Co:caine Sound Clash Urban Review

• The_Big_Viper on January 18, 2013 03:57 PM

  Co:caine Sound Clash Urban Style – A real treat for your ears   By: The_Big_Viper   “There is a co:caine for each and every style: simple and precious or colourful and bold with individualistic patterns.” Such is the motto for the company who gave us this new set of Headphones or simply cans as what audiophiles call it. On their website www.co-caine.eu/, you can find eleven (11) models to suit your taste. From the City Beats series down to the Sound Clash models. True to their word there is a co:caine for each and every style. Co:caine is from Germany and its foothold in the Europe’s market is equivalent to skull candy’s foothold in the US. Now let’s get a closer look what co:caine has to offer us…     OUT OF THE BOX I’ve been in luck to get a hold of these cans for this review and so gleefully pulled this baby out of the box! Wow! That was the 1st word I could muster, “Ang sarap tignan sa mata, maybe because of the fact that this model match my personality. The Urban Style Model made head turns at the office and the first thing they said was “mahal siguro nyan kasi maganda siya!” These cans are real head turners, the design they used is a collage of black and white graffiti. Mixing black and white with a red colored band was a treat itself. This headset isn’t that light but not too heavy as well. Even if it’s made of plastic, the feel is quite sturdy. The Headset is fully adjustable for different head sizes; it has a top headband cushion as well as soft ear cups that give a nice snug fit. The cables are braided and sleeved with a standard gold 3.5mm connector. The cable length is 1.5 meters which is perfect if you’re on the go. Not to lengthy and no too short.   TESTING the PRODUCT We test fitted the headset and pulled down at least 2 slots to fit. Since I’m a bigger person it is noticeable that the ear cups are rather small for my built. These opinions changed once I put them on so warm yet comfortable. I had the opportunity of asking my colleague Miss Annie Ticsay as my model to try this headset for me… Quite the looker (the headsets I mean…)     TESTING METHODOLOGIES Test Unit: Co:caine Sound Clash Urban Style Player: Ipod Nano 2nd Gen 4GB, Android Phone Audio Player, PC Audio (Realtek XiFI Mods), Iphone 4S, Ipod Classic 60BG FLAC and 320kbps Mp3 Music Tested with no EQ, All Flats settings I had to burn these cans for 48 to 60 hours before I could begin hearing how it could fair, but the curiosity equivalent to Pandora’s caved in and decided to get a peek. The warm sound stage greeted my ears although there was a considerable loop of air that’s been going on. Mid Bass was there but was not your typical bass thump. Low Bass was lost as well as some percussion when I played some songs from EWF and Kenny G. On my way home to Pampanga from Manila, I decided to put it on all through the ride and was very satisfied on how comfortable these cans were. All throughout the 2 ½ hour ride was feel good as I put on a playlist mostly from EWF, Toto, Kenny G and Yanni. After the first 48 hours of burning in the cans, the improvement was very evident. I started to notice more clarity. The kind of breezy feeling in your ears slowly faded and was replaced with a much better smooth cupping. Noise Cancellation is now very evident as I tried listening to this while on my way to work. Even the noisy tricycle couldn’t budge me from hearing the Bass and percussions from Toto’s Africa or the serenade dished out by In my dreams by Reo Speedwagon. Riding a jeep was a surprise as these cans are eye candy catchers, I was asked several times what brand and model these cans were because of their looks alone. At the office I switched to my usual 80’s Collection and tried out different sounds from the New Wave Era, songs from Duran Duran, Spandau, Tears for Fears, The Cure, The Care and Fra Lippo Lippi were smooth, the bright sound stage never diminished as hours and hours of eargasm was heightened. Occasional shouting by my colleagues at the office was heard since they were asking me bout office stuff, now that’s noise cancellation. Next on my list was Reggae and Ska, songs from Bob Marley, Tropical Depression, and Homegrown talent Chocolate Factory graced my ears. Noticeable were the trumpet/flute and saxophone blending with the whole percussion set. Alternative/ grunch and Heavy Metal were next as I dished out Eraserheads, Korn, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Slayer, Pantera, God Smack, Gin Blossoms, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soul Asylum, Silverchair to name a few. I even tried listening to the song Power Rangers who uses a double pedal double bass and the cans passed with flying colors. R&B/Bass-Heavy Songs was next on my list, this is where despite no EQ settings the mids were quite performing, songs like Bass Down Low, Brass Monkey, Gangnam Style, Black Eyed Peas Songs, Gangsta’s Paradise from Coolio were thumping but the lack of good high and lows never got me going… even when I applied bass boost and Full EQ Settings I never experienced the felling being massaged on my neck unlike when I tried Beats Studio and Kicker HP. Its noted that these cans performed better in the bass department than Koss Porta Pro. At home, I decided to use the cans for movie watching, The Avengers at 1080p DTS as well as Three Stooges 720p with SVP and XIFI Mod installed. Performed like my regular Altec Lansing ATP3 except for some scenes were your supposed to hear a full blown ship when Hulk smashed it. Nevertheless the parts were Loki was thumped up and down produced the same sounds leaving me smiling. These cans were tested for gaming using CS:Global Offensive and performed fairly, it’s a hit and miss when you can hear the footsteps but the sound stage was quite rich and evident. I guess these can were specifically made for people on the go and not the for audio junkies who spend time with their mods at home. It performed much better when I was out on the streets than when I’m home in the comforts of my bed for that matter.   PROS and CONS   PROS Foldable and good fit for most head sizes Good cable length for the active on the go people who listen to music Sturdy and colorful design that’s definitely a crowd pleaser Braided cable with gold connector Warm Sound Stage Good Mids and respectable low and high Good Price Range at 1999 to 2499 that can compete with other cans such as Koss Porta Pro (which Co:caine beats in the SQ department) as well as IEM’s and OEM Beats Out of the box performer but the burn – in period of 48-60 hours will give you more listening pleasure CONS For people who sweat a lot, these cans especially the ear cups and headband are sweat magnets Could have at least have a box or carry bag from the package No Deep Bass for High and Low as well as long throw Ear cups are not replaceable The cable could have been made to be disconnected for travelling purposes or can be changed to a longer cable for listening at your DAC at home Packaging is rather flimsy PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS Performance stereo headphone for high quality audio sources. Individually adjustable headband and soft ear cushions for long term operation. Noise Isolation: Product uses soft foam ear cushions to effectively reduce ambient noise. • Speaker: Ø = 50 mm • Frequency range: 20-20.000 Hz • Impedance: 32 Ω / channel • Weight: 286 g ( w/o cable ) • Cable Length: 1.5 meters • Connector: 3,5 mm Mini Phono Plug   FINAL THOUGHTS Co:Caine’s target market here is the on the go audiophile and indeed gets a thumbs up in that category. Specifically made for the urban walker it shows the way with a nice design for the outdoors. Leaning on that along with a typical warm sound stage, it catches much of the target market. Jazz and Percussion Songs are a joy to ears as well as good old rock and roll and new wave songs. Alternative/Grunch and Heavy Metal songs leave a nice sensation as the screeching guitars command sound stage. Techno/R&B/Chill Music make an impression but the lack of long throw high and low bass are very evident. When tried on the pc for gaming just puts it a so so headphone. Music and Movie Watching was typically satisfying but not to a point you’d rate it a clean 5. However, the sacrifices such as short cables, carrying case and better low and high bass reproductions are rather evident. That aside the headphones cool design, “Masa” price range and sturdy build are rated 4 Stars out of 5.   WHAT PEOPLE SAY   I’ve thought of letting my friends, co-workers as well some from different walks of life to get a glimpse if I can impress them with these cans... Here are some of their reactions;   “At first parang me narinig akong hangin sa tenga ko, after your so called burn in process, gumanda ang tunog and medyo defined na siya. On my Iphone 4S me bass naman siya and good acoustics but I can’t compare it to my B&G IEM, for its price okay na siya for casual listening…” - Byron John Siy (TSB General Manager) “Looks Good, mukhang magaan pero hindi naman pala… Akala ko flimsy and mukhang masisira pero I was wrong… Naisahan moko when you told me na walang EQ setting when I was listening to it… I love these cans… Sarap ng tunog, good mid bass and warm sound stage.. maka ipon nga to get one.. thumbs up!!!" - Glenn Gapayao (a.k.a Glenn2k3) “Okay ang itsura, not bad ang looks kahit medyo plastic ang dating, very much comparable sa Bose In Ear and Cans ko as well as my Beats Studio Head phones, classic mids to lows bass pero walang gaanong bato na deep rich bass unlike Beats which offers better thumping sound, I used the Bass Tester I uploaded in my Ipod Classic to confirmed this, but I like the smooth percussions on John Mayer Songs. This is a can worth buying.” - Erwin Pattaui (a.k.a Bukays Senior Business Officer – CDC) “Good Sound and Good Design, Warm sound stage and Just Right Bass for my Collection on my Samsung Tab and Ipad 4… Worth buying for its price…” - PJ Puno (Asst. Prosecutor, DOJ Region III) “Pang Mid-Range cans ito para sa akin , pinagpapawisan ako sa tenga because of the ear cups, not to tight not to loose ang sounds, ok sa sound stage pero not for DJ Mixing, pang casual lang na audiophile ang target niyan…. Hindi pasok sa akin ang bass niya although me mids parang kulang sa lows and highs… wouldn’t recommend as DJ monitoring pero pag sa byahe okay na din and especially for its price you don’t have to expect much from it except casual listening…” - Tyron John Siy (GM LVS Telecom and DJ Spinner/Certified Audiophile Club Mixer BEAUTY SHOTS)

• ReB on January 18, 2013 06:56 PM

  Another homegrown review from the big man.. big_viper

• ArtXT on January 18, 2013 10:15 PM

  nice review sir..................UP UP UP!!!

• oerfydkn on January 18, 2013 10:21 PM

  isa na naman na magandang review para kay sir big_viper,,

• jibi on January 18, 2013 10:30 PM

  stig.. san pde mkabili neto? haha

• immortalkings on January 18, 2013 10:35 PM

  A very nice and clean review... galing talaga ni bossing

• orenobaka on January 18, 2013 10:53 PM

  astig!!!!!

• proxysquid_serdan on January 18, 2013 11:01 PM

  nice! ang ganda ng review. sakto im looking for one para kay gf.

• Calexan on January 18, 2013 11:05 PM

  it's nice to read reviews like this.. with real people's opinions gives you an insight on the item :)
  
  
  
  Great Job Sir The_Big_Viper

• kenyak22 on January 18, 2013 11:09 PM

  very nice review..... ^_^

• glenn2k3 on January 19, 2013 12:03 AM

  The headset was true as for the pros and cons stated by boss Alex...
  (You wouldn't be able to justify the headset's thundering features without testing it out...)
  
  

  Another great review by The_Big_Viper

• PhenomFX on January 19, 2013 12:29 AM

  very nice review papa Alex! sa susunod magpa-test ka rin sakin.. hehe

• pctechdude on January 19, 2013 07:26 AM

  Wow! Galing ng nag review. Thumbs up to Big Viper.
  
  

  it's nice to read reviews like this.. with real people's opinions gives you an insight on the item :)

  
  
  Now that's what i called a honest and real review. I feel you bro.

• paulo159 on January 19, 2013 08:43 AM

  dapat sakin nlng pnasuot at ako ung nasa pics eheheh :D nice review master :D

• Euro_Bucks on January 19, 2013 09:08 AM - User is Online

  Good review, more please.

• PatrickTPC on January 19, 2013 11:48 AM

  astig ng review..
  
  damihan pa sir :D

• kernel_panic on January 20, 2013 11:56 PM

  nice great alternative to the "super uso" skull candy

• regnevacs on January 21, 2013 02:25 PM

  galing ni sir big_viper.
  
  Mukhang maganda mararating ng review carrer nyu sir.

• chikinito on January 21, 2013 05:41 PM

  Cool one. Up for you!

• wheelee on January 21, 2013 07:38 PM

  nice review! Kabalen!
  
  & I can attest to you findings about the it's sound of being Warm Sound & Good Mids and respectable low and high & not boomy :-)
  I have the plain white
  
  

• luvkoragna on January 23, 2013 05:42 PM

  braided cable =/= sleeved
  :v

• pctechdude on January 28, 2013 10:44 AM

  Nice Pair of Cans Sir Wheelee, napansin ko ang maganda sa cocaine is that, not boomy may pagka-senn ang quality. Di mahirap i drive even without amps. Impressive soundstage. Respectable naman ang lows. good mids at highs medyo natural nga lang bass *not boomy* still im' satisfied kasi sulit para sa price range nya.

• jduval on January 29, 2013 09:42 PM

  i never liked those skullcandies :D
  big fan of a.technicas
  
  but reading sir vipers' review, might want to get one really really soon
  
  price and availability please?
  :)

• jduval on January 29, 2013 09:48 PM

  meron na pala sa IFS
  
  ^___^
  
  time to shop na :D

• joca1107 on January 29, 2013 11:37 PM

  IMBA ka talaga bossing! CONGRATS sa bagong items... UP! UP! IN THE SKY...!!!!

• jawslash on January 30, 2013 12:01 AM

  Ano nanaman tong pinagkakaguluhan nyo...
  
  wowowe... mukang nakaka adik to ah...
  
  ... sarap ...

• btnh050 on January 30, 2013 06:51 PM

  great review sir ;)

• childconqueror on February 01, 2013 07:08 PM

  ang ganda! ganda ng .. ng review!

• SivitriExMachina on February 05, 2013 08:21 PM

  nice read. more power The_Big_Viper!

• race168 on March 01, 2013 09:03 PM

  It is available now in Egghead (galleria), mobile phone shops, online (Lazada), Vmall, Technoholics, soon in Odyssey stores...
  
  -- edited by race168 on Mar 01 2013, 09:08 PM

• pctechdude on March 01, 2013 10:02 PM

  Wow Nice. If your looking for an alternate sa skullz na medyo mala sennheiser ang clarity. This is it Coccaine SoundClash talaga. Even the smaller brother is urbarn na nabili ng friend ko hataw sa tunog iba talaga eto.

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