swbf2cheater's also post
Lets start off with the gear. I am using a Sansa Fuze as well as my desktop PC as my source via Altec Lansing speakers. They are very warm and powerful sounding speakers and drive my other powerful and demanding headphones very well. The Sansa Fuze itself is a power house, In my opinion its one of the most powerful mp3 players you can buy as its internal amp is a beast. I will also be testing umpamped and amped via the Desktop and my Ibasso D3
Guthrie Govan, my favorite guitar player is always my standard for testing. If my new headphones make Mr. Govans music sound anything less than acceptable, I immediately return them. His music is a great testing surface, low lows, great highs, beautiful and powerful guitar at its very best.
Lets start of with the cheapest.
Yuin Pk3 - Retail $30-40 ( more like 20$ here on head fi currently in 2010 )
Yuins PK3 is an immensely popular earbud here on headfi and it regarded as one of the best you can get for around 30$. They are immensely comfortable. The box is pretty cool, and it comes with two types of pads, holed and covered. I suppose one is meant to emphasize bass and the other who allow more of a focus on the mids and highs while maintaining comfort and fit.
It's sound quality is not bad, at least a huge leap upward from the Apple Ipod stock earbuds and similar brands. It's got a noticeable screen to the music, that haze all cheap earbuds and headphones have. Separation is not so good, but for the price I suppose its understandable. It's got some kick to it when amped well via an Ibasso D3. It's sparkle factor is only barely present. What does that mean exactly? Well, I would suppose it means the clarity and accuracy of the notes in music. It does a pretty good job, but I never felt it special. Via the unamped Sansa Fuze, the sound produced is subpar at least to my ears. It sounds flat and not enjoyable, warmess and sparkle is lost and replaced with "the keshhhhhhhhhhh" screen sound when you really listen to the background notes like the electric bass. Music bleeds together and feels recessed. However, when it is properly amped, it sounds as I said "more sparkly", more present. It's soundstage is capable of good things, its decently wide I guess. Much more than I originally thought it would be when I first got them. This bud has almost no bass at all. I feel people are confusing good amping KICK FACTOR in the lows with Bass, I feel this two things to not be the same. There is no deepness, no rumble. Just a kick and weak thump. This set is forward sounding and bordering warm.
Final Verdict - Sound Quality in Highs and Mids - 5/10
Bass SQ - 3/10
Value - 6/10
Sennheiser MX580 - retail $30 from B&H photo with free shipping sometimes
Well, I feel this to be Sennheisers response to the Yuin Series. Not just the response to the Yuin PK3 which is similarly priced...but more of a "Oh yea, Yuin? Well, check this out!" type thing.
The MX580 feels a lot like the Pk3, but it only comes with 1 set of pads and one set of rubber rings to help fit larger ears. It boasts an impressive 18-21,000hz and has a dedicated volume knob on the mid area of the cord, not a wheel scroll, but an elongated slider piece. It is very accurate and purposely makes you apply some force to get it exactly where you want it to be. This set is LOUD. It is not as forward sounding as the Yuin Series, it is noticeably and slightly more distant and airy sounding. When unamped, it still performs on a grand scale. It can be driven via only the sansa fuze to unlistenable volume, too loud to listen to without going def. This is a GREAT thing because at lower volumes on the Fuze you can save battery power and still have a well amped and loud experience.
Separation is pretty great with amped with a D3 or my speakers that act like an amp. Highs are fantastic, mids need some work...but the Bass is present and can rumble slightly. I am going to keep this review short, and those who made it to this point in the review are not going to like what I am about to say. So prepare yourself.......The MX580 sounds near identical to the Yuin PK1. Yes...the expensive version of the Yuin series that I will review last in this thread. It is virtually identical in highs mids, only slightly less bass and clarity. I was stunned and almost fell right off my chair when they arrived and were fully burnt in.
They are a carbon copy of the Yuin Pk1 minus a bit of bass and noticeably clarity. Everything about then is very much the same, presence, overall location and separation when amped. The normal person who is not an audiophile wont be able to tell the difference. Not a joke, fully burnt in with a correct EQ setting and a good amp, its like the Yuin Pk1s little brother. This specific set of MX580s does not boast the SENNHEISER SOUND. It is very Yuin in its delivery. To sum this set up, its slightly less forward, equally as warm, equal in everything but a slight clarity and bass experience than the Yuin Pk1 ( retail $150.00 )
SQ highs and mids 7/10
Bass 5/10
Overall value - 9/10
( I apologize to those who wish to not accept this )
