Love the new ranking list. It has very useful insights into each sets.
Qq: you rated the bass on FDX1 at 4. That’s harsh. I thought it had a pretty quality bass.
Love the new ranking list. It has very useful insights into each sets.
Qq: you rated the bass on FDX1 at 4. That’s harsh. I thought it had a pretty quality bass.
Hey @nymz, feel like I should know by now but is your preferred (or top favorite?) sound signature like bass boosted neutral or what?
Interesting new board @nymz.
Don’t take my comment the wrong way, but I think you’ve tried to go too far. Publishing a table with such specific values for everyone (especially when it comes to sound, which is so subjective) can raise doubts.
We are human and the mood, the amplifier, volume, dac, music, tips used in ears, pads in over ears… It can make you change the perception of sound. Sometimes you can even prefer something that sounded “bad” to you before and now no longer.
Ultimately it’s just my opinion about the highly accurate rating tables. I am in favor of making rating tables so that the consumer can assess which critic to pay attention to (although you are never 100% in agreement) but simpler tables because, in the end, they tend to be more coherent.
Don’t take my comment the wrong way.
Publishing IEM rank tables helps people make a more informed IEM buying decision. It’s good if the person posting them has sensitive ears, because many of the “hardcore audiophiles” don’t and babble nonsense in the reviews. But that’s not the case here! In life there is no only bad or only good, just as there is no only subjective or only objective - the truth is somewhere in the middle! The bad thing is that it becomes more and more addictive!
I can buy the OG Dark Magician for $425 from a guy. Those of you who have heard it, should I go for it? Would love some impressions as I have heard it’s the real deal within the single DD world.
Anything under $500 is a good price, so ya go for it if you got the cash. I made a review on it here:
It’s a great video
Anything I should know about the fit? Does it sound best single ended or balanced? Does it require power to sound its best?
Thank you man!
Fit wise they can be a little small if you have bigger than average ears - for me they fit perfectly. Maybe others can chime in on this. Both is fine, but if you have balanced then go balanced since you want to give it a good amount of power, and don’t forget - crank it up! DM scales amazingly, and excels at high-volume listening.
Oh really hmm well I’m currently using Kiwi Ears Cadenza as my only single DD and I think it sounds more authentic and natural through the single ended output of my dongle (Link2Bal). The balanced output imparts a V-shape sound which indirectly takes away from the midrange where the meat of the music resides. A natural sounding treble is paramount for a natural decay if notes I’ve found.
I guess I’ll experiment for myself :)!
The cable that it comes with its 3.5mm though so I’ll have to get a balanced cable.
I’ve heard good things about Hakugei, but also Cema Acousti on AliExpress. Xihns too but I think their cables look a little dull and cheap to be honest.
Cadenza’s a good set My DM came with a 4.4mm so I’ve been just using that, but ya, experimenting is the fun part I’d recommend using a balanced dac/amp to get the most of that midrange, but @nymz can probably help you more on that since he’s more informed about sources than I am.
I have been summoned:
I would say the DM is absolutely worth $400-$450 depending on what you value, but that is tops in my mind. Although it was $600 on first release, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a very special set, I don’t think it’s in the $600 realm of reality. In terms of mid range, it’s my favorite IEM. Vocals are exceptional. Stunning, really. The best I’ve heard.
Mine have a 4.4mm cable and I’ve only ever heard them balanced now that I think of it - but on a balanced connection, they are lovely. Warm, inviting, and gorgeously balanced. Despite what the graph could indicate, the mid bass is enough and fantastic in texture.
Hakugei and XINHS I would 100% rec. These are the DMs with the Hakugei lucky voice:
Fit could be an issue for you as it was for me. I rec a large, sticky finish tip - Azla Crystals work great and so do the Radius Deep Mount clears.
All the best, brother - if you have any specifics, please feel free to ask
if you are looking for sticky tips I highly rec the Azla Vivids
C$ 37.23 40%OFF | HAKUGEI Lucky voice headset cable 2.5 3.5 4.4 0.78 mmcx
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqUrGVo
Cable on sale from here can be changed to flat 2 pin 0.78 , earhooks and modular.
My sound impressions of the Yanyin Canon.
Yanyin Canon Hard 2 Not Love!
Pros:
▪ Shell is super comfortable, Build quality is top notch.
▪ Excellent Isolation and fit for me.
▪ Holographic Sound stage, Very good Width just on the outside of my ears, Not much depth really a lot of tracks feet right between your ears. Height is also there sometimes your sitting down in a small venue, sometimes your in the nosebleeds.
▪ Micro Dynamics is fair nicely presented the Canon replays with enough emotion to make the Canon fun.
▪ 3 Tuning switches really work and are very noticeable and the various combinations makes the Canon many different IEM's in One.
▪ Bass and Mid Bass in 010 setting goes low and has a very enjoyable note weight and decay and great speed. Great sub extension, Lower bass transitions nicely with a gentle slope into warm and fluid mid bass.
▪ 010 was my favorite position the bass is still has plenty of authority and fun presenting more than the graph would indicate. I LOVE THIS DD for certain genres!
▪ Nice Case & Cable.
Cons:
▪ Not lovers of BA or typical planar bass with the added weight the Bio Driver adds some more musical heft you might feel the bass too thick.
▪ For me I found vocals too present in the mix for my personal tastes so I am not shy with tweaking. Thus I kept the settings on 010 and put a 350 level black cotton filter over the screen on the nozzle I am a bit treble sensitive and this was very pleasing to my aural cavities.
Now let’s get into it a bit deeper.
Completely Subjective Audio Review - Yanyin Canon
Hello all: I hope my subjective audio impressions help you determine if this IEM might be for you.
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & sizes so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is slightly more aggressive U shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass I prefer a faster decay the faster the better as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a darker warmer replay with good extension and a more relaxed high end with enough sparkly details for fun.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP and KiwiEars Cadenza. Of course there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like a 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Hania Rani, Vivaldi, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few.
That dripple being said:
And as such here is my take on the: Yanyin Canon (Bought with my $)
Sources: E1DA SG3 (ES9038), Shanling UP5 (ES912), TEMPOTEC Serenade X (ES9219) Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. iBasso DX160 (Cirrius Logic CS43198)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Amazon Unlimited ULTRA HD, iBasso DX160 ,Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 tube amp and Topping A90D
Tips Used for Best Result for me and completely subjective: Short Wide Bore are my go to and I wanted to bring forth as much vocals as possible with maximizing stage. On the Canon I have the KBEAR 07 Yellow L tips.
Cable after rolling I used is the KBEAR Hazy 6N Graphene I got on sale for $30. I could NOT hear a difference with the other cables I have but did not try a pure silver one as I didn’t want to emphasise the highs.
COMPARISIONS:
IKKO Obsidian OH10 I heard before I bought the Canon from another member the Canon was similar to the Obsidian.
So do they sound similar? Nope not at all. On setting 101 they graph very close. But the OH10 looks like it shough have the more energy up top but it does not present itself this way. Kind of like the highs on the Xenns Up don’t look they would be present in the mix either but they certainly are.
Stage on the Obsidian is better for my preference not as wide but vocals are more forward in front of you and less in the middle of your head vs the Canon. I find the OH10 so much smoother in vocals as they are a tad recessed and my personal preference.
Bass is more thumpy with the Canon but after that the OH10 again shines with a special sauce that the Canon does not pull off for me as much as the Obsidian. Sub Bass the Obsidian devastates the Canon in quality and quality.
Overall I would have to say the OH10 bass is cleaner with less bleed. I have said this before the IKKO is on my special list and is one IEM I wont sell.
LETSHOUER EJ07M Resin Custom Tuned w +3db Sub Boost.
Not a quite a fair comparison with the price and driver count.
That being said how does the Canon stack up?
Quite well actually , Vocals are much closer on the Canon to the EJ’s than to the OH10 , The EJ’s still play a bit warmer in the vocals and not as much sizzle. The stage on the Canon’s are not as 3D as the EJ’s but do well stacked up against a IEM over double the price.
Bass is again more thumpy and there is more Mid bass coming though in the mix on the Canon, Where the EJ’S have more Sub Bass and a faster cleaner decay.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The Yanyin Canon is not quite all rounder as its has a surprising fat low end in the mix, and that’s also why I like it very much. The Bio DD does some libraries extremely well. Rock, punk, pop and yet when it comes to Female vocals they sound super clean and detailed. I find I don’t miss the Est drivers of some of the other IEM’s I have as the treble exertion is more than enough and more for me.
Tom Cochrane , Lars, Melisa Ethridge , Sade , Adelle all sound great.
IT HAS TUNING SWITCHES THAT WORK! That is why the Canon is great Value this IEM can be many things to many different people , great fit , build , accessories and very little cons it does almost everything extremely well as a set in the mid $350 price rage I think it should appeal very much to those still looking for their preferred sound signature and a great all around IEM.
Cheers TheSpicyDeafMonk.
Still need adjustements done, it’s still a wip. I got fdx1 and I havent touched it
Thanks for your amazing words as always. Yours and everyone else.
As everyone has noticed, ive been away. Im on a spiral that ranges from hard pregnancy, work exploding and doing ping pongs between cities.
I just did a 4 day back to back at work due to operations fucking up real good and my forecasts not pleasing the C- level. I basicly worked non stop for 4days with calls every half hour. Today I took the day off, slept 8h and woke up with my gf telling me I need to pack for a 3 day trip in the snow. I didnt even celebrate my bday other than dinner with my girls. Last time I heard music was last week when I got heyday and added it to the list.
Anyway, speaking of heyday, it’s my next drop and should be done once I can access a computer, which should be around sunday or monday.
Id like to thank everyone that pm’d me, im just starting to catch up. I turned off all social media including forums and discord.
Take care of your business and personal life, we’ll all still be here bullying our wallets and eating cookies while you catch up!
Cleanse your soul brother. Focus on yourself, family and friends. Forget reviews and A/Bing and just jam. Put everything to the side that pulls from those focuses. Our post will be cemented for you to catch-up on if you choice. Will always be here but, the truth is the other things may not and that’s where your energy and time should be focused.
I’ve seen these before but I always thought they were just sedna fit with a special colored stem, or something along those lines. Not until I read the ear tip round up from audioreviews.org did I realize they are actually different.
That price tag tho …