Not so long ago, “Chinese headphones” were synonymous with cheap non-ferrous plastic stuff, which was sold at every switch for 100 rubles. Over the past few years, the situation has changed very well for the better; Chinese factories, which are the main manufacturers of headphones for most well-known companies, have begun to enter the world market under their own brands. This has led to the emergence of a mass of interesting and inexpensive models, such as the heroes of today's review of the Ostry KC06 and KC06A.
On the example of these headphones, you can see how far forward technological progress and assembly culture in Chinese factories have made. Their price is very modest, for KC06 they ask about $ 70, for KC06A - 80, but at the same time they are made of metal (and their body is very, very unusual in form). A high-quality radiator with a coil of copper-clad aluminum wire and a diffuser specially developed by the company was used. Moreover, Ostry even conducted research and invented a special dual camera to achieve better sound quality.
In general, not only manufacturing, but also research work moves to China. I have long wanted to get acquainted with these headphones, so when offered them for review, I did not refuse.
Specifications
- Emitter: dynamic, 10 mm
- Impedance: 16Ω ± 15%
- Sensitivity: ≥110 dB @ 1 kHz
- Frequency range: 20 Hz - 25 KHz
- Distortion: ≤1%
- Channel imbalance: ≤1.5 dB @ 1 kHz
- Power output: 10 mW
- Rated power: 30mW
- Plug: 3.5 mm, gold plated TRS
- Cable: balanced, 1.35 m
Package and Delivery
Here, too, everything is just great, the headphone box is thought out to the smallest detail, it is rectangular, made of thick cardboard, with a plastic window of an unusual beveled shape. To make sure that nobody has opened the headphones before you - the package is rolled up in a film. Inside there are headphones on a velvety lodgement, under them - what is included in the package. In addition to the headphones themselves, you will receive: a bag for puffs for carrying, seven pairs of nozzles of three sizes (three pairs with a more neutral sound and three pairs with an emphasis on bass and one pair of nozzles with a filter), ears and a clip for attaching the cable to clothes.
Everything is very carefully assembled and packaged; at this point the headphones get the highest possible score even without a price adjustment.
Design and wearing comfort
Needless to say, even here the manufacturing company tried its best? The body is completely metal, very interesting shape, designed to be worn with the wire "behind the ear." The big advantage of the KC06 design is that they are very flat and small in size, thanks to this, the headphones almost completely fit into the ear and do not protrude. The sound drivers are located on the inside very well, so Ostry is suitable for almost any ears. From the elements of decor, on the outside of the headphones there is an unusual pattern, in KC06 it is made in shades of gray, in KC06A - a more contrast red-white-black.
The cable is similar to the one used in VSonic models, which is reminiscent of both the color and the silicone insulation used. Similarities are also added by the fact that the KC06A uses the same version with red stripes as the Gr07BE. In general, this is a positive fact, the cable deserves only good words, it is soft, does not harden very hard in the cold, practically does not get confused, has good strength and practically does not suffer from the microphone effect. The headphone cable exit is protected by reliable plastic clips, the separator is metal, the plug is compact and straight. In general, there is no need to worry about the cable, it should last for a very long time without extreme loads.
Due to the small size, the headphones are worn very comfortably, even in the winter under the cap, another example - they can easily put their head on the pillow (a rarity for modern plug-in models). Sound insulation - below average, apparently due to the presence of ventilation holes in the housing.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- Yulong DA8 as a DAC
- Yulong A28 as an amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Shanling M3 and Fiio X5 as portable players
- VSonic Gr01 and HiFiMan Re600 as headphones for comparison
- High-resolution recordings in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were heated for 48 hours.
Separately, it is worth noting that Ostry is very dependent on the selected nozzles. Manufacturers put in a set of two sets, one of which gives the effect of forced low frequencies, the second has a more even sound. In addition, the company has developed nozzles with special filters that tune the sound, and sells them separately. There is not much information about the “filtering” nozzles yet, and the automatic translation from Chinese tells about the teeth and legs, so I can’t say anything special about them. I listened to the complete nozzles, and stopped at the version without bass boost, because it gives a more balanced sound.
KC06
The sound of the headphones is very smooth, without distortions, with a slight emphasis on the mid frequencies. The bass is well controlled, with good depth. Even in brutal styles, the separation is not bad, although sometimes the blow is not enough. The mids are live and detailed, sometimes even with a slight excess, but this is very, very rare. The instruments have their own character, the emotions of the vocalists are also excellent. The upper frequencies are good, without excess and sharpness, but are present in sufficient quantity to give lightness and lightness to the material.
KC06A
In this model, the sound was slightly tuned to obtain the popular V-shaped frequency response. Fortunately, this was done very carefully and wisely, so the sound was slightly darker than that of the KC06, but the good detail and micro details are preserved. The bass became deeper and got the stress that was missing from KC06, the deep rumbling that the bassheads like so much was added, although texturing and detailing are still good. The mids are a little less detailed, but the detail is still more than good, they have become softer and smoother. By the way, I fully admit that this is just an apparent effect against the background of accented woofers. The upper frequencies are also encouraging and not much different from the KC06, they are balanced and do not cause fatigue.
If we talk about genres, then KC06 is better suited for orchestral music, chamber ensembles, vocals, non-electronic instruments, blues. KC06A will come to court more for electronic music, jazz, rock with metal (except for technical and brutal genres).
Compatibility
Headphones sound very good even with simple sources (I tested them with iPad Air, iPod Video 5.5G and SanDisk Sansa Clip), but with a good player that qualitatively controls the entire range (for example, Fiio X5, Shanling M3, Aune M1 and others) - they are fully disclosed. The potential embedded in these headphones is very, very good.
Ostry KC06 and KC06A do not normally play the highest quality records, but again, it is better to take care of good material so that they can fully demonstrate their capabilities.
conclusions
Very good models that show all the progress of Chinese industry in recent years. Original design and headphones and packaging, thoughtful package, good sound, reliable assembly, reasonable price, all this makes the KC06 (or KC06A) a worthy option to buy.
The article is based on materials .
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