Review on 🎧 FEDAI CCA CA2 Hybrid Balance Armature with Dynamic In-Ear Earphones, HiFi Stereo In-Ear Monitors IEM Wired Headphones/Earbuds/Headsets, Crystal Nomic HiFi Headset by Ben Daugherty

The CA2 is CCA's new, highly affordable single-channel DD model. It is entering a very crowded arena with the recent KZ EDX, TRN MT1 and CS1 and KBEAR KS1 vying for dominance in this market sector. The CA2 uses a 10mm dynamic driver with a four-layer voice coil and composite diaphragm and features a detachable 2-pin cable. Sensitivity 112 dB/mW specified at 23 ohm impedance. The packaging is similar to that of the recent CSN hybrid: a small rectangular box with an IEM image on the front and tech specs on the back. Once the cover is removed, you can find the IEMs in the map section, which houses the 2-pin cable, spare earbuds, and documentation. The legend "Custom Bass Heavy Headphones" is written below. In the box you will find: * CA2 headphones with pre-installed medium-sized ear tips * 2-pole 4-wire copper cable * 2 pairs of white silicone ear tips (L, S) * Documentation This is a very simple look. but affordable. The case of the CA2 is made of ABS plastic and polycarbonate, and the bezel is available in three colors: lemon yellow, garnet red and crystal (clear). The components are visible through the back of the case, which is also clearly visible. There is a big A logo on the front (not sure what that means) and on the inside there is a round hole for the dynamic driver. The 2-pin connectors are flush mounted and mate with standard connectors, not the QDC type. The cable is an old style 4 core KZ copper cable with a 90° 3.5mm black plastic connector. There's a chunky black plastic Y-connector, but no chin slider, and the cable is very thin and prone to tangling. I found the connection to be quite unreliable, with the headphones detaching fairly easily on a few occasions. First impressions The CA2 was tested with the standard cable and accessories. The Xduoo X20 DAP was used as a source and burned for 100 hours. The earbuds were lightweight and comfortable, and their snug fit and fit was achieved through the pre-installed center tips. Sensitivity was fine with more volume available even from a smartphone, although quality was significantly improved by the extra boost that provided more resolution and clarity. The latest CCA models are very well known to the traditionally well balanced CCA profile with the CA16 and CSN. On the contrary, the CA2 presented a strong, exciting V-shaped profile with powerful bass and bright highs. The description "bass-heavy headphones" is certainly accurate, as the bass tends to dominate the process. In addition, the mids were pulled back and the top end was emphasized, resulting in bright but slightly weak highs. The staging was quite impressive, with volumetric quality unexpected for the price, and the overall setup resembled early KZ dual hybrids like the ZST and ES3 rather than the single DD design. Bass The bass was deep, powerful and intuitive, reaching an acceptable bass head level. The lower bass had reasonable texture and detail with plenty of boom, and the mid bass was also boosted but encroached on the mids. With the right material, it was very interesting, if not entirely natural. The electronic music was very impressive, the synth bass had incredible depth and power but dominated the overall picture. Mids The mids were recessed and the low end received some warmth from the bass bleed through and gradually brightened with increasing frequency. The lower mids exhibited a warm character, while the upper mids exhibited a moderate peak with some tonality harshness spilling over into the lower highs. The male vocals were distinguished by warmth and character, lagging somewhat behind the accompaniment. The female vocals in the mix sounded more direct, sometimes hissing. Strings and woodwinds also showed a change in tone, with cellos and bassoons being slightly warmer, while violins and flutes were thinner in tonality and sometimes harsh in timbre. another surge in the upper frequencies, after that it rolls off pretty badly. The overall effect was stunning and provided a reasonable level of detail, but again it was somewhat unnatural, with the bottom peak showing some harshness, some noise and a slight subtlety of tonality, in addition to the fact that the early decay tended to the sound of sparks and air to steal. Soundstage This is perhaps the CA2's best feature, spacious in all three dimensions and well reproduced. The separation and layering was only average, although there was some compression when everything was busy, but it was definitely worth the price. The orchestral music showed good scale but was a bit overrated at times, and the atmosphere was well reproduced thanks to the bass's powerful presence. In contrast, the more intimate and less bass-heavy recordings played well with a believable atmosphere and sounded more natural. Featuring the XUN DD and 30095 BA, it has a mature, balanced setup that is unexpected for its price point and truly outperforms models further up the CCA catalog and suits many genres. It beats the CA2 in every way, is better built and comes with a much better cable. It's a much better option, although twice the price of the CA2, and if you're really on a budget it's definitely worth the extra cost. Build with excellent tone. Bass is powerful but not overly dominant and there is some bassiness. The mids are slightly recessed but have a good tone. High frequencies fade away a little earlier, but are freer of peaks and significantly softer than with the CA2. The soundstage is average and maybe not as spacious as the CA2, but the overall effect is well balanced and more natural. It has a very neutral attitude, which is rare in a sea of V-shaped offerings at this price point. Bass is solid and well-structured, mids are straight and clean, and highs are crisp and extended with no peaks. Compared to the CA2, its resolution is much higher and it's great for vocal music and many other genres, although it doesn't have the powerful bass of the CA2. from concentration camp. It's exciting, impactful and entertaining, and it succeeds by delivering impressively bold sound imaging and 'edge of the seat' presentation. However, the overall profile with dominant basses, deepened mids and highs, which show a certain harshness especially at high volumes, can be seen as somewhat unbalanced. The CA2 should definitely appeal to fans of bass-heavy genres and games for which it needs to deliver the right bass punch, gripping delivery and good staging, and if those are your favorite genres then this is great value for money. On the downside, it doesn't perform as well with classical, jazz, or vocal genres that call for a more balanced profile, so you might want to look elsewhere if you're looking for a versatile model that suits those musical styles.