Audio-Technica ATH-CKM300iS: A Cute Little Piece of Heaven

From Left to Right: a.) The in-ears b.) The control panel pause
button c.) the main jack d.) accessory jack

This is my next follow up post to the Beyerdynamic dt990 Pros. It’s a review about an in-ear headphone that doesn’t seem to have enough exposure or reviews in the internet as I would like it to be, but that’s just me. That in-ear is called the Audio-Technica ATH-CKM300iS. Like the Beyerdynamic dt990 which is overshadowed by the Beyerdynamic dt880. The Audio-Technica ATH-CKM300iS is the overshadowed little brother to the Audio Technica ATH-CKM500. As opposed to my previous post, I’m dealing with a piece of audio equipment below $100 (Php 4, 300). Hopefully, I’ll be able to give enough confidence to potential buyers of this little in-ear to pull the trigger without regrets.

The Audio-Technica ATH-CKM300iS is currently my main in-ear for portable use, and I simply love it. I use it when I commute to school, when I’m at school, and when I commute home for a minimum usage of 3-5 hours a day. It’s not the best, but for its price point, and its usability I daresay that you’ll be using it for a very, very long time before you decide to replace it with a better in-ear.

Build

Pretty minimalist packaging, eh?

                The build at its size is almost close to trivial, but I am compelled to talk of the salient points within its eclectic design so that you may better understand the practical purpose behind the beehive look. The in-ear is made entirely of plastic housing with a thin glossy paint cover to make it look sleek, shiny, and attractive to a certain degree. First thing I have to discuss is the angled direction of the speaker unit, and the reason behind its angular direction is to make placing the in-ears properly in your ear canals a lot faster than the traditional design of most in-ears because the traditional design will cause you to place the in-ears approximately 0 degrees horizontally into your ear which will make the sound bounce around because the speaker unit is being blocked by a part of your ear, and is not directly in the canal. The design makes it so that placing it approx. 0 degrees horizontally will insert the speaker unit directly into your ear canal, thus, maximizing the in-ears sound quality. The beehive shape of the housing is supposed to house brass rings that circumvent the dynamic drivers to produce a clean, and tight bass response (but that’s just a claim, I’m not if it really does that). Contrary to the way the housing looks, it doesn’t increase isolation in any way possible. It is merely for faster ear placement of the in-ear. Honestly, the build is nothing to brag about, but, hey, when have headphones just been about looks right?

Comfort/Fit

                It comes with 3-sizes of single-flanged silicone buds from large-small that are kind of thin so don’t expect a lot of noise isolation, but do expect a good fit that’s comfortable for hours and hours of travel time. However, fit is kind of awkward, at first, but once you get used to it (maybe after around an hour of listening) they’ll feel just like any other universal fit in-ear out there. Its comfort is pretty good, and by “good” I mean just like how any other universal fit in-ear “should” feel.

Noise Isolation

                I’ll be honest, I was underwhelmed by the Audio-Technica’s noise isolation. It’s “almost” like an open-backed headphone except that it shaves off 10-12 db of noise from all external stimuli. 10-12 db may sound like a lot, but that’s only if you’re looking at music or an equalizer. The audible human voice is around 40+ db and Public transportation can go for 60-70 db so yes, now you know how underwhelming the noise isolation really is. However, I’ve found quite a use for this mediocre noise isolation, and that’s using the Audio-Technicas as ear plugs during concerts, New Year, and etc. The few db shaved off keep your ears safe from sound damage, and still allow you to communicate with others EVEN IF you’re listening to music (at tame, but decently audible volumes of course). This other use for its tame noise isolation doesn’t save the Audio-Technicas from my book though because it just won’t cut it for the primary use of the in-ears, and that’s listening to music while commuting which is a noisy endeavour in itself so you’d have to crank up the volume to (in my opinion) insane levels (my normal volume is around half the bar, I consider ¾ of the bar insanely loud).

Accessories

                The Audio-Technica ATH-CKM300iS comes with a small carrying pouch that is sufficient in size to store only the in-ears. Three single-flanged silicone buds ranging from small-medium-large. It also comes with an accessory jack whose purpose is an enigma to me (never used it, never needed it). The in-ear has a control panel (more of an accession than an accessory) that is compatible with android smartphones. The control panel comes with its own volume control for those who can’t be bothered to reach into their pockets or for those who want to fine tune the volume, a button which acts as an instant pause for the music, and a mic to provide a crystal clear voice signal to the receiving party although the same cannot be said for you. Pretty tame, I know, but sufficient for your commuting needs because who in the world (who am I kidding, there are people like this) would be messing around with headphone accessories while commuting when they know it’s not safe?

Sound Quality

Comes in four different colours, actually
I own the blue colour, which isn't here hehe

                The first time, I used these babies. I thought, “Wow, this is really tame…do I really want to buy this?” However, as you can see, I bought them due to necessity. They sounded better than most of the cheaper models I could afford, had a control panel, and a pouch so I ended up buying them for Php3000 ($75 more or less, but they’re selling for $65-68 in the US). The bass response was pretty good considering it had a lot of bass quantity with above-average bass quality. It presented drums and bass guitars with this kind of “fun” quality that made them an easy listen, and sometimes, if the passage was good enough, they could even put a smile on my face considering how much they were worth. It gave the low-frequencies that nice kick every time you heard them, injecting a little more excitement to songs that would normally be pretty mellow, and, at times, outright boring (depends on my mood). The Treble doesn’t really stand out, and that’s what makes it stand out. It’s just there, ever present, not trying to pull your attention to it in any other way then by doing what it’s meant to do. To simplify the Treble, it’s clean, and sufficiently detailed so that you’ll be none the wiser if any really subtle details were missed. The Audio-Technicas execute instruments like chimes, triangles, and etc. with a quality that makes you feel that the *tings* of these instruments resonate into your ear with a satisfying clarity that will just amaze you to no end. The mids of these in-ears, like the Beyerdynamic dt990s, were the stars of the frequency curve. It simply eats violins, pianos (in their midrange area), acoustic guitars, and female voices, and spews them to your ears with such creaminess that you’ll look back at your purchase, and be proud of your decision. In terms of soundstage, it’s like a narrow room with 3 chairs per row, but the fact that it allows you to experience a soundstage is pretty neat because most in-ears just tend to use your skull as a soundstage, and it can get pretty messed up if you knew that you’re injecting voices into your head. So at this price point, how can a soundstage presence go wrong?

Conclusion

                It’s not exactly the best buy around the block, but the Audio-Technica ATH-CKM300iS is a pretty good buy for its price. Considering that you get a decent amount of functionality, and practical uses out of an in-ear that’s only supposed to have one and only one purpose for its creation. I would recommend this to anyone with a budget below $100 (Php 4,300), but there are better sounding earphones out there at the same price range. So it’s up to you if you want to pull the trigger or not, the sound signature is the thing that’ll seal the deal.

*I’ll probably be doing reviews on the Shure SRH750DJ budget over-the-ears, and the Creative Gigaworks T3 2.1 speaker system over the course of August*

Beyerdynamic dt990 Pro review: A Blast of Them Good Sounds

            I know this might be a little out of context with my first post, but this blog is meant to be a placewhere I can share my interests with others, and I’d love to share a piece of effort from my long-time passion: audio. This has been a long time coming so here I go:

            I’m an avid music lover who enjoys a good headphone that can make music playback a joy to experience over and over again. I listen to anything under the sun so I’ve no qualms listening to even the most eclectic, dubious, and questionable musical content so long as the recording isn’t a bunch of rubbish, and today I’m going to publish my first ever headphone review which concerns the Beyerdynamic dt990 Pro (250 ohms) model which was re-released in 2012. In my forays through the world of headphones, I have often come across criticisms about the Beyerdynamic dt990s overemphasized and harsh highs that make it an extreme pain to listen to for extended periods. However, in my initial listening tests on these cans I find that they are anything but. These are an exceptional pair of cans whose pros far outweigh its cons.

The Beyerdynamic dt990s. Photo courtesy of Kenrockwell.com where another review is located.

Build

Firstly, I’ll start off with build quality, and honestly I can say with the utmost confidence that it’s build is sturdy, sleek, and comfortable. When I first saw these cans, the first thing that caught my eye were the louvered aluminium grilles that hinted towards its open-back design, and upon closer inspection I saw a filter hidden behind the grilles, and was assured that the drivers would remain relatively safe from any unnecessary dust particles that may enter and damage the drivers. The fork shaped aluminium supports didn’t exactly give me a good feeling, at first, because it seemed pretty thin, and felt like you could bend it with a decent amount of force; however, this is forgivable due to the Beyer dt990s aim to be light and comfortable. The headband which is aluminium coated with memory foam (so they say), and rugged looking pleather is pretty decent despite the fact that it doesn’t cover a larger part of the aluminium supports. There are also some areas with plastic like the rest of the driver covers, except the grilles, but the high –quality plastic used for its construction is shows that it was made with a great amount craftsmanship so you need not worry about any possible damage from powerful impacts. I’d be willing to bet if you stepped on the driver cover, you wouldn’t even make a dent on it. The cable is where my main problem with the Beyerdynamic dt990 lies, and it’s not because its construction looks dubious, rather it lies in the fact that the cable is not detachable. Not only does this increase the possibility of cable damage from the part where it is attached to the headphone, but it also makes cable replacement near impossible unless you’ve got the guts to solder a new wire in yourself. Considering the slim chance that you’ll be able to solder a new wire in yourself, you’d merely be forced to buy another headphone altogether, but fret not the included “leather” case (This is what Beyerdynamic claims) will keep the cans, and its cables relatively safe from harm to keep it alive, well, and slaving over your ears for years to come. The velour pads are a nice detour from the pleather pads of most other headphones. Even though it “looks” kind of cheap, the quality of the pads is not to be doubted because they feel smooth and light over the ear, unlike cheaper ones which tend to feel furry, fuzzy, and can get itchy over extended periods. However, be warned that velour tends to be a dust, dirt, oil, and water magnet so make sure your face is clean if you don’t want these pads to deteriorate too quickly.

Comfort

The Velour Pads. Gaze in the black abyss of comfort~

The comfort of the Beyerdynamic dt990 Pros is a force to be reckoned with. No headphone I’ve ever tried on feels like it’s not even there when you listen to music so rest assured that you audiophiles with tons of free time can listen for uber-extended periods, and not feel a thing or even forget you had these things on. The lightweight aluminium construction, high-quality velour pads, and memory foam headband all lend to this amazing feeling you get the moment you put them on. All I can say is that these feel like they’re designed to work hand-in-hand with your ears, scalp, hair, and skin, and not go against the natural workings of our bodies unlike many other headphones that have extremely shallow, small, and clampy ear cups that could cauliflower your ears as if you’d been hit on the ears too many times. THEY. JUST. WORK.

Sound Quality

            The sound quality of the Beyerdynamic dt990 Pros, in my opinion, are a pair of “fun” sounding headphones, and are in nowhere near the word “neutral” so if you want reference cans, go look elsewhere. The Beyers sound signature is very much different from what I was expecting from it. I was, at first, expecting, and dreading the so-called “harsh treble” of these cans, but I heard no such quality in the highs. The highs are present, but not overpowering. They are smooth, clear, and pleasing to my ear. Bass is clean, and  tight although a bit boomy for my musical sensibilities (nothing a bit of Eq’ing can’t solve, but I know some people scoff at Eq’ing their cans), but the boominess doesn’t necessarily equate to muddiness, and incoherence because, just like the treble, the mid-bass is just emphasized (not overemphasized) to a level where you will be able to hear the clarity of the clarity of drum impact with enough detail to reveal the subterranean layers that only a great headphone can produce. Sub-bass may not be on par with the mid-bass though, because it just lacks the presence of the mid-bass, but nonetheless offers a good, clean, and tight sound for you to enjoy. The Beyers are in no way basshead cans like the Phillips Fidelio X1, but for an open-back headphone, the amount of bass is more than enough to satisfy any audiophile yearning for a full bodied low-end. Mids are perhaps the best the Beyerdynamics have to offer because this area of the frequency curve is not at all overshadowed by the emphasized lows and highs, but rather the recessed mids create a sense of distance between the listener, and the vocals that impose upon the listener a greater sense of sound staging. With the frequency curve over with, I’d like to introduce sound staging which is where the Beyers excel at for their price point. The soundstage simply envelops, and mesmerizes. To me, the song “Bluebirds” by The Wilderness of Manitoba shows exactly this quality at its peak. The vocals are heard with an almost airy, cleanliness that resonate inside the small forest (which is the soundstage) along with the bird chirps. Each guitar pluck, and strum is heard with a kind of reverberation that only a small room where a gig is being held can create. Imagine being in a private performance with the artist with you being 10-12 seats away from the stage, and that’s basically the Beyerdynamic dt990s soundstage. These cans’ detail retrieval and instrument separation is simply breath taking for its price point. For this purpose, I used Sara K’s excellently recorded album “Play On Words” where instrument separation is paramount. I mean imagine hearing not only a violin’s note, but also the sound of the contact with the string. Imagine each Gipson guitar pluck, and strum heard cleanly, and separately. Imagine hearing the piano’s tiny hammer hit the string along with the note. Imagine hearing a drum kit loud and clear as the impact resonates through the studio while also being able to determine the distance from the mic. Now imagine all these instruments being played at once, with all those qualities I just iterated present in the music. Simply. Eargasmic.

Conclusion

            The Beyerdynamic dt990 Pro (250 ohms) are worth every penny you can put into it if you don’t have enough money for the more expensive Beyerdynamic dt990 premium (600 ohms), but I recommend the Premiums if you have the money to spend for a more capable amp because most budget amps just won’t cut it at this point since if you have the premiums you might also have some other exceedingly difficult-to-drive headphones lying around (e.g. Stax Electrostatic cans, Hifiman HE-600 *shudder*, and etc.) However, there is a much cheaper alternative which is the Beyerdynamic dt990 Portable (32 ohms) for your music player. If you don’t have one of these, go get one now! Your missing out on a good opportunity in your journey to audio nirvana my friends. The journey is where the joy is so don’t take shortcuts.

Warhammer 40,000: Relihiyon, Teknolohiya, at Pamahalaan, at Taong Masa. Mga Binhi ng Isang Malaking Digmaan?

Necron Lord (nasa pinakaharap)
at mga Space Marines na nilalabanan ang Necrons

         Ano ba talaga ang hinaharap ng mundo? Tahimik na nakikipagtunggali ang Islam at Simbahang Katoliko. Unti-unting kinakain ng Kapitalismo ang mga naghihirap upang mapaikot ang lamang ang mundo. Ang mga Pamahalaang nagpapakita lamang ng ninanais nilang ipakita, iniiwan ang mga pananagutang hindi kayang kagatin, at ibinabaon ang hindi nilang ninanais upang malimot. Kung ganyan ang sitwasyon ng mundo, Ano na ngayon ang Globalisasyon? Ito ang mga tanong na lumalabas sa larong Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War: Dark Crusade kung saan nagsasalubong ang pitong pangkatin na binubuo ng Space Marines, Chaos, Imperial Guard, Necrons, Orks, Tau, at Eldar magsisilabanan upang mamuno sa planetang Kronus kung saan inirerepresenta ng bawat pangkat at ang relasyon nito sa mga kalaban at layunin ng talang ito na isuri ang larong ito bilang salamin sa paraan ng pag-isip ng mundo sa panahong inilabas ito. 

God-Emperor of Mankind

           Unang-una, bibigyan ko muna kayo ng isang introduksyon sa pitong pangkatin na nasa larong ito. Ang pinakamalakas, mapanampalataya, at matibay na mandirigma ng God-Emperor of Mankind ang mga Space Marines na bunga ng “genetic experimentation” at tinuturing bilang The Emperor’s Angels of Death ng Imperium of Man ngunit sila rin ang may pinkakaunting bilang sa buong laro. Susunod naman ang Imperial Guard na binubuo ng bilyon-bilyong mga karaniwang lalaki at babae na nagmumula sa iba’t ibang planeta at karaniwang napipilitan lamang lumahok upang maprotektahan ang Imperium of Man mula sa napakaraming digmaang sabay-sabay na nangyayari sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Imperium. Binubuo naman ng “sinasabing” masamang elemento ng Chaos naman ang pangkat na binubuo ng mga Space Marines, Imperial Guard, atbp. na sumasamba sa Ruinous Powers na sina Khorne, Diyos ng Digmaan at Dugo, Tzeench, Diyos ng Kaalaman at Kasinungalingan, Nurgle, Diyos ng Sakit at Kamatayan, at Slaanesh, Diyos/Diyosa ng Sobra. Tinuturing na erehe ang mga nawawalay sa daan ng Emperor at pumupunta sa Chaos upang maging makapangyarihan. Necrons naman ang mga taong bakal na iisa lang ang layon at ito ay ang pagpatay ng buhay sa buong kalawakan gamit ng kanilang na teknolohiya. Orks ang pinakaprimitibo na pangkat sa buong laro ngunit malakas sila dahil sing dami nila ang Imperial Guard at magsing lakas naman sa Space Marines. Kagustuhan ng kanilang lahi ang walang tigil na paglaban kaya hindi sila katulad ng Necrons na pumapatay dahil ito lang ang alam nila. Para sa Orks isang libangan ang pagpapatay ng kahit sino, pati ang isa’t isa. Nakasalalay naman sa matuso na Eldar ang pagmanipula ng unang anim na binanggit upang maglabanan ang mga ito na hindi narurumihan ang kamay ng Eldar sapagkat kakaunti lamang ang natitira sa kanila subalit nasa kamay rin ng mga kakaunting Eldar na ito ang susi upang matalo ang Chaos at ang paraan upang matigil ang muling pagbalik ng mga Necrons.

Khornate Berserker

Chaos Sorcerer ni Tzeench

Plague Marine ni Nurgle

Noise Marine ni Slaanesh

Space Marine ng Blood Ravens Chapter
na lumahok sa Digmaan ng Kronus

Makikita sa mga paglalarawan ng mga pangkatin na may sinasalamin silang mga pangkat rin sa ating realidad. Ang Space Marines bilang representasyon ng Simbahang Katoliko na makikita sa pinangangatawan nila bilang representasyon ng kapangyarihan ng Emperor na walang hanggan na kagaya ng mga Space Marines at ng kanilang “genetic alterations” na nagbibgay sa kanila ng buhay na halos walang hanggan, lakas na walang karibal, at ang respeto at takot ng tao sa kanilang kapangyarihan na maihahalintulad sa pagtingin ng isang pangkaraniwang tao sa Simbahang Katoliko. Sumisimbolo sila sa mga taong lumalaban ng walang katanong-tanong sa leksyon ng Simbahang Katoliko at ito rin ang mga taong walang pakialam kung ang pinapatay nila ay inosente o masama. Basta kung kaaway nito ang pananampalataya, kailangang patayin iyan. Tulad ng Space Marines na may nakakabighaning kapangyarihan, malayo na ang mga taong iyon sa mga kanilang kapwa tao dahil naniniwala silang humigit na sila sa mata ng Diyos at hindi na sila dapat makikipaghalubilo sa mga kapwa sapagkat sa kanilang balikuko na pagtingin, natamo na nila ang buhay na walang kamatayan.

Labanan ng isang Possessed Chaos Space Marine
(itaas) at Adeptus Custodes(ibaba)

Salamin ng mga relihiyong katunggali ng Simbahang Katoliko ang Chaos dahil, katulad ng Islam, ang ipinapakitang mga gawain at imahe nito ay punong-puno ng kasamaan, kawalan ng moralidad, at kung ano pang pangit sa aspeto ng mga relihiyong ito. Ginagamit rin ng Dark Crusade ang mga diyos ng Chaos upang mailarawan kung gaano kasama ang mga nawawalay mula sa Imperium bilang mga tagasuporta ng dimonyo. Kasama na rito ang kanilang paglalarawan bilang mga taong naging halimaw dahil sa kanilang pagpili ng isang masamang pananampalatya sa ilalim ng mga diyos na ito at ang binibiyayang kapangyarihan ng mga diyos na ito sa pamamagitan ng unti-unting pagpalit ng pisikal na anyo sa kanilang mga alagad hanggang sa maging dimonyo na rin ang mga ito sa pisikal at sa loobin. Mamamalayan natin mula riyan ang ipinapakitang pagtingin ng Simbahang Katoliko sa mga katunggali nito. Pangit, walang pagkatao, dimonyo, tukso, at kung ano pang pwedeng pagsiraan nito. Maisasabi na hanggang sa sabi-sabihan, at paglalarawan lamang ang kapangyarihan ng Simbahang Katoliko upang ipaglaban ang sarili nito. Ginagamit nito ang yaong malakas na paniniwala ng alagad nito upang paslangin ang mga kalaban na hindi sumusunod sa kanyang doktrina.

            

Necron Warrior

            Ang mga Necrons ay sumisimbolo sa pagbangon ng teknolohiya na lumalaki lamang sa bawat araw na dumaraan. May kapangyarihan rin silang gawing Necron ang mga piling tao na may katangiang espesyal na tinatawag bilang Pariah gene. May repleksyon ito sa nangyayaring transpormasyon ng mundo sa panig ng teknolohiya kung saan maihahalintulad ang mga tao ngayon sa mga taong halos nawalan na ng kahit anong kamalayan ng mundo dahil nadala na sila nang tuluyan at naging parang Necron na rin. Sa paniniwala ko, ang Necrons ay ang pinakamalaking ehemplo ng dominasyon ng teknolohiya sa buhay ng tao sa ating kasalukuyan mula sa Dark Crusade

            

Ork WAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!

            Ang mga Orks rin, katulad ng Necrons, ay may katutubong ugali na nakikita sa kanila at ito ang hilig sa paglaban at pagpatay ngunit hindi silang sandaang porsyentong magkapareho sa Necrons dahil mayroon pa silang kamalayan at pag-iisip na umiiral sa kakayahan nilang gumawa ng iba pang bagay maliban sa pagpatay. Nasa klasipikasyon ng Ork ang mga taong malalim na ang nahulugan mula sa pag-iral ng teknolohiya subalit may kakayahan pa silang tumanggi sa tawag ng teknolohiya. Mabibigyan ng konkretong ebidensya ang pagkakaiba ng Orks sa Necrons kung tumingin sa kanilang teknolohiya sapagkat ang teknolohiya ng Orks ay payak, mabasura, at delikado habang halos walang kapintasan ang antas ng teknolohiya ng Necrons mula sa mga bakal nilang katawan hanggang sa kanilang Gauss Weaponry. Mamamasdan mula sa Orks ang binhi ng dominasyon ng teknolohiya.

Eldar Warhost

                Ang Eldar naman ang nagrerepresenta ng kakaunti, makapangyarihan, at mapagmanipulang mga pamahalaan sa kasalukuyang panahon dahil ang katutubong ugali ng Eldar ang yaong mababa ang tingin sa mga primitibong lahi tulad ng tao, Orks, Tau, atbp dahil ang mga Eldar ang pinakamatandta at tagataglay ng karunungan na walang kakumpara. Labis silang mahilig sa mga taktikang nagsisimula ng laban sa pagitan ng kanilang mga kalaban at hindi sila sasali hangga’t kaya nilang manood sa likuran ng labanan. Katulad rin ng mga modernong pamahalaan ang katutubong ugali at pag-iisip ng Eldar. Higit na gugustuhin ng isang pamahalaan ngayon ang pamamaraan na ginagamit ng Eldar. Lahat ng mga ito ay nagbibigay ng isang negatibong imahe ng saloobin ng mga pamahalaan ngayon dahil sinasagot lamang ng katauhan ng Eldar bilang isang lahi ang mga tanong na hindi natin agad-agad na makikita sa ating mga pamahalaan.

Ang paglusob ng Cadian 8th Regiment ng Imperial Guard

                Buhat-buhat ng Imperial Guard ang imahen ng babe’t lalaking walang mukha. Sila ang mga taong nalilimot, ang mga taong napapaslang, ang mga taong nasa gitna ng isang laban na inaayawan nila, ang mga taong walang kapangyarihan ng mag-isa, ang mga taong umaasa sa pangkalahatang lakas. Ang mga pinakamahinang sandata na Las Weaponry o Flashlights na halos walang kwenta kung iisa lang ang bumabaril. Malakas lamang ito kung maramihan ang sabay-sabay na bumabaril. Sa katunayan, ang puwersa ng kapangyarihan na tumutulak sa Imperial Guard na lumaban ay maihahalintulad sa iba’t ibang kapangyarihang tumutulak sa ating mag-aksyon laban sa mga ito katulad ng mga problemang dulot ng relihiyon, teknolohiya, pamahalaan, o ang paghalu-halo ng mga problemang iniluluwa ng mga ito.

Tau Fire Warrior

                Ang Tau, bilang pinakabatang lahi sa buong laro, na may malakas na ugnayan at hilig sa teknolohiya at mga sa paggawa ng mga ito ay sumasalamin sa bagong henerasyon ng mga kabataang may kaparehong ugnayan sa teknolohiya. Ang paglalaban ng Tau kahit na sila ang may pinakakaunting karanasan sa digmaan ay simbolo ng umuusbong na ideya ng bagong henerasyon ng kabataan at ang laban nito upang kilalanin bilang isang dominanteng pangkat ng kasalukuyang lipunan.

             

Pandaigdigang Mapa ng Kronus kung saan makikita ang labanan ng pitong pangkatin upang maikontrol ang planetang ito.

           Dito sa Dark Crusade sasalubong ang mga nabanggit kung saan lalaban sila para sa kontrol ng Kronus na nagbibigay buhay sa isang lugar upang ipakita nang literal ang laban ng pitong pangkat na ito. Dito nagsisimula ang metaporical na digmaan ng Relihiyon, Teknolohiya, Pamahalaan at Taong Masa na, sa unang tingin, ay may mga maluluwag na relasyon ngunit binibigyang koneksyon ng Digmaan para sa Kronus ang mga hadlang nila sa isa’t isa. Samakatuwid, sinasabi rin ng Dark Crusade na isang malaking paghaharap lamang, merong sandata o wala, ang bibigay daan sa sagot na hinahanap natin sa kung sino ba talaga ang may kapangyarihan sa lipunan. Hindi ito tanong ng kung sino ang nararapat dahil ang Digmaan ng Kronus ay paraan lamang nila para gawing konkreto ang laban ng apat na malaking pangkat na inilalarawan rito. Ito ang opinyon o paraan ng pag-iisip na ipinahihiwatig ng mga gumawa ng larong ito at ang kanonikong “lore” na ibinigay ng Dark Crusade ay nanalo ang mga Space Marines sa tinatawag nilang “crusade” o digmaang banal.

               Malaki ang makukuha rito sa iisang pahayag na ito dahil dito magmumula ang sagot. Sa paningin ng mga gumawa, nasa Simbahang Katoliko ang tunay na kapangyarihan dahil sa napakalaking kontrol nito sa kalakihang masa ng mundo dahil sa pagtataguyod nito ng mga paniniwalang naging malakas ang impluwensiya sa mundo. Sa ganitong pag-iisip, marami ring pamahalaan ng mundo ang may mga opisyal na nakataguyod ang moralidad, pagkatao, at aksyon base sa paniniwala niya sa Simbahang Katoliko. Pareho na rin ang masasabi sa mga regulasyong ipinapataw sa teknolohiya, kasama na rito ang mga modernong media, tulad ng PG-13, M, at marami pa na pareho ring nagmula sa paniniwala ng moralidad na ipinataw sa atin ng Simbahang Katoliko. Puwede ring isipin kung hindi tayo binigyan ng konseptong mahalin ang buhay baka hanggang ngayon hindi pa lubos na ligtas gamitin ang teknolohiya kaya malaki rin ang kontribusyon at kontrol, kahit hindi direkta, sa Teknolohiya. Ang taong masa na sinasabing tagataguyod ng lipunan ay ang pinakamalakas na sandata na ipinatulis ng Simbahang Katoliko kaya nagmumula rito sa pinakamalaking bahagi ng lipunan ang kabuuang kapangyarihan ng Simbahang Katoliko dahil kung kontrolado mo ang mga mamamayan, kontrolado mo na ang isang buong bansa pero laganap sa malaking bahagi ng mundo ang pananampalatayang ito kaya parang sa kanila na rin ang kapangyarihang ito.