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PROS:
- Fantastic low end nuance and tactility
- Good detail retrieval
- Refreshing and unique design
- Good fit
- Good technicalities for the price and drive
- Good unboxing and accessories
- Fun and engaging sound
CONS:
- Edgy and sharp treble
- Occasional “low res” due to treble contrast
- Not the most natural sounding timbre
- Slightly difficult to install modular jack
WHO THIS UNIT IS FOR:
- People who like a “traditional” v-shape tuned IEM
- People who like a very tactile and nuanced bass presentation
- People who like a good detail retrieval
WHO THIS UNIT ISN’T FOR
- Treble sensitive
- People who want a natural timbre
- People who want a clean sound signature
RECOMMENDED GENRES:
- Funk
- R&B
- Soul
- Modern Pop
SHORT REVIEW:
HiBy’s IEM development have taken a massive rise in the last few years and the Yacht 10 is a testament to the direction they’re heading. This first “voyage” is filled with a uniquely fun, somewhat traditional v-shaped sound signature with fantastic detail and tactility. This does unfortunately come at the cost of treble smoothness as the occasional edge can take away from the enjoyment if you’re sensitive to treble. But HiBy’s proves themselves to be more than just DAP and app makers. RECOMMENDED WITH CAVEATS
FULL REVIEW:
Companies that specialize with one product often try to diversify their products with varying levels of success. Bigger companies, in particular, have less to lose by trying other product categories.
One brand in particular have been on the unfortunate side of “missing the mark” with their IEMs a couple of years back and have only been getting a grip of the market recently. So how does their latest single DD sound? Let’s find out!
SAILING THROUGH THE MAR
HiBy is known for their music players that break the meaning of “good value” and DACs that have written itself in audio history with impeccable sound quality. Their IEMs? Not so much. I was quite vocal about my opinion on the Crystal 6 II and by far, the only properly “decent” IEM that I’ve heard from them is the Project Ace with its whopping $250 price tag.
However, my perspective about HiBy IEMs changed when I found out that in the last 2 years or so, their IEMs have been tuned by the other half of the rather prestigious (insert here) brand, Mr. Steve Lam. He had a massive hand in creating the HiBy Zeta, one of the best v-shaped flagship IEMs I’ve tried. He’s also half the brains on the Project Ace which I’d argue is their most mature and best sounding IEM to date. So when I inquired about the Project Ace with him during my trip to China, I learned about his tuning philosophy and what direction he wants to throw HiBy IEMs into.
Enter, the Yacht 10. This is an IEM I was fortunate enough to try during my trip in its prototype days. It still had the prototype green plastic shell with a corresponding outer shell being lent to me for my opinion. And I loved it. A few imperfections, but this $129 single DD IEM sparked my interest at the very least, especially in the bass department. But almost 3 months later, I need to know how much they’ve changed with the Yacht 10 and whether it still is the bass beast that I remember it to be.
UNBOXING
If I wasn’t sure if HiBy wasn’t committing with the cyber mecha design before, I am now. The Yacht 10 is straight up cyberpunk vibes with its overall theme that starts in the unboxing.
Here’s a full list of the accessories:
The Yacht 10 follows the usual unboxing experience of HiBy down to the accessories. However, I want to point out just how good this modular cable is. It’s not a perfect system as connector can be a little tough to connect and remove, but having a screw hold down the jack is something that should be done on every single modular cable.
BUILD & FIT
HiBy marketed the Yacht 10 and the Yacht series as a “voyage & discovery” series of IEMs that explores the different possibilities that in-ears can provide. At the very least, it’s an aesthetic voyage from the usual in-ears as HiBy has been committing to the cyber mecha design. I love it, but I know not everyone does.
Internally, the Yacht 10 features a single 10mm Mg-Al Alloy DD in a full CNC machined aluminum alloy.
There was one thing I was worried about, however. These freaky looking designs usually have comfort as a tradeoff. I was expecting this with the Yacht 10, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was more comfortable than it looks. The shape isn’t the most stable and best sealing, but it’s comfortable and it sits in my ear good enough for me to move about without any issues.
I’ve mentioned the cable before, so I don’t think I need to expound any more. I will say that the cable itself isn’t the most “premium” modular cable out there. It’s a dual strand cable that looks nice and feels comfy, but it’s not going to win any beauty cable awards.
SOUND
Sound Signature
The Yacht 10 has an interesting balance of a warm-bright sound signature with emphasis on the mid treble and an impeccable bass presentation. This leaves the midrange pushed back a bit, but not overly recessed. Timbre isn’t the most perfect as the emphasis in that treble can get a bit much, but it has a decent level of detail and dynamics in return
Drivability
With an impedance of 24 ohms and sensitivity of 95dB, you expect this IEM to be quite hard to drive. However, it was decently easy to drive. Where the Yacht 10 desires more than just power is in the quality of the amplifier. Your treble enjoyment will depend on how clean your source is. Rougher, edgier sources will not pair well with the Yacht 10. I personally loved the K7 + Yacht 10 pairing the best.
Volume Scaling
I’d argue that depending on your sensitivity, the Yacht 10 is either a low or mid listening IEM. I found myself leaning more towards the lower volume due to the treble, but that still kept the bass dynamics quite thick and rich.
Listening Experience
An old-school warm-bright tuning deserves old school music, particularly Love Will Find A Way by Pharoah Sanders and The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. Both albums needed some time for me to love, especially The Low End Theory as it was hyped as an album with focus on the low end, but my first listening felt underwhelming because the bass felt a bit too smooth.
However, the Yacht 10 somehow found a way to give the bass tactility without sounding too rounded or lush. I usually find the rounded-style bass a bit overwhelming because it envelops your ears and I tend to get fatigued from that fast. The Yacht 10 avoids that on The Low End Theory and plays the entire album with such a solid balance. The older, more intimate vocal mixing paired with the beautiful instrument sampled mixing played so well on the Yacht 10 with little crumbs to spare. It also helps that the treble mixing of the album is deliberately softer, so the Yacht 10’s emphasized mid treble sounds fantastic. My only issue would be that the Yacht 10 shows the age of The Low End Theory in terms of the imperfections due to the somewhat revealing treble region that was deliberately soft being emphasized. It’s not a deal breaker, but it’s something that the nitpickers would notice, at least I did.
Love Will Find A Way, however, emphasizes the best and the worst of the Yacht 10 the best. This album has to be one of the most balanced mixed albums I’ve heard, at least for 1975. Albums in the 70s often sound bright in the 21st century due to the shift to more resolving and brighter gears, but LWFAW has impeccable tonal balance, especially on the Yacht 10. From start to finish, I was in awe with just how crisp and nuanced the overall sound was. Every little nook and cranny that you can find in the songs whether it’d be the sweet percussions or the rich bass is presented in such a lovely way that made me love this album more than I already did. The tactility of the bass really pushed the Yacht 10’s best qualities out. However, this doesn’t stray away from the beautiful sax playing of Pharoah Sanders being exemplified due to the treble emphasis on the Yacht 10. So much so that it almost reminded me of my times with Kenny G and the EA1000. However, just like the EA1000, the emphasis on the treble can be much, especially when pushed to high volumes. The transients can get a little too sharp and edgy, making for a somewhat fatiguing listen on those regions.
One aspect of the Yacht 10 that stood out to me, however, is the “low res” effect that plagued IEMs with impeccable bass responses. The same was present on the D13 and, to an extent, the EA2000. All those IEMs have over cooked mid treble that suddenly dips and gives the IEM the sound of not being as “resolving” as they do. The Yacht 10 has that, not as bad as the D13 but not as cleanly as the EA2000. I would attribute this to the driver mostly, but seeing the trend pushes me to think that to have impeccable bass response, you need to either have the perfect driver or sacrifice treble clarity.
I also wouldn’t say this is the most “technical” sounding IEM out there with the rap vocals in The Low End Theory sounding quite intimate and a bit in your face, but separation is good enough to justify its $130 price range.
COMPARISON:
vs Letshuoer D13
Obviously, mentioning the D13 in the listening experience section should entail that I will compare it to the D13. They had similar prices on their releases, after all. One thing that I will note is that the D13 somewhat edges the Yacht 10 bass wise in exchange for a far worse treble and, in turn, technicalities. It’s hard to enjoy the D13 without being reminded that the treble is so borked. The Yacht 10 mitigates that and only sacrifices a tiny bit of bass tactility and nuance
vs Simgot EA2000
Sure, it’s a bit unfair to compare it to an IEM 2 times its price, but I still think it’s important to highlight the fact that the Yacht 10 is essentially a baby EA2000. Worse in every way, but features the tonal quirks and nuance that the latter has. And for $129, that’s genuinely impressive. Obviously, the EA2000 is far from the best IEM ever. But the bass is probably the best I’ve heard from any IEM, so you have to give it some credit for that.
vs HiBy Project Ace
I wanted to mention the Project Ace here because of just how similar the treble region is of both sets. I took issue with the Project Ace’s treble in my review of the IEM and I found the same issues to plague the Yacht 10 to an extent. It’s a bit better due to the upper mids slightly masking the edginess of the treble, but it’s still present. That’s why I didn’t take too much issue with the treble because it adds a spicy layer rather than distracting from the overall sound. However, the Project Ace is and will always be the technically and tonally superior IEM despite not having as tactile of a bass as the Yacht 10.
vs Intuaura Plume Luna
The Plume Luna is a more timbre-focused and balanced IEM compared to the Yacht 10, but the Yacht 10 has more personality and nuance in the sound overall. It’d probably come down to whether you want a natural, smooth and lush sounding IEM or something with crisp transient ability, dynamics, details and a more fun overall sound.
CONCLUSION
As for their first voyage, HiBy has created another compelling and interesting set for those who are looking for an interesting IEM. The level of nuance, detail and tactility this IEM has rivals IEMs that are twice its price with a really dope design.
However, this is neither a safe or “generally-liked” option. It’s edgy and cybermecha design matches it’s occasionally edgy and slightly overwhelming overall sound. It’s not the most versatile nor is it the most technical, but one that gets by for its asking price.
I love this thing, I genuinely do. I was ready not to like it after seeing the frequency response, but it’s edge is well-contained and something I can enjoy during days where I feel a bit spicy
Thank you for reading my full review on the HiBy Yacht 10. If you would like to order one, consider using the non-affiliate link below:
