Yuin OK1 Earphones

Look, you want perfect sound, you need isolation from noise. For that you need an IEM, but anyone who spends a decent amount of time listen to them knows, you're ears will ache eventually. Now sure you can pay a bit more and get a custom made earpiece, but really, you bring that thing into the office with you and you're gonna look like an idiot.These ear buds look like anything you might buy anywhere. You plug them in and no one would know them from something that came in the box with their phone or i-whatever. But you'll know...you'll know because it will seriously sound like the musician just unpacked his instrument, and started playing it right in front of your desk. These things meld with the sound in the room like open air cans do, so you don't get sound isolation, but if you're at work, you don't really want that. They isolate enough not to bother the guy in the desk next to you, but if he turns to get your attention you can still hear him. They are perfect from an office politics standpoint.Considering that they aren't IEM's the sound quality is magical. Open, precise, neutral, and transparent. A little base light but nothing that can't be fixed with a little EQ there if you prefer a little more thump. They don't distort no matter how much base you throw at them.Sure they are high impedance and they need to be driven hard. You can still hear them fine without an external amp, but they are going to be noticeably quieter then most any other earbud you could buy, and if you want to hear their full potential you simply need an amp. Most would say you need an amp no matter the sensitivity or impedance of the headphone/bud...but I see it as all relative and these simply relatively need an amp.My dog ate my last pair of these and I seriously cried. Like a baby. I'm an armature MMA guy. I don't cry. A testament to how these affected my life for sure. I'm buying a new pair with my next paycheck. All will be right with the world again. My dog is another story.

These earbuds deserve more publicity than they get. I agree with the existing review that the fidelity, given that they are earbuds (outside the ear) is amazing..and you can use them all day. I started with a pair of PK 1's after my wife researched and tested all sorts of devices and came down on these. The OK1 seems more sensitive than the PK1; high frequencies can be pretty bright; and as noted by the reviewer and others, the base is a bit light.Use an amp, for reasons noted by reviewers.Two complaints: one minor. L and R are not marked; you'll have to figure that out yourself (how dumb). More significant, there are extensions for in-ear listening but they don't work. The anatomy of the ear requires some twisting and these just stick out from the buds. Lots of options but all completely useless. .Also be a little careful: I stepped on my PK1's and that was the end of that (expensive) pair (though it kept working for a few weeks.Still, this is money well spent.