Ikko Audio OH1 Review 

Introduction:

Ikko Audio is a relative new Chinese company located in Shenzhen/Guangdong that is designs/develops In-Ear Monitor.

The Ikko OH1 is an In-Ear Monitor with a Hybrid Driver Configuration that has 1 Knowles (33518) BA Driver + 1 x 10mm Diameter Dynamic Driver with Titanium Diaphragm and a 2-Pin detachable cable design.

Website: http://www.ikkoaudio.com/

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank Ikko Audio for providing me this sample for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Ikko Audio beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.

Price:

The actual price for the Ikko OH1 is 139,00 USD and can be purchased from Penon Audio under the following link:

Purchase Link: https://penonaudio.com/ikko-oh1.html                                

Package and Accessories:

The Ikko OH1 came in a relative small rectangular box that is wrapped with a white cardboard that sports the illustration of the OH1 and the some product brandings on the top.

This box is including the following contents/accessories; 

• 1 pair x Ikko OH1 In-Ear Monitor
• 1 pcs x Detachable Cable with 0.78mm 2 Pin Connector
• 3 pairs x Vocal Type Silicone Ear tips (size S/M/L)
• 3 pairs x Balanced Type Silicone Ear tips (size S/M/L)
• 1 pcs x Soft Carry Pouch
• 1 pcs x Product Manual/Warranty Card

The velvet carry pouch in grey color which is coming with the Ikko OH1 looks pretty nice and has an Ikko logo on the top.

Design, Fit and Build Quality: 

The monitor shell of the Ikko OH1 is in blue color and is made of metal that is featuring a unique design language with a faceplate that reminds me to a meteor.

On the back part of each monitor shell is a 2 pin (0.78mm) female connector and one bass vent.

Here is also the slightly angled sound nozzle (in black color) which has a fine metal mesh (in gold color) on the top to prevent the insertion of dust or ear-wax.

At the rear of the shell is the Ikko branding in white color.

The overall build quality of the monitors is pretty good, especially compared to other IEM’s at the same price range.

The 2 Pin detachable cable of the Ikko OH1 has a braided design and is made of 5N purity Silver plated OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) wire with 4 cores. This cable features a dark grey plastic insulation.

The 2 Pin male connectors have transparent metal housing in blue color with left (blue) and right (red) ring indicators.

The cable sports on both sides flexible (transparent) ear guides, which offers extra comfort.

The cable of the Ikko OH1 features also a stylish metal y-splitter in the same blue color but has no chin slider.

The 3.5mm headphone jack (TRS) has a housing that is made of a combination of metal in blue color and plastic in black color with an L-angled profile.

Fit and Comfort:

The Ikko OH1 is a very lightweight In-Ear Monitor (6 grams) with a pretty comfortable to shape. It offers a fairly comfortable fit and fatigue free wearing experience.  The Isolation on the other hand is on an average level.

Specifications:

• Balanced Armature    : 1 x Knowles 33518
• Dynamic driver          : 1 x 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver
• Sensitivity                   : 106dB
• Frequency range        : 20-40 kHz
• Impedance                 : 18ohm
• Cable length               : 1.2m
• Connector                  : 2-pin 0.78mm
• Cable type                  : 4 core silver plated OFC (oxygen-free copper) with 5N purity

Drivability:

The Ikko OH1 has a relative low impedance of 18Ω and a sensitivity of 106dB which makes it compatible with relative weak sources like Smartphone’s, Tablets and DAP’s with weak amplification.

Equipment’s used for this review:

IEM’s              : Ikko OH1, FiiO F9 Pro, TFZ King II
DAP&DAC’s   : Cayin N5II, QLS QA361, iBasso DX220

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Opeth – Damnation (Wav 16bit/44kHz)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Slayer – Angel of Death (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Spotify)
• Lorde – Royal (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Tom Player – Resonace Theory (16bit/44.1kHz)
• Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Portishead – The Hidden Camera (MP3 320kHz)
• Gogo Penguin – Raven (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Otto Liebert& Luna Negra – The River (DSF) – Binaural Recording
• Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Wav 24bit/88kHz)
• Elton John – Your Song (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• David Bowie – Black Star (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Dave Gahan – Kingdom (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Eric Clapton – Unplugged Album (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• B.B. King – Riding With The King (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• First Aid Kit – My Silver Lining (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• London Grammar – Interlude (Live) (Flac 24bit/88kHz)
• Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer (Wav 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
• Laura Pergolizzi – Lost on You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Wav 16bit/44.1kHz)

The Sound:

The Ikko OH1 has a fairly warm tonality with a full bodied and entertaining presentation. The subass is deep and pronounced while the midbass is more balanced. The Midrange and treble presentation is smooth, forgiving and pretty musical.

The Bass:

The 10mm dynamic driver is responsible for the bass of the Ikko Oh1 and I can say that the dynamic driver does a good job in terms of naturalness, tonality and emphasis of the bass reproduction.

The subbass region is the most remarkable area of the OH1. It is pronounced and dominant in the general presentation, while the tonality is fairly warm, thick, and soft.

The subbass presentation is deep, powerful and shows great rumble if needed, while the extension is as impressive as the depth. The subbass extension is above average and quite successful with genres like electronic / pop / hiphop up to metal or jazz music. The deep and thick tonality makes the presentation of instruments like saxophone in the jazz music very successful.

The Ikko OH1 shows a good and pretty strong midbass intensity. The midbass area shows less intensity and quantity compared to the subbass region. It is quite balanced and controlled in its presentation, while instruments like cross drums, snare drums or percussion instruments have good intensity and speed.

The Ikko OH1 has in general an above-average bass quantity and emphasis. The most remarkable plus points of the OH1’s bass presentation are the control, speed and detail level for a product at this price range.

The Midrange:

The Ikko OH1 has a musical, smooth and emotional sounding midrange presentation with moderate transparency.  The midrange is slightly less pronounced and warmer in tonality compared to the lower frequency region. The midrange has good depth and fullness and has a wide spectrum which is an advantage for the vocals.

Vocals:

Male vocals are presented in a musical, clean, spacious way with a slightly colored tonality. This tuning makes the male vocal presentation quite pleasant and entertaining to listen to.

The upper midrange has a good emphasis up to 2 kHz region. This makes the female vocals pretty soft, lush and smooth in tits presentation. The level of transparency while listening to female vocals is in on a moderate level and doesn’t show any remarkable harshness or sibilance.

Instruments:

The instruments have a good layout, while the separation is on an average level that is limited due to the very strong subbass emphasis. The Ikko O1 is especially successful while listening to instruments that have a thick tonality. Instruments like pianos or violins have a shorter extension due to the upper midrange character. The OH1 offers in general a warm, soft and smooth instrument tonality.

Upper Midrange & Treble:

The Ikko Oh1 has a mildly pronounced upper midrange presentation, which has a soft, slightly warm and fairly musical character. The upper midrange transitions are quite controlled while the extension is on an average level. The upper midrange shows an average space and airiness.

The treble range of the Ikko OH1 is slightly less pronounced compared to the lower frequency region. The tonality is warmish while it has smooth and forgiving character. The lower treble region (presence) is more pronounced than the upper treble (brilliance) area. Here is a slightly roll-off. The treble extension is average, while this tuning is ideal for long listening periods especially for those who are sensitive to treble sharpness.

The Soundstage:

The Ikko OH1 has fairly suitable soundstage for a precise instrument placement. The soundstage has an average width, while the stage is surprisingly deep. The Ikko OH1 offers a sufficient performance in terms of airiness, separation and precision.

Some Short Comparisons:

Ikko OH1 versus TFZ King II:

The TFZ King II is an in-ear monitor with a fun, V-shaped sound signature that features sweet / lush mids, a fairly deep and fast bass, and a fairly controlled treble presentation.

Both In-Ear Monitors have a V shaped sound signature with a musical presentation.

The Ikko OH1 is superior in terms of subbass depth, quantity and extension and offer a higher midbass quantity and intensity, while the TFZ King II has the upper hand in terms of bass control and speed.

The midrange of both IEM’s is slightly recessed due to the V shaped sound signature. The TFZ King II is more successful with male vocals due to the lower midrange transparency, while the Ikko OH1 is superior in terms of female vocal presentation.

The upper midrange and treble of both IEM’s is pretty controlled and fatigue-free. The upper midrange and treble region of the Ikko OH1 is more pronounced compared to the TFZ King II IEM.

The soundstage of the TFZ King II is wider, while the Ikko OH1 is superior in terms of soundstage depth.

Ikko OH1 versus FiiO F9 Pro:

The FiiO F9 Pro has a mildly V shaped sound signature with a fairly linear bass response and good midrange/treble detail and clarity reproduction.

The subbass of the FiiO F9 Pro has moderate depth, while the Ikko OH1 is superior in terms of depth and extension. The FiiO F9 Pro has a slightly advantage in terms of bass speed, while the OH1 has the upper hand in terms midbass slam and impact.

The midrange of the Ikko OH1 has a warmer tonality with a softer and more emotional character. The midrange of the FiiO F9 Pro sounds thinner and more neutral compared to those of the OH1. The Ikko OH1 is more successful with male vocals, while the FiiO F9 Pro has the upper and in terms of female vocal presentation.

The upper midrange and treble region of the FiiO F9 Pro shows slightly more brightness and emphasis compared to the Ikko OH1. The treble of the F9 Pro has better extension, while the Ikko OH1 offers better control and a fatigue free presentation.

The soundstage of the FiiO F9 Pro shows more width, while the Ikko OH1 has the upper hand in terms of depth.

Conclusion:

The OH1 is maybe the first product of the company Ikko but offers some sonic features like a great subbass and midbass performance, warm and musical midrange and fatigue free, yet detailed treble presentation that are packed in to a very ergonomic and solid monitor shell.

Pros & Cons:

• + Bass Performance
• + Musical Midrange & Fatigue Free Treble
• + Soundstage Depth
• + Build Quality & Comfort

• – Upper Treble Roll-Off