Comparison Yuin OK1 and TF10
Comparison Yuin OK1 and TF10
Equipment used; Sony S639F, Sansa Fuze, SqueezeBox→Stella DA00→GS1. Two portable players were linked with a Xin Supermini (Latest version)
All music files were in 320 KBPS MP3s or FLAC format. Almost all genres were auditioned including classical, pop, R&B, newage and Jazz.
This is essentially an unfair comparison as two phones have entirely different designs and technology.
I had a PK1 before I upgraded to OK1. I was drawn to OK1 mainly for its dual functionality as both earbuds and a canalphone. My experience with OK1 as a canalphone is disappointing. I tried all the possible methods to get a proper seal and good SQ with OK1 as a canalphone. It cannot be used as a canalphone. It lets itself down downgrading SQ in its weak bid to isolate with those funny tubes. But as an earbud it is a significant upgrade from PK1.
OK1:
I only used them as earbuds for comparison. Being earbuds they are comfortable to wear. As they have a bit larger diameter than PK1, I couldn’t use the rubber earpads provided. With long listening sessions they become uncomfortable. I am using only foam earpads with them. I like the cable better than the PK1’s cable. The cable is more rubbery and flexible. PK1 cable used to get hardened with time and gave more microphonics than OK1 cable.
They are very neutral. The striking attribute is their beautiful mids. Female sounds and Piano sounds are represented accurately and with correct timbre and speed. Mids are not upfront and harsh. Beautiful! Highs are very fast and no sibilance at all. Very detailed too! OK1 really does well during the complex passages of music. I could appreciate different layers and nuances, even when they were stretched to the limits with complex tracks. Very analytical sound but can be little dry and dark. Now then Bass! Being an earbud, it does not give head shaking deep bass. I played some tracks with lot of fast sub-bass. OK1 do not give quantity in bass. It can play sub-bass. If I press the bud against my ear to give a good seal I can hear it going really low. But as a simple earbud it doesn’t give upfront bass response. Bass is bit over shadowed by sweet mids. But the bass is very tight and fast. Detailed too. The bass has more quality than quantity. It is really a neutral set of phones. The sound-stage is massive. Both in depth and width! No surprise considering its open design! In summary OK1 is a neutral sounding bud suited best for analytical kind of listening. It lacks bit of fun factor while being very neutral and analytical. It does not give any isolation at all. I am keeping them for listening at home. I am using them when I cycle too. I do not need isolation then.
TF10:
I was able to get a very good seal with these. I settled for large silicon eartips. To improve the isolation I tried several mods too. I have discussed them here. I have settled for Shure olive + Silicon mod as it gives me best combination of comfort and isolation. Gosh! These IEMs look odd! I hate the fact they stick out of my ears. Bit scary!!! I do not want to wear them when mischievous kids are around! LOL!!! But kind of cool looking too. I both hate and love the looks!!
TF10s are not at all neutral. They are fun type of IEMs. They isolate very well so that I can commute in trains without any problem. I am wearing them now as I type and I can’t hear any outside noise including the music of my home rig. I am one of those blessed ones, who can get a wonderful seal. Because of the tight seal I can really appreciate the BASS. It goes really down to sub-bass. It really gives more bass than OK1. Pretty detailed too. But not as fast and tight as OK1! I would say more quantity than quality. But it does very well with more modern kind of music. It really did well with POP, NEWAGE and JAZZ. The trebles go really high and can be little harsh sometimes with some heavy tracks. Treble is very detailed too. Now the mids! They are little laid back. Not upfront at all. I sometimes think that female and piano sounds are little laid back than my taste and not as accurately represented as OK1. TF10 has slight V shape to its Frequency curve. It is very detailed and layered too. But little congested compared to OK1. Sound-stage is not as wide as that of OK1.
TF10 is better suited for fun type listening as it has very good fun factor and very lively. It isolate very well too. I think it is very wisely tuned for its primary purpose. Isolated listening in noisy environment! Who wants to listen to complex music passages with subtle nuances in such a setting? I find them giving me very good isolation and fun when I am travelling and in a noisy setup. I am keeping them as well till I find a better IEM. I will audition IE8 and W3 in future.
