Yuin OK1 - review and comparisons.

[kostalex]

Originally Posted by dap_pad

Hi, I noticed that you have the Yuin PK1 and OK1 as well as the D2000. How would you compare the three in terms of sound quality. I know the D2000 is a full sized headphone, but I used to own the PK1 as well.

I'm going to compare OK1 to D2000 directly sometime (maybe in 2 weeks). So subscribe to this thread to get reliable info later.

Right now I may compare basing on my memories. Well, OK1 reminds me DT880 a lot and PK1 reminds me DT990. The similarity is incredible, in both terms of sound signature as well as sheer SQ.

D2000 is kinda closed combo of DT880 and DT990, combining accuracy and smoothness of the former and deep strong bass and drive of the later. So D2000 is both delicate and fun. Excellent can at all, I think it bests both DT880 and DT990.

So, it looks like D2000s sound signature is somewhere between OK1 and PK1, something like
PK1 < D2000 > OK1?

Yeah but... D2000 is CLOSED, and this means a lot. It is hard for me to compare closed can vs open.

Overall SQ rating looks like this:
D2000 >> OK1 > PK1.

D2000 is smoother and better detailed and ... It beats both OK1 and PK1 easily in all areas, except portability and comfort.

Originally Posted by dap_pad

I especially wanted to know if the OK1 would be worth the $100 over the PK1, especially when I probably won't be using the canalphone part.

It mostly depends on your music prefs, see my review for guidelines. Amping does also matter, since it increases the OK1 benefits over PK1.

[b0dhi]

I think you might be the first person to call the PK1 highs "aggressive". The PK1 is one of the least sibilant phones I've ever used. It's not that similar to the DT-990 IMO - the PK1 is a lot less strident in the treble than the DT990, and has more detailed and more forward mids. I also prefer PK1 soundstage over the DT-990 soundstage by a wide margin.

[kostalex]

Originally Posted by b0dhi

I think you might be the first person to call the PK1 highs "aggressive". The PK1 is one of the least sibilant phones I've ever used. It's not that similar to the DT-990 IMO - the PK1 is a lot less strident in the treble than the DT990, and has more detailed and more forward mids. I also prefer PK1 soundstage over the DT-990 soundstage by a wide margin.

I did not call PK1 highs to be agressive theirselves, but "more agressive in comparison to OK1". I used PK1 for a year and I did not notice the sibilance till I compared it to OK1. Nevertheless, I am still loving my PK1.

Regarding DT990: It may sound very strident and may not. The reason is that DT990 is very unforgiving to the rest of the rig. This differs DT990 from PK1, which is quite tolerant to bad records and sources.

[dap_pad]

Excellent review. I sold my PK1s on the hope to buy OK1s, but now I'm not so sure. But I want to actually compare them both myself to make sure...

Definetely looking forward to an extensive review to compare the OK1s, PK1s and D2000s, since I own or owned 2 out of the 3 and will definetely be easier to get an idea on the sound of the OK1.

[kostalex]

Originally Posted by b0dhi

I think you might be the first person to call the PK1 highs "aggressive". The PK1 is one of the least sibilant phones I've ever used. It's not that similar to the DT-990 IMO - the PK1 is a lot less strident in the treble than the DT990, and has more detailed and more forward mids. I also prefer PK1 soundstage over the DT-990 soundstage by a wide margin.

And yes, PK1 mids are more forward than those of DT990, if you amp both with SS. But I used to pair DT990 with tubes, while PK1 is usually driven by iPod or Echo Indigo.

I did not find DT990 mids to be any less detailed than PK1 mids. How did you amp DT990?

[b0dhi]

Originally Posted by kostalex

I did not find DT990 mids to be any less detailed than PK1 mids. How did you amp DT990?

Balanced M^3, various speaker amps, miscellaneous other amps.

[kostalex]

Probably my memories let me down. I have to re-listen DT990 and PK1 face to face.

[PhaedrusX]

i really enjoy the bass impact of the PK1, and was surprised to read that you found less extension in the OK1. it was my only minor quibble with the PK1, and i hoped it would be improved upon.

[wolfen68]

I'm a huge PK1 fan, and use mine more than any other phone I currently own. The OK1 holds a lot of interest for me, but one thing I think the PK1 is stellar at is how it presents bass. I find it very tight and impactful...the very example of quality winning over quantity. Upon hearing the PK-1's bass, I went on a quest to find a full size can that does it similarly (which I did in the RS-1). Overall I've found the PK1 to be generally neutral with a touch of fun Grado-ness thrown in.

I've only had two issues with my set using the donuts....and you brought up both in your review. When I go from the RS-1's to the PK-1's, I can easily recognize that they do have a slight "nasality" in their mids. It is minor as I don't notice it if I start out with the PK-1's, or listen (acclimate to them) for more than 10 minutes.

The other issue is that even using the slightly thicker Radio Shack foams with a center cutout (which I highly recommend and may be worth adding to your comparison...since they do several positive things for the PK-1's)...I find that my right earpiece likes to come loose and pop out when I walk around. If the OK1's are a little bigger, that may eliminate that problem for me.

A $250 price tag is scary for an earbud...which means something coming from a guy with $1500 tied up in a transportable rig.

[dap_pad]

Oh, great... you guys are making me regret selling my PK1s even more LOL

[kostalex]

Originally Posted by wolfen68

The other issue is that even using the slightly thicker Radio Shack foams with a center cutout (which I highly recommend and may be worth adding to your comparison...since they do several positive things for the PK-1's)...I find that my right earpiece likes to come loose and pop out when I walk around. If the OK1's are a little bigger, that may eliminate that problem for me.

Check my another thread, which may help you with this issue - MX75 foams - recommended for PK1, PK2 and other earbuds

[Nankai]

Originally Posted by dap_pad

Oh, great... you guys are making me regret selling my PK1s even more LOL

PKs comparing with OKs are just like a pair of B&W speakers comparing with upper price level Dynaudio speakers (not quite), less color but much more detail. We do OK this way because we want to make better high and better detail and instument separation. In OKs you can "see" where each instument stay, but PK you can not. Bass is not as much as PK1, but bass quality was increased. Users can get more bass with different foams.

[dap_pad]

Originally Posted by Nankai

PKs comparing with OKs are just like a pair of B&W speakers comparing with upper price level Dynaudio speakers (not quite), less color but much more detail. We do OK this way because we want to make better high and better detail and instument separation. In OKs you can "see" where each instument stay, but PK you can not. Bass is not as much as PK1, but bass quality was increased. Users can get more bass with different foams.

Hmm... interesting...well I'll definetely wait for more reviews before making my final decision, but I'm definetely buying back either the PK1 or OK1.

[wolfen68]

Originally Posted by kostalex

Check my another thread, which may help you with this issue - MX75 foams - recommended for PK1, PK2 and other earbuds

Those rings may be what I was looking for. I wasn't brave enough to try the MX55 kit (in case the fit was off, though they look exactly the same)....but I bought the MX75 one.

Thanks....the silicone rings under the foams may be the ticket.

[kostalex]

Update 6 - Part 3 is started:

Part 3: OK1 vs many, "no rules" comparisons

OK1 vs DT880 (and PK1 vs DT990)

During the tests, I recognized some interesting simillarities. Based on my memories, I found OK1 very simillar to Beyer DT880 and PK1 to ... yeah, DT990. When I posted these thoughts to the thread, I've got some replies with doubts. So I decided to check my thoughts and borrowed DT880 and DT990 from my friends.

Well, for me OK1 and PK1 sound signatures are very close to those of DT880 and DT990 correspondingly. Of course, they are not the same cans and there are some differencies:

• Yuins have mids more forward
• Beyers have stronger highs
• Beyers are smoother
• Beyers have bigger soundstage

But all of these differencies are not huge, while overall impressions are too close. How are they close? The distances "OK1 -> DT880" or "PK1 -> DT990" are like those:

• ER-6i -> ER-4P
• SR80 -> SR225
• KSC-75 -> KSC-35
• HD555 -> HD595
• AD900 -> AD1000 or AD700 -> AD900.

Yes, Beyers are a bit better.