Ikko Obsidian OH10: Still a Relevant Bass Monster?

 Pros

• Excellent build quality with a metal finish
• Fun, powerful, yet detailed bass 
• Engaging and forward female vocals
• Treble is bright and sparkly
• Decent treble extension and air 
• Good technicalities 

Cons

• Some bass bleed
• Recessed, scooped lower midrange 
• Treble can be harsh and fatiguing
• Thin note weight and density at lower midrange
• Male vocals sound distant and dry
• Slightly thin and metallic lower midrange timbre
• Heavy shell and short nozzle 

Source(s)

• Jcally JM6 Pro
• Truthear Shio

Ear tips

• Acoustune AET07

Packaging

• Borrowed unit, so I can't comment too much on the original packaging.

Build Quality

• Beautiful, solid copper alloy finish throughout the shell.

Fit

• Nozzle is quite short and narrow. 
  
• Fit is .. only okay for me. Had to use a tip with a hard stem like the AET07 to make them stay in my ears. Any other tip with softer stems would not work for me.
• Weight is tolerable for a few hours for me, but feels quite heavy after that.

Tonality

• V shaped. 

Bass

• Sub bass is more prominent than the mid bass, but mid bass still has plenty of thumps and slam.
• Excellent sub bass extension, goes really deep and rumbly. 
• Very impactful, also comes with good definition and punch.
• Speed is fast enough to keep up with busy tracks while keeping the decay natural.
• Quantity is huge, may even be sufficient for some bass heads! 
• However, despite its huge quantity, it isn't completely bleeding into the midrange.

Midrange

• Midrange is quite recessed, making it quite clean but also scooped.
• Male vocals suffers quite a bit due to the lack of lushness and body. They just sound dry and thin.
• Female vocals are relatively better compared to male vocals. Although there are still some hollowness in the lower end, but they have great energy, extension and airiness at the upper end. 
• However, it does get a little bit shouty after a long listening session
• Overall timbre is on the cold, metallic and thin side. Not the most natural midrange presentation but is decently acceptable for a V shaped signature.
• Overall note weight and density on the lower midrange are thin but gets fuller and thicker as it gets higher. 

Treble

• Treble is very bright and sparkly.
• It can get pretty spicy and sharp especially at the lower to mid treble.
• Rolled off slightly at upper treble, which tones down the intensity but still having a decent extension and airiness.
• The treble isn't very smooth too, with some minor peaks and sibilance throughout the treble.
• Details, however, is quite revealing in the treble.

Technicalities

Resolution

• Resolution and detail retrieval is actually pretty good. But again, it will not compete when comparing to planar IEMs in this price range.

Soundstage

• Soundstage has very good depth with decent width.  

Imaging

• Imaging and accuracy is good , I am able to tell where the instruments and vocals quite well. 
• Gaming:
• Apex Legends: Gunshots and footsteps can actually be heard quite clearly in terms of direction and distance.

Separation

• Separation and layering is decent, instruments are generally separated quite cleanly but instruments in the lower midrange and male vocals are just kept to the back and are not very distinct.  

Conclusion

• As a conclusion, I think the Ikko OH10 is still a very fun set with technicalities that are very competent for the price. Even if it is somewhat old, it is still not outdated in my opinion. 
• Pros and cons are very apparent. 
• Does very well in the bass and technicalities department but not so much in the midrange and the treble.
• Recommended if you're looking for a very fun signature with monstrous bass and good technicalities. However, if midrange is equally as important, I suggest looking for something else.

　

　　

　

Thanks for reading!