Yinyoo ASH – Preview

disclaimer:   I received the Yinyoo ASH this past week (7/10) and due to a sale taking place as part of Prime Day on Amazon, I am posting some initial thoughts and observations to help others make a decision regarding a prime day purchase.   I’ll have a more complete set of observations in my final review.

Unboxing / Accessories:  

Pretty common unboxing and kit, nothing out of the ordinary.

Build/Fit:

The shells are 3d printed with a black pearl face-plate and a smoked transparent inner shell and are well fitted and polished.  The Raised bi-pin is the exception as some glue and fitment issues can be seen around the connections.  The Connectors are well attached and work fine, but look like the holes in the shell were initially cut large and filled in with resin when the connectors were installed.    The Connectors are raised slightly, but are not of the hooded variety that has become more common in the budget segment of late.   Nozzles are metal with two sound bores and a filter at the rear rather than a screen at the front as is more typical.

Internals:

The Ash uses a single 10mm dynamic driver for lows and mids, and a single balanced armature driver for the highs.  Details on the drivers are few and far between but the BA appears to be a bellsing 30095.    Nominal Impedance is listed at 18Ω with a sensitivity of 108dB/mW.  The ASH is fairly easy to drive, but does scale some with better sources.

Cable:

4 strand OFC

Sound:

Bass:

Good sub-bass depth and quantity but a bit loose.  Mid-bass is forward as well and equally loose.   Those looking for big bass may appreciate this, those looking for a cleaner signature will want to look at the D2B4 or Topaz.

Mids:

Lower-mids suffer from considerable mid-bass bleed and sound a bit congested as a result.  Once the signature rises above the mid-bass bleed, it has good details, but remains a bit unnatural sounding.   EQ helps considerably here, but has its limits and while the mid-bass bleed and excessive warmth can be dialed back, its still a warm, laidback sounding iem.

Treble:

Lower treble is pronounced with a couple large spikes that can be harsh at times.  Roll-off is fairly early and limits over all air and sparkle.  I am finding that listening sessions need to be limited to an hour or so at a time to prevent fatigue.

Thoughts:

Fit is comfortable for long wear.

Lots of bass

Lows and mids are thick and loose.

Fatiguing lower treble.

Fairly early roll-off at the top end

Responds well to EQ