URBANFUN YBF-ISS014 Impressions thread

[IEMusic]

I've got a set of the Urbanfun which I absolutely love, easily my favourite IEM. The detail and bass is incredible with a nice treble sparkle, mids are perhaps lacking a bit. I love this set for extended listening sessions. The rich texture of sounds is so satisfying. For posterity I would like to buy another set but it's such a gamble. I'm not sure if I should go for the KBEAR Believe instead. Any thoughts? It's been a while since they ****ed around with the Noble Metal drivers, could I trust the latest batch (on amazon) ?

If you get it on Amazon, you can always return it if it doesn’t sound similar to your current set.

The Believe has a very different sound and tuning. It has also been discontinued, so the remaining supply is all that’s left of the Believe.

 

[CT007]

KBEAR Believe

Although KBB sounds good/solid/proper at its core, I find the bass pressure and treble elevation/peak(s) too much for comfort. I would describe KBB as an extreme/superpowered FH3, where the treble and bass of FH3 are fine as they are.

Not sure what you're looking for in an IEM, but I highly recommend grabbing a KZ ZAX, if you haven't already. I could ditch all my other IEMs for them, although other IEMs are better at specific things than them, of course. It's the overall package that matters. I love my YFB, too, and I consider ZAX and YBF at a tied level/rank(within my top 5 or 3). And speaking of gambles, above ZAX I would probably only recommend trying FH3, since all the other stuff above them(that I've tried) is more of a mixed bag than not. :\ I find the tone of YBF a bit dark, otherwise they sound amazing. And ZAX can produce very natural, realistic sounds, as a counterpart to YBF's tone.

 

[baskingshark]

I've got a set of the Urbanfun which I absolutely love, easily my favourite IEM. The detail and bass is incredible with a nice treble sparkle, mids are perhaps lacking a bit. I love this set for extended listening sessions. The rich texture of sounds is so satisfying. For posterity I would like to buy another set but it's such a gamble. I'm not sure if I should go for the KBEAR Believe instead. Any thoughts? It's been a while since they ****ed around with the Noble Metal drivers, could I trust the latest batch (on amazon) ?

I'm assuming yours is the beryllium version of the Urbanfun? Cause there's a noble metal one which is tuned differently.

Anyways, KBEAR BElieve is more U shaped, is harder to drive, and has not so hot upper mids. Technicalities are a bit better on the BElieve when amped, I find the tonality is a bit better on BElieve. Subbass is better in extension and texture and speed on the Urbanfun.

 

[ecerockmars]

anyone has a recommended balanced cable (4.4mm) for YBF? around $30 max thank you. My DIY cable does not fit in YBF mmcx port

 

[CT007]

anyone has a recommended balanced cable (4.4mm) for YBF? around $30 max thank you. My DIY cable does not fit in YBF mmcx port

When you start messing with the cable is when YBF stops working. Not sure what connector fits it, exactly, though.

 

[cenix]

anyone has a recommended balanced cable (4.4mm) for YBF? around $30 max thank you. My DIY cable does not fit in YBF mmcx port

I have tried quite a few cables myself and none of them work all that great for a period of time. All of them become somewhat loose to the point minor movements would disconnect the sound. So far, only the stock cable has been a good fit, for me at least.

Good luck.

 

[paulwasabii]

When you start messing with the cable is when YBF stops working. Not sure what connector fits it, exactly, though.

That is true. Mine is the first run with the janky MMCX. Find the one cable that fits and don't touch it. I have more cables that don't fit mine than fit.

 

[ecerockmars]

Appreciate the warning, ill just stick to unbalance for now I do also experience losing audio on right piece if I dont let it twist freely first , my YBF turned a year old recently

 

[dharmasteve]

Appreciate the warning, ill just stick to unbalance for now I do also experience losing audio on right piece if I dont let it twist freely first , my YBF turned a year old recently

There is an MMCX removal tool available that even takes the iss014 cable off. At the moment I have the FAAEAL 4.4mm MMCX cable on and am playing through the HiBY R5 4.4mm or the iFi hip-dac 4.4. It sounds wonderful with Spiral Dot L. My iss014 is a very early Beryllium version.

 

[courierdriver]

That is true. Mine is the first run with the janky MMCX. Find the one cable that fits and don't touch it. I have more cables that don't fit mine than fit.

I've got a Tripowin Zonie balanced 2.5 mmcx on my noble version. I installed it when I first got the ISS014. Never bothered with the thin stock cable, so the Zonie is the first and only cable I've ever used on it. I totally agree with your advice, Paul. Just get one good cable that falls well, isn't stiff or janky and call it a day. The ISS014 is NOT a set you want to do a lot of cable swapping on due to the fragile mmcx connectors in the earpieces themselves.

 

[ecerockmars]

bought the tanchjim tanya recently and tried to stick the free filters to my YBF, metallic highs (my imagination) now gone

 

[SoundJedi]

Did a comparison using 3 tracks.... 'Head Full of Blues', Snowy White, and 'Still Learning How To Crawl', Daniel Lanois, and 'Focus on Sanity, Ornette Coleman....between the YBF iss014 and the KBear Believe, mainly to compare bass. I have a Beryllium coated version of the iss014 from last December and I've left the original 3.5mm cable on for fear of causing damage. The Believe has a 4.4mm balanced TRi Through cable on. Both with L Spiral Dots. Uneven comparison, but I tried to volume match on the HiBy R5. They are surprisingly similar. The main difference is a tiny hint more thump/impact on the bass of the iss014, and maybe more depth and bass detail on the pure Beryllium Believe. The iss014 is almost on a par with the Believe, but it is not easy for me to differentiate. Perhaps a little more very fine detail on the Believe too. Those of you with a functioning iss014 know how good the Beryllium version is. For those of you with problematic iss014's, the Believe is a great sounding upgrade with a very similar sound profile.

The YBF sound scales so nicely with power. Its bass is among the best I have heard in any iem. I'm curious about the Believe now...

It's a tragedy that YBF stock cable is pretty much the only option. I have some MMCX to 2pin adapters that actually fit, but they are highly impractical. And I'm not about to buy an expensive balanced mmcx upgrade cable to find out it doesn't fit.

A great iem let down by some poor design choices and apparent lack of consistency (my unit was always great and still is my daily driver).

Shame really.

 

[baskingshark]

The YBF sound scales so nicely with power. Its bass is among the best I have heard in any iem. I'm curious about the Believe now...

It's a tragedy that YBF stock cable is pretty much the only option. I have some MMCX to 2pin adapters that actually fit, but they are highly impractical. And I'm not about to buy an expensive balanced mmcx upgrade cable to find out it doesn't fit.

A great iem let down by some poor design choices and apparent lack of consistency (my unit was always great and still is my daily driver).

Shame really.

Doing A/B comparisons with the KBEAR BElieve versus Urbanfun:
- KBEAR BElieve is more U shaped, Urbanfun is more V shaped (more recessed mids in Urbanfun)
- KBEAR BElieve has better technicalities
- KBEAR BElieve is much harder to drive
- Urbanfun has more subbass extension and bass is faster than KBEAR BElieve

The KBEAR BElieve is not in production any more unfortunately. But there's consumers who bought a Vento Conductor T500 Pro (it is a newly launched product) and say they measure and sound the same as the BElieve. And it appears cheaper than the original KBEAR BElieve's price:
https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/vento...i-single-dd-iem-from-a-reputed-japanese-brand


Ya the Urbanfun's QC is a joke unfortunately. Good sounding set marred by QC issues for the MMCX and even doubt in driver type.

 

[SoundJedi]

Doing A/B comparisons with the KBEAR BElieve versus Urbanfun:
- KBEAR BElieve is more U shaped, Urbanfun is more V shaped (more recessed mids in Urbanfun)
- KBEAR BElieve has better technicalities
- KBEAR BElieve is much harder to drive
- Urbanfun has more subbass extension and bass is faster than KBEAR BElieve

The KBEAR BElieve is not in production any more unfortunately. But there's consumers who bought a Vento Conductor T500 Pro (it is a newly launched product) and say they measure and sound the same as the BElieve. And it appears cheaper than the original KBEAR BElieve's price:
https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/vento...i-single-dd-iem-from-a-reputed-japanese-brand


Ya the Urbanfun's QC is a joke unfortunately. Good sounding set marred by QC issues for the MMCX and even doubt in driver type.

Well I am listening to the Urbanfun with the L&P W2 dongle balanced output (using a 2pin to mmcx adaptor). It's just astounding how good bass is on this iem. And the rest of the FR. World class. Coherence is a joy on these 1DD iems.

W2 emphasises mids a little and pushes voices a bit forward. it works wonders with the UF.

The YSS needs powaaaa to perform at its best. That Beryllium is a hungry beast.

I ordered a second pair from Linsoul. Let's see how consistent these are.

 

[Pezzab]

Keeping the flame alive!

I purchased the YBF not long after buying a more mid range IEM (Yanyin Canon) and to be honest at the time I found it underwhelming by comparison (and I really liked the Canon). Not that it was terrible, I just found it unengaging.

So I recently got hold of a 4.4mm plug XINHS G88 cable, intended to liven up a set of Dunus that also hadn't lived up to expectations.

For me the cable didn't do them any favours, I might try listening again.

But I remembered the YBFs and plugged them in more for a laugh than anything.

Only to find they really transformed them.

So a good cable for me. They really open the sound up with surprisingly good separation and detail. It's a nice warm sounding cable if you're into that sort of thing.

Great rumbly bass on these things. They sound good at low volume too.