CCA and KZ have one of the widest collections of IEMs in the industry. CRA from CCA has got an amazing rep in my country for both its excellent sound performance and its pocket-friendly price tag. The pair is available for a mere 14$ in the international market. I have also heard some good praise for the set from fellow audiophiles in my country. CRA packs a 10mm dynamic driver unit on each side that is said to deliver a quality performance. It is widely recommended as a pretty solid set that can be recommended to people who are looking for anything around a 25$-30$ price bracket. So, I got to check it out. I am late to the party, but I have enjoyed the pair well enough. Let’s begin without wasting any more time.
A Short Disclaimer:-
CRA here came to me as a review sample provided by HiFiGo alongside a few other purchases made by me. But that doesn’t affect my judgment on the set, all the impressions, and comments made in this blog are completely my own based on my own experience with the pair. You can check out more information about CCA CRA on the HiFiGo store from the link below.
https://keephifi.com/discount/CRA-BLOG?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fcca-cra-ultra-thin-diaphragm-dynamic-driver-iem-in-ear-monitor-headphones
Design & Build Quality:-
One might expect cheap plasticky ear shells under the 20$ price tag. But considering that, the CRA has got pretty-looking ear cavities. CCA has designed it with transparent resin material ear shells that have a glossy finished metal covering half of their face cover area. The shells are lightweight and have a universal fit-like shape. The pair adopts standard 2-pin connectors like every other CCA/KZ IEM. Overall, a pretty-looking set that also fits nicely. CRA actually fits perfectly with me, the shell shape is good for me and its lightweight design works in its favor. It covers my entire ear canal and provides me with a good level of isolation from the surrounding noises as well.
The included cable is what you get with most KZ/CCA IEMs. It’s a two-core flat cable with a 3.5mm termination.
Driving the CRA:-
Super easy peasy. You don’t need any kind of special gear or audio players for the CRA. It has a fairly low impedance rating of 34Ω and a high sensitivity of 105dB. CRA can be driven straight off a smartphone without any trouble. I used it with my Redmi Note 10 Pro, HiBy RS2, and Shanling M7. Runs pretty well straight off my phone with no issues.
Sound Impressions:-
What does one expect from an IEM priced at 20$? I personally expect an IEM with a fun, bass-oriented sound signature that I can use roughly on a daily basis. Well, that’s exactly what the CRA delivers. It packs a punchy bass response. What makes the CRA stand apart from IEMs in this price range is its clean midrange presentation. Even with such a punchy lower end, the midrange sounds clean and precise. It reproduces some actually good vocals in my favorite tracks. Instruments are well-separated and the stage presentation is decently wide. I won’t call it super wide or anything like that, but it creates an immersive experience for me by captivating me with its presence.
Lower-end shows some prominence in the mid-bass region. It sounds slamming and deep-hitting in bass-heavy tracks. But it doesn’t lose its character and its tone. Sub-bass has a clean and rumbling presentation. Overall, I would say the bass response is pretty clean and well-textured. There is no muddiness or graininess introduced with such a heavy bass response.
The midrange sounds a bit recessed to me. Lower mids are pushed back while the upper mids are more expressive with the CRA. This expressive upper midrange presentation gives the set its immersive feel. The vocals sound crisp and well-textured. The midrange is complemented very well by a punchy bass response for an engaging presentation.
CRA surprises with its treble performance as well. It delivers quite an inoffensive presentation with a smooth treble frequency region. Percussions and Cymbal Crashes sound pronounced with the set, but at the same time, the CRA sounds quite smooth. It goes a little peaky at times when listening to heavy metal or rock genres with a lot of treble details.
The midrange sounds a bit recessed to me. Lower mids are pushed back while the upper mids are more expressive with the CRA. This expressive upper midrange presentation gives the set its immersive feel. The vocals sound crisp and well-textured. The midrange is complemented very well by a punchy bass response for an engaging presentation.
CRA surprises with its treble performance as well. It delivers quite an inoffensive presentation with a smooth treble frequency region. Percussions and Cymbal Crashes sound pronounced with the set, but at the same time, the CRA sounds quite smooth. It goes a little peaky at times when listening to heavy metal or rock genres with a lot of treble details.
Dynamically, CRA sounds decent with average imaging and layering presentation. Personally, I find the set good enough for regular day-to-day rough usage with a fun, engaging sound tuning but lacks a bit of dynamics.
Final Words:-
CCA CRA lives up to my expectations. It delivers quite an amazing sound with good punchy bass and a clean midrange. Treble region is also mostly inoffensive and delivers a decent amount of details for the price point. If you are looking for a set for day-to-day rough usage, CRA delivers a pretty good performance!!
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