Closer Examination

The stock cable that comes with the Ikko OH10 IEMs is.. adequate. Sure, the ends are color coordinated and have substantially sized connector housings, and there is the splitter for the two strands headed to your ears. But they are about average and what I would expect as the very least for IEMs in this price range, yet I somehow still expected more given the rest of the package is so impressive. We have a quad-weave cable coming from a 3.5 mm TRS plug and splitting into two dual-weave sections past the splitter. A plastic sheathing closer to the ears keeps the cable from coiling out by maintaining the shape. The sheath helps keep the ends taut too, with loops by the two 2-pin 0.78 mm plugs that connect to the earbuds themselves. A leather (pleather?) cable tie helps with cable management, which can be handy for the 4 feet length provided here. The cable tie has the Ikko logo engraved into it and matches the tanned finish the leather pouch got. This cable uses copper wiring with a silver coating, which Ikko says helps lower transfer impedance, and yet the company sells their own upgraded cable for $59 with further claims of ultra-low impedance and 127 µm thick high purity single crystal copper silver-plated cores that could have been included with the Ikko OH10 out of the box.


I knew something was different immediately when I took each of the earbuds out of the packaging, but had to double-check with a weighing balance. Each earbud on its own weighed 15.7 g! For context, the average IEM earbud comes in at about half that value, and true wireless (TWS) earbuds usually come in at 5–10 g while also including batteries. I really don't know of any other product in this price range, and much higher too, that comes anywhere close. A lot of the weight here comes from the copper used for the shells, which I personally believe is more of a brass composition or a generic copper alloy than pure copper. Plastic and aluminium tend to be the go-to for IEMs and TWS earbuds, although there are some with more precious metals that can best these too.

On top of the copper base, Ikko uses an oleophobic titanium external coating. It contributes to the lustrous external gunmetal gray finish, so the Obsidian tagline is appropriate here. Internally, Ikko has a platinum coating on the copper chamber. This is their take on the aforementioned precious metal composition, with a thinner coating/plating achieving most of the desired audio effects while costing far less to process. The oleophobic surface coating can be seen up close as a rainbow effect, and it helps thwart off some fingerprints and oils on the slick surface of the non-textured sides. The textured side faces outward and is by far the most attention-grabbing thing here, with cut facets to make the earbuds look as though they have been chiseled out of rock, again making the Obsidian catchphrase fitting. It remains fairly flat and will not jut out of your ears in use, however.


We saw the vents on the side and top of each earbud above, and these can help keep things cool at the expense of better sound isolation. There are no vents on the back, however, where we also tend to see them, so Ikko has chosen a middle ground here, and we will shortly see how it affects both isolation and comfort. The stems on the earbuds are shorter than average and terminate in a 5.7 mm nozzle that has a wire mesh for hygiene. These plug in well with the provided ear tips, and there are plenty of aftermarket solutions in this size range too. Connectivity comes in the form of 2-pin 0.78 mm plugs, with a red plug on the right earbud to distinguish it from the left. Ikko has reserved MMCX for their flagship OH7 IEMs, although I personally have no issue with the 2-pin connector method, either.


Fitting the individual components together only takes a couple of minutes, beginning with the ear tips on the earbuds before putting the color-coordinated connectors into the earbuds themselves. I appreciated the 90° 3.5 mm connector on the other end of the cable when plugging into most devices, including DAC/amps for portable use. This means the connector housing does not jut out much. I know there are many who prefer to use IEMs throughout, but I like to use over-ear headphones when sitting down and IEMs/TWS earbuds on the go. As such, I chose to use them primarily with my trusty FiiO E17, as well as the Creative SXFI Amp that impressed me a bunch before, with the latter combination being especially pocket-friendly.