CCA Falcon (Sound Review)

Intro

Hello, this sound review covers the latest from the audio brand CCA named the CCA Falcon. The Falcon is a 2DD budget range iem which has an MSRP of around $27 but is seemingly on sale on a fairly constant basis. I actually saw a 4th of July sale for $10 at Aliexpress. So, the Falcon is actually meant to be a gaming iem which is specifically meant for 1st person shooters. However, typically some of these “gaming” iems are actually quite awesome for music too. Sets like the EPZ G10, the Celest Wyvern Pro, and many many more which took on a new life in the audiophile budget market. I am not an avid gamer anymore, though in my younger days I ate, slept, and breathed gaming. Truth is, I can’t get started because I won’t want to stop. Definitely something I have to keep myself away from lol. Having said that, my son is the ultimate gamer extraordinaire who masters his craft and has quite literally spent weeks reviewing the sets that are meant for gaming… for me. Yes, you read that right; I contract out any gaming thoughts to my super articulate and ultra discerning son. He’s good at it and I trust his opinion fully. Don’t get me wrong, I will slap on every gaming set and test them out. The problem is that I’m critically listening the whole damn time while like a lame duck I’m getting railed by bullets. So, I’ve had the Falcon with me for roughly about 3 weeks and I actually find this set pretty nice for actual music listening. No doubt they will be for a niche group of listeners, but there’s a lot of those types in that “niche group”.

CCA

CCA, or better said “Clear Concept Audio” has actually been around for a long time. Since 2014 (from my research) in Dongguan, China. Definitely a staple of the budget scene although they’ve always been judged harshly for their apparent connection to KZ. CCA has always been considered a “sister brand” to KZ Audio as they have many very distinguished similarities. Even if there is no public declaration by either brand of their cooperation. However, they mirrored each other perfectly. To the point that it is fairly obvious they are both coming from the same minds, same engineers, same in-house manufacturing, and every CCA release has always walked step-for-step with KZ “Knowledge Zenith”. Same boxes, same eartips, same exact cable, same 2-pin connectors, and all of their iems released with nearly identical frequency graphs, product pricing, and tuning philosophies. You see, CCA has always been considered the more audiophile of the two. However, there definitely seems to have been a slight pulling away from KZ as CCA has begun looking more independent, like its own label. I knew this for sure when I reviewed the CCA Phoenix recently (awesome budget set btw) which most certainly looked much more upscale. Better build, better accessories and clearly better packaging. Almost like a new life, rebranded without changing the branding at all. If you ask me, they’ve done a nice job of positioning themselves of late as an independent brand, even if there are no clean public announcements describing a split. Leave it up to the crazy sonic sleuths that we have in the community.

Reviews

I have reviewed a number of CCA sets over the years. As I said, it seems that they have begun to separate themselves from KZ, but there was a time that I would review just about every release that came out from both brands. Out of the litany of sets that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing there are a handful that stick out as some of my favorites. Sets like the CCA CRA+, the CCA Rhapsody, CCA Duo, the wildly underrated CCA Trio, and one of the best hybrid sets under $150, the CCA Hydro. Of course, I also greatly enjoyed the CCA Phoenix too. While I wouldn’t quite put the Falcon in that group as one of my favorites as far as sound is concerned as it simply isn’t tuned to match perfectly with my preferences, I also can’t take anything away from the tuning for a budget set and for those who may enjoy this particular tuning style. Truth is, it can be a hair polarizing for its tuning and I will certainly get into that. However, when it comes to gaming the Falcon seems to be one of the better budget options.

Sound Review

I should preface this review by stating that this review will be more of a sound review. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I was going to review this set as it is marketed as a “gaming iem” and while we do review “gaming” stuff at MBA, it isn’t our staple and so I’m not dedicating 13,000 words to it. Having said that, the Falcon actually is a very well done “gaming” iem and a very-very niche musical listening type set. I’m telling you folks; I went back and forth about reviewing this one for days. I most definitely am. Not the biggest fan of the tuning, but it does have some redemptive qualities to its sound. Enough for me to look at the attributes of this set, roll ’em all I to a ball, and eventually I decided there is enough upside (mostly for gaming aspects) to review. It’ll be a shorter review than you are used to seeing from me. However, that doesn’t take anything away from what I put into critical listening. With all of that said, I am ready to get this one going folks. So, without further ado, the CCA Falcon…

Non-Affiliated Purchasing Links:

–AliExpress

–Amazon

–Concept Kart

Gear used for testing

–Shanling UP6

–Shanling UA6

–Ifi Go Blu

–Hiby W4

–Shanling H0

–IBasso DX240 with Amp8 MK2

–Shanling M6 Ultra

Quick Overview: Packaging, Build, Design, Internals, Comfort

As I said, this will be centered more around sound, but I will quickly reveal some of the “non-sound” attributes of the Falcon. To begin, CCA outfitted the Falcon with the same packaging as you’ve gotten with every KZ/CCA set for years. Same box, same tips, and same cable (just a different color). Now, the build is pretty great for an ultra-budget iem. Made of hard and crystal-clear plastic on the shells with a sleek and fairly stylish alloy faceplate (comes in black or silver at purchasing). CCA also added in some rather large back vents on the faceplates, making this a semi-open set. Internally CCA decided to go with two dynamic drivers. To be exact, that is one 7 mm DD and one 8 mm DD. Both are LCP (liquid-crystal polymer) drivers. This is a very lightweight iem. If I’m guessing, I’d say that the Falcon can’t be over 8 grams. Very lightweight and very easy on the ears. Really, the comfort is stellar for me and perfect for long gaming or music sessions. Oh, one more thing, the cable also comes in a type-c DSP variant meant specifically for gaming. Honestly, there’s nothing here which surprises me at all. The choice of dual-DDs isn’t what I’d expect for gaming, though you’d be surprised how accurate and clean dynamic drivers can sound when tuned well. Other than that, the Falcon seems like a well built and pretty cool looking budget set that is also pretty darn comfortable.

Drivability / Pairings

Sensitivity & Juice

The CCA Falcon is a very sensitive iem folks. It comes rated with an impedance of right around 25 ohms and a sensitivity of 104 db’s. Again, very sensitive. Actually, there’s no source too weak it seems. I’ve used this set with just about every source that I own (for review purposes) and it can easily be driven to good headroom and solid enough dynamics with anything that I have in hand. That is two old 3.5 single ended Android phones, my iPad, a bunch of weak 3.5 dongle dacs, and even the KZ AN01 as well. Also, this set obviously has to be easy enough to drive that it can be plugged directly into an Xbox controller and sound great, which it does. So basically, you don’t have to worry about driving this set. That said, for music listening I do find that the Falcon comes across better with a touch more juice. I’m saying a simple dongle dac will suffice. As with most iems the Falcon has marginal upgrades like punchier bass, cleaner dynamic thrust, better sound field dimensional cues, and also a touch less sharpness too. You’ll have some decent scaling with a hair more power but there is definitely a plateau effect where scaling with actual amperage no longer improves the sound. I actually feel that most of the improvements in the sound of the Falcon come from simply using better sources, better tonal pairings, and using sources which cater to the tonal characteristics of the Falcon.

Source Pairing

Okay, in my most honest opinion, the source matters the most with this set. Let me just reiterate that the Falcon really is not something I’d reach for when it comes to music playback. However, I actually found that with a warmer source the Falcon is not bad. I will explain later how it isn’t that bad but for now I will tell you that a warm to warm/neutral source does help this set amongst other passive changes. I cannot stand this set with brighter sources. It took me all of about 15 seconds to know that. So, unless you are a treble lover, bright lover, and overall fiend for sprightly and lustrous music then I’d suggest finding a warmer source, if you can. I realize this set is budget and it is meant for gaming, but who knows, maybe it’s the only set you have access to. Anyways, warm to warm/neutral with a touch of added juice if possible.

Sound Impressions

*Note: before I dive headfirst into the sound of this set, I first want to specify a few things that went into my review of the Falcon. First off, I did burn-in the Falcon. I think about 3 full days, give or take. The only aspect of the sound which had any audible change was a touch less abrasiveness in the treble area. What really did the trick for me was the brain burn that I underwent. I used narrow bore eartips for all of the critical listening. I also used the TRN Red chain cable with its 4.4 balanced connection for all music listening as well. My Android music player app of choice is almost always UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) as well as Hiby Music Player and Eddict Player for a few daps. All of my music comes from flac or better files (some MP3) which are stored on my devices.

What’s It Sound Like?

Like I said, I am going to keep this one short as I simply don’t have the same kind of joy as I’d usually get for a review set. Remember, I always review what I enjoy unless a set will likely be enjoyed by many others. The Falcon honestly isn’t bad at all, but it simply doesn’t fit my preferences “musically” like a typical set that I review. Okay, so to me the Falcon is clearly a specialized tuning which is also very clearly meant for gaming. That said, it has its moments on the music side of the aisle as well. For me that would be treble geared music as the treble (at lower volumes) is actually pretty nice for a budget set tuned in this way. Any track which rewards clarity, sound separation, speed, and any track or genre which makes use of the more lustrous treble as well as its stellar imaging capabilities. Now, in my opinion the Falcon is a bright but mild V-shaped iem, yet I wouldn’t argue at all with bright U-shaped as well. The words which come to mind for me are “monitor-like”, “transparent”, “highly articulate”, “punchy”, and also “sharp”, “piercing”, and “vibrant”. Notice each word revolves around the upper portions of the frequency. I find the Falcon to be an analytical-first iem with lighter note weight, very quick transient response, very vivid and lucid note intelligibility, yet also on the dry side too. Every last inflection has a vibrant atmosphere to it, uplifted, very airy, open, and about as clean-lined as it gets due to the transparent nature of the sound… coupled with a black background.

Not Negative, Just Different

Before I go any further, I do want to specify that I don’t listen to this set at my usual higher volumes. I find it is much better a few notches down from that. Not much, but a few volume steps downward takes a hair of the edge off and after brain-burn took effect I actually began to enjoy this set. Granted, I have to be conscious of what tracks I’m playing, but the Falcon most certainly has some very redeeming qualities. Is it my first choice? Absolutely not. In truth, after this review I probably won’t reach for them very often (perhaps at times) and like 70% of the iems I get… I’ll simply give them away. Still, I don’t want this review to be looked at as “negative” because I know plenty of folks who will really enjoy its sound. Just because something doesn’t fit me perfectly doesn’t mean it isn’t good at what it was tuned to be and for whom it is for. Coincidentally, the world doesn’t revolve around me. Something I’ve preached in my reviews and so I’ll try to back that up here. Anyways, the sound is actually highly technical, and every last micro-detail is illuminated very well. That said, the Falcon definitely has its weaknesses, and I will try to outline all of those as we go on in this review.

Bass Region

This is not a bad bass folks. It simply isn’t a very authoritative bass and a higher quality bass than I would’ve expected. Now, it can show up when called upon and give a fairly robust feel to my music. But all things considered the Falcons low-end is all about quality-over-quantity. Bass bois will need to keep looking. Actually, the bass is high on clarity, high on note definition, and sounds scalpel-like in its separation between the mid-bass and the sub-bass. To me stuff like kick drums, bass guitars, as well as those fast synth bass moments always stay clean and separated yet with a modest weight and less “feel” than I’d like. There is some sublevel haptic recognition in tracks with a heavier sub-bass presence, but the sub-bass will never show its face unless it’s called upon. Same goes for the mid-bass although I do hear a very nice punch to the Falcon in this range. That hard, tightly wound, and speedy start and stop dynamic punch is actually quite solid on many tracks. Songs like “Anthem Pt. 3” by Blink-182 sounds awesome. The Falcon dissects every last blazing fast drum hit very well. However, this is not the set for you if you desire a juddering bass guitar, a deep and rotund bass drop, and it doesn’t have that meaty and weighted expression of the lower ranges as some would like. Again, quality-over-quantity. Now, the bass also doesn’t warm the mix very much due to what could be thought of as a bass tuck. Meaning, the bass shelf slopes down tight right before the midrange leaving low-mids notes very clean, but also less rich and warm. Not bad at all, but it’s definitely in the niche and selective genre category. The good qualities are that the bass is very highly textured for a budget set, very agile and speedy, clean note definition, it’s somewhat punchy, and it upholds full frequency clarity.

Midrange

The midrange is one I’d call mildly forward, on the leaner side, analytically inclined, vibrant, and forensic in its detail recovery. I’d most definitely say that the Falcon’s midrange has an obvious and strong bias towards airiness, separation, and note articulation over warmth, richness, and traditional musicality. Timbre is less natural, brighter, and clearly focused towards the upper-midrange. To my ears the lower midrange does have a slight recession as well as a dryer and less bold sound. For instance, male vocalists don’t really give me that natural chesty vocal timbre. Throughout the midrange instruments can (at times) sound somewhat edgy, very textured, but not outright abrasive. Not quite anyways. CCA did a decent job of holding back just enough, and the sound of these DD’s does keep some nice control straying from straight-up coarseness without losing all tone color. There are actually plenty of tracks which sound great, and of course plenty which get a touch too sharp and for me sounds better on lower volumes. Female vocalists are full of clarity along with guitars, piano, etc. having a certain prominence, presence, and tactility to them along with some nice shimmer. Woodwinds tend to do well for me. The mids as a whole lean cool, they lean radiant, and they have excellent note separation, solid positioning of instruments, and nice vertical layering. For all of those reasons the Falcon clearly is strong at the gaming aspect but more polarizing for music listening. The mids are strong in just about every technical aspect yet fall short for anyone who desires that richer and warmer portrayal of their music. So, once again the theme of this set’s midrange will always cater to bright, airy, and more effervescent tracks which take advantage of its clarity and transparency.

Treble

If you haven’t already figured it out, the treble region is on the brighter side. This is a treble full of sparkle and would actually fit treble heads very well for a budget set. Trust me, that is not something I have said very often. Usually the words “treble head” and “budget” don’t mix very well. However, the treble has great note control. Sure, there are moments of some treble tizz, some slight smearing (should be expected), as well as some treble sheen, but for the most part I hear excellent note control. The Falcon has plenty of edgy treble bite, some treble punch, and it has sparkles everywhere. Another great quality for a budget treble is the extension into the highest of highs. Timbre isn’t perfect and can sound a bit forced (CCA did so for gaming), perhaps a bit artificial, but anyone who really enjoys an unsullied, highly lucid and clarity-rich sound will adore what CCA was able to do up top. Most consonants carry a very outward presence, they’re lively, spirited, and articulate. The same goes for stuff like cymbals, hi-hats, upper harmonics of guitars, violin, flute, and even some very nice vocal overtones (when I’m paying attention to it). Top octaves simply have this vivid and immediate feel to them which is actually very-very nice at times. I’m telling you that the treble may be bright, and it may be too sharp for some of you but it’s also very clean, very talented (for an ultra-budget set), with carved note contours, almost etched note outlines, and once again some of the better detail retrieval that you’ll hear at this cost. No doubt about it. The obvious trade-offs are that the treble can be fatiguing, sibilance can be an issue on sibilant prone tracks, aggressive cymbals can sound splashy and too sheened in luster. That said, it also has high perceived resolution and all the clean edge definition and texture that you’d want at a budget cost.

Technicalities

Now we get to the bread-and-butter of this set. The reason why it was tuned this way in the first place was to accentuate the technical aspects of sound for use in first person gaming situations. Well, obviously that helps tremendously for music listening too. Especially for those who greatly desire a highly analytical and clinical sound that uncovers details for a living. Overall, I hear far better than average (for an ultra-budget set) detail retrieval as well as clean and clear note separation. Of course, the Falcon was tuned in this way on purpose. Truth is, you’d be hard pressed to find many sets in the Falcon’s price point which can walk step-for-step when it comes to straight technical replay. Sure, there are a handful, but it isn’t typical of this cost range. I’d also say that the Falcon does have some nice vertical layering as well as some front to back as well. Imaging is its bread and butter and clearly the Falcon is far better than the average set for this purpose. After all, it is a gaming iem. Now, the soundstage is not the largest, widest, or deepest. What makes this sound field so nice is how orderly and how precise the sound field is. Nothing cramped, nothing narrow, and the stage is layered well enough. It doesn’t have to be huge. That said, it’s still very solid in width, great height, and even some depth of field too. Just like I’ve said in this entire review; the CCA Falcon is an analytical-first iem which was crafted to uncover details and create a finely displayed stage. For the cost it’s great.

Gaming

In truth, this set is very good for gaming. CCA sought out to create a budget range iem that will actually help gamers in their competitive journey. Friends, my son is a super gamer and I let him use this set for a few days. He literally tests out every one of the “gaming” iems that I get. I too tested them as well (for gaming) but I don’t have the skill set of my son. Anyways, we both concluded that hearing footsteps is crystal clear. Placing them is as well. But it isn’t just footsteps. I’m telling you, I tried the EPZ G10, and the Celest Wyvern Pro while I was in this review as it was a very-very fun exercise for my kid and I. I promise that both of those sets cannot hold a candle to the Falcon. The G10 came close, but the more prominent bass did clutter the sound field more. The Falcon dusted them both and both of those sets were marketed as “gaming” iems. You see, so often these budget range gaming iems are just slapped with a sticker and fed to the public as a specifically tuned set for gaming. Friends, they almost never are. Believe that. However, CCA did their homework and really did create a set that uncovers the enemy in FPS gaming with a smart tuning. The entire sound field is crystal clear too. Which may be a good thing or not. I say that because while it is crystalline and transparent, it also lacks bass for explosions and isn’t quite as cinematic as I’d like. That said, I’m not a competitive gamer. My kid is. He loves the Falcon and could care less how realistic bombs sound. The Falcon has very tight and speedy transients, fast drivers, a boosted top end which illuminates the sound field, and no bass masking any part of the spectrum. Lastly, the Falcon is so easy to drive and gives controllers, phones, dongles, or computers plenty of sensitivity to sound both loud and dynamic too.

Genres

As per usual I have to add in the “Genres” section because I really don’t think an iem review is complete without at least some direction in this regard. In any event, speaking on what genres work well and which genres don’t is a wholly subjective thing to speak on. I want you to keep that in mind. Just because I think the Falcon pairs well with a genre doesn’t mean that you will. Also, for every “good genre” I can easily find songs that don’t pair nicely and vice-versa with genres that I don’t feel work well with the Falcon. So, there are some definite caveats to what you read here. I’m simply giving you baseline, generic, and totally generalized thoughts right now. I always say you shouldn’t take these thoughts as a grain of salt because I do try to get these right. However, you should question everything I’m saying. Of course, you should do that for every reviewer for every set… period.

Genres Which Work

As polarizing as the Falcon is, it still has a good upside in many ways, especially for a budget iem. Obviously, it won’t fit everyone and obviously it is not by any means an “all-rounder” set, but the Falcon may surprise you. So, I would say that the Falcon does fairly well with any type of Pop music, especially female vocal lead energetic tracks. It has that clean separation and upper mid emphasis which seems to cater to most Pop/KPop style tracks. Next, I have a fondness for Classical music with this set, which surprised me. The brighter top end does wonders for strings, it has great separation in denser mixes/tracks, nice bottom to top layering of the sound field and it has a nice crispness to its sound. Also, the Falcon actually does have a symphonic quality to its sound. I also enjoy “most” of my Jazz tracks. There’s a little lack of low-end warmth at times, but stuff like cymbal details, clinical separation, and individual instruments come through very-very well. I would also say that most Rock music works nicely with this set. I say that because once again the separation in busy tracks works wonders. Also, the Falcon has that immediate and energetic feel which is nice for obvious reasons with any kind of Rock music (Classic, Hard, Progressive). Another “genre” (not really a genre) which actually sound kind of great with the Falcon is Live music. The sense of space, cleanliness, and detail retrieval ability along with the nice dimensional playback helps a lot. Anyways, I just wanted to give you a slight road map as to what works. Obviously, there are other genres which also sound great, but I don’t want to be here forever writing this. You get the picture.

Not So Great Genres

Now, as for the genres which don’t quite do as well, they all center around two aspects of the Falcon’s tuning that I’ve already laid out within this review multiple times. That is, the lack of bass weight and authority as well as the sharper and more brilliant top end. The slight lack of bass weight literally takes out a small multitude of genres right away. Like EDM, Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B, Dubstep, and the lack of bass also takes out any Soul music, or Trap stuff. Each one of those sounds much more like the artist intends with either more warmth, bass bullishness, or thicker/lusher note richness. Past the bass is the other issue of being too bright which affects any Metal music pretty badly. This is NOT a Metal set. Cymbals sound a hair too aggressive in raucous tracks, and vibrant electric guitar play can sound downright fatiguing. So, I hope this gives you at least a slight understanding of what to expect with your favorite genres and how the Falcon will react. At least from my perspective.

Last Words on the CCA Falcon

I usually only review sets that I’m very-very happy with. While the Falcon isn’t my favorite set within the budget range, I can’t say that it isn’t a quality iem. It most certainly is. Furthermore, the gaming aspect of this set is its true bread-and-butter. CCA absolutely nailed their target tuning by creating an iem that does a fantastic job of both imaging of the sound field and creating a l dimensionally realistic soundscape which definitely gives the gamer a slight edge over those who use over-ear cans or traditional gaming sets. Still, the music playback is not a true Achilles heel either. I found that after a little brain burn and some selective listening that I had a wonderful time with the Falcon. Now, would I spend my own money to own it? No, I would not. Perhaps for gaming but not for music. It simply is a hair too illuminated to fit me perfectly. Yes, I can have a great listening session, but I prefer sets that I don’t have to be quite as selective about what tracks I play. That’s me though. I know a huge number of people who adore sets tuned in this way. Budget treble heads have their iem and any true analytical-head is going to love the Falcon. I say all of that because I want to get one thing clear; just because the sound doesn’t fit my personal preference perfectly, doesn’t mean it isn’t easily worth the small cost to own it. 1000% YES… it is worth it!

The Why…

Because the CCA Falcon is a very well-built set made of hard plastic/resin as well as a dope alloy faceplate which makes for such a cool design. Think of the budget sets out there folks. How many look as slick as the Falcon? CCA tuned this set to be an absolute analytical beast with a crystalline note delivery, very high resolution, awesome note separation, and detail retrieval ability that rival sets which cost twice as much, maybe more. While the bass isn’t super bullish, it is of very high quality for the cost. This is a speedy bass which can navigate even ultra-complicated bass passages with relative ease, and it does have a clean and punchy nature with very solid note texture. Next, the midrange leaves nothing to the imagination as every last inflection, every last minute micro-dynamic volume shift, and every last subtle bit of minutiae is easily heard. Females do nicely with a lively upper midrange and a very airy sound. The treble is lively, detailed, crisp, and very well extended. I’d say the entire range is very cohesive as all transients (frequency wide) walk step-for-step with a very tight attack through sustain and a quick reflex dynamism that is actually great for such a low cost. However, the real worth of this set is in its ability to provide gamers with that imaging advantage. The crystal-clear delivery, the spacious delivery, the highly clinical details, and the Falcon’s ability to place footsteps is top notch for the price range. For gamers this set is a no brainer. An absolute bona-fide stud when it comes to gaming.

Polarizing

Obviously, the Falcon won’t fit everyone perfectly. I think that the budget range has so many fantastic iems and without question there will be something for everyone. So, while the Falcon does very well with particular genres and gaming, I can easily declare that the Falcon will probably be considered a polarizing set. I’d even say for gamers too. Many gamers like a set which can provide a cinematic value to their gaming session rather than an analytical-based and super precise experience. I do think that even some gamers may get a titch of fatigue over long sessions with the Falcon. Still, I am very impressed with CCA in that they set out to create a competitive gaming iem, and I think they really did a solid job of delivering just that.

Conclusion

To conclude my full “sound review” of the CCA Falcon, I first have to thank CCA for providing this set for review. I greatly appreciate it. CCA has been nothing but easy to work with as they were patient with me and waited it out as my backlog is very large. Again, thank you. Of course, my thanks extend to the reader as well. Thank you very much for taking the time to actually click the link and stick around long enough to read these words. You are the few who are brave enough. I thank you. It means everything to the website (mobileaudiophile.com). We survive on clicks and time spent here, so thank you very much.

Other perspectives

Now that you’ve read this review, I hope you will click some more links and check out other reviews of the CCA Falcon. This is such a subjective and personal hobby folks. No two people are exactly alike. We all have different tastes, different likes and dislikes, different gear, different music libraries, and we all haven’t been down the same journey through audio. So, I do hope you take the time to read other thoughts. There are so many amazing reviewers who also want to help and may make it easier for you to find where you want to spend your hard-earned money. With that, I’m done! I hope each of you are doing well and good. Take care, stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless!

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Budget cca CCA_Falcon chifi DualDD Gaming_IEM Iem Inear review