[trevdawg94]

It sucks because I've been reading through this thread and I was convinced that the Yinman 600 would for sure be a one and done for me. I got them from the AVCCK AE store so I will likely try to go through the return process soon.

Yea, I didn't mention it, but I did try wearing the Yinmans looped over my ears and it does reduce microphonics. The cable contact with the top of my ears are probably absorbing the sound before it could travel further to the shells.

As for the Alpha 3, which song(s) do you notice the sibilance with? I haven't really come across any tracks that were too spicy or sibilant. There are the occasional zingy S's and T's on poorly mixed tracks, but they aren't really wince-inducing for me.

I went through the same feeling of disappointment with the FF3 and FF5, it's made me a lot more cautious about blindly buying anything above $20-30 dollars. But sometimes no matter how much you look into something you run into a problem or find something you don't like that none of the reviews mentioned which can happen more often with earbuds due to their niche audience. At least with those two I know I could sell them and get back a decent portion of what I spent, and I'm sure someone here would be willing to take the chance on your pair with the caveat that they might not be the best set. But if you don't want to deal with the selling process and possibly having an unhappy buyer if there actually is a problem then I would definitely do a return and get AliExpress involved if you're not getting anywhere with AVCCK. I've had two orders from NiceHCK that were lost where AliExpress had to step in an force them to refund me so it can be a hassle even with larger stores that have a good reputation.

That's good to hear, I wonder if the cable is thin enough to fit in the silicone wire guides I have but the stem is long enough that it might get in the way. If they won't fit hopefully I could find some plastic earclips that @samandhi had recommended for the RW2K. I know the RW2K is 9 mm diameter between the body and the driver cup which was surprisingly hard to find but it looks like the Yinman is smaller, maybe 6-8mm?

It's frustrating because I only notice that sibilance when I'm listening to them through my Qudelix 5K, they're much more bearable when listening to music through my T480's built-in audio chip but still not completely fatigue free. The OH Nightingale had some sibilance as well but I was able to tame that with a -3dB 3-5K peak filter though I'm still trying to narrow that range down and once I do I'm going to try a similar filter with the Alpha 3 and see if that helps. I really love the design of the Alpha 3 and they're one of my most comfortable buds so I want to try and make them bearable for listening to music.

 

[trevdawg94]

Ooof! Finally somebody who dislikes the yinmans. This tames down my Fomo a tiny little bit...
@trevdawg94 - I am not ready to pay somebody extra money just to navigate the webpage for me. Call me cheap, but at this point it feels to me, as it is simply not meant to be. Also I somehow can't justify for myself to go to great lenghts just to get them. I am in a point in my life where I am more busy than I ever was before. The 2 kids (aged 3 and 5) and a full time job basically leave no time for a hobby and even "wasting time" by posting here is giving me a guilty conscience... Still doing that, as I really enjoy the company and and knowledge of you guys here!
In two weeks I will go to germany for a few days. Will then check if the Avcck store delivers there... If yes, I will order the yinmans and have them delivered to my mothers place.
If that doesn't work out, I'll simply have to continue whining around every time someone praises the yinmans.

I completely agree with not wanting to pay more than you have to for an item, but after going through Taobao's account creation process I wouldn't blame anyone for choosing to use an agent as their website makes it much harder than it should be. I completely understand not having enough free time to dedicate to your passions and hobbies, before I got sick I ran a business and at the end of the day even if you have free time you're so exhausted that you just want to sit and veg out to some TV show or video. I'm not a parent and probably won't ever be but I'm sure they keep your hands full, especially at that age. But I will warn you about not dedicating at least some time for yourself, I pushed myself past the breaking point back in 2020 and still haven't fully recovered though I'm better than I was. No job, no matter how much you enjoy it or how passionate you are about it, is worth your physical or mental health. I wish someone had told me to slow down, take a step back, and breathe for a moment; maybe I wouldn't be in the situation I am now. Sorry for getting so serious and off topic, I just don't wish on anyone what I've had to go through the past couple of years. Back to debating and geeking out about our niche hobby!

 

[qua2k]

If you find a Yinman 150Ω let us all know. I would sure like to get a set. Maybe there's a little confusion with the recent buying Yinman buds from AliExpress discussions.

Here's the breakdown. Both Yinman 600Ω and Yinman 32Ω are purchasable. If you buy from AVCCK store the 3 listings for the 150Ω are misleading. 2 of the 150Ω listings have pricing of ~$41.00. You will get Yinman 32Ω buds. The 3rd listing for 150Ω has pricing ~$118.00, you will be getting Yinman 600Ω.

@samandhi messaged the store and grilled them about whether they had the Yinman 150Ω available and they kept dancing around his questions by answering with suggestions to purchase either the 600Ω or 32Ω. The store would never comment if the 150Ω was in stock or not. Draw your own conclusions, if they had the 150Ω in stock there would be no reason for them to keep suggesting the other buds.

I have a set of the Yinmans with the OFC cable on the way as well. 150Ω or 32Ω, we'll see. I have a feeling it will be similar to the other one that was received by someone here, have 150Ω on the box and in reality 32Ω. I do not really have a way to measure the Ω but either way, I am looking forward to the Yinmans with a different cable and possibly easier to drive.

 

[samandhi]

I wish someone had told me to slow down, take a step back, and breathe for a moment; maybe I wouldn't be in the situation I am now.

If you are the type of person I think you are (workaholic), then someone probably DID try and tell you... haha Either way, it is good that you have found a way to enjoy your hobbies, and not live for anything but your work. Sorry for whatever you had to go through to get here though.

My father always used to say to me: "You should work to live, not live to work because you will not have a life if you do the latter."

I have a set of the Yinmans with the OFC cable on the way as well. 150Ω or 32Ω, we'll see. I have a feeling it will be similar to the other one that was received by someone here, have 150Ω on the box and in reality 32Ω. I do not really have a way to measure the Ω but either way, I am looking forward to the Yinmans with a different cable and possibly easier to drive.

I think they actually came in the right box. I don't think they were THAT dishonest about it.

Spoiler: As posted by mt877 when asked the same question

The 150Ω version box looks like this:

Spoiler

 

[trevdawg94]

With the similarly tuned Yincrow RW3000 and FiiO FF5, I think that these have gone under the radar (which might be a bit unfair to the set) and I am glad that someone is giving them some recognition for what they are good for. I really do enjoy them because they are bright, but not offensive in any way, much like the FF5. The RW3000 DO indeed have a boost in the upper mids, but it is not so much so that they are uncomfortable unless I try and listen to them loudly.

I don't think that people truly mean that it lacks bass, per se' (or maybe not the way you are thinking). What I mean is that while the low end is not perceived as lacking, because of the boost to mid bass, giving them a bassy thump and quickness, they do severely lack in any sort of sub bass. This will only be evident on music that relies on sub bass to show its face. For rock and things that require more thump, and less rumble, these are fantastic, but for something like rap or deep synth, these are a tad bit lacking.

Personally I don't find this a bad thing though, because the rest of the tuning is good, and there is nothing in the tuning that is offensive, and yet they still remain non-boring sounding to my ears...

I'm glad that I gave the Alpha 3 a second shot, can confirm that they do have some bass presence even when EQ'd through Peace GUI on crappy built-in audio. Of all the setups that would get me to reconsider this earbud I never thought it would be that, I need to seriously consider getting another amp as the more I think about it the more it seems I'm not a fan of the sound I get out of the 5K.

Thanks for the caveats about the Chaconne, I'm going to do some digging on it but from your post @mt877 had linked me it seems like a good option. Probably will need to sell some of the earbuds that I don't use, even on sale it's not cheap but if it sounds as good as I think it does then it would be worth it.

P.S. To no one in particualar:
One thing I want to note for all that don't know (that I have forgotten to add in previous recommendations). Please don't get angry with anyone on here that gives recommendations for buds, and you end up hating them. I can assure you that those that have been here for a while (and even some fantastic new(er) people), never hand out recommendations lightly. And most give those recommendations based on what YOU the listener is looking for, rather than what they simply think sounds the best. It used to be that our own Woodyluvr used to give out recommendations based on a worksheet that he would have you fill out, which I have to say his recommendations were usually spot on; he KNOWS his buds. At one point he completely stopped giving out recs because people were sending him nasty PMs because he recommended the set they bought, and they thought they sucked, and it was Woody's fault blah, blah, blah.

It is perfectly normal to NOT like something that you bought based on recs here (read blind), but getting angry with those that tried to help is not cool.... [/spoiler]


Peace Y'all!

The downside of any audio recommendations, especially with earbuds, is that everyone's hearing is different and things as small as ear shape and positioning can affect sound so much more than IEMs or headphones. If there is a product of any category that someone really likes their review is more likely to be biased, ditto with negative reviews. Taking every recommendation with a grain of salt and doing your own research is necessary if you want to get a well-rounded opinion on anything. That goes double if your opinions on a popular pair of earbuds are different from how most people here view them. I know I'm guilty of praising products I love and sometimes glossing over their flaws while at the same being very harsh on products I don't like regardless of whether it's an earbud or something else. I know search on Head-Fi isn't the best but if you look long enough and hard enough you will more than likely find several differing opinions on most earbuds people are interested in. And if you don't it never hurts to ask even if the earbud in question has been discussed to death as there may be someone who has it but hasn't posted their opinion of it.

Even though I was disappointed that I don't enjoy the FF3 or FF5 like a lot of other people do I never got upset with anyone other than myself for not doing more research about the upsides and downsides of each. But the FF3 was one of the first earbuds I bought so I didn't really know what I wanted and what to look out for so I didn't beat myself up too much over that purchase. Attacking people for their recommendations and opinions that you asked for is absurd and unacceptable, I can't believe people were that horrible to Woody. I can tell just from that list how many hundreds if not thousands of hours he must have spent listening to and comparing different earbuds (all for free) and I'm sure he spent a lot of time on those worksheets as well not to mention some of the links I found that are no longer live. I don't blame him for not giving out recommendations anymore, thankfully his list is still accessible for those who want to do their own research. Even if you don't like a particular earbud more than likely another poster on this thread is interested in them and willing to buy them from another user so you won't even be out very much money wise.

 

[trevdawg94]

If you are the type of person I think you are (workaholic), then someone probably DID try and tell you... haha Either way, it is good that you have found a way to enjoy your hobbies, and not live for anything but your work. Sorry for whatever you had to go through to get here though.

My father always used to say to me: "You should work to live, not live to work because you will not have a life if you do the latter."

Yep I am, they probably did but I was too naïve, stubborn, and hard-headed to listen lol. It's one thing if you're just working at a job but when you're the face of the business it's much harder to take that advice. That's a good quote, I'll have to remember that when I am tempted to overdo it again.

 

[kaeswiss]

You don't need to apologize for what you don't like at all my friend. Everyone's ears are completely different, so how do you KNOW you are getting the best FOR YOU just by reading some text here on an earbud thread? Truth is, you can't.... You can only develop (over time) an impression of what person's on here have a similar sound signature preference to yours, to decide whether a set will be for you or not. For instance, Woodyluvr... I know that he had issues with anything either shouty (upper mids), or sibilant (mid to upper treble), and even if they weren't quite at those levels, he generally wasn't as much a fan of overall bright signatures, so when he recommended something, you knew it was going to be warm and non offensive in any region.

As for me, there is really no way to be OBJECTIVE at this, but my subjective opinion encompasses all sorts of tuning, rather than being like a lot of reviewers that if the signature doesn't fit their preference, then they suck. I like bright, and warm, smooth, diffuse, etc... For me, the reason I love the Yinman the best of all my collection is because they are just so versatile, and don't offend my ears with ANY genre. I like the Chaconne best for classical of any sort, or the RW2000 for pop, but I might not like them as well for mixing other genres. What this means, is that normally when I put my buds in place, and hit the play button, I simply hit "Shuffle" with all my music (up to about 30K songs by now), and the Yinman cover them all equally well. All but a couple (or so) of my earbuds, I can, and have, sung praises of them. That is the reason I still own them after all...

One thing though, that makes me wonder (as you mentioned as well) that you either have a bad set, or the seller simply built his own, or did surgery on the real deal, is that the cable on this set is NOT microphonic in any way for me. I am not entirely sure what that might mean, but I have to wonder because what you are describing for sound is also NOT what I would expect from any well tuned high impedance set (especially the Yinmans). Yes, they are warm and smooth, but if driven well, there is no "muddiness" or bleed into any other frequency. And I am thinking that the V222 SHOULD be able to drive them fully at any volume level. Plus, from the reviews I saw, that amp tends to be just a tad bright of neutral as well.
[/spoiler]
P.S. To no one in particualar:
One thing I want to note for all that don't know (that I have forgotten to add in previous recommendations). Please don't get angry with anyone on here that gives recommendations for buds, and you end up hating them. I can assure you that those that have been here for a while (and even some fantastic new(er) people), never hand out recommendations lightly. And most give those recommendations based on what YOU the listener is looking for, rather than what they simply think sounds the best. It used to be that our own Woodyluvr used to give out recommendations based on a worksheet that he would have you fill out, which I have to say his recommendations were usually spot on; he KNOWS his buds. At one point he completely stopped giving out recs because people were sending him nasty PMs because he recommended the set they bought, and they thought they sucked, and it was Woody's fault blah, blah, blah.

It is perfectly normal to NOT like something that you bought based on recs here (read blind), but getting angry with those that tried to help is not cool.... [/spoiler]


Peace Y'all!

I've seen people react in toxic ways when someone posts negative impressions about a beloved product in other threads and forums. Whenever I see that, I just find it distasteful since we all hear differently and have different preferences. So I appreciate that no one here has yet told me my ears are wrong and dumb lol. And I agree, everyone here is making their own decision on what to purchase so there's no reason to blame someone who has offered a recommendation.

That's good to hear, I wonder if the cable is thin enough to fit in the silicone wire guides I have but the stem is long enough that it might get in the way. If they won't fit hopefully I could find some plastic earclips that @samandhi had recommended for the RW2K. I know the RW2K is 9 mm diameter between the body and the driver cup which was surprisingly hard to find but it looks like the Yinman is smaller, maybe 6-8mm?

It's frustrating because I only notice that sibilance when I'm listening to them through my Qudelix 5K, they're much more bearable when listening to music through my T480's built-in audio chip but still not completely fatigue free. The OH Nightingale had some sibilance as well but I was able to tame that with a -3dB 3-5K peak filter though I'm still trying to narrow that range down and once I do I'm going to try a similar filter with the Alpha 3 and see if that helps. I really love the design of the Alpha 3 and they're one of my most comfortable buds so I want to try and make them bearable for listening to music.

I don't have the RW2k or any measurement tools, but here are some shots of the Yinman 600 with the Alpha 3 for comparison in case it helps.

 

[samandhi]

if it sounds as good as I think it does then it would be worth it.

You can ALMOST think of these to be much in the same vein as the OG HD800 without the fatiguing spikes. Again, I'm not saying they sound JUST like them, but I would say that this is the closest match (that I know of) in the headphone world, and there is a reason that the HD800 were around for so long (and now the Chaconne as well, the Liebesleid being the predecessor which were basically the same thing).

I'm glad that I gave the Alpha 3 a second shot, can confirm that they do have some bass presence even when EQ'd through Peace GUI on crappy built-in audio. Of all the setups that would get me to reconsider this earbud I never thought it would be that, I need to seriously consider getting another amp as the more I think about it the more it seems I'm not a fan of the sound I get out of the 5K.

Not all buds will synergize well with all DAC/amps, but some seem to synergize with more sets than others, unfortunately. You have probably heard this, but if budget is a concern, many people on here really like the VE megatron. Some like the VE Prime DAC + Runabout stack even better though.

The downside of any audio recommendations, especially with earbuds, is that everyone's hearing is different and things as small as ear shape and positioning can affect sound so much more than IEMs or headphones. If there is a product of any category that someone really likes their review is more likely to be biased, ditto with negative reviews. Taking every recommendation with a grain of salt and doing your own research is necessary if you want to get a well-rounded opinion on anything. That goes double if your opinions on a popular pair of earbuds are different from how most people here view them. I know I'm guilty of praising products I love and sometimes glossing over their flaws while at the same being very harsh on products I don't like regardless of whether it's an earbud or something else. I know search on Head-Fi isn't the best but if you look long enough and hard enough you will more than likely find several differing opinions on most earbuds people are interested in. And if you don't it never hurts to ask even if the earbud in question has been discussed to death as there may be someone who has it but hasn't posted their opinion of it.

Even though I was disappointed that I don't enjoy the FF3 or FF5 like a lot of other people do I never got upset with anyone other than myself for not doing more research about the upsides and downsides of each. But the FF3 was one of the first earbuds I bought so I didn't really know what I wanted and what to look out for so I didn't beat myself up too much over that purchase. Attacking people for their recommendations and opinions that you asked for is absurd and unacceptable, I can't believe people were that horrible to Woody. I can tell just from that list how many hundreds if not thousands of hours he must have spent listening to and comparing different earbuds (all for free) and I'm sure he spent a lot of time on those worksheets as well not to mention some of the links I found that are no longer live. I don't blame him for not giving out recommendations anymore, thankfully his list is still accessible for those who want to do their own research. Even if you don't like a particular earbud more than likely another poster on this thread is interested in them and willing to buy them from another user so you won't even be out very much money wise.

Very well put.

 

[samandhi]

I've seen people react in toxic ways when someone posts negative impressions about a beloved product in other threads and forums. Whenever I see that, I just find it distasteful since we all hear differently and have different preferences. So I appreciate that no one here has yet told me my ears are wrong and dumb lol. And I agree, everyone here is making their own decision on what to purchase so there's no reason to blame someone who has offered a recommendation.


I don't have the RW2k or any measurement tools, but here are some shots of the Yinman 600 with the Alpha 3 for comparison in case it helps.

You know? I don't care whether everyone agrees that these sound good or bad, one thing that cannot be argued is that the DUNU Alpha 3 are built superbly. I really love the looks of them.

Edit: And if anyone is interested, this is yet another set that profits (by a large margin to my ears) from using them in a really good amp (especially tubes) .... I haven't gotten through ALL my buds on this new amp yet, but I am getting there slowly but surely.

 

[trevdawg94]

You can ALMOST think of these to be much in the same vein as the OG HD800 without the fatiguing spikes. Again, I'm not saying they sound JUST like them, but I would say that this is the closest match (that I know of) in the headphone world, and there is a reason that the HD800 were around for so long (and now the Chaconne as well, the Liebesleid being the predecessor which were basically the same thing).

That's an interesting comparison, I haven't heard the HD800 but I'll definitely keep any opinions about its sound signature in mind while looking into the Chaconne. Thank you!

Not all buds will synergize well with all DAC/amps, but some seem to synergize with more sets than others, unfortunately. You have probably heard this, but if budget is a concern, many people on here really like the VE megatron. Some like the VE Prime DAC + Runabout stack even better though.

I thought it would be more of an issue with harder to drive earbuds, but I'm finding even with very easy to drive buds the difference can be massive. I'll take a look at those two options, I haven't done much looking into different sources so that would be a good starting point. I've seen several mentions here of the Topping G5 as well, any thoughts on that? If it's something that's portable I could more easily justify spending several hundred dollars on it as I wouldn't be tied to one location. I know I won't get the same level of sound quality for the money but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for more portability.

 

[justanut]

The Alpha 3 is too hot and sibilant for me, I love it for watching videos and streams but I can't stand to listen to music through it. I should revisit them and see if I can tone them down with EQ.

Wait what? I'm sensitive to sibilance, IEMs like my beloved Sony EXK are too sibilant for me on many vocal tracks. Even the Dita Project M were hot out of the box. But the Alpha 3 were never sibilant, so that's really strange. I've listened to them out of my iPod 5.5G, RU6 and Walkman thus far, fantastic across board. Do share the track that you had issues with so I can have a listen~

 

[samandhi]

Since I don't put my equipment in my signature, and in case anyone might be curious as to what sort of equipment I might listen to, I have a list to follow of my head gear and current sources (in no particular order, just as they come to mind; forgive if I miss some ):

Spoiler

Headphones

• Focal Elegia
• AKG K702
• Sennheiser HD800 S
• Sennheiser HD700
• Hifiman HE400S (not the newer SE version)
• Hifiman Deva (OG not the "Pro" version wired or wireless)
• Marshall Monitor
• Bose AE2W (yeah I know )
• Sennheiser Momentum (OG wired version)
• Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless (OG version wired or wireless)
• B&W P5 (OG wired version)

IEMs

• iBasso IT-07
• Aür Audio Aüre
• iBasso IT-01S
• Raptgo Hook-X (OG version)
• Raptgo Bridge
• TinHifi P1 (OG version)
• CCA CRA
• CCA CRA+
• 7Hz Timeless (OG version)
• 7Hz Legato
• DUNU DK2001 (Emerald version)
• TRI Star River
• Hifiman RE800 (Silver Version)
• Xiaomi Piston 2.1 (2 sets, brown and white)
• Audiosense T800

Flathead Earbuds

• Yincrow RW2000
• Yincrow RW3000
• Moondrop Chaconne
• Yinman 2.0 600 (600Ω version)
• Smabat M2s Pro (with all the added drivers including the elusive and now discontinued 32Ω youth driver)
• Smabat M4 (with added SO 100Ω driver, and ST10S B&G 150Ω driver)
• Smabat M5 (with stock 150Ω Golden driver, and same as M4 drivers)
• Smabat ST10S B&G (150Ω driver)
• Lun Sheng Aeolian Bell
• DUNU Alpha1
• DUNU Alpha 3
• Rose Technics Maria II
• FiiO FF1
• FiiO FF3 (OG version)
• FiiO FF5
• NiceHCK EB2S (OG version)
• FQL Blackhole Redux
• FQL Grand Finale
• FQL Aquila
• FQL Caelum
• FQL Draco
• FQL Blue Moon
• Apple Classic (2nd gen)

TWS

• Sony Linkbuds (OG version)
• Hifiman TWS600
• Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch
• Nuarl N6 Pro

Sources For Head Gear (not including loudspeaker systems)

• FiiO X5 (OG first version)
• FiiO X3 II
• Shanling M0
• iBasso DX160
• iBasso DX300 (with stock and 2 more amplifier cards)
• Apple iPod touch (3rd gen)
• Apple iPod Touch (5th gen)
• FiiO E17 Alpen (DAC and/or amplifier)
• FiiO E17K Alpen 2 (DAC and/or amplifier)
• Topping E70V DAC
• iFi Pro iCan Signature Amplifier (with both SS and Tube mode, not hybrid)
• Asus ROG Strix Hero III G731GW-DB76 (as a source)

 

[jogawag]

Wait what? I'm sensitive to sibilance, IEMs like my beloved Sony EXK are too sibilant for me on many vocal tracks. Even the Dita Project M were hot out of the box. But the Alpha 3 were never sibilant, so that's really strange. I've listened to them out of my iPod 5.5G, RU6 and Walkman thus far, fantastic across board. Do share the track that you had issues with so I can have a listen~

By the way, how about trying the Final type E earpiece to suppress the sibilant of the Sony mdr-EX1000?

 

[samandhi]

That's an interesting comparison, I haven't heard the HD800 but I'll definitely keep any opinions about its sound signature in mind while looking into the Chaconne. Thank you!

You are very welcome!

I thought it would be more of an issue with harder to drive earbuds, but I'm finding even with very easy to drive buds the difference can be massive. I'll take a look at those two options, I haven't done much looking into different sources so that would be a good starting point. I've seen several mentions here of the Topping G5 as well, any thoughts on that? If it's something that's portable I could more easily justify spending several hundred dollars on it as I wouldn't be tied to one location. I know I won't get the same level of sound quality for the money but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for more portability.

I have not heard any of iFi's portable gear, but if thier flagship is any indication of their full range, then I would say it is good to excellent.

There are a CRAP-TON of options in an affordable price range as far as AIO or amp/DACs go, but keep in mind when salivating over one that looks too good to be true for cheap, it might be just that. A lot of cheaper options will have ungodly driving power, but if you look at the other numbers (i.e. THD+N, SNR, Crosstalk, output Impedance, etc...) they are lower than they should be, and this WILL indeed translate into the quality (or the lack thereof) of what you hear.

I realize that you can't JUST buy something based on its numbers, but honestly those numbers don't lie, and if they suck, chances are it will not sound as good as it could otherwise. There are exceptions to this rule where a setup doesn't have great numbers but sounds pretty amazing. It is just that those gems are far and few between IMHO.

 

[samandhi]

By the way, how about trying the Final type E earpiece to suppress the sibilant of the Sony mdr-EX1000?

That is a great idea. The Final Type E (OG version) aren't known as "treble killers" for nothing... hahaha