Yuin Pk1 Earphones

First, I have to tell you that I don't like the in-ear headphones. I don't like the feel and I don't like the isolation from the outside world. Before portable music became so good, I used to listen to Koss Pro-4AA's and then Sony something or other really good headphones. I even had the Koss electrostatics. I have been listening to my iPod, etc. for 6 or 7 years. I have bought expensive earbuds from Audio Cubes including the titanium Audio Technica, which I loved. They finally fell apart and I've been trying some others ever since. I bought the Yuin PK-2 because of the reviews. It is half the price of the PK-1 and I was concerned about it's lack of volume too. I listen to Jazz and Classical mostly and not really loud, but I was concerned. I loved the PK-2. It looks like $10, but the sound is great. Well, I left them on a plane recently. When I saw the Fiio E5, a tiny in-line amp for $20, this was too much too resist. I bought the PK-1 and the amp. I listen with an iPod classic and also with an iPhone 4. I can tell you that the volume is fine for casual listening. The amp really helps, though. The PK-1 also looks like $10, identical to the PK-2. And it is twice the price. And the sound is absolutely amazing. I am blown away that any earbud can sound this good. Hanging in your ears, the highs, mids and even the lows are smooth as can be. The sound stage is also unbelievable. If you sit down for some serious listening and use the E5 for a little extra oomph, I promise you you will be very pleasantly surprised. Summary: Amazing, Fabulous.

I own a large range of headphones. From large over the ears to In-ears buds. All types have their advantages and inconveniences. The type of the Yuin PK1 is called earbuds. They sit in your ears sockets but do not require insertion in the ear canal and do not block the sound. The advantage of these earbuds is that it allows you to wear them with absolutely no fatigue, they are perfect for use with an I-Phone for instance. Now, it is easier to obtain a better sound with In-ears buds or larger diaphragms. And this is where the Yuin are coming into play. The standard earbuds are quite light in delivered quality. They have hard time to deliver bass and an even harder time at giving the feeling of a large head stage (sound stage as some call it). The Yuin PK1 do not fail in this register. The sound is impressive and they may be expensive but the cost is worth it. To me, they sound well balanced and on some recordings they really shine and give me an impression of quality equal to some of my best Over the ears headphones. And I insist, they are incredibly comfortable. One thing that bothers me somehow is the cable that gets tangled all the time. I just ordered some detanglers to remedy the issue. The foams provided to cover the earbuds are also a pain in the neck to fit on. Especially the donuts ones. I won't take them either to the gym because they do not block the external sounds and may suffer from the sweat (or fall). Apart from that, no complaint at all. They may even get better with the burn-in but they were impressive from the beginning. The Sennheisers MX-980 are touted by some to deliver an even better performance at a similar price. I have not checked them yet.

I've been a headphone enthusiast for more than one year already, slowly building my audio setup from a Grado SR80i out of an iPod, up to a Grado HF2, iBasso D12 DAC & amp, and Millet Hybrid MiniMAX desktop headphone amplifier. Not really a fan of IEMs, I couldn't care less about pedestrian-looking earbuds. I tried the PK2 for a few months and wanted to get a hold of what Yuin could really offer at the top of the shelf (As of this date, the high-end Yuin earbud is the OK1). The PK1 comes in the same little slide-out box that the rest of the PK series are packed in. Compared to the PK2, it comes with more spare foam pads. Everything else is the same--Chinese owner's manual, film-shaped container, foam filling, and 1/4" to 1/8" gold-plated stereo adapter. Looking at the specs, there's nothing different between the PK1 and PK2 aside from the impedance (PK1 - 150 ohms, PK2 - 16 ohms). This, I presume, means that the PK1s come with transducers that will require more power for it to play music at the same level as the PK2s. This may at first seem like a disadvantage, but trying it out with a dedicated headphone amplifier, such as the AMB Labs Mini³ High Performance version, the PK1 provides full, clear sound with relatively no distortions, provided you play high quality music (320kbps MP3, OGG, AIFF, FLAC, etc.) The PK1 will reward you with a complete high-end headphone experience, but it also comes at a price. To reiterate, you need the following first: 1. Digital audio player that can play high bit rate MP3 or lossless music files. Line-out function optional. 2. Portable or desktop headphone amplifier (FiiO E5, AMB Mini³, iBasso P4, NuForce Icon Mobile, etc.) These earbuds can be listened to out of the iPod's headphone jack, but they sound artificial. Queue up some properly recorded classical/chamber music and you can hardly hear a thing. Get the PK1 if you already have a headphone amplifier, plan to get one, and appreciate the fact that you won't be attracting thieves. If you don't, get the PK2.

Sound was excellent but they only lasted four days. Left bud got hot and lst sound, and may have also damaged my Headroom amp.