Hi there!Hi, how would you compare Yinman 2 vs DIY masters like Riku's or Jim pure SQ wise (disregarding the differences in tonality if possible)?
I sold all my reference buds (Saber 1, Alter Rider 1, Bell Serratus) due to fit mostly and only have my own DIY assymetric Qian39 now (and Vidos) and I am quite confident I have one version which sounds extremely good, but I would need some good checkpoint on if my memory fails me again. And this Yinman shell looks very promising to try
I have a total of 4 DIY buds now. Two of which I recently received, and two others that were sent to me some time ago at separate times. While I can't speak for "paid for" DIYs, I can tell you that even the worst set I have compare very well to the Yinmans. This is a pretty tricky question overall though because all of my DIY buds were (purposefully) tuned differently because I don't like to have different buds that sound the same in my collection. Having said that, I have rated and ranked them with my whole collection, rather than in the category of DIY. As for the older buds, I have ranked one set as tied for second with the FiiO FF5, and one tied for third with the RW3000, with the Yinmans coming in first overall.
Since that time, I have received two more sets of DIY buds, and I can safely say that they are both now squarely in first place overall over the Yinmans. It actually shocked me that the overall SQ and technicalities could even get that much better because the Yinmans that I have had for some time sound a lot like the venerable Sennheiser HD650 or even some Stax that I have listened to. DIY buds would have to be at the very top in order to sound better than the Yinmans IMO. But, keep in mind that when you get to that level of "good" it really doesn't necessarily mean this one is better than that one and etc... It simply means that they are different, and it will come down to preferences.
But, to answer your question, I would put the Yinmans up there with the best of the best (for what I have heard). As for shell and shape, they not only fit me the second best of all my buds (FiiO FF3 taking that spot, believe it or not), but are also very comfortable. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. I have a set of IEMs that are super comfortable, but they give me pain after some time (as an example).
The Yinmans are made of wood, so while they are indeed very sturdy, they are also super lightweight. Having said all of that, I am pretty much in the same boat as you where MX500 shells are concerned. I can make them work, but overall they don't fit me very well. They aren't uncomfortable or cause any discomfort, but I have a hard time keeping them in my ears. I was quite shocked also when I learned that the asymmetrical DP100 shell fit very well.