Audio-Technica ATH-CKS90

In-Ear Headphone Reviews

The CKS series is Audio Technica's bass-boosted range of in-ear headphones. They may have souped-up resonance chambers for ear-popping bass but the SKS90 aren't short on treble either. The CKS90 hold no real surprises in design, except that the resonance chamber has been flipped round 90° and doubled in size. They are easy to position in your ears and they feel fairly stable once in place. Users with small ears may still find them a little uncomfortable. Although the accessories are just as thin on the ground as with models lower down the range, the CKS90 headphones do come with a hard case. It's just a shame that it's quite so big and bulky. As expected, the CKS90 headphones are heavy on the bass. The overall frequency response is, however, better handled and more linear that with other products in the range, although there's still the same dip in power at 1000 Hz. The best thing about these headphones is that they don't scrimp on treble, unlike the CKS50, for example. Here, although the line on the frequency response graph could be a little tidier, there's still a decent level of sound present after 14 kHz. You can hear the difference in the sound quality too, as the output is fuller and more accurate.