🔶 Yanyin Audio Canon

[ttorbic]

Yanyin Canon impressions (and comparisons with Tripowin x HBB Olina and LETSHUOER S12)

Context
I had been eyeing an “end-game” set for some time before taking the leap and purchasing the Canon (note: end-game for my budget). I really enjoyed the Aladdin, which is a 1 DD + 3 BA set, but felt it was time to upgrade. A shout-out to @rattlingblanketwoman and @hawaiibadboy who took the plunge before me and shared their impressions with the community. When I received the Canon, I had already sold my Aladdin, which is why I am only including comparisons to the Olina (with some against the S12 as a bonus).

Preamble & Source

• Yanyin Canon: 1DD (biocellulose) + 4BA (presumed Knowles). SE cable + stock tips.
• Tripowin x HBB Olina: modded with O2 filter + Y4 filter on front vent. SE cable + kbear07 tips.
• LETSHUOER S12: modded with Y4 filter on front vent. SE cable + Final E tips
• Sources: Qudelix & ifi Zen DAC. Using Y-splitter to A/B for comparisons. Spotify (highest resolution offered).
• Bought myself. RRP 349 USD at time of writing

QC, Fit, and Isolation

• Ok, no one wants to start reading a review with a QC issue, and I’m being fairly nit-picky about this, but at 349 USD, it’s not loose change, so I will critique Yanyin. My Canon shell faceplates have small bubbles (see example in image below, blue arrow). Minor, but also avoidable if they were careful with the resin moulding

• The stock cable is really nice, BUT the 2pin connector is very long and acts as big levers that add strain to the connection (red circle). I swapped to a Yinyoo cable with shorter 2pin connectors.
  

  

• Otherwise, the Canon fit me like a glove. I had the same with the Aladdin, so their shell shape must really jive with me. Passive isolation is very good.

General impressions
The Canon has 3 tuning switches per channel that actually do something (~2-3 dB increase; check out HBB or other people’s graphs that I shared in this post: 🔶 Yanyin Audio Canon - #2 by ttorbic). This means there are 8 different combinations to choose from, which is a great feature but a nightmare for reviewing. For the sake of my time and simplicity, I have settled on 010 (so mids boosted) for the rest of the impressions and comparisons. Why? I found 000 to be fun but a little too much bass for me - female vocals like Adele and Agnes Noble were slightly recessed when the songs had drums/guitar tracks. It wasn’t always an issue, but personally I prefer 010 for general listening, and 110 if I want a more fun bassy sound.

Overall, the Canon sounds amazing. Bass extends very deep, has excellent rumble and impact, and has a great organic sound. It’s not fast like planars, but it adds musicality to the bass. Mids are forward with 010 tuning, no issues there. Treble is also well-extended without any sibilance. I wrote down two observations over and over again:

1. Cymbals sound delicious. So clear, so holographic.
2. Bass hits hard

The Canon has a decent stage, but the sounds are dense within that volume - good note-weight plus good imaging and layering bring out intimacy (from the vocalist) yet nice reverb/echo and placement of instruments. The Canon sounds like it has Oxygen-like bass (note: I sold my Oxygen prior to getting the Canon, but I do have the Olina and am basing my thoughts on the extensive A/Bing I did with the Olina and the Oxygen), and imaging that is better than the Olina.

I couldn’t find any faults with the timbre apart from the upper registers of the violin, which sometimes sounded a bit plastic-y. I don’t know how obvious this would be to others, so YMMV.

Detailed impressions with songs & comparisons with the Olina and S12

Jazz & instrumental songs

Politely
Canon: good slam, cymbals are delicious, clear, ringing / reverb. Good slam on bass. 35 s with drums intro - very good bass extension
Olina: Cymbals less holographic, more deadpan; separation not as good (Canon very clear left for bass, right for piano until 1 min)

Rosita
Canon vs Olina: Canon better depth in stage but Olina slightly wider. Better echo/reverb; more bass; timbre similar. Canon has more note-weight than the Olina, so the saxophone sounds more full

Swashers
Canon: nicely holographic intro first 50 sec with female voice; deep bass at 1’10.
Olina: more pillowy bass; imaging of female voice not as good. Stage wide but less height.

TAL
Canon: heavier note-weight. As good timbre as Olina. Width about same, possibly narrower. Similar height. Canon bass slams harder.

Winter 1
Canon: more holographic; violins’ upper register sounds a bit plastic; 1’33 double bass comes in with more slam.
Olina: good timbre (violins, harpsichord), good air

Vocals songs

My same
Canon: Finger snaps clearer; better layering 1’ when drums kick in, it’s behind Adele but still audible. Drums slam more. Guitar sounds nice. No sibilance
Olina: Thoughts based on comparisons to Canon 000 to illustrate recessed mids. Voice a bit more forward than Canon 000; guitar not overpowering Adele. 1’: drums bit more interfering with Adele than Canon 000. These issues were mitigated with Canon 010.

The curse
Olina: Agnes voice wide, holographic. Good timbre on strings
Canon: Holographic voice; Good layering, voice nicely forward

Nowicaresomemore
Canon: Imaging is better than Olina. Holographic. Good depth
Olina: wide stage; good height; male vocals sounds lighter, less full-bodied

Brief comparison against the S12

It's brief!

Cherry
Canon bass not as fast but more note-weight. Deeper extension. Stage taller and deeper. Male vocals more forward. Detail similar.

The curse
S12: good width and height. Bow tapping clear. Good cello timbre. Violin sounds a bit thin
Canon: deeper, more echo/reverb. Bow tapping clear. Timbre ok here.

Conclusion
It’s difficult to find faults with the Canon because it is better than anything I’ve listened to until now. Sure, I could try to compare with my Sundara, but that will really be apples to oranges! So based on the IEMs I have and my music tastes, the Canon is excellent. The tuning switches make the Canon a great all-rounder - I can essentially apply a hardware-based EQ to fit my mood. More bass? 110. More mids? 010. More treble and air? 001. Yanyin knows how to tune, so you start with a solid foundation, then you can customise to your tastes - what more can you ask for? (I mean, you could upgrade the individual components and throw in more drivers maybe…but not sure I need to one-up the Canon for a good long time!)

As always, thanks for reading, and happy listening

[rattlingblanketwoman]

A lot of work, great specific examples well done! This is going to be incredibly helpful to curious buyers.

[cal_lando]

Awesome job! Would say the Olina complements the canon in any way or does the canon just win out in every category?

[ttorbic]

Yeah I would list the following pros for having the Olinda:

1. Insane price to performance: means I can use this on the go without destroying a 350 USD set (Canon). And Olina sounds great
2. Timbre & coherency: hard to best a single DD config for coherency & timbre
3. Stage: sometimes sounds bigger than the Canon
   Hope this helps!

[cal_lando]

So do you notice a coherency and timbre difference? I’m pretty much looking for the Olina with more resolution and detail and not sure if that mean hibrid/tribrid or if I can get that from the Serial (current top choice)

[ttorbic]

I can’t hear coherency issues with the Canon. I guess that’s a combination of the Canon being a very good IEM and the fact that I haven’t heard a terribly implemented hybrid.

Timbre? Yes, a little bit, but i’m being fairly nit-picky here. For some tracks with the violin, I can say the upper register sounds a bit unnatural. But YMMV - I suspect many won’t hear any issues. Also, bear in mind that I really have to be critically listening to discern minor differences in timbre between Olina and Canon. There are much more noticeable improvements in the Canon: bass quantity and texture, note-weight (as a by-product of that bass), imaging and layering, and cymbals. I picked up these differences immediately when I first listened to the Canon.

In terms of Canon vs Serial, well, that’s a tough call, and there have already been some posts by @MMag05 and @rattlingblanketwoman who have or have had both. @hawaiibadboy has both but I think he’s still working on a review where he compares Canon vs Serial vs other hybrids.

[ttorbic]

One more glamour shot (note: not stock cable)

[MMag05]

Did some tip rolling on the Canon today. Don’t really have many to try other than what came with other IEMs. I knew my issue would need a wide bore tip seeing the treble had a bit to much of something. Super happy to say the tips that came with my Urd have resolved my issue with the treble. Any idea what tips these are or a very similar one?

This new discovery has now gave me full love for the Canon. Seeing tips fixed my issues I’m inches from blind buying the Moonlight.

[ttorbic]

Oh nice, so it’s not timbre but a treble peak somewhere!
Can you post pics of just the tips, side and top view?

[nymz]

@ttorbic

Oh nice, so it’s not timbre but a treble peak somewhere!

They can be related, not just the speed. It’s also a reason why some darker iems pass through the rain drops timbre wise.

[MMag05]

[Gul]

Lol I knew this would happen I tried bgvp tips ,not the ones NYMz loves but bet they work on Canon, but the EO1s on timeless and suddenly it had note weight and details. Imaged better and I already liked them. Tips can be huge.

[ttorbic]

Dang I have no idea what these are. @nymz @Rikudou_Goku any thoughts?

[nymz]

Mele / Olina are pretty close.

[ttorbic]

Just to add:
Sadly the Canons suffer from driver flex. Both channels sound ok when inserted, but if I push them in a bit more (past where they fit comfortably), then the volume decreases. I don’t mind it as I get a good seal with stock silicone tips and I get balanced volume if i don’t fiddle with the shells too much

[ttorbic]

in bore width? the shell material looks weird…like overly smooth. could be the colouring that’s throwing off the shading, though.

[nymz]

Yes. Sedna short and e-pro horn EP00 should be close as well!

[pylaczynski]

Are you sure it is driver flex causing that and not that you start to deform the outlet of the tip decreasing it\s diameter?

This is at least what I faced with foam tips quite often

[ttorbic]

The tips i’m using have are stiff and relatively thick stem, so I doubt i’m managing that. but you’re right in that i’m not 100% sure it’s driver flex; Canon shells are vented, so i’m not sure. i tried with other tips and could reproduce it

[Morphitsu]

they look identical to the ones that come with the Kinera IDUN 2.0, which they call “K-285-02 Vocal Eartips”, since they’re using the accoustone tips from that one it’s likely it’s either another accoustine tip, or you could try emailing them to find the original

edit: didn’t realise you already said they came with an Urd, regardless you have the name for it and can maybe go off of that, i tried searching but couldn’t find anything