Yuin Pk2 Earphones

For several years I’ve been searching for a pair of earbuds for listening to orchestral music—clear highs, lush mids, lean but sufficient bass. I now own more earbuds than I care to admit. Most of them are fine for rock and even jazz but fail miserably with classical. A few come close, but just “off” enough to irritate. All this to say the Yuin PK2 is the answer. The highs are pristine, the mids full, and there is just enough bass to give the orchestra the weight it carries. Some comparisons: [1] PK2 vs PK3: Not much different. PK3 has a tad more bass. [2] PK2 vs OK2: The general consensus seems to be that OK2 is better, but I don’t find it so. My problem with the OK2 is that, detailed as it is, it lacks body and weight. An orchestra sounds thin, lean, and small. OK2 is fine with small chamber groups, quartets, and light rock, but throw anything heavy at it and it can’t handle. Or so my ears say. [3] PK2 vs Blox MC2: Both are good, but to my ears the separation is better on the PK2s. And MC2 has just a little too much bass for orchestra. Fine for rock and jazz. [4] PK2 vs Etymotic HF5: Not fair, the Etys are IEMs, not earbuds. But for what it’s worth, the Etys deliver a close-to-neutral sound, which is more accurate but not as enjoyable as the smooth sound of the PK2. Some of us like to think we prefer neutral but, once exposed to it, it is a relatively dry report, almost like reading the score instead of listening to the music. I love the HF5s but prefer the PK2s. Finally, a few distinctions. [1] I think by now the whole world knows that the Yuin PK2 is not for bass heads. That’s not a flaw or deficiency in the PK2, it’s designed for those who want less bass. There are (plenty of) other earbuds for those who want more of the low frequencies. [2] The Yuin PK2 is an earbud, not an IEM, therefore it does not isolate sound and it is not supposed to. It’s designed to let you hear what’s going on around you, when you want that. When you don’t, you use IEMs or noise-isolating phones. [3] I notice that many complain that the Yuins are delicately constructed. True … again, not necessarily a design flaw … a piece of delicate china requires special care, and I tend to think this is true of the Yuins. I’ve had my OK2s for at least 5 years with no problems, but I haven’t been rough with them either. [4] And of course there is the occasional remark about the Yuins not being much to look at. But I wouldn’t deduct so much as half a star for that. Earbuds are about sound, not looks. You can’t see them while you use them anyway. You’d think Yuin is paying me to say all this (wouldn’t that be nice). I’m just excited about having found this needle in the proverbial haystack.

These are absolutely the best sounding earphones I've found, and I've tried a lot. My previous go-to earphone was the Sony Fontopia Sport, which I used for at least 10 years...a surprisingly good earphone. After Sony stopped making these, and I bought up all the remaining stock, and they wore out, I needed a replacement. After about 20 tries, I found the Yuin Pk2. Sound is really amazing, not just for an earphone, but it beats many full sized phones. In fact, I've been trying to find a really good set of headphones, and it's not as easy as I thought, even when price is not a concern. I'm always comparing them to the PK2. I've tried Sennheiser momentum, Oppo PM-2, Grado GS1000e, Sony MDRV6, MDR7506, AKGQ701...finally settled on the Grado RS2E. I also own the PK1, but prefer the sound from the PK2 with my Sony NW-F887 walkman (no portable amp). Don't get me wrong, the PK1's are also fantastic, but I've found them harder to drive. I've used these for maybe 7 years now, and have not seen any quality issues. Just in case Yuin stop making these, I've purchased 2 back-up sets. I'd easily pay several hundred dollars for these, if that's what they cost, they're that good....plenty of bass, highs and midrange all where it should be, like a monitor headphone, neutral and spot-on. They sound fantastic with everything...standard mp3, lossless, flac, steaming (Pandora, Slacker, Spotify), even FM radio. Not much to look at, but who cares, it's all about the sound, and they deliver. If anyone has found a better earbud, non-custom made, and not the type that goes in the ear canal (which never stay in for me) I'd like to try it.

I'm kind of annoyed because they broke after only 6 months, but they sound so good I'm about to buy another pair. Before these I tried the bose in ear headphones and hated them. That said, my second favorite pair of earbuds have been the apple stock ones so maybe I'm just weird. One negative comment that I've read about these is that they look cheap but to be honest I think that's a positive. If they looked cooler I can guarantee that they would cost much much more. Unlike the bose, the sound seems very real like it is a live performance. I also have a pair of $100 Grados which sound great, but not as good as these do in my opinion. I think the only negative for the sound is that the drums are a little too harsh/punchy for certain songs(ex. Idioteque by Radiohead), but maybe that's just because I'm used to hearing them a certain way (base could be better also). For those songs I just go back to the apple pair as crazy as that may be. I would give these 5 stars but as I said earlier, they broke very quickly which i'm hoping was just a fluke. I took very good care of them so if they are always that fragile I'll be very disappointed. Highly recommended (unless they break in 6 months again).

I am disappointed with the Yuin Pk2 ear buds. Compared to stock iPod ear buds, the Pk2s are more detailed, have more pronounced upper-mids and trebles, but have little bass. I listen at low volumes, so with most earphones I have to amplify the bass. Boosting the bass does little with these. Overall, I find the Pk2s fatiguing, and they are my least favorite pair. If the price were much lower ($20), I would rate these as slightly above average. They are not worth their current price. I purchased Klipsch S4 in-ear phones at the same time. While I find in-ear monitors uncomfortable, I am very happy with the sound quality of the Klipsch. I am still hoping to find a pair of ear buds that sound as good.

No bass; right speaker failed after 8 months (warranty is only 30 days). Other than that, it was the best earbud I had ever used. Very good with classical and rock.

Let me first say that these earphone not only met my expectations but also exceeded them and left them in the dust. The engineers at Yuin are brilliant. These sound just like my personal home stereo that I made. The whole sound signature on these things are just right. The treble is crisp the mids slightly warm and the bass a bit laid back yet extremely controlled. (Remember they're earphones, not subwoofers.) The sound signature as a whole is perfect! The imaging is as good as it will get for earphones and the details are breathtaking. You can hear when a musician's fingers touch a guitar and the grit in a male voice when they talk/rap/sing. And this is all coming from first impressions from a fresh pair not even worn in. Trust me if you want to hear the flaws in your music then these are a phenomenal pair of earphones for you. They also seem very well built. Hopefully I won't have any quality control issues like many people have come across while owning a pair. I recommend this to people who want to upgrade from ipod headphones and audiophiles alike. I own a pair of monster turbines and these blow them out the water. Thanks for reading my review and if you're curious about these headphones then give them a shot because I promise you won't regret it.

Not worth the money. Sound isn't horrible - but isn't great, either. Actual buds are very large and uncomfortable. Product doesn't seem durable, at all. Cord noise is annoying.

Are you tired of having to jam earphones down your ear canals to get good sound quality? Some stay in place; some do not. These Yuin Pk2 earbuds are just the ticket. They are comfortable and they sound fantastic. The biggest drawback with other earbuds that I have tried is that they lack bass. These earbuds have gobs of solid bass. I don't know how they do it but I am considering buying a second pair. I have a job were I am allowed to play music all day. I have logged many hours listening through earphones and have tried many different brands and types and have not been satisfied with any until I purchased the Yuin Pk2 earphones. They have my highest recommendation.