Earbuds Round-Up
Apr 18, 2024 at 5:09 PM Post #75,061 of 77,557
From the time when you didn't pay hundreds of dollars for something good20240417_193759.jpg
From a time when you didn't have to pay ANYTHING for something..... oh wait, you said something good.... hahahahahaha

Actually, I kid. I hate to admit it, but these really aren't bad at all. They are very similar to a Smabat tuning without the upper mid boost. :)
20240418_170328.jpg
 
Apr 18, 2024 at 5:19 PM Post #75,062 of 77,557
Apr 18, 2024 at 9:13 PM Post #75,063 of 77,557
The Yinman 150(32) has arrived! Box a little mangled but it's fine. Took less than 2 weeks for delivery, very quick I would say.

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1000008222.jpg



Shells are the same dark black sandalwood like the original 600 version. Cable is a nice black OFC, which is very malleable, with splitter and chin strap unlike the 600.

The sound is very neutral. I only had a few minutes with them tonight but they seemed to have lost thr magic of the 600s. The bass is there but not full not as present and pounding as the 600. It is a decently good neutral set I think some will still enjoy no doubt.

All three of my Yinmans together... With the evolution of Yinman packaging.

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Apr 18, 2024 at 9:34 PM Post #75,064 of 77,557
The Yinman 150(32) has arrived! Box a little mangled but it's fine. Took less than 2 weeks for delivery, very quick I would say.

1000008223.jpg

1000008222.jpg


Shells are the same dark black sandalwood like the original 600 version. Cable is a nice black OFC, which is very malleable, with splitter and chin strap unlike the 600.

The sound is very neutral. I only had a few minutes with them tonight but they seemed to have lost thr magic of the 600s. The bass is there but not full not as present and pounding as the 600. It is a decently good neutral set I think some will still enjoy no doubt.

All three of my Yinmans together... With the evolution of Yinman packaging.

1000008220.jpg


1000008225.jpg
Congrats on your new shiny! :)

Sad to say, but I really think those are the 32Ω version (though it wouldn't hurt to take a volt meter to measure if you so felt the need).

It seems that while they might not have the same sound as the 600Ω big brother, they still might be a winner?! :)

HEY! I am jealous. :wink: While you got a MUCH better looking box than I did for the 600Ω, mine DID come with the black puck style case as well. :) Mine didn't come with the leather cable holder either. Are both of the ones on top the 600Ω?

Here is what mine came in:
20220707_112204.jpg


20220707_112018.jpg



20220707_112107.jpg
 
Apr 18, 2024 at 9:40 PM Post #75,065 of 77,557
Congrats on your new shiny! :)

Sad to say, but I really think those are the 32Ω version (though it wouldn't hurt to take a volt meter to measure if you so felt the need).

It seems that while they might not have the same sound as the 600Ω big brother, they still might be a winner?! :)

HEY! I am jealous. :wink: While you got a MUCH better looking box than I did for the 600Ω, mine DID come with the black puck style case as well. :) Mine didn't come with the leather cable holder either. Are both of the ones on top the 600Ω?

Here is what mine came in:
20220707_112204.jpg

20220707_112018.jpg


20220707_112107.jpg
Yes I would say without a doubt they are a good set if you are looking for neutral. Cable is nice (not as good as Blur OFC but hey), and with the wood, very light!! I do really like this shape more so than traditional mx500. Again, the custom earbuds are really where it is at!

Correct, both of the top of my pictured are the Yinman 600 2.0. Left, I purchased from @WoodyLuvr as his was one of the first, it definitely came with the best packaging! 2nd 4.4mm version I got recently from @dnolan227 as a backup and also to have a 4.4mm version :)
 
Apr 18, 2024 at 9:49 PM Post #75,066 of 77,557
Yes I would say without a doubt they are a good set if you are looking for neutral. Cable is nice (not as good as Blur OFC but hey), and with the wood, very light!! I do really like this shape more so than traditional mx500. Again, the custom earbuds are really where it is at!

Correct, both of the top of my pictured are the Yinman 600 2.0. Left, I purchased from @WoodyLuvr as his was one of the first, it definitely came with the best packaging! 2nd 4.4mm version I got recently from @dnolan227 as a backup and also to have a 4.4mm version :)
That is good to know. I would assume that by neutral, there isn't any sort of offensive tuning to get around?

AAAAh! I thought that box looked familiar... That one has some serious dressing on the inside (IIRC), much like a coffin... Mine is more like an "unfinished coffin" and without the pillowy material on the inside (as seen in my photos) ... ROFL

Well, either way, good for you.
 
Apr 18, 2024 at 9:55 PM Post #75,067 of 77,557
That is good to know. I would assume that by neutral, there isn't any sort of offensive tuning to get around?

AAAAh! I thought that box looked familiar... That one has some serious dressing on the inside (IIRC), much like a coffin... Mine is more like an "unfinished coffin" and without the pillowy material on the inside (as seen in my photos) ... ROFL

Well, either way, good for you.
Lmao it is much like a coffin. Damn. Realization set in. Things I am meaning to keep, not sure if my direct individuals will know w.tf they may have.

Things we all need to consider I guess.
 
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Apr 18, 2024 at 10:02 PM Post #75,068 of 77,557
Lmao it is much like a coffin. Damn. Realization set in. Things I am meaning to keep, not sure if my direct individuals will know w.tf they may have.

Things we all need to consider I guess.
Yours is the "Divine Afterlife" model.... Mine is from the "Serf Be Gone" line.... :wink: :smiling_imp:
 
Apr 18, 2024 at 11:28 PM Post #75,069 of 77,557
The Yinman 150(32) has arrived! Box a little mangled but it's fine. Took less than 2 weeks for delivery, very quick I would say.

1000008223.jpg

1000008214.jpg

1000008222.jpg


Shells are the same dark black sandalwood like the original 600 version. Cable is a nice black OFC, which is very malleable, with splitter and chin strap unlike the 600.

The sound is very neutral. I only had a few minutes with them tonight but they seemed to have lost thr magic of the 600s. The bass is there but not full not as present and pounding as the 600. It is a decently good neutral set I think some will still enjoy no doubt.

All three of my Yinmans together... With the evolution of Yinman packaging.

1000008220.jpg


1000008225.jpg
I think you really got the 150Ω. My box does not have the 150Ω / 3.5mm markings on it. Too bad you don't have a simple multimeter to do a resistance measurement.
 
Apr 18, 2024 at 11:35 PM Post #75,071 of 77,557
I think you really got the 150Ω. My box does not have the 150Ω / 3.5mm markings on it. Too bad you don't have a simple multimeter to do a resistance measurement.
Agree! I will say it does take some power to get the full sound from them. Via L&P W4, I am up to almost 90 on low gain.
Apologies. I didn't see the picture of that inner box when I originally viewed your pics.... Fantastic for you! :)
 
Apr 19, 2024 at 3:23 AM Post #75,072 of 77,557
Very nice!

Some great suggestions from others. The first thing I would do though is to go HERE where you can find out both your trouble spot in your hearing, and/or where the trouble spot is in the head gear. Then you will know exactly where to subtract using EQ, and how wide you may need to make the Q or BW, and by how much.

Also, if you are using android or Windows, or IOS, or MAC I would suggest to you an app called Neutron Music Player. One (of the MANY) thing that is great about it is the EQ/PEQ. You can actually mix and match (i.e. you can make 40Hz a low shelf PEQ, and make 80Hz a peak EQ, and etc...). It has some of the best DSP out there (without having to mortgage the house to afford it, like some other top-notch apps will).

Anyhow just my $.02, and as always, YMMV! :)

Sadly, EQ will NOT help here, and there is really nothing that can be done short of trashing the poor drivers.

It really depends on your budget, what you consider great mids (i.e. do you like thick, thin, recessed, forward, lush, wide, intimate, etc...), and what type of shells you desire to have. :)

Having said that, for me the the Moondrop Chaconne still comes to mind. They have some of the best technicalities, mids and treble, and are not boosted in the presence region (upper mids, lower treble).

Have a look at these reviews; especially the one from our own @RikudouGoku. Ironically, most of the time, our likes/dislikes are pretty opposite, but this review on the Chaconne is pretty spot-on from my (subjective) perspective. :)

[sidenote]: There IS another set that we both agreed upon as well, once upon a time. It was the Audiosense T800 (8 all BA IEM).. :) That was nigh on 5 years ago (come May).

You are correct here. But... technicalities also encompass staging, imaging, layering, separation, detail retrieval, etc... Basically anything that is not a derivative of actual tuning. Because you can have a set that has a large dip in the upper mids/lower treble, but they can still have a wide sound-stage, for instance. Some of these are not isolated from one another and if poor, can cause other parts to suffer as well. :) Point is that you can have any kind of tuning you like and still have fantastic technicalities with the right setup.

The thing is (and ChiFi does this a tremendous amount) that boosting the upper mids (again, for instance) can enhance the soundstage that is already there (or not there to begin with :). This is a trick done in tuning. The goal then becomes to find a set that has all of those technicalities that are really good, but with no "tuning tricks" being used to get there. This is rarer than you might think, and even some of the big-name companies use this (rather than have an outstanding driver, shells, tuning, etc...)

A perfect example I might think of is @FranQL. His tuning is straight forward, and never has anything offensive in the tuning just to accomplish some goal of technicalities. But, with all the buds I have from him, the technicalities are fantastic as well. And that stems from the fact that he chooses the right (quality) driver to pair with the right shell, and tuning materials as well. His buds are (very well) known to have great tuning, but don't suffer poor technicalities as a compromise.

There is a bit more than a slight boost on the RW3000. The RW2000 have a slight boost on the other hand. It is probably one of the reasons I favor the RW2000 just a bit over the RW3000 (still fantastic as well though), because (as you probably already know) I am very sensitive to that boost (but not mid to upper treble).

The RW2000, while having a slight boost in the upper mids, also have a tad bit of a roll-off in the mid to upper treble, which makes them come across as somewhat smoother or less aggressive. The RW3000, on the other hand, have a bit more boost (that the RW2K) in the upper mids, but are also somewhat aggressive in all the treble regions as well. This can make the entire tone sound much more aggressive and "bitey". To my ears, the RW3000 is more analytical, but on the aggressive side; as opposed to being analytical but smooth (like the Chaconne, or HD800S, etc...). The RW2000 are smoother, so they sound more musical, and without being too aggressive.

As mentioned, both sets are fantastic, and you might like either, but this is how I hear them, compared to each other. As for the RW1000, I never got those, so can't comment on them. There is a fourth option in the RW line though, and that is the RW1000 Bass Pro. :) Though I haven't heard those either.
Thank you for answering in depth to my questions/post. It is morning here in Europe and I am at work. I will have to take some time to process and digest it all and will answer when I find the time - Highly appreciated! 🙏

Something else: in my frustration finding out that I will not be able to easily acquire the yinman 600, I ordered the Faaeal Rosemary and Snow Lotus as some sort of consolation They have arrived and I also own the Faaeal Iris 2.0 and will write up a quick comparison of those for everyone when I have had some listening time.
 
Apr 19, 2024 at 8:59 AM Post #75,073 of 77,557
The SHOZY MXN is a review unit courtesy of Penon.

SHOZY MXN.jpg


It is very comfortable and light. This set is easily driven.

Initial sonic impressions are that this flathead is midcentric, and is superb for vocals and acoustic genres. Vocal genres will shine with this earbud, with a thick note weight heard.

Like most earbuds, there is a sub-bass roll-off, but the bass is textured and punchy without mid-bass bleed. It comes with a selection of foams, and the provided donut foams will burnish the midrange, whereas the full foams will make it more bassy and warmer. Treble is smooth without harshness or sibilance. After foam-rolling, my preference is with the stock donut foams, as the midrange is lush and addictive with this setup.

Timbre is legit, no complaints here. It is more musical than technical, but the imaging is pretty accurate, with good layering. Its focus is not on outright analytical micro-detailing, but to furnish a smooth and fatigue-free soundscape (I'm glad to report the pinna gain area is forwards without overt shoutiness).

I think it retails at $49.99 USD, and this earbud belongs in midFI flathead territory for sure. Definitely a set for our mid and vocal lovers.

Will do some burn-in and comparisons against other midFI gear and report back!
 
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Apr 19, 2024 at 9:20 AM Post #75,074 of 77,557
The SHOZY MXN is a review unit courtesy of Penon.

SHOZY MXN.jpg

It is very comfortable and light. This set is easily driven.

Initial sonic impressions are that this flathead is midcentric, and is superb for vocals and acoustic genres. Vocal genres will shine with this earbud, with a thick note weight heard.

Like most earbuds, there is a sub-bass roll-off, but the bass is textured and punchy without mid-bass bleed. It comes with a selection of foams, and the provided donut foams will burnish the midrange, whereas the full foams will make it more bassy and warmer. Treble is smooth without harshness or sibilance. After foam-rolling, my preference is with the stock donut foams, as the midrange is lush and addictive with this setup.

Timbre is legit, no complaints here. It is more musical than technical, but the imaging is pretty accurate, with good layering. Its focus is not on outright analytical micro-detailing, but to furnish a smooth and fatigue-free soundscape (I'm glad to report the pinna gain area is forwards without overt shoutiness).

I think it retails at $49.99 USD, and this earbud belongs in midFI flathead territory for sure. Definitely a set for our mid and vocal lovers.

Will do some burn-in and comparisons against other midFI gear and report back!

Great news! Was waiting for some thoughts on this one. Looking out for your comparisons.
 
Apr 19, 2024 at 7:07 PM Post #75,075 of 77,557
Some great suggestions from others. The first thing I would do though is to go HERE where you can find out both your trouble spot in your hearing, and/or where the trouble spot is in the head gear. Then you will know exactly where to subtract using EQ, and how wide you may need to make the Q or BW, and by how much.

Also, if you are using android or Windows, or IOS, or MAC I would suggest to you an app called Neutron Music Player. One (of the MANY) thing that is great about it is the EQ/PEQ. You can actually mix and match (i.e. you can make 40Hz a low shelf PEQ, and make 80Hz a peak EQ, and etc...). It has some of the best DSP out there (without having to mortgage the house to afford it, like some other top-notch apps will).

Anyhow just my $.02, and as always, YMMV! :)
Thank you for the link, it is awesome! The possibility to easily swipe back and forth on the frequency band will make it easy to find hot spots in the frequency response of any headgear. This will actually be a lot more accurate than applying eq according to a frequency graph somebody made of a headphone, as this approach using the slider will applies to ones personal hearing and the actual used headphone. I will definitely use this! 👍

Apart from at work I don't have time to listen to music. There I am in a big office space with colleagues around me, so listening to music on big open back headphones with a desktop system is not an option. I found over time that the isolation and invasiveness of in ears are not really my cup of tea, hence the recently acquired obsession for earbuds. I won't need any software like neutron player, high quality downloads on spotify and the qudelix 5k are really all I need. I am super happy with the qudelix, it can do 20 bands of parametric eq: bandpass filters (this is useless😊), peak filters or Hi/Lo shelf filters. It also has crossfeed and choice of 8 different dac filters. LDac bluetooth streaming. Balanced or single ended out. Max 240mwatt output and 4V Rms.
Some of these options yield more subtle results than others, but all of the options clearly do something to the sound (obviously eq can do the most...😜) and if one takes some time with this little beast all of the options can be put to good use.
An added benefit of the qudelix vs an eq app like neutron player is that all the eq takes place in the qudelix itself and the eq settings are saved there. This avoids the problem with Android not allowing systemwide EQ. I tried wavelet once, it was at least able to apply eq to spotify. It had no effect on other apps like netflix or YouTube however. Also the 10 band graphic eq wavelet offers is not exactly a precision tool...
Did this sound like an advertisement for the qudelix? I have it now for nearly a year and am still completely in love with it. I only wish it hat a 3 or 4 times bigger battery, would gladly accept it if it was 3 or 4 times as big with bigger and better buttons.
Sadly, EQ will NOT help here, and there is really nothing that can be done short of trashing the poor drivers.
It might actually be satisfying to use the 🔨 the yincrow calf . My first and worst earbud purchase.
It really depends on your budget, what you consider great mids (i.e. do you like thick, thin, recessed, forward, lush, wide, intimate, etc...), and what type of shells you desire to have. :)

Having said that, for me the the Moondrop Chaconne still comes to mind. They have some of the best technicalities, mids and treble, and are not boosted in the presence region (upper mids, lower treble).

Have a look at these reviews; especially the one from our own @RikudouGoku. Ironically, most of the time, our likes/dislikes are pretty opposite, but this review on the Chaconne is pretty spot-on from my (subjective) perspective. :)

[sidenote]: There IS another set that we both agreed upon as well, once upon a time. It was the Audiosense T800 (8 all BA IEM).. :) That was nigh on 5 years ago (come May).
Shell type does not matter I think. I wear the mx500 shells cable over ear and use silicone rings, otherwise I do not get a good fit. This approach should work with any shell I think.
Budget is a difficult question... I was ready to shell out the 150 for the yinman 600. I don't feel I am ready yet for spending 300 or more for TGXEar or RW3000 or 4000. Thank you for taking the time to do a little comparison of the RW2000 vs RW3000 by the way 👍. This makes it clear to me that the RW3000 will never happen for me.
About what I consider great mids: this is what I have to find out really
Probably I can say what I don't like: I own the Truthear Zero Red. This one is diffuse field neutral. And I do not like it at all. I think the pinna gain is in the wrong place. The mids sound tinny. The pinna gain maxes out at around 2,5-3 khz. It starts to roll off from there. Harmann tuning the pinna gain maxes out at 3,5 to 4khz and then it rolls off. If one overlays diffuse field and harman, one will see that roughly from 1-3k diffuse field has 2db more energy than harman in that region, whereas harman has 2db more energy than diffuse field beyond 4khz. This makes for a quite different tonality and my experiments eqing the Truthear Zero more "Harmanish" have shown me, that I prefer that kind of tuning. That being said, for me there is too much ear gain in both of the target curves.
Probably I am wishing for a Harman tuning with slightly more warmth, so a less pronounced bass shelf then harmann, more a gentler slope to the mids, then less pinna gain than harmann but in turn some more shimmer in the mid and upper treble to make up for the lesser ear gain.
Right now I think this is what I want. But then again once I was thinking the "neutral" sound of the Truthear Zero would be what I want! 🤦
But I have learned something from it: "neutral" means it will likely be too bright and not natural for me...
By the way I received the Faaeal Rosemary and the Snow Lotus Yesterday. So far I can say I very much like the Rosemary. The Snow Lotus cannot compete at all...
 

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