WATCH UNBOXING AND IMPRESSIONS HERE: https://youtu.be/9nJZD_lupG0
Come with me as I share my thoughts on the Yanyin Canon II. Price at $379, this marks my first Yanyin product which leaves me with 0 expectations with this product. And yet, it seems to have surprised me in more ways than one. Let’s talk about it!
FIRST IMPRESSION:
- Simple and understated unboxing experience
- Somewhat lacking in overall accessory quantity, but good accessory quality
- Non-modular cable but good quality cable
- Nicely built resin with a decent but slightly larger fit
- Very fun, slight u-shaped sound signature
- Deep, tactile, dynamic, and rich bass
- Clean, rich and open mids
- Smooth but sufficiently detailed treble
- Superb technicalities for the price
I’ll say this now, this is probably one of the biggest surprises that I’ve had this year. I’m normally quite indifferent to new brands as I’m still getting a vibe for what their products can provide. Yanyin is one of such brands as the only set that I know from their catalogue is the original Canon.
The Canon II is the successor to the Canon which still keeps the 4BA + 1DD and the tuning switches but apparently makes some necessary upgrades to improve upon the original.
This is all to put into context that I have no expectations with Yanyin nor the Canon II. Why do I make this point? Well, because the Canon II is probably one of the best sets I’ve heard under $500. Maybe even under $1000
Now that is a massive claim for me to make. After all, the landscape is wide for the midrange market since this is where brands try to squeeze as much performance for price. Many sets in this region try to implement high-quality drivers and tune them as well as possible. For example, Moondrop’s Variation implementing a tribrid system or Dunu’s all-BA SA6 series.
But the Canon 2 features probably one of the things that I have been looking for in my ideal IEM. A rich, thick and tactile bass with a pinch of warmth while still keeping the treble sparkly. The Canon II, by far, does that the best in any of the IEM that I’ve tried under $500 and, to an extent, under $1000. It’s just right for me
But it’s not perfect you see. If I describe the bass, it’s borderline boomy and can smear a little bit of the lower mids. The midrange also isn’t the most nuanced that I’ve tried, nor is the treble the most brilliant sounding. Yet the tonal balance of each frequency just hits me the right way that purely subjectively and based on my tastes, the Canon II achieves such a feat.
So much so that I really haven’t intentionally listened to many sets besides the Canon II. I did a few A/B testing comparing it to my collection and none of them hits the right spots like the Canon II with the EA500 being the closest contender. However, it just doesn’t hit that low end as satisfyingly as the Canon II. In turn, it brings out the upper mids to treble more which is definitely not as clean or mature as the Canon II but is also closer to my own preference of a brighter leaning set.
Gosh, I have so much I want to talk about this set but I know I need to save more of my thoughts for the full review.
But in short, if you were to ask me in Q3 of 2023 what my favorite IEM that I’ve tried is, I can confidently tell you that it’s the Yanyin Canon II. I can’t tell you without going into a really really deep explanation why I like it so much. But all I can tell you is that this IEM has hit the right spots in my preference more than anything I’ve tried this year. It’s just a genuinely amazing set for my tastes.
Stay tuned for the video review!
Thank you to Yanyin for loaning this set to me and my fellow reviewers. If you would like to order one for yourself, check out the non-affiliated link below: https://www.linsoul.com/products/yanyin-canon-ii
If you have any questions or concerns, message me on my Facebook page or on my email at obodioreviews@gmail.com
