[yaps66]

That is really cool... I wish you would have taken pictures as well, but either way I/we hope you had a great time.

How did you know that it was him (and he, you)? Did you discuss meeting up beforehand? Were there other buds/manufacturers there?

We were in communication before as he wanted to try my tgxEAR buds. We connected on WhatsApp and arranged to meet up at CanJam just before the doors opened on the first day! Unfortunately I did not really see any other buds/manufacturers there. We bud lovers are an even smaller niche group of a niche audiophile world!

Here's a picture of some of us that represent the Watercooler thread.

 

[Survivor]

Congrats on your new shiny!

They sure are pretty.

Do you have any impressions on the sound of these?

These earbuds are undoubtedly better than the last ones I purchased Yincrow Calf and Lunson YE-02, which took a long time to pick up good cables. They sound great with NiceHCK PurpleSE. I don't feel the emphasis on any frequencies, the sound is very smooth and comfortable. It's even strange that the price is not so expensive. I remember when they went on sale there were a lot of complaints about the build quality, but everything is OK with mine. I listened to them on the Ibasso DX120, Cayin N3Pro and N5II players, and it seems to me that their power is enough for these earbuds.

 

[ttorbic]

We were in communication before as he wanted to try my tgxEAR buds. We connected on WhatsApp and arranged to meet up at CanJam just before the doors opened on the first day! Unfortunately I did not really see any other buds/manufacturers there. We bud lovers are an even smaller niche group of a niche audiophile world!

Here's a picture of some of us that represent the Watercooler thread.

Super awesome that you guys managed to meet up! He was pretty blown away by TGXEAR RIP his wallet though hehe

 

[samandhi]

We were in communication before as he wanted to try my tgxEAR buds. We connected on WhatsApp and arranged to meet up at CanJam just before the doors opened on the first day! Unfortunately I did not really see any other buds/manufacturers there. We bud lovers are an even smaller niche group of a niche audiophile world!

Here's a picture of some of us that represent the Watercooler thread.

These earbuds are undoubtedly better than the last ones I purchased Yincrow Calf and Lunson YE-02, which took a long time to pick up good cables. They sound great with NiceHCK PurpleSE. I don't feel the emphasis on any frequencies, the sound is very smooth and comfortable. It's even strange that the price is not so expensive. I remember when they went on sale there were a lot of complaints about the build quality, but everything is OK with mine. I listened to them on the Ibasso DX120, Cayin N3Pro and N5II players, and it seems to me that their power is enough for these earbuds.

Thank you both for sharing. I still can't help but get excited when talking about good earbuds. I suppose I still remember the cheap crappy ones that used to come with some gear (the kind that if you listen to now, you feel that you need a shower because your ears were raped ). Even though we (earbuds people) are niche within a niche hobby, they have come a long way and those that create them and truly care about the medium (rather than just a paycheck) make this hobby something very special IMHO.

@yaps66, you seem to have a pretty discerning ear. Did you get to listen to any standout gear (be that amps, DACs, DAPs, or head gear)? For me, I'm set for IEMs/headphones/earbuds for (probably) a long time. The only realm I have neglected for some few years is TWS (this could possibly change though with the release of the Linkbuds 2). Anything I buy from this point on (for now) is strictly out of curiosity, or the addict in me that tells me I both need a new set, and I want to fight with my wife.....

Having said that, most of you know me well enough by now to know that tomorrow could be that day that I decide I need a new set (some new shiny that comes out supposedly better than the best out there) that I gotta' have. haha

So @Survivor would you consider these your best (current) set then? And, which DAP do you like best for these (and why, if you don't mind answering more questions)?

 

[baskingshark]

Had a great meeting with @baskingshark. Wish we had more time and I had taken some pictures! He tried some buds from @tgx78 of the TGXear fame and he liked it. Hope more people bet to hear Jim's creations! Love CanJam!

I would like to thank @ttorbic for linking us up before the Can Jam show so we could meet up to test our earbuds.

Thanks @yaps66 for taking the time and bringing your whole collection of TGX earbuds over from Vietnam, much appreciated!!! And wishing you a safe flight back! And yes it was quite an eye opener (or rather ear opener) hearing TGX buds, they are superbly tuned. Am saving money now and will see if I can purchase one soon!

@yaps66 is an extremely knowledgeable earbuds enthusiast, and has a huge collection of gear!!

That is really cool... I wish you would have taken pictures as well, but either way I/we hope you had a great time.

How did you know that it was him (and he, you)? Did you discuss meeting up beforehand? Were there other buds/manufacturers there?

I only saw some Fiio earbuds at the Fiio booth, nothing new, but the existing Fiio earbuds we already discuss about here.

And sadly - unexpectedly actually - most of the consumers left the flatheads untouched, sigh.

Last year, Pislo brought some high end earbuds from $400 - $1000 USD over, but the reception was poor, so I think manufacturers are seeing the earbud market as very niche amongst audiophiles? Sad but even when I tried to bring one or two acquaintances over to the Fiio earbud area, they were not keen.

 

[droenald]

@h8uthemost, the Q5K puts out (max low gain) 1 VRMS, (max high gain) 2 VRMS at the 3.5SE and (max low gain) 2 VRMS and (max high gain) 4 VRMS at the 2.5Bal outputs.

I'm listening to the Yinman 600 right now (at my computer) and the Q5K is driving it nicely from the 2.5Bal with high gain (max 4 VRMS) setting enabled. BTW, you will never even crank it to max, you would hurt your hearing / blow your eardrums out.

I think you can be very happy with the Yinman 600 / Q5K combo without any regret.

Below from the Qudelix website: https://www.qudelix.com/products/qudelix-5k, also in the user manual: https://www.qudelix.com/blogs/5k-dac-amp/user-manual-pdf

I am aware, that this is a message from about 20 pages back... Just have to say thanks @mt877 for giving the pairing of the yinman with the qudelix a try and confirming that it works ok!
This would be my use case, as I am more than happy with the qudelix and the app functionality. Also I am not willing to shell out more money for a source device and the form factor and usability on the go as well as around the house just perfect.
In conclusion I am going to order the yinman 600 now. Sadly I can't find it simply searching for it in the Aliexpress app. Might be because I am in Belgium/EU? Can anybody tell me the name of the trustworthy shop again? Avccstore ore something like that?
Thanks for your help!

 

[gylyf]

I am aware, that this is a message from about 20 pages back... Just have to say thanks @mt877 for giving the pairing of the yinman with the qudelix a try and confirming that it works ok!
This would be my use case, as I am more than happy with the qudelix and the app functionality. Also I am not willing to shell out more money for a source device and the form factor and usability on the go as well as around the house just perfect.
In conclusion I am going to order the yinman 600 now. Sadly I can't find it simply searching for it in the Aliexpress app. Might be because I am in Belgium/EU? Can anybody tell me the name of the trustworthy shop again? Avccstore ore something like that?
Thanks for your help!

Here you go:

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! $116.60 56％ Off | senior YINMAN 600 ohm High Impedance In Ear Earphone 600ohm Earbud Flat Head Plug Earplugs HIFI Earbud Earphone Limite
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mruA5wq

 

[droenald]

So I did @mt877 's trick of setting up the sensitivity and impedance of the Yinmans in the Qudelix app, so I know I was listening at 70dB.
I roughly volume matched against the Topping G5, which has between 2-3 times the power output, and did some back and forth listening.

I thought that the Qudelix with the Yinmans sounded actually pretty nice. I liked it a lot.
Compared to the G5, it is definitely thinner and lacks bass. That is definitely not a difference that I see in easier to drive earbuds (I checked to be sure), so it isn't a matter of tonal difference between the sources.

Honestly, having a little bit less bass in the Yinmans for me is almost welcome. It allows some of the other frequencies to come through a bit more, and still keeps that wonderful lack of any harshness. It is a very nice listen, and I would say that it is still worth the price. It reminds me of one of my DIY buds that I tried to tune to be similar to Yinman but with less bass.

However, I also feel that strictly speaking, you can't really compare it to the sound that others are getting with more powerful setups. Just understand that what you're hearing from this pairing is different from what others are hearing from the Yinmans.

If you have the Qudelix, and get the Yinmans, then I don't think you'll be disappointed in the sound, and maybe you can look forward to how the sound changes when you get a more powerful source later, like @samandhi is experiencing with his new 4W amp.

Also thanks @fooltoque for trying the pairing of yinman with qudelix and confirming the compatibility!
Regarding the weaker bass output you are experiencing there: I'll simply use the parametric EQ to tune the sound to my liking. That is the unique selling point of the Qudelix I think. With other amps you have to have synergy with the headphone, with the qudelix you can create it, if it is missing...

 

[droenald]

Here you go:

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! $116.60 56％ Off | senior YINMAN 600 ohm High Impedance In Ear Earphone 600ohm Earbud Flat Head Plug Earplugs HIFI Earbud Earphone Limite
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mruA5wq

This link does not seem to work in the part of the world I live in...
I appreciate the effort though,
Thank you!
Does anybody know of any other way to get them in Europe/Belgium?

 

[droenald]

Hello
Sound signature is probably ok, but I doubt his high impedance would pair well with rather weak R3ii (only 380mw @32ohms)...

I quess it depends on maximum voltage swing the R3ii is able to supply.
@mt877 and @fooltoque have confirmed that the yinman600 works fine with the Qudelix that puts out only 240mw max and a max of 4Vrms.
If the R3ii is able to supply 4VRMS or more it should be fine?

 

[qua2k]

Spoiler: tube talk

I like the EL84X and haven't done any tube rolling in the Stereo 50. The EL84 has always been known as a musically warm and smooth tube. I can understand iFi's position of not divulging what tube the EL84X really is. There's another tube, the 7189 which (afaik) isn't available anymore. It's a more powerful variant of the EL84 with same pinout, and maybe iFi found a huge batch of Soviet era 7189 type tubes which they relabeled as 'EL84X'. Of course it's all speculation.

One thing I've noticed is that iFi likes to cloak many things like the technical specs of their gear. I'm sure you've had fun trying to find some concrete specs of the Pro iCan Sig. iFi doesn't publish any data. I guess it's why worry about the specs as long as it sounds nice sort of thing with them.

As far as the tubeyness sound, the Pro iCan Sig should have it in spades. With only 2 triode ouput tubes (1 per channel) it's a SET amp and should have plenty of 2nd order harmonic distortion (the good kind), though some SET amps could have 3rd order harmonic distortion which kills some of the musicality.

Edit: My bad, I said you have a SET amp, but I forgot the 5670 is a dual triode tube, so it's probably a push-pull output. PP output has common mode rejection, so that could reduce any harmonics.

Back on topic...

Look what arrived today. Yongyao Yinman 32Ω buds. I thought I was buying 150Ω buds, but they measured 32Ω. Well, I guess that's typical of the AVCCK store not changing the title or description of the product. If you or anyone is looking for a set of buds that are easy to drive and have the sound / tonality almost like the Yinman 600, this is the set. I think this set could be an excellent side-grade to the FF3. Excellent bass with mids and treble that have good detail without being sibilant. The Yinman 600 still outclass these buds, but like I said the sound and tonality is in the same wheelhouse as the Yinman 600.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832675927781.html

Spoiler: Longyao Yinman 32Ω

Love the Yinman 600 so I just ordered these based on your post. Did they ask for termination option or is this one 3.5mm only? Likely does not need much power but there is always preferece

 

[mt877]

Love the Yinman 600 so I just ordered these based on your post. Did they ask for termination option or is this one 3.5mm only? Likely does not need much power but there is always preferece

I was gonna message the store and ask for 4.4mm, but I figured for 150Ω that 3.5mm would be ok (even though many of my other low impedance buds are 4.4mm terminated), so I didn't message them. Then of course, first thing I did (besides taking pictures) was measure the resistance and found they were 32Ω instead of 150Ω as advertised at the store product page. I could complain about it to the AVCCK store, but I know they have the habit of not updating any of their product pages and the buds sound really good. I just decided to post about it and let everyone know what to expect if they decided to buy them.

For sound impression, I did do a short 30 minute A/B listening test between the Yinman 32 and Yinman 600 on a Sony NW ZX-707 (high gain switched on for both phone outs, 3.5mm for the 32's and 4.4mm for the 600's). Like I said before, the 32's sound and tonality is pretty close (not exactly) to the 600's. There was pretty good staging and some of that "3D layering" that the 600's just have effortlessly. We know that the 600's really shine when amped properly. I haven't tried the 32's amped up yet, but I think they will scale with some power.

This link does not seem to work in the part of the world I live in...
I appreciate the effort though,
Thank you!
Does anybody know of any other way to get them in Europe/Belgium?

Here's the link I used when I bought the Yinman 600. If the link fails as well, maybe worth it to message the store, tell them you would like to purchase and ask if they will ship to your location. I find it so weird that AliExpress geo-blocks some products from being purchased, but allows other products from the same store.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832631375111.html

Link to AVCCK Store: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101243776

Congrats on your new shiny!

Oh, those look fantastic. How is the cable on those? It looks like it might be more sturdy than the one on the 600's, but also it looks a bit stiff?! Are you planning on doing some A/Bing with the 600?

I posted a few more thoughts about the Yinman 32 in reply to @qua2k above. Do you have a set of the Yincrow X6? The cable is similar to the cable on the X6, except it is a bit thicker in diameter. From 3.5mm plug to splitter the cable holds some curl, from the splitter to the buds they are pretty straight. Overall the cable is flexible, though not as flexible as the Yinman 600 braided cable.

 

[droenald]

Here's the link I used when I bought the Yinman 600. If the link fails as well, maybe worth it to message the store, tell them you would like to purchase and ask if they will ship to your location. I find it so weird that AliExpress geo-blocks some products from being purchased, but allows other products from the same store.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832631375111.html

Link to AVCCK Store: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101243776

Thanks for your help!
The first link leads nowherefor me, but at least the link to the shop works.
But however this shop sells no products at all!.
At least not in my location.. (see screenshot)
AliExpress is soooo frustratin!. I had a small discussion with @h8uthemost about it already - Most of the products he was pointing me towards are not available in my location, and the ones I can find are 2 or 3 times more expensive than in the US, it is crazy...
About the Avcck store: the customer rating of 84.5% does not exactly encourage me to try to contact them. Especially as I would not know how to strike a deal with them through the Aliexpress system... I certainly won't simply wire them money and hope that they will send me the buds...

 

[mt877]

Thanks for your help!
The first link leads nowherefor me, but at least the link to the shop works.
But however this shop sells no products at all!.
At least not in my location.. (see screenshot)
AliExpress is soooo frustratin!. I had a small discussion with @h8uthemost about it already - Most of the products he was pointing me towards are not available in my location, and the ones I can find are 2 or 3 times more expensive than in the US, it is crazy...
About the Avcck store: the customer rating of 84.5% does not exactly encourage me to try to contact them. Especially as I would not know how to strike a deal with them through the Aliexpress system... I certainly won't simply wire them money and hope that they will send me the buds...

Like, Where's The Fun (change the words for the red letters... LOL). There must be certain AliExpress rules in place for geo-blocking to your country / region. I'm not sure if the buds are available anywhere else.

 

[droenald]

Yes, Where's The Fun?!? After months of restraint I was finally deciding to get the yinman and get a glimpse into totl sound! In my frustration about it not happening I just ordered the Faael Rosemary, Faael Snow Lotus and some Hiegi foams and Silicone rings. Apparently I am thinking AliExpress is going to improve its business policies for us europeans if I give them more of my money. Doh!