YoungSe SunWukong

Sound Performance

Bass

There’s no sub-bass monster hiding in this legend. What you do get is a prominent midbass lift that carries a strong sense of rhythm and weight. It’s the type of bass that makes kick drums punch you in the eardrums slowly, so you feel the pressure coming.

On Nile’s “Stelae of Vultures”, the kick drums come across as a bit slow, not in a bloated way, but more like a laid-back thud that doesn’t quite keep up with the speed of the band. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but technical death metal demands tightness and speed, more like a rounded thud that suits rock better than extreme metal. That said, the toms are beautifully imaged, moving across the headspace with strong dimensionality.



On the flip side, classic rock feel far more suited to the Wukong’s bass profile. Def Leppard’s “Switch 625” is a good example of what SunWukong is made for, with rhythm guitars and punchy drums that fill the room without overwhelming it, letting the rest of the band to shine as well. The snare cracks clean, the bass guitar rumbles in a satisfying way, and everything slots into its own place and layer

It can get too mid-bass in dense and speedy mixes like Doom’s OST, where multiple low-end elements stack on top of each other, slightly vailing the details. But swap to more classic rock (mid speed and a few instruments covering the whole frequency), and it all clicks beautifully.

Mids

The heart of the Monkey. This is where the monkey beats hard. The mids aren’t thick or warm, they are clean and focused, but with a clarity that pushes vocals and upper strings closer in the stage.

There’s a definite upper mid lift here. Vocals cut through the mix at its own space and detail. Slash’s “Key to the Highway (feat. Dorothy)” her voice doesn’t sound lush or buttery, instead, it has edge, and real bite. She sits just ahead of the band, full of dynamic energy without crossing into sibilant or shouty territory. It’s clean, not cushy. It’s honest, rich and clean.



Still in this great Slash album, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone (feat. Demi Lovato)” there’s a clear separation between her voice and the instrumental side of the song. The Sun Wukong doesn’t aim for warmth — it gives space and articulation. The stage isn’t huge, but the layering keeps everything intact, and you don’t feel that congested like inside a box effect, more like a small venue.

However, in dense metal like Insomnium’s “Equivalence”, you begin to hear how the Wukong prioritizes upper mid energy. The lower mids are lean, which keeps the sound from ever getting bloated, but also means that rhythm guitars can lack some body. However, the upside is better separation and articulation. Female vocals and higher guitar lead really benefit from this kind of push.

Treble

Now here’s where the monkey takes a seat. The treble isn’t piercing or ultra-bright, but it leans forward, particularly in the lower treble zone.

The treble is non-fatiguing, safe, and gently detailed. It won’t win any awards for sparkle or air, but it avoids sibilance and harshness altogether keeping a good amount of resolution and details. Cymbals and snares sit closer to my face than the bass, and there's a moderate sparkle that keeps things lively. Kiko Loureiro’s “Borderline” shows the highs are more of a texture than a spotlight.They’re upfront but tastefully smoothed at the very top. You get clarity and snap without grit or grain. A bit of extra snap at the ultra-highs would give more air and extension to the treble. Nothing wrong with that, it’s a preference.

Acoustic albums like Roger Waters’ Lcokdown Sessions will sound beautifully out of SunWukong due to the details, separation and speed which gives space for the few drivers to do their magic. The upper-end detail brings out the string and vocal textures. This is an example of how synergy is important, nothing will be perfect for everything.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” by Hans Zimmer does play nicely out of SunWukong. The treble stays clean and doesn’t distract, giving more attention to the thumping bass and orchestral dynamics. You can feel some room for sparkle, but the overall presentation is still engaging and dimensional.

One last thing to note about this IEM is it has no hiss, no sibilance, even with my desktop amp Xi broadway. This is a treble tuning that balances energy and control well.

Soundstage & Imaging

This is where the monkey feels like he’s doing some fighting dace around your head, instead of a battlefield.

The soundstage is wraparound the head rather than far deep. It goes 2D, less so height. which gives a nice sense of space for rock, metal and band stage in general which are usually on the same height. Imaging is respectable, you can track guitars, backing vocals, and tom fills as they move across the headspace.

In Van Halen’s “Eruption”, Eddie’s guitar floats between the ears with surprising openness. Despite the age and rawness of the recording, you can pick out the amp crackle and reverb trails moving away from the centre. There’s a feeling of air moving around you, even if it doesn’t extend far above or below.

Back to Kiko Loureiro. The layering is good, you can tell what’s where even if the separation isn’t hyper-technical. Instruments have their space, though not ultra-defined sharp borders.

Comparisons

Elysian Pilgrim

Now this is a fight that gets interesting. The Pilgrim is cleaner, leaner, and more technically adept across the board. It stretches the stage deeper, layers better under pressure, and resolves complex mixes with a level of finesse the SunWukong gets close.


Stage width wraps around nicely but doesn't extend deeply front-to-back. There’s limited height, but for rock and metal that live on a horizontal band, that works just fine. Imaging is solid — guitars, backing vocals, and panned effects are easy to place. Bass is fuller on the SunWukong, especially in the midbass. The Pilgrim has leaner low-end, which means it doesn’t hit quite as satisfyingly in genres like hard rock or classic metal. The SunWukong simply rocks harder and more forgiving with brighter recordings.

Simgot Supermix4

Compared to the Supermix4, the SunWukong trades off some of the Supermix4’s crisp technicality fora more musical, mid-forward presentation. The Supermix4 is leaner, tighter, and more extended in both treble and sub-bass. It follows the harman tuning closer than SunWukong. That would go for people looking for analytical listening or genres with fast transients and dense layering. In contrast, the Sun Wukong emphasizes warmth and vocal intimacy, with a more engaging midbass thump and smoother top-end. Soundstage on the Supermix4 is taller and deeper, but the Wukong feels more cohesive and organic in its wraparound presentation. This is another example of preference, for me both are a good package for the price they ask.



Final Thoughts

The YoungSe SunWukong isn’t trying to change the world, but it is a distinctive offering in the sub-$300 range. It’s not a technical powerhouse or a detail-revealing microscope. But it is an enjoyable, musical, mid-focused IEM that punches with intent. For YoungSe first approach into IEMs world, it’s a safe tuning and complete package that has potential to hit this portion of the market and take some spotlight into it.

For fans of rock, classic metal, female vocals, or cinematic soundtracks, it offers a forward, but forgiving listen that still retains good staging and imaging. It handles layering better than expected in its price range. It only gets overwhelmed in the most complex arrangements and heavily compressed recordings. It’s an invitation to cool down from a long day. It’s not a hype train or a surgical tool. But it’s fun. And sometimes that’s all you need.