Design and features:This Bluetooth wireless noise-canceling portable ear-insert model has an ear plug-like design and electronic noise canceling feature reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment.
Additional features:Has integrated volume control, microphone, and call connect/disconnect control. Either earphone can be used alone for one ear monitoring of Bluetooth streamed audio and telephone communications. Free Audio-Technica Connect app for Apple and Android mobile devices adds additional features.
Sound quality:We found the ATH-CKS50TW2BG delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks and excellent active noise reduction. With the noise canceling engaged and the EQ set to off in the Audio Technica app the
bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but is somewhat prominent and boomy. The
midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, but a bit grainy and congested (think sonic traffic jam) and somewhat hazy. The
treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but is a bit smeared and a touch prominent and sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying). While the sound has a good sense of liveliness, it is somewhat closed (sound-wise it's fairly obvious you have something plugging your ears) and does a decent job of recovering room ambience. Warmish character. The overall sound can be summarized as somewhat hazy and a bit bassy and grainy. A very faint rush can be heard in very quiet environments when there is no audio program material to mask it.
Noise Canceling: Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most. Orientation changes the noise reduction characteristic - when the noise is coming from the front more high-frequency noise can be heard. The noise canceling feature produces a very faint rush that can be heard when there is no audio program to drown it out.
Comfort and Fit:This is a stemless hybrid ear insert/ear bud design - the earpieces seal the ear canals but they don't insert into the ear canals as far as typical ear insert models, and they are supported by ear bowls like a ear bud model rather than the ear canals.
Small
Users with small ear bowls might find that the earphone body feels bulky in their ear bowl and that they stick out too far and feel like they may lever out of place and are mostly held in place by the section of the earphone that is inserted in the ear canal, but that they will generally stay in place during casual use and are somewhat stable even with fairly vigorous head movement.
Medium
Users with medium ear bowls will probably find that they stay in place with no problem, and that the ear bowl supports make the ear pieces very stable even with vigorous head movement.
Large
Users with large ear bowls will probably find that they stay in place with no problem, and that the ear bowl supports make the ear pieces stable even with vigorous head movement.
Incidental contact with the touch controls can cause unintentional volume level changes, playing, pausing, track skipping, or ambient sound monitoring.
