CCA C10 Hybrid In-Ear Earphones Review (Actually Pretty Good!)

Welcome to a review of the CCA C10 Hybrid In-Ear Earphones. When I first heard of CCA, my initial reaction is “nobody will ever notice these abbreviation brands. CCA KZ TRN, what is wrong with Chinese companies”?

But I was proven wrong after some research. Yes, these affordable “abbreviation” earphones are actually pretty popular internationally with a number of good reviews. So curiosity got me, here is my take on the CCA C10 – Read on!

 

 

THE OVERVIEW

Price About USD $38 (As at the time of writing)
Links Official Website: Link
Get from eBay: Click here
Packaging
Has the basics, no added extras.
Build Quality
Replaceable cables, rock-solid plastic and metal earbuds.
Design
Not a huge fan of dirty brown cables mixed with “candy earbuds”.
Sound Quality
Excellent mids, overall balanced sound profile. Less the sometimes sharp highs.
Value
Excellent bang-for-buck, good performance at affordable price.
Overall
Some small misses, but is easily a “very good” earphones for the given price point.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Packaging Build & Design Sound Quality
Summary & After Verdict

 

 

THE PACKAGING

For a pair of earphones that cost above $35, I will say this has some rather boring packaging… Even though all the basics are done right.

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

That’s right, this is what came in the mailbox. Just a white box with minimal design. I was expecting a little more “pop”, but that didn’t happen. At least it is plastic wrapped and the basic packaging is done right.

 

UNBOXING & WHAT’S INSIDE?

A pretty cool minimal layout inside, similar to its KZ cousin. What’s inside:

  • Earbuds.
  • Extra earcaps (small, medium, large).
  • Dirty brown 3.5mm cable.
  • Warranty card.
  • Instruction sheet (in both English and Chinese).

Ok, it has all the “expected basics”. But cousin KZ did better with a free carrying case, and it is one that costs less. (Check out my review of the KZ ZSN Pro here if you are interested).

 

 

BUILD & DESIGN

Have to give the credits where due, the build quality of the C10 is actually good… Less the not-so-appealing brown cable.

 

A QUICK WALKTHROUGH OF THE CCA C10

That’s right, CCA shares the same braided cable design as KZ. These have good wear and stress resistance, but I am just not a huge fan of the dirty brown. At the very least, the cable is replaceable, and they have silver/gold ones if you share the same distaste as I do.

The “candy transparent plastic” mixed with the industrial metal look, let’s just say I am not a fan of it. Something about it just seems to be designed by a drunk designer, or one that does not have proper sleep in ages.

But the build quality of the earbuds is very commendable – The metal plate and plastic combination are not “cheap and filmy”, they are rock solid. Although ladies may find the large earbuds to be a little hefty, will take some time to get used to.

Lastly and thankfully, CCA did not make the same silly mistake KZ did (emboss an invisible “R” on the cable). The left and right sides are clearly indicated and color-coded – The left side is blue, and the right side is red.

 

 

SOUND QUALITY

If you have read or watched some other reviewers that go “it’s INSANE”! Well, I think that is an overreaction. The C10 is pretty impressive for its price point, but it’s far from perfect.

 

SOUND PROFILE

Hard to fully describe in words, but here goes:

  • Lows – Satisfying nice deep bass, not intrusive, just right. Yum.
  • Mids – Excellent vocals and instruments. Clear and rich.
  • Highs – The only “oops”. Some strings, cymbals, violins, and hi-hat hit the “cringe” and even “bleeding ears” range.

Overall, a very balanced sound profile… With a small regrettable high range. Tone it down yourself, and it will do magic.

 

SOUND STAGE

Holy cow. For a $35-ish pair of earphones, this is comparable to the ones that cost twice as much. Let’s just say that I am not a professional, just an enthusiast. Someone like me can already pick out the individual instruments and directions with these earphones. But personally, I think this is more capable of “range” rather than “depth”.

 

NOISE ISOLATION & LEAKS

The big earbuds seemingly serve their purpose, the C10 does have some decently good isolation. But of course, there are still minimal sound leaks if you blast at maximum volume. Put on your own foam earcaps, that should help if you like it loud (watch that volume though, it’s no good for ears in the long term).

 

 

SUMMARY & AFTERTHOUGHTS

That’s all for this review, and here is a small section on some extras and links that may be useful to you.

 

TECHNICAL SPECS

As on the box itself:

  • Weight: 29g
  • Drivers: 8 X BA and 2 X DD (For the uninitiated, that is 4 balanced armature and a dynamic on each side)
  • Plug: Standard 3.5mm
  • Frequency Response: 7-40000 HZ (Average human hearing range is 20-20000 HZ, so what’s the point here!?)
  • Impedance: 32 Ohms
  • Sensitivity: 108 dB/mW

 

THE GOOD

  • Excellent audio quality, balanced sound profile.
  • Excellent build quality.
  • Very affordable, superb value for money.

 

THE BAD

  • A regrettable high range.
  • Confused design.

 

 

AFTERTHOUGHTS

After many months, this is still one of my “main earphones”. Putting the funky candy purple shell aside, the audio quality really hits the mark for the price point. There’s also a lot of versatility for this pair of earphones.

Switch to foam earcaps for better passive noise isolation, the dirty brown cable can also be swapped out. Then, KZ/CCA/TRN also offers a Bluetooth module for their earphones, you can easily turn this into a pair of wireless earphones. I can see myself using this for the years to come. Well done, CCA.

 

THE VERDICT

The CCA C10 is most definitely not a perfect pair of earphones with a couple of small misses. But at this kind of price point and quality? It offers some amazing value for money that I don’t see with (or hear from) the “mainstream brands”.

An easy no-brainer “highly recommended” to audiophiles who want quality earphones without breaking the piggy bank. Thank you for reading, and we have come to the end of this review. If you have anything to share with this review, please feel free to comment below. Good luck and may the cyber force be with you.

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