Summary:
To summerize the review, this is the Yume Ultra from See Audio, a hybrid iem with 1DD+2BA, coming in at $220. This was released back in mid last year. Considering the price build is decent and fit is quite comfortable. This has a balanced to mild v shape sound signature. In terms of sound, bass is balanced with more focus on the sub bass. Mids are clean and natural with good energy and sparkle on top. Treble is also energetic and speedy with good detail. Overall technical performance is solid. Personally I do not find it as worthy in the current market at this price, but they do go on good discount tho…
Disclaimer: this unit was purchased with my own money and this review is my honest and unbiased opinion, thanks.
Intro
Hey Guys, whats up….
This is Yume Ultra from See Audio, yes I know I am way too late for its review
, but this seems to go on good discount, thats why I decided to go through with it. This is a hybrid iem with a 1DD+2BA drivers, coming in at $220, but you can find it at around 170$ on discount. Btw all the important specs are mentioned below. The Yume Ultra is a collaboration between See Audio and Angel Ears.
Talking about See Audio, they are a well reputed chifi brand. They gained quite a bit of popularity from their Yume line up in the past few years. I have previously owned the original Yume, which used to be one of my favorites. Anyways getting back to the Yume Ultra, these are good, but nothing crazy at this present time.
Packaging/ Box Contents
Proceeding on to the packaging section, this comes in a fairly nice box with a beautiful artwork on top. Included accessories are of ok quality. I would say, rather than including the artwork they could have given a better case. Eartips are good. Included cable is ok, I will get into a bit more detail about it below. This comes with,
Papers
Eartips (6pairs)
Cable
Carrying Case
Artwork/ artstand
Iems itself
Important Specs
SENSITIVITY : 113dB 1dB
IMPENDENCE : 12 ohm
FREQUENCY RANGE: 20Hz - 20kHz
DRIVER: 1DD + 2BA
Cable: 2pin (0.78mm) 6n OFC silver plated
PLUG: 3.5mm/2.5mm/4.4mm
Build and Design
Let’s start with Yume Ultra’s build….
The shells are made of high quality 3d printed resin. The shells are quite light weight, but they do not feel cheap in the hands. The shells are fairly small sized. The face plate design is immaculate, it looks way more gorgeous in real life than any of its picture. The See Audio logo is on top of a black surface with colorful spots. This has a semi custom iem shape. Fingerprints or scratches can be an issue due to the glossy finish, but its fine in my case. The 2 pin connector is flush type, i found it to be a bit loose, I am not sure whether it’s the cable or the connector. The nozzle is standard sized and also lipped thus it holds eartips quite securely. The shells have a non vented design, thus passive isolation is good.
Fit and Comfort
Moving on to the fit and comfort section of the Yume Ultra, it is very good. The shells sit nice and flush in my regular sized ears thanks to the overall small footprint Breathability is ok. Stability is solid, this does not move at all even if I vibe really hard
. I did not find any issues with long term listening, it was quite comfortable.
Cable
Now let’s look at the cable. The Yume Ultra comes with a nicely built stock cable but honestly this feels cheap, this is a bit too thin, this is memory prone, not as soft or flexible and this tangles easily. This is a 2 core silver plated copper (OFC) cable. It uses a 0.78mm 2pin connector and has modular terminations, which is good. Connectors and the Y split are made of metal. There is no audible microphonics. The preformed earhooks are ok, they blend in with the color of the cable and did not cause any irritation. In terms of looks this goes nicely with the iems.
Tested With
Source: cayin ru7, tempotec v3, hidiz ap80, apple type c dongle
Eartips: stock, Final E, spinfit w1, spinfit cp145, Divinus velvet (best paring), azla crystals (2nd best pairing)
Cable: stock, kinera leyding, kbear black blade
Music: Tested with versatile genre of music
Sound signature: balanced to mild v
Sound tonality
Now most importantly sound, the Yume Ultra provides a generally pleasing clean, energetic, somewhat bright sound.
Bass
Let's delve into the bass performance of the Yume Ultra, which is good. This provides a balanced, low profile but qualityfull bass. In terms of positioning, the mid bass is subtly rolled off compared to the sub bass. The sub-bass, thanks to the dynamic driver feels tactile and dynamic. Mid bass is not as forward but it provides decent punch, but I feel its lacking in quantity a bit. Overall, the Yume Ultra has a fast and precise bass response. The body and layering are executed well, with instruments like the bass guitar and kick drums sounding accurate. Decay and reverberation are satisfactory, and bass note separation is good. Personally, I did not find it to be bloated or muddy in any way. The only drawback I can think of is the mid bass quantity.
Mids
Moving on to the midrange, this is its strongest suit. The Yume Ultra prioritizes clarity and transparency with sparkle and crispness on top. The transition from bass to lower mids is linear, with almost zero bass bleed. Thus this contributes to a clean and clear male vocal performance. However, I've noticed that female vocals and the upper mids, in general, can sound a bit bright, but nonetheless this is enjoyable for the most part. While this doesn't get sibilant or harsh, it might be fatiguing for treble sensitive listeners. I quite enjoyed the level of energy and intimacy present in the midrange. Note weight and separation are satisfactory. Instruments sound clean but is also slightly affected by the upper mid boost.
Treble
Proceeding on to the treble section, they have opted for a bright tuning for the Yume Ultra, and I can say it's executed well. In short the Yume Ultra’s treble is refined, well-extended, and it flows nicely with the frequency range. Details are crisp without being too in your face. It is easy to spot intricate nuances. Occasionally, instruments sound metallic due to the boosted upper mids. While there is no significant harshness or sibilance issues, treble sensitive listeners may find it bothersome. Upper treble seemed a bit dull comparatively. The speed is normal to fast type. Personally, I find this tuning quite enjoyable with rock, metal, and electronic tracks. The airy presentation enhances the sense of space in the soundstage. This has good resolving capabilities.
Technical Sound:
Soundstage of the Yume ultra is good, better than average. All three plains are above average, this has good width but the height is ok. Stage depth is good.
Imaging is also better than average. Yume Ultra’s imaging is very accurate and it’s very easy to pin point instruments.
Sound separation and layering is good
Resolution is good
Dynamics are ok
Timbre is good
Conclusion
So to conclude the review, at its retail price I would not buy it anymore, as there are better options available such as the Performer 5, Falcon ultra, EA1000, etc. But if you are looking for the ‘Yume” sound this is good at the discounted price
