Audio-Technica ATH-CK400i in-ear headphones – review

Audio-Technica ATH-CK400i in-ear headphones - review

Designed for use with Apple iPhones and iPods, Audio-Technica’s mid-priced ATH-CK400i  in-ear headphones come with a tiny controller letting users adjust volume, answer calls, select music, and record audio.

In line remote

The remote control sits inline with the cable, just underneath the right ear bud, and although it felt a tad flimsy to the touch, it proved fairly responsive to the touch.

Although it’s targeted at Apple products, the controller will also play/pause/FF and take/end calls on some other handsets (in our case a HTC Desire), although we couldn’t get the volume keys to walk.

If you like to make a bit of a splash with your earphones, the ATH-CK400is are also available in red, blue, green, pink and white as well as the regular black.

Audio-Technica ATH-CK400i in-ear headphones - reviewLoose lug’oles

As is the norm these days, the Audio-Technicas came with a selection of different sized rubbery ear buds.

After trying all three sizes we still couldn’t find a pair that fitted comfortably – something we’re never encountered before in all the headphones we’ve tested.

The loose fit conspired with the stiff cable to create a less than stellar experience,  and we often found ourselves yanking the ear bud out when we tried to skip tracks.

Sound quality

Perhaps exasperated by the poor fit,  the sound was hugely disappointing, especially after we were so pleasantly surprised by the company’s ATH-SJ5 DJ-style headphones.

The bass was far too light for our tastes, the treble a tad harsh and the mid range didn’t inspire much either – these were a pair of headphones that definitely weren’t punching above their weight in the sonic stakes.

It has to be said that most of these shortcomings were down to our inability to find a comfortable fit, so it’s possible that your experience may well prove quite different to ours.

Either way, we strongly suggest trying them out before slamming down your £35, but from our testing, we can’t really recommend them.

Review scores
Looks: 75%
Build: 60%
Sound quality: 55%
Value for money: 65%
Overall: 65%

Buy the ATH-CK400i earphones  on Amazon.

About mike s

Editor, wirefresh.com

View all posts by mike s

2 Comments on “Audio-Technica ATH-CK400i in-ear headphones – review”

  1. I agree with the review, the sound quality is really disappointing, it’s even worse than the standard iphone earphones, I really can’t believe how they could put this in the market… really junk and wasted my money.

  2. Don’t even think of buying this pair of earpieces. The look and design are good and nice but don’t get bluffed by this point. The only thing I want to comment is the sound quality. I can’t even find where is the bass sound.. It’s like hidden far away from your ears. Really wasted money. NOT WORTH THE PRICE AT ALL!

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