Yuin OK2 (Earbud [Not In-Ear]) Review

[nathang]

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Yuin OK2 (Earbud [Not In-Ear])

Review by Nathan G. on 12/28/2011

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Initial Things:
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I have owned these headphones for four months and have not had any build-quality issues.

The cord has a soft, rubbery texture that can be a little "grippy" on clothes and skin.

The fit with the included rubber covers is no good as they just add too much thickness to the profile. Going "bareback" is also not an option due to the rear edges of the driver enclosures causing discomfort. I just used the foam covers from my J3's stock buds and that worked well for both comfort and security.

I use these headphones as earbuds and am reviewing them as such. They include screw-in adapters for an "in-ear" mode that worked fine for me as far as fitting (even though they stuck out at funny angles), but altered the sound-signature in ways that I didn't like. As I recall, midbass was "boomier," midrange was recessed, treble was harsher, and there was a slight "tubey" reverberation. Since they are vented, they still provide little isolation.

These have had 100+ hours of combined "break-in" and use and I cannot report any differences during that time with any certainty.

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Sound:
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The overall sound-signature of the OK2 is slightly on the bright side of neutral, which is my preference. Its frequency range is somewhat narrow, but seems to be free of gross anomalies in its response.

The OK2's bass is light and not deep, but it is of good quality and can be boosted to a reasonable (non-"basshead") level by a decent equalizer or bass-booster. Notes and textures are easy to differentiate. Bass drums decay rather quickly, however, and can seem truncated in extreme conditions, such as with dense, "brick-walled," lots-o'-electric-guitar rock.

Their midrange is their forte, in my opinion, especially the vocals. Both male and female vocals stand out and shine without seeming grossly boosted or colored (they are a little bit, but relatively subtly and in a pleasant way). They're especially striking with soundstage-spanning harmonized vocals. Midrange instruments sound similarly present and pleasant, with good detail and airiness. Attacks are fast and strong, perhaps overly accented at the upper end, as with some brighter snare drums. Decays are slightly too fast and transients can get lost in denser material. I haven't noticed any pattern of vocal sibilance issues, but there are occasional minor instances. While vocal sibilance hasn't been much of an issue for me, there are other sibilance issues about which I have written below.

Treble is their weakest point as far as I'm concerned, though I'm able to forgive it most of the time since these headphones usually keep me focused on their midrange. The problem is not with quantity, but with quality and range. It's a bit course, brittle, and sibilant, especially with stronger instances. Detail is somewhat lacking as cymbal and other high percussion sounds aren't as distinct from each other as they should be. Other sounds, like Leo Kottke's early-era aggressive acoustic guitar attacks, are also sometimes affected by these issues. The pleasant airiness that I found in the midrange is absent here. Their upper frequency range doesn't go as far as I'd like. They don't do much beyond about 15-16KHz (I'd prefer closer to 17KHz--It may not sound like much, but it makes a big difference to me). Overall, it's a treble that seems to be there only to do its job just well enough to get by.

Their soundstage is wide and spacious while not sounding too distant. I get an adequate sense of verticality, also. Positioning and separation are great.

The OK2s sound better with less or moderately dense music. They can sound slightly congested with, for example: the previously-mentioned "brick-walled," lots-o'-electric-guitar rock. It's not particularly bad, though.

A notable "feature" that I noticed early on and still enjoy from these headphones is the ability to turn down the volume without feeling like some of the sound has simply gone away. It's so nice to not have to keep them right on the edge of my comfort level just to feel like I'm hearing all of the sound that I'm supposed to be hearing.

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Conclusion:
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I enjoy these headphones. I'm still a bit surprised that I like them as much as I do, considering the treble issues, as I normally consider myself a "treblehead" and was always turned off by sibilance in the past. It turns out that, while using the OK2, I'm a "midrangehead."

They shouldn't be as expensive as they are ($130). The only other high-end earbud that I've heard is the even more expensive ($200) Sennheiser MX 980. While I found many of its audio characteristics superior to the OK2, it had a midrange that I found spiky and piercing, especially in the vocal range. Also, its fit wasn't quite ideal... but, I digress...

The OK2 is A-OK!

[CrowdAds]

[JK98]

Have you compared this to the Sony E888? While the E888 feels flimsy, it does have very nice detail and great highs due to its bio cellulose driver. The E888 is around $75 or so now, however it was once much cheaper.

Many seem to have fit issues with the Sennheiser MX980, so they focus instead on the MX880 or MX580. For the price(around $25) the MX580 is great. The MX880 is well liked except for its volume control, which can sometimes become problematic.

[nathang]

I'm not sure whether or not I was aware of the E888 back when I got the OK2. I probably would've tried them if they were more widely available and the risk of questionable retailers and fakes wasn't a factor. Before I had decided on the OK2, I *really* wanted to try the ATH-CM700, but the above factors stopped me from doing so.

I might try the MX 880 sometime in the future. I hope they don't share the 980's midrange, which I found unbearable.

[JK98]

I have heard about E888 fakes. Since it has been discontinued a number of years ago, the E888 supply is drying up. I guess the closest thing to the E888 that is readily available is the Sennheiser MX880. The MX580 is just slightly lower in detail and treble quality than the E888. With headphones and earphones though, a slight improvement might mean a tripling of the price. While reviews rave about the MX980 sound, many complain that is uncomfortable and is too large, while others complain about the price. Sennheiser needs to come out with a version of the MX980 that is smaller, cheaper, and is without the volume control. For the price though, the MX580 at around $25 is a great value. On head-fi one person claimed the MX580 sounds better than the PK1. others there claim that the Sennheiser MX580 is on par with the PK3, while some others claim it beats the PK3 and might be more comparable to the PK2. I haven't heard any of the Yuins, so I can't comment. I guess the MX580 probably isn't in the same league as the OK2, however the MX880 might be.

I would love to see more high quality earbuds, especially lower priced ones. It seems like Sony has pretty much given up on earbud research. A pity, as the E484 and E888 are some of best earbuds ever made. At least Sennheiser seems to be commited to earbuds.

[nathang]

I avoided the PK line because its three-month warranty (at the time) and users' seemingly endless complaints of cord-degradation were turn-offs. The OK line had a year, plus every review that I read said it was a significant improvement over the PKs.

After reading so many *glowing* reviews of the MX 980, by pros and novices alike, I was really surprised at what I heard. Notes, especially in the 2KHz area, seemed to all be at different volumes and had painfully obvious false, piercing accents. It still amazes me that even pro reviewers didn't hear this--yes, I know, it's different for everyone, but it wasn't the least bit subtle to me. It was like night and day.

Sorry. I get ranty when I think about the MX 980s.

[JK98]

Did that MX980 have plenty of burn in? Sometimes earphones and headphones have sound anomalies until they are sufficiently burned in.

[nathang]

It had at least fifty hours of white noise, plus at least twenty hours' worth of listening (usually in multi-hour sessions).

[nathang]

I recently found these response graphs on the MX 880: http://en.goldenears.net/6168 and they look like the kind of curves that would give me problems similar to what I experienced with the MX 980.