Audio-Technica ATH-CKS30TW+

Battery life

The True Wireless in-ear headphones offer nine hours of battery life at high volume, and just under eight hours with noise cancelling. In addition, the earphones can be recharged one and a half times in the charging case, which has a pocket-friendly format and weighs just 28 grams. This gives a total battery life of over 22 hours in standard mode and almost 20 hours in ANC mode.

However, the charging time for the in-ear headphones is quite long at two hours and 40 minutes. It also takes a good two and a half hours to fully recharge the battery, for which a USB-C to USB-A charging cable is supplied.

Bluetooth Specifications

The Audio-Technica ATH-CKS30TW+ support Google Fast Pair for fast pairing of Android devices, as well as multipoint pairing, which allows you to pair a smartphone and a tablet at the same time. SBC and AAC are also available as audio codecs, while Bluetooth 5.1 is an older version. However, the wireless connection is stable and has a range of up to 30 metres outdoors. Indoors, it also works across two rooms, although you may experience dropouts when changing floors. The headphones also have a low-latency mode for watching videos or playing computer and mobile games.

Operation

The touch control of the earphones is exemplary in that it can be customised to suit your personal preferences. A wide range of functions are included as standard, such as controlling playback, handling phone calls, adjusting the volume and skipping forwards or backwards when selecting tracks. You can also activate a pre-selected EQ preset and switch between basic, hear-through and ANC modes.

Alternatively, functions such as microphone mute, talk-through and low-latency modes, a battery status query or the voice assistant can be selected via the app. The sensitivity of the touch-sensitive handset surfaces can also be adjusted, and the touch control can be locked or switched off if required. Great! However, it is not possible to switch the handset on and off manually, although one-sided use in single mode is supported.

Audio-Technica Connect App

The Audio-Technica ATH-CKS30TW+’s app connection (Android and iOS) not only offers extensive control customisation, but also direct access to ambient controls with Active Noise Cancellation and Ambient Mode (Hear-Through). Five pre-configured EQ settings are also available for sound control: ‘Bass Boost – Deep’, ‘Bass Boost – Beat’, ‘Dynamic’, ‘Vocal’ and ‘Clear’, each of which can be fine-tuned with ‘Mild’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Strong’ intensity levels. However, it is not possible to make your own EQ settings, which may be missed. Other customisation options include an L/R balance control and the ability to divide the volume control into 16, 32 or 64 steps.

The app also includes a soundscape collection of nature sounds, noise masking sounds and relaxation music. You can also configure the listen-in function when making a call, the talk-through mode and an out-of-range alarm with locator function to determine the last position of the handset if it is lost. Playback control is also available and firmware updates can be performed.

Speech intelligibility on the phone

For its price, the Audio-Technica ATH-CKS30TW+’s voice reproduction is remarkably natural and clear. Outdoors, you can communicate perfectly in light wind, but this deteriorates significantly as the wind strength increases, making it almost impossible to understand your own voice in stronger gusts. This works better in a noisy environment, as the voice is slightly foregrounded and communication remains possible. Sidetone also allows you to hear your own voice, making conversations more comfortable.

Noise Cancelling (ANC) and Hear-Through

The feed-forward ANC is particularly effective at attenuating the low-frequency outside world, but it is also noticeable when voices are at least muffled, thanks to a fairly broadband filter. Comparable results can be achieved with more complex sources such as road and construction noise, although the reduction in the upper frequency range is, as expected, minimal.

While the noise cancelling works with very low levels of noise, there is some background noise when using the talk-through function, which increases slightly in hear-through mode. Ambient mode does a very good job of improving external perceptibility and responsiveness thanks to intensive amplification. The talk-through function, on the other hand, makes it easier to follow announcements and hold conversations by automatically reducing the playback volume.

The sound

The Audio-Technica ATH-CKS30TW+ are advertised as having a powerful bass response, and this is certainly the case. The dynamic 9mm drivers already provide an impressive bass foundation for the basic sound, which is designed to be fun for action-packed media fare. With modern music, however, the bass could be a little more defined and powerful, as the rich low bass tends to be a little uncontrolled when required. This tendency is confirmed by the EQ presets ‘Bass Boost – Deep’, ‘Bass Boost – Beat’ and ‘Dynamic’, which further boost the lower frequency range. This makes the (low) bass sound even more voluminous and impressive in games, series or films, but can lose precision and drive in club-oriented music.

On the plus side, the midrange and treble are more assertive, so vocals remain intelligible even with a strong bass emphasis. Even with more complex productions, there is no need to worry about a muddy mix, as the presentation is quite separate.

The little ‘bass monsters’ show a completely different face in ‘Clear’ mode, which surprises with a crisp, much more balanced and spacious reproduction. Switching between the two modes is like switching on the spotlights, as the imaginary stage widens considerably and gains depth. The result is an open, uncluttered soundstage, rich in detail and inviting to conscious listening. If you find the treble a little too sharp, you can adjust the intensity to ‘Mild’.

The bottom line

Audio-Technica’s ATH-CKS30TW+ headphones have a light, handy format and score with a very good ambient mode. This is not matched by the noise cancellation, which is mainly effective in the lower frequency range. The sound of these weatherproof true wireless in-ears is characterised by impressive bass reproduction, which should suit your own listening habits, although the ‘Clear’ mode offers a good alternative.