[DBaldock9]

Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） Planar Earbuds​

Website: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/631430
Driver size: 14.2mm
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Impedance: 24Ω
Sensitivity: 102dB
Price: $150



My Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） planar earbud is here, and they are a sight to behold. The purple resin shell gives them a stunning look, but unfortunately, my excitement turned to disappointment when I actually tried them out.

The sound quality is just not up to par for me. It has an overly crisp and thin sound, with almost no sub-bass to speak of. This is in stark contrast to other earbuds like the Serratus or any dynamic earbuds, which offer a much richer and fuller sound. To make matters worse, the treble is so intense that it actually hurts my ears, even with the thickest foams.



I had originally wanted to compare them to the Tgxear Panorama Ridge, which is another planar driver earbud, but unfortunately, the development of that model was halted due to the creator's dissatisfaction with the sub bass and timbre.

Now I understand why planar earbuds are not quite ready for prime time yet. According to Jim from Tgxear, the IA-PL1-YUI planar driver is supposed to be the same as the one he was using, and the driver was developed for IEMs, which explains why we experienced the same issues.

It's a shame, really, because I had high hopes for these earbuds based on the early positive feedback from the Japanese users. But alas, it seems that they just didn't live up to the hype.

The "physics" of Bass reproduction isn't too difficult.
You need either:
(A.) Larger diaphragm that moves a smaller amount
or
(B.) Smaller diaphragm that moves a larger amount

Pros of (A): For a wide frequency range response, it has lower intermodulation distortion.
Cons of (A): For "fast" response, it requires a large, powerful magnet & voice coil assembly - which means a larger overall size.

Pros of (B): The overall assembly size can be smaller.
Cons of (B): Having to move farther, to produce enough Bass, will result in higher intermodulation distortion.


Because of their design limitations - planar diaphragms do not move very far, so they must be large, if you want much Bass output, when they're not tightly coupled to the ear canal.
If you have a good seal, like in an earphone with good tips, then smaller planar diaphragms can pressurize the ear canal, and produce low Bass response.
Planar diaphragms in an earbud housing, which aren't coupled as tightly, won't move enough air to produce much low Bass.

 

[harrihart]

Guess I will order Fiio FF5 if it is the best in it's price cat shipped here.
Should be 124€+0+0. For products outside EU I have to add 24% customs fee + possible shipping, but that is usually free.
Would be nice to have best parts of FF3 and FF5 in one bud, but I have to choose. Many seem to love FF3, but FF5 is still technically better.
I don't want high ohm buds. Will use them from phone and laptop.

 

[baskingshark]

The "physics" of Bass reproduction isn't too difficult.
You need either:
(A.) Larger diaphragm that moves a smaller amount
or
(B.) Smaller diaphragm that moves a larger amount

Pros of (A): For a wide frequency range response, it has lower intermodulation distortion.
Cons of (A): For "fast" response, it requires a large, powerful magnet & voice coil assembly - which means a larger overall size.

Pros of (B): The overall assembly size can be smaller.
Cons of (B): Having to move farther, to produce enough Bass, will result in higher intermodulation distortion.


Because of their design limitations - planar diaphragms do not move very far, so they must be large, if you want much Bass output, when they're not tightly coupled to the ear canal.
If you have a good seal, like in an earphone with good tips, then smaller planar diaphragms can pressurize the ear canal, and produce low Bass response.
Planar diaphragms in an earbud housing, which aren't coupled as tightly, won't move enough air to produce much low Bass.

Agree with this.

Planar IEMs tend to have an issue with replicating bass authentically, perhaps due to the smaller planar drivers used in IEMs and the fast transients planars have.
Planar headphones (with bigger drivers), have no problems with sub-bass extension and quantity compared to planar IEMs.

Tis a physics issue.

 

[jogawag]

Guess I will order Fiio FF5 if it is the best in it's price cat shipped here.
Should be 124€+0+0. For products outside EU I have to add 24% customs fee + possible shipping, but that is usually free.
Would be nice to have best parts of FF3 and FF5 in one bud, but I have to choose. Many seem to love FF3, but FF5 is still technically better.
I don't want high ohm buds. Will use them from phone and laptop.

Fiio FF3 is heavy like MoonDrop Chaconne.
If that doesn't bother you, I would recommend FF3 for saving mony.

 

[itwasluck]

The burning question is how do they compare to the lower cost DB1e? We'll have to wait for @JAnonymous5150's DB1 vs DB1e comparison.

Very interesting. I'd imagine the DB1e might do bass even better, but how good that's the question!

 

[mt877]

Very interesting. I'd imagine the DB1e might do bass even better, but how good that's the question!

Yep, very interesting. From the manufacturer info I've found, the DB1 is supposed to have better extension in both low and high ends than the DB1e. It could be that both buds sound the same for regular bass, but the DB1 may reach just a little lower. But will the low frequency extension be discernable between the DB1 vs DB1e? I'm looking forward to reading JA's comparison.

 

[fooltoque]

Guess I will order Fiio FF5 if it is the best in it's price cat shipped here.
Should be 124€+0+0. For products outside EU I have to add 24% customs fee + possible shipping, but that is usually free.
Would be nice to have best parts of FF3 and FF5 in one bud, but I have to choose. Many seem to love FF3, but FF5 is still technically better.
I don't want high ohm buds. Will use them from phone and laptop.

I'm one of the few who like the FF5 better than the FF3. We are out there Hope you enjoy!

 

[samandhi]

I'm one of the few who like the FF5 better than the FF3. We are out there Hope you enjoy!

Depending on the use case, and my mood, I am also in this camp most times.

Edit: Having said that, the FF3 (while having a fixed cable) DO fit much better; I mean like they are the best fitting buds I have in my collection.

 

[Carpet]

Just ordered Yincrow X6 from VS Audio Store. Interested to see how they fit and sound compared to EB2S!

 

[samandhi]

Just ordered Yincrow X6 from VS Audio Store. Interested to see how they fit and sound compared to EB2S!

It will all depend on if you got the OG ones NiceHCK put out, or the "changed" version that I have been hearing about. If you have the OG sound EB2S, then they will be like night and day IMHO. Good news is that they will be complimentary for when you are in the mood for a different tuning... If you have the changed version I can't say, but from all that I have read about those, there aren't too many that like them...

Edit: As for fit, and for my ear shape, they will also be night and day. The EB2S are very small for a standard size bud, where the X6 seem a bit big where fitment is concerned. But as always YMMV.

 

[Kenyon]

Thanks for the tips! Do you have any recommendations for a cable with a mic? Also does anyone make an MMCX to usb-c cable so I can lose the dongle?

I personally use a TRN TN or T2 Pro cable in MMCX (take off the ear hook shrink wrap) as they come with modular plugs and you can purchase a USB-C/lightning head for these - I have linked 1 shop on Ali that sells with the USB-C head as standard so the package as a whole would cost less but may be worth shopping around for prices.

€ 14,44 52％ Off | TRNT2 Pro16 Core Earphones Silver Plated HIFI Upgrade Cable 2.5/3.5/4.4/Type C/Lighting/QDC//MMCX/0.75/0.78 MT4 Kirin Xuanwu
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EQUfthj

 

[samandhi]

I personally use a TRN TN or T2 Pro cable in MMCX (take off the ear hook shrink wrap) as they come with modular plugs and you can purchase a USB-C/lightning head for these - I have linked 1 shop on Ali that sells with the USB-C head as standard so the package as a whole would cost less but may be worth shopping around for prices.

€ 14,44 52％ Off | TRNT2 Pro16 Core Earphones Silver Plated HIFI Upgrade Cable 2.5/3.5/4.4/Type C/Lighting/QDC//MMCX/0.75/0.78 MT4 Kirin Xuanwu
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EQUfthj

I knew they had them out there but thought sure it would cost a bit more money. Good find!

 

[jogawag]

Hey, I found a Yincrow rw-3000 for sale on NiceHCK for $218 now. (Actually, it's even cheaper...)
I'm thinking this could be a precursor to the Yincrow rw-4000 being released...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003534695447.html

 

[JAnonymous5150]

After about a week of listening to the Temperament DB1, here's my impressions. I've been wearing them with the provided full foams and over ear hook style instead of cable hanging down. It was already reported by @omerad (in post 68,697) that they sounded better when worn over ear versus cable down and I can confirm that. The bass and lower midrange presence is much better when worn over ear. In contrast, the sound appears to lose some of the nice bass, lower midrange timbre when worn cable down. I guess the sound difference might be useful for different types of music or to suit your musical mood.

My first general impression is that they have a balanced warmish sound with some boost in the midrange. I can't really put my finger on it, but the midrange has this sort of transparency that draws you in, like you're not wearing any buds. We'll have to wait for @JAnonymous5150's impressions to see if he's hearing the same sort of thing.

The low end is very good. While not in your face, the bass / upper bass have this nice body filling timbre which I like. Going to the opposite extreme, the treble is smooth, yet detailed. Definitely not lacking in resolution or having treble roll off.

The only comparison I'll make is with K's LBBS buds. If you have the LBBS, then expect a somewhat similar K's family sound signature with enhanced low end. I don't think you can just EQ the LBBS to sound like the DB1 though.

Would I recommend the Temperament DB1? I would. If you already have the K's LBBS and like how they sound, then the DB1 is in the same wheelhouse and definitely a step up in performance.

The burning question is how do they compare to the lower cost DB1e? We'll have to wait for @JAnonymous5150's DB1 vs DB1e comparison.

EDIT #2: Per a description I found on AE, both of them have similar sound styles and are classic tunings, and db1 has a better extension of density sound field information at both ends. We'll have to wait for JA's comparison to confirm that claim.

EDIT #1: Did some internet searching and found this DB1 FR graph and translated information which describes the internal structure of the shell which enhances the low and intermediate frequencies. So rather than a midrange boost as described above, it looks like the internal shell structure helps with midrange transparency.

I get home the first week of June and have plenty of gear testing to do and you know DB1 vs DB1e will be a big one!

 

[samandhi]

Hey, I found a Yincrow rw-3000 for sale on NiceHCK for $218 now. (Actually, it's even cheaper...)
I'm thinking this could be a precursor to the Yincrow rw-4000 being released...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003534695447.html

That is a great deal for those. Yincrow are like Nintendo; rarely do they lower the price of their gear unless (like you say) they are either coming out with a new set, or discontinuing the RW3000 (which I highly doubt).

I get home the first week of June and have plenty of gear testing to do and you know DB1 vs DB1e will be a big one!

Eagerly awaiting the results...