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- Ziigaat Estrella score 34
- 7Hz Zero score 35.5
- 7Hz zero 2 score 35.5
- Simgot sSupermix 36
I don’t understand these results… Zero better than Estrella and almost as good as Simgot? I had 7Hz Zeo and Zero 2 and SM4 is clearly better than 7Hz… soundstage is better in Zero… eh…
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Opinons
That’s all it is, I wouldn’t get too hung up on the scores and if you have ever agreed 100% with someone else’s ranking list then you have a better success rate than I or anyone else out there. If you REALLY want to know how/why he ranked them that way, I would simply reach out to him and ask. I sincerely doubt those were tabulated through A/B listening anyway, and at that point, what’s in a number?
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I knew I was going to get flak for this 
Maybe it is brain/ear burn in. Maybe it isn’t, I don’t freaking know… I’m no expert and I’ll never claim to be… I just trust my ears I guess, If something sounds good, then it sounds good 
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Because of the inability to try more headphones, one is counting on the ranking created by the reviewer, but unfortunately they are completely different… and this is a disappointment because, for example, I bought the EM6L from Jay’s list, then the SM4, and it turns out that someone else is rating it. these particular units are much lower and it becomes confusing and the question arises whether they are really killers in a given price range?
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That’s the eternal struggle, no one can just tell you straight-up if something is “better” in audio the majority of the time. All you can do is put your trust in people who seem to hear things the same way you do or listen to the same library. No one’s ears are the same, and even if they were, listening conditions like environment, source, chain, mood…they are always different. Hell, you should try being into speakers and trying to guess if a high-rated speaker will play as well with your room as it did in a demo space or a reviewer’s house or office! The honest truth is that we play up just how much sidegrades and diminishing returns hit, so your focus should be as much on enjoying what you listen to as much as what you do it with. I know that it’s easy to get “caught up in the game” but perspective is everything and, like it or not, your enjoyment > any amount of words, numbers or charts.
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Huh…why am I getting pulled in? 
I mean yes, I did call Estrella a V-shape, but only just so. And it’s purely cause of the bass shelf. I should adjust the tape mod to warm-neutral though because it’s not right to call Estrella bright. It’s not. So thanks for unintentionally pushing me
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Sorry, couldnt even remember who it was, nor did i intend to push…or even nudge! I just remembered it being said.
Point was not to be offended by described shape. Hell, i am roundish shaped but some think i am average.
Cheers!
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All good guys, Superchonk is free to feel however he likes with the IEM, that’s why we got other reviewers to give their perspectives on it
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Great sense of humor.
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Mine is in China! Says Departure from Transport hub! Hyped.
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Rankings are one user’s preferences. Don’t worry. Find your preferred fr and IEMs. It may take some time and money. Sometimes the more expensive units may not be your preferred units. I would take the Kato and Bravery over more expensive units that don’t have their tunings/character. I own some. YMMV
edit: spelling error
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YAYIN CARMEN REVIEW
So, you’re either going to LOVE the Carmen… or you’re gonna be asking: “Why does this come with a $2 pouch?” It’s a pretty decisive set with some potential unit variations, but based on MY unit…I think I might like the Carmen more than my OG EJ07s. There, I said it.
Now, I’m not justifying Yanyin’s pouch decision - cause that’s actually insane for a $850 IEM, I mean respect for having the balls to do that, but they actually get away with this because when the sound is this good, I really don’t care about a $2 pouch.
LOW-END
What makes the Carmen unique and stand out to me are 4 things: the vocals, the scaling, the imaging, and the mid-bass. This is a high volume set; if you listen at mid to lower volumes don’t even look at this because the Carmen needs volume, and again, it’s a scaling IEM. I’m using the Topping G5 which is more than enough.
In-terms of the mid-bass, texture wise it’s around the same as the Monarch MK3 with the main difference being that the Carmen is quicker and sharper in the impact while the Monarch MK3 slams harder and feels fuller. The Carmen is achieving this with what they claim as “next generation knowles BAs”, and some sort of new crossover that they’re using (8-crossovers) and it does seem to be working because the low-end separation is great.
The mid-bass has this quickness to its attack and decay, but also has enough impact to follow it up which gives you this textured but tight and well-controlled presentation. Obviously it doesn’t slam like a basshead set, you’re not going to get an overwhelming amount of low-end like the Fatfreq stuff since this isn’t meant for that. However, the mid-bass is very well-done with enough energy, and it isn’t going to sound pillowy or light or low-res as the resolution in the bass notes are actually very clear.
Kick-drums and bass strings feel sharp in its attack, and the clarity of the bass notes is better versus something like the Hype 4 and and the MEGA5EST 7th. Sub-bass wise, it’s enough, you get the rumble, it’s quick, tightly controlled, with good extension, but it’s not going to shake or vibrate your brains out even at high volumes. The Carmen is more of a “surgical” bass set with how sharp and fast the bass notes are, if that makes sense.
VOCALS/IMAGING
The imaging also plays a role in making the mid-bass as good as it is when it comes to the attack - its sharp, accurate, pinpoint imaging, you can locate the directional cues and positions of the instruments very clearly, and most impressively, the Carmen is one of the few IEMs that does centre imaging, or at least as close as centre imaging as you’ll get in an IEM.
This is very obvious when it comes to the vocals, like the artist is literally centred in front of you, whereas on a lot of other IEMs the vocals are more spread out on the left and right side. So this centre imaging of the vocals combined with the scaling makes the Carmen one of the best vocals I’ve heard once you crank these up - but again at mid to lower volumes, do not get these, they will sound dark and neutered… But once you give it power, the Carmen opens right up, powerful, extended, full, and you hear all the small details and bite when it comes to the consonants like p, ts, sss without it being overbearing (well, depending on the track - we’ll get into that more later).
TREBLE
Now the vocals and mids are able to scale like crazy because the treble is very tamed. If you’re looking for splashy cymbals, airy nuanced decays, or an energetic presentation, then go look somewhere else - something like the Crimson would be better. The main focus of the Carmen is vocal scaling, so the treble is more of an afterthought in the background that doesn’t get in the way of the vocals, but, this darker treble does hurt the Carmen’s detail retrieval a bit as there’s obviously some masking over the treble from the vocals because they’re just pushed more. This does result in the treble detail being hidden into the background, whereas instead the vocal and mids are more clear instead.
So there is a trade off tech wise, but in-terms of imaging, layering, separation, and low-end texture the Carmen is as good as the Monarchs MK3 with the main difference being that the Monarchs MK3s have airier treble, more high-end detail, while the Carmen focus on scaling
and vocals.
AN RSV THAT SCALES?!
Think of it this way, the Carmen is an RSV that actually scales, very similar vocal presentation and tonality, but it’s just a high volume version of the RSV. If you crank up the RSV, you really will blast your ears out because it just has too much uppermids to be a high volume set since the vocals on the RSV are meant for mid-volume; they’re already very forward so if you crank the RSVs any higher it’s just going to be too shouty and fatiguing. The Carmen fixes that by just taming the whole thing down with a similar tuning, but allowing the vocals to scale instead, making them way more immersive and emotional, almost like you’re literally inside the singer - as if the vocals are shooting out from my head.
VERY GENRE SPECIFIC
At high volume, the Carmen EATS UP genres like acoustics, mandopop, vocal ballads, indie, lofi, ambient, and even deep-cuts or slower “sad songs” from pop and rock artists. As long as a song is not overly produced and energetic in the uppermids and treble, the Carmen will be able to scale it fairly well… However, it’s definitely not an all-rounder set - not a “safe pick” by any means. The Carmen is actually pretty picky when it comes to the tracks, but once it picks the right one, once it hits, oh it hits. I made a list of the tracks that are the perfect demographic for the Carmen, and if you like those tracks or know artists that are similar to the ones on the list, then most likely you WILL fall in love with the Carmens.
Most of the time when I’m reviewing an IEM I’m listening to a song for testing purposes, but, with the Carmen, I just said “screw it”, and just enjoyed the music instead. Similar to the OG EJ07s the Carmen took me on a whole musical journey, but the experience this time was way more intimate and personal with the artist, so close that it feels like I’m taking a glimpse inside their soul. Especially when it comes to the sadder ballads - because the Carmen portrays the vocals so clearly, so forward and vulnerable with no emotions getting hidden or missed, meaning you WILL hear all the pain from the artist’s voice. Musically, you can hear the story behind the song, you understand the meaning and layers better, and you just feel connected to the music on a very emotional level which the vast majority of IEMs cannot do.
vs OG EJ07
Now for those who own the OG EJ07s the Carmen is a great complimentary set to them; it’s not going to be redundant as they’re fairly different in the sound, but also similar in the way that they scale and the immersion factor. The main difference is that the Carmen is fuller, it specialises in the vocals, it’s way more intimate and personal with better mid-bass and imaging while the EJ07s on the other hand are cleaner, sweeter, airier, more spacious in the staging, and more laid back in the vocals with better layering.
Resolution/detail wise they’re around the same but just highlighting different regions, and both are endgame scaling sets. Personally, I like the fuller, more vocal centric sound on the Carmen more, but the EJs still have their own spot for rock and instrumentals.
vs OG DARK MAGICIAN
Versus the OG DM, after A/Bing them the vocals on the DM feels a bit off centred compared to the Carmen. They’re higher vertically, and the extension, clarity, and detail in the voices are just a step up on the Carmen while being more powerful and also more immersive. Stage wise the DM feels wider with more air, things are more pushed back, not as intense as the Carmens, but also not as laid back as the EJs, and the mid-bass on the DM is around the same level as the Carmen, which means they’re really good, but overall imaging, layering, resolution still goes to the Carmen with its 10BAs.
As an analogy, if the stage on the EJs is like standing in front of a concert, then the DM is like standing in front of people performing at a bar, and then the Carmen would be like they’re performing right in-front of your face. Even though I would take the Carmen over both the EJs and DM because I love vocals, this doesn’t mean that the EJ and DM are outdated, because they’re still legendary sets and unique in their own ways.
CONCLUSION
The Carmen is going to be a set that if you love it, you’ll LOVE it… but if you don’t, you’re gonna start graph sniffing and start roasting Yanyin for giving you a $2 pouch. So, go check out the song list to get a better feel for what you’re getting yourself into, again high volume blasting, and watch out for unit variations because my unit looks VERY different than HBB’s in the treble, so not sure what’s going on there, but I hope Yanyin sticks with my and their official version of the tuning that’s way more unique, and not another Dunu SA6MK2.
With all that said, here is the Final Ranking for the Carmen:
(HIGH-VOLUME)
Tonality: S/S+
Tech: A+
Overall: S-
Thanks for reading! 
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Sheeeeeeeeeeah, hit em wit a mf S+ in tonality… wild score, bro. It’s like magic when you find that “next” set, isn’t it?!
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YESSSIRRR
But again, I want to make this very clear, it’s very genre and track dependent, and the vocals will be too forward for some people and on certain songs. But once it hits it hits brother👌
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You’ve always been known for that high volume listening, brother
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Correct, I love speed running going deaf 
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Brooooo 
Ear health is important, brother! Preserve those ear drums, we need you around this hobby for a long time!
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