SeeAudio Yume II Review
General Info/Build/Comfort/Packaging
SeeAudio is no stranger when it comes to the Chi-Fi audiophile community. The OG Yume received quite a number of positive feedback from the community and fellow reviewers, but there are also some who crave something more from the OG Yume, and today we have the Yume II which is supposed to make up for the shortcomings that the OG Yume has.
The packaging itself is the usual SeeAudio styled packaging, posh and very premium looking. It came with a jewellery like storage case, KB 07’s eartips with various sizes ranging from S to XL, a cable, and the IEM itself. One thing to note is that the Yume II is a fingerprint magnet and very prone to scratches because of the shell which is made out of aluminium alloy. In terms of comfort, they are small and fit very well in my ear without any discomfort during long listening sessions (3-4 hours).
Gears used for this review
Topping DX1 + JDS Atom Amp
Topping DX1 + Topping NX7
Sony Walkman ZX300 with MrWalkman’s Firmware
Truthear Shio Dongle
iPod Touch 5th Gen
Macbook Air M2’s 3.5mm port
Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far
Sound
I have heard the OG Yume, Midnight, and i had very good experience with the OG Yume but not the Midnight, very good midrange performance coupled with smooth treble response. The sound profile is overall balanced to my ears and very very slight metallic timbre unless you really pay attention to listen to it. To me, Yume II is definitely an overhaul from the OG Yume.
Bass
The OG Yume’s bass left me wanting more, Yume II fixed this by giving it little bit more in terms of quantity, not to mention the quality is still there
Bass on Yume II seems to be more focused on Mid Bass rather than Sub bass
Mid bass has good punch to it, the sub bass rumbles when the track calls for it, good balance i would say
Bass has got good speed to it and never once it sounded muddy or failed to keep up in tracks like Slipknot’s People = Shit!
Bass doesn’t bleed into the mids as it is rather speedy
Mids
The mid range performance is as good as the OG Yume, in fact i’d say it’s excellent, it’s lush and very detailed
Vocal for both male and female sounded natural, and the positioning is rather forward but not to the point where it’s in your face
The timbre sounds rather natural to my ears with a slight tinge of BA timbre as i mentioned earlier, but very minor unless you really go on full critical listening mode
Note weight is quite good as well
The upper mids has the usual gain and it is non offensive
Treble
The treble is generally smooth and inoffensive and with good resolution
It has quite good amount of air to prevent busy track from sounding congested
Detail retrieval is decent for the price
Slightly lacking in terms of extension but merely nitpicking
Soundstage/Imaging
The soundstage is quite 3D to my ears, it is not overly wide, but with good height and depth, placing you right in with the performing artist
Instruments separation is good, it can be easily pinpointed, imaging is also decent
Driveability
Yume II is very easy to drive and it will sound good even from an Apple Dongle
Having said that, it does scale with better source and exhibited better control in terms of bass and also a slightly bigger soundstage
Amping is not necessary in my opinion, a decent dongle is more than enough to push Yume II to its maximum performance
Comparison against OG Yume
OG Yume has very speedy bass but lacks punch and quantity as well as extension, Yume II definitely fixed that
Less extension on the treble for OG Yume and the soundstage doesn’t sound as “big” as Yume II
Vocal on the OG Yume somehow sounds “sweeter” than Yume II, this is not to say that the Yume II’s vocal performance is bad, just different kind of presentation to word it
Detail retrieval is also better on the Yume II as you can hear the micro details without trying very hard
All in all, it is as i said a complete overhaul in terms of tuning, shell, and overall sound quality
Cable Rolling
The stock cable to my ears somehow sounds lacking in terms of note weight
I swapped it over to a Copper mixed with SPC cable, the note weight certainly sounds fuller and the bass also exhibited slightly better punch and a slightly better soundstage
*These are solely based on my listening experience, whether you believe in cable rolling or not is entirely up to you to listen and decide, we’re not gonna debate it here :)
Final Thoughts
All in all, Yume II is a solid upgrade from the OG Yume, Yume II fixed the bass on the OG Yume that left me wanting more. It does everything alright and you can have some serious listening with it or laid back depending on your mood as the Yume II is certainly not offensive.
*Yume II was sent over by Linsoul in exchange for this review, i received the first unit with a dead/very low volume on the left channel and I reached out to them and immediately got it sorted out. Kudos to the rep and excellent service!
If you are interested in getting a pair, head over to Linsoul to grab one, at the time of writing, it is currently on sale at 149$ instead of the usual 199$
Linsoul Yume II Product Link - Non Affiliated
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