Earbuds Round-Up
Sep 15, 2021 at 11:42 AM Post #57,826 of 74,623
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M2s Pro with the new FiiO LC-RC cable matches really well imo
 
Sep 15, 2021 at 10:21 PM Post #57,827 of 74,623
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Had these (K's Earphone K300 & Qigom White Lotus S300) for quite a while now, but haven't really had the chance to really enjoy them since even my LG V50 didn't seem quite enough to drive these to a good enough level. It didn't really make sense for me to spend more money on a more powerful source just for 2 cheap earbuds since I don't like headphones, and most of the IEMs and earbuds I like are fairly easy to drive.

Got a JCALLY JM10 recently, and finally started to enjoy these a bit more... well, at least one of them. K300 has a warm neutral tuning with fairly good technicalities all round, and is quite enjoyable to listen to. S300 is... just warm and thick with a lot of mid bass and lower mids, not much upper mids or treble (not sure if i have a faulty pair or maybe it still needs even more power to shine?). Not sure if both of them still have room to scale, but at least with the JM10, I find myself using the K300 a lot more often these day.

:L3000:
 
Sep 15, 2021 at 11:42 PM Post #57,829 of 74,623
I have both the K300 & S300 too, and yes, even on a desktop amp, the S300 sounds like what you've described - thick midcentric and laidback sound.
Despite both being rated at 300ohm, the K300 & S300 are actually relatively easy to drive, probably because they share the same high sensitivity rating (108dB).

Someone actually did a review & comparison between these two pairs, and have pretty much the same impressions on the S300 as well
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3232#post-15735514
Thanks for the link, missed that post previously! Good to know it wouldn't benefit more from anything more powerful than that! :beerchug:
 
Sep 16, 2021 at 4:19 AM Post #57,831 of 74,623
Was just browsing on AE, and noticed this Yinman 150 ohm listing has been updated with a second option:

Qing Niu aka Green Bull, an entry level release earlier this year from Longyao Yinman (first photo taken from Taobao)

O1CN014mkszG1HhPAJmy3pR_!!88250789.jpg


O1CN01GyIohT1HhPAGPYWNn_!!88250789.jpg


According to Yinman's Taobao listing, Qing Niu uses the same driver from their previous flagship model DR08, and comes in two versions - 32 & 150 ohm (only 150 ohm on AE listing)

I have had the 150 ohm version for a few months now, and they're a really good pair for the price.

Quite balanced-warm sounding with very nice textured bass in excellent quantity & quality (both sub & midbass) - minimal bleed into mids
The treble isn't particular airy, but the detail is good and enjoyable enough, especially when worn foamless or with thin donut foams.
Technicalities are very good too, and I would say these fall quite close to lower tier TOTL level.

A particular downside is that the wooden shells wear quite large (measured almost 17mm with a normal caliper), and it is definitely ever so slightly larger than MX500 shells.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for their first Yinman, or are interested in high impedance/wooden earbuds.
(Before someone asks - No, I've never heard the older Yinman 600 ohm, so I can't compare)

Also, I have not bought from this particular AE seller before, and the shop rating is a bit on the low side at 92.2%, so I think it would be best to enquiry the seller first before placing an order.
Nice mini-review. Yes, they have had some nice earbuds but they tend (can) be very music genre specific in their tuning. The DR09 specifically is an astounding earbud and thus why I placed it on my God-Tier List.

2019 - 龙谣音曼 Longyao (Dragon Ballad) Yinman DR08 (32Ω & 150Ω)​
2021 - 龙谣音曼 Longyao (Dragon Ballad) Yinman DR09 (32Ω)
2021 - 龙谣音曼 Longyao (Dragon Ballad) Yinman 青牛 Qing Niu (Green Bull) Edition (32Ω & 150Ω)​
 
Sep 16, 2021 at 4:36 AM Post #57,832 of 74,623
Was just browsing on AE, and noticed this Yinman 150 ohm listing has been updated with a second option:

Qing Niu aka Green Bull, an entry level release earlier this year from Longyao Yinman (first photo taken from Taobao)

O1CN014mkszG1HhPAJmy3pR_!!88250789.jpg


O1CN01GyIohT1HhPAGPYWNn_!!88250789.jpg


According to Yinman's Taobao listing, Qing Niu uses the same driver from their previous flagship model DR08, and comes in two versions - 32 & 150 ohm (only 150 ohm on AE listing)

I have had the 150 ohm version for a few months now, and they're a really good pair for the price.

Quite balanced-warm sounding with very nice textured bass in excellent quantity & quality (both sub & midbass) - minimal bleed into mids
The treble isn't particularly airy, but the detail is good and enjoyable enough, especially when worn foamless or with thin donut foams.
Technicalities are very good too, and I would say these fall quite close to lower tier TOTL level.

A particular downside is that the wooden shells wear quite large (measured almost 17mm with a normal caliper), and it is definitely ever so slightly larger than MX500 shells.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for their first Yinman, or are interested in high impedance/wooden earbuds.
(Before someone asks - No, I've never heard the older Yinman 600 ohm, so I can't compare)

Also, I have not bought from this particular AE seller before, and the shop rating is a bit on the low side at 92.2%, so I think it would be best to enquiry the seller first before placing an order.

Thanks for the update.

I think I remember a few folks saying they tried some Yinman models. They were good on reviews generally, but some reported QC issues (cause probably they were old stock for many years in the warehouse)?
Not sure if some older gear can suffer from loose glue/soldering etc?
 
Sep 16, 2021 at 5:15 AM Post #57,833 of 74,623
I meant for the sound quality alone. Would it be worth it over BTR5 ?

Someone here on HF recently cmpared them. I can't recall where it was exactly, but HF's search engine might help.

But with amps more power (and lower output impedance) is usually better.

I agree on low output impedance, but power is relative to a given load. IEMs don't need much and many sound great :wink:
 
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Sep 17, 2021 at 12:17 PM Post #57,835 of 74,623
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Sep 17, 2021 at 12:33 PM Post #57,836 of 74,623
Sep 17, 2021 at 12:38 PM Post #57,837 of 74,623
currently eyeing on the pmv pp (found here for $110)
any earbuds recommendations for around that same price?
i listen to 2000-2010 rocks and some metals.
soundstage is the main priority 😁
SMABAT M2s pro with 150 Ohm driver or the Super One driver. A bit cheaper, but a very good bud with an above average soundstage.
 
Sep 17, 2021 at 12:41 PM Post #57,838 of 74,623
How's the fit of the Rambo II for you? I have its sibling, the Hessian Ansata, and it keeps wanting to fall right out of my ears.
If worn straight down the fit is poor, but if it's angled so the stem rests between the tragus and antitragus and the bottom of the stem rests against my neck, fit is very good.
 
Sep 17, 2021 at 6:40 PM Post #57,839 of 74,623
Currently enjoying CD quality streaming of the Vishtèn (French-Canadian folk music group from Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands) album Terre Rouge, from Qobuz, listening to my Wong Kuan Wae "Blur 266 MX150" (150-Ω, 2.5mm TRRS) earbuds. Signal Path:
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Onkyo DP-X1B DAP (UAPP / Qobuz - Bit Perfect) [Balanced] -> [Balanced] S.M.S.L. sAp-9 Amp [Balanced] -> MX150 earbuds
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https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/terre-rouge-vishten/s46up7uoswvfa
 

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