IKKO OH1S
Both model feature the same spindly cable with the coloured strands, which I really like: it is light and drapes well.

Get these earphones from IKKO Audio.

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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”.

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