I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. The engineers at Audio-Technica are doing 15 lines of coke on their lunch breaks. These guys can produce 50 headphones in the time it takes me to go to the bathroom. For a number 1. Anyway, here is another newly released pair of wireless earbuds under 60 bucks. What can you expect in terms of sound and design? Let’s take a look in this Audio-Technica ATH-CKR300BT Review.
Audio-Technica ATH-CKR300BT Review
IN the BOX
FIT
No issues here. Comfortable fit and decent sound isolation. The earbuds stayed and secure and didn’t feel obtrusive at all. You’ll also have 3 different sized eartips to choose from. So, unless you have freakishly shaped ear canals, you should be okay.
DESIGN
Controls and Functionality
Using the remote on the cable, you can control all the standard functions, including play/pause, track skipping, volume control and call answering.
Battery Life and Charging
The battery life is on the lower end of standard for a pair of wireless earbuds in this price range. You’ll get a total of 8 hours of playtime. So, it’s just enough to get you through your day if you’re a chronic listener. But no lullabies at night.
The CKR300BT employs a USB-C port for charging. And the earbuds take about 2 hours to fully charge.
Call Clarity
Not great. The caller sounded muffled, and apparently my voice sounded like crap. But I vape all day.
Supported Codecs
iPhone users will be pleased to know that the CKR300BT supports the AAC codec.
SOUND
Low Frequencies
You’ll hear the classic Audio-Technica IEM sound in this range. The bass is deep and fat, rather than dry and grippy. But for a “wet” bass, it still feels reasonably tight. And besides giving oomph to pop tracks, the low-end also offers plenty of warmth to rock tunes. Then, playing a little Drake, the sub-bass frequencies made my tuchus vibrate. Listening to some classical ditties, bass strings had less detail than they did smoothness. But in my delirious, sleep deprived state, I found it altogether scrumptious and transcendental. So, yes. The bass seems to satisfy all genres.
Middle Frequencies
The upper mids shine through the mix here. So, vocals sit a little forward on most tracks. And the low mids are less present. As a result, the sound is dynamic, with a colorful contrast between the low and high higher frequencies. At the same time, there’s enough body here to give rock and pop-rock tracks and all encompassing feel. And in terms of clarity, though these buds aren’t mind blowing, they sound sufficiently clean and tidy to warrant he price tag.
High Frequencies
Those famous Audio-Technica highs shine though on these buds. Some nice snap and sparkle up here. Listen to Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like.” It sounds crispier than a frozen cracker. And female vocals feel airy and playful.
Soundstage
Don’t expect too much depth here. The stage feels a little flat. But you will get a sense of height and width, and small gradations along these two axes are mostly audible.
PROS and CONS
Pros: Fun bass; versatile sound signature with respect to genre.
Cons: Battery life not incredibly long; mediocre call clarity.
SUMMARY
Besides the eh call quality, I have few complaints. With a satiating bass and inoffensive sound signature that works for all genres, these buds certainly get the job done for 60 bucks. Battery life could be 2 hours longer. But if you’re a fan of the Audio-Technica sound signature, it’s a reasonable compromise to make. And the carrying case is a nice touch too.
You can find these earbuds for the best price here:
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