Yuin PK1-PK2 appreciation thread

[callanish]

My concern with the durability of the pk1's comes more from their ability to handle all the types of music that I'm pumping through them without failing me in some shape or form rather than dealing with the day to day stress I will be putting on them physically. My constant bitching on various threads has been about portable headphones not lasting with the kind of music I'm subjecting them too; Koss's 60ohm range ( ksc55's, ksc75's ) and sennheiser px-100's phones have all failed to last producing crackling / rattling in either one or both earphones over a short time ( sent them all back for replacement, received a new pair, failed within 3 months ). It's not like I'm pushing all these headphones to extreme levels with over the top volume or any abuse whatsoever; it's just anything to do with old bootleg berlin school music (really deep bass ) has brought my portable collection to its knees ( I've taken off the pads, blown them out, tried to fix them, no success, only crackling / rattling; I give up!). I thought to myself I'm sick of paying for throwaway phones, so I wanted to purchase something completely off the wall with the PK-1's. Earbuds that sound brilliant......no way, portable use ( well for me ), and comfortable to boot as well. If they can just stand up to my music long term without producing these damn crackling / rattling issues that have plagued me for far too long, then I'll be the first to praise these earbuds to anyone that will listen to me on my newly built yuin soapbox.

So far, they are living up to my expectations and I couldn't be happier with the sound. On a side note I really wish I was a canalphone type of person, but for various reasons, I'm not, so these PK-1s were a shot in the dark purchase to see if I could have my cake and eat it and so far I can.

[callanish]

sorry, multiple post!

[dissembled]

Originally Posted by q_hada

I will say that if I was going to use them exclusively for portable use, I'm not sure that I'd keep them - they don't isolate at all, so in noisy environments (subway, busy streets, etc.) a lot of the magic is lost.

Thanks for the advice. The SQ may be heartstopping but it's really no use to use them outside if you can barely hear them.
Not sure how Ipod users w. their cheapo earbuds do it really.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by dissembled

Not sure how Ipod users w. their cheapo earbuds do it really.

They just crank the volume I guess...

The PK-1s are good for traveling though. Canal phones can get uncomfortable after a while, and also for listening in your hotel room or on a relatively quiet train (like the bullet trains here in Japan) they are ideal.

[UltraEvo]

Will i like the Pk2 if i like the ES7?

[lt.milo]

the pk2's are great for portable use and are fine to use outside as long as you are not in a noisy environment. They are not good on the bus or on a plain, but for a walk around the park they are great.

[mojo]

I suppose in the end it comes down to a trade off. Either you have canal phones which get uncomfortable, especially if you are moving around a lot, or you have something else and put up with less isolation.

[xnothingpoetic]

OMG PK1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got these yesterday and burned them in so far for about 10+ hours.

I listened-- scratch that, still listening, to some AC/DC flac, and wow!

The sound isn't even coming from the ear buds! The bass alone has been worth the upgrade from the PK2.

Time to close my eyes to be transported. (and I don't even like AC/DC very much)

PS: this is unamped straight from my crappy sound card w/ foobar. I hope improvement when I get my amps and new DAP

[mojo]

There is definitely something to be gained from amping the PK1s. Comparing an iPod direct to iPod with cmoy the difference is quite noticeable.

I am still working on that review. The bass... yeah, it is quite meaty to say the least. At first I thought it was perhaps a very little bit boomy, but after 100 hours burn in it is now very nice. Quite nicely detailed and textured, and natural sounding.

For comparison, I also own Sennheiser 495s. I love those phones - comfortable, fantastic sound and cope well with just about any music. The PK1s are quite similar, except they are buds not full size cans. It is easy to forget that when listening to them.

The vocals do seem a bit recessed but guitars sound nice and there is plenty of slam on the drums. Soundstage is similar to the Sennys, but perhaps with a little less separation between the instruments. Having said that, Hui of Yuin says that the PK1s continue to improve up to 500 hours or more in. The 495s probably have something like that on them now, and sure enough I'd say it probably too until at least 300 hours before their sound really hit it's peak.

[chadbang]

Okay. Who makes these earbuds and where are they located - exactly. Do they cost more than $2 to manufacture? (they don't look it) Do they have a website? Are these guys the manufacturer?! http://www.yuin.com.tw/list.htm (Headphones at bottom of page). Those well-known audio specialist known mainly for their power strips? Hehehe. Something smells really fishy to me about taiwanese $100 earbuds. You know the sure way to pawn off a fake Rolex is to put it in an expensive looking package... I hate to say it, but I think some people are deluding themselves about this "bargain"....

[Nankai]

YUIN is a small company located in China Mainland. Currently YUIN's website is not available.

Originally Posted by chadbang

Okay. Who makes these earbuds and where are they located - exactly. Do they cost more than $2 to manufacture? (they don't look it) Do they have a website? Are these guys the manufacturer?! http://www.yuin.com.tw/list.htm (Headphones at bottom of page). Those well-known audio specialist known mainly for their power strips? Hehehe. Something smells really fishy to me about taiwanese $100 earbuds. You know the sure way to pawn off a fake Rolex is to put it in an expensive looking package... I hate to say it, but I think some people are deluding themselves about this "bargain"....

[wolfen68]

Originally Posted by chadbang

I hate to say it, but I think some people are deluding themselves about this "bargain"....

All possibly true...until you hear the sound these produce. You can't fake quality sound. My pk-1's easily pass the $100 value test.

[shasty]

chadbang, go buy one for yourself

I own PK2's and these have very natural sound signature and surprising amount of detail for an earbud; they may look cheap but they're definitely worth it.
My friend and I both agree these are well worth the bang, and we've heard quite a few headphones and IEM's.

[callanish]

Originally Posted by chadbang

Okay. Who makes these earbuds and where are they located - exactly. Do they cost more than $2 to manufacture? (they don't look it) Do they have a website? Are these guys the manufacturer?! http://www.yuin.com.tw/list.htm (Headphones at bottom of page). Those well-known audio specialist known mainly for their power strips? Hehehe. Something smells really fishy to me about taiwanese $100 earbuds. You know the sure way to pawn off a fake Rolex is to put it in an expensive looking package... I hate to say it, but I think some people are deluding themselves about this "bargain"....

You don't have to say it, you have to actually listen to them before making a judgement. The old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" applies to the Pk-1's perfectly. We PK owners aren't naive to blinding ourselves into liking these earbuds. We aren't under some kind of mass delusion and we've purchased enough earphones to know the difference between quality sound. If you don't have the opportunity to try them out yourself, you'll never understand why everyone is shouting the praise of these earbuds. I think I've only found one person unhappy with them on a forum post, but other than that everyone that hears them loves them!

[slwiser]

I put in an order on the 4th for the PK1s out of respect for all the good things I have read about them. I also wanted to check out something small like these.