Saoshyant
Headphoneus Supremus
Yinman 600 is very, very good.
I don't have many earbuds to compare. My other current earbuds are Yuin PK2, 1More E1008, Monk+, Zen2 (not Black), and Auglamour RX-1. My reference is balanced HD650 on Jotunheim.
I listen primarily to classical music. The important thing for classical is neutral response and ability to convey a realistic sound of live acoustic instruments. Earbuds tuned for "fun" sound make classical music sound unnatural. Monk+, Zen2, and RX-1 fail for classical. Yuin (I've owned different models over the years) and E1008 are good for classical, and now Yinman 600.
Yinman 600 is the first earbud I own that I would describe as "audiophile". Treble and bass performance are far beyond the others in my group. Highs are extended, detailed and smooth, producing good soundstage and imaging. The tight and fast bass is stronger and extends lower than I've ever heard from an earbud. The frequency response has a bump in the bass, more than I'd like but not too much to detract from the music. The word "audiophile" came to my mind because it is able to convey some of that palpable presence of live sound, an elusive quality in audio systems.
The Yinman 600 requires serious power. On my Jotunheim, I have to turn the volume higher than for my balanced HD650 (known for being power hungry). Directly on my MacBook Pro, it can be driven loud enough but sound quality is lower.
And... just as I was thinking how much I am enjoying the Yinman 600, I compared it to my HD650. Whoa, the HD650 is on a completely higher level in every aspect of sound – detail, dynamics, realism, etc, and it highlights the limitations of earbuds. Still, I listen to music more on earbuds than anything else. The HD650 feels like putting on a helmet.
You're REALLY not helping me out here. I've been debating buying this for a month and a half, and the only thing I read in your review that might cause concern is the power hungry nature of it. Honestly, if members like Golov and Vapman at all push me towards buying it, I probably would break quite soon.
