YanYin Carmen 10-BA HiFi IEMS – Next Generation Of Music Supremacy
YanYin Carmen is a $849 USD IEM or In-Ear Monitor designed with 10 balanced armature drivers playing for each ear, with a beautiful reliable cable, and today we explore the surprising and awesome sound of the Carmen, and compare it with other IEMs from a similar price point, including FiiO FH19 (599 USD), Soundz Blade V2 (812 USD), Swear He-Live5 (899 USD), and Campfire Bonneville (1399 USD).
Introduction
YanYin is a company mainly sold and fulfilled through Linsoul, one of the best shops to exist out there. This is the second IEM I am reviewing from YanYin, the first one having been the Canon, but as we will explore today, all YanYin IEMs are Bass Canons and should be respected for their ability to deliver a full, impactful bass. Not to be taken lightly, Yanyin IEMs are superb in general and their sound is always a pleasure to hear. Linsoul is currently the largest shop selling Chifi IEMs, doing the most effort at promoting them and bringing those to the western world through all the platforms, including Amazon, Aliexpress and their own store, so be sure to order from them in one way or another to take advantage of their excellent support and purchase conditions. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to Linsoul for providing us with the sample for this review.
PROs – Extremne bass depth and impact, Heavy sound with a rich and intimate midrange, and a smooth, forgiving treble creates a really lush and heavy experience that universally works well, for metal, rock, EDM and basically any music style. Comfort is excellent, with a really ergonomic cable, great design and a beautiful shell that simply looks stunning. Awesome sound and a great package make a really strong deal for Carmen.
Cons – Treble can be too smooth for some, and a bass-heavy or even bass cannon sound isn’t absolutely everyone’s cup of tea.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/48ktTmu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBquHCv
Build Quality / Aesthetics
Carmen is the latest IEM from YanYin Technology, and it comes with 10 BA or Balanced Armatures, in a 4-Way Configuration. It is currently considered the flagship of the company, and it uses four Sonion drivers for bass. This way, Carmen can achieve the levels of bass depth and impact typically associated with a dynamic driver, but with the speed and resolution of an all-Ba setup.
The midrange is handled by two Sonion drivers. And the high frequencies are handled by two full-sized Sonion drivers. There is a custom dual driver dedicated for the ultra-high frequencies to enhance the extension, resolution and layering. The more unique tech lies hidden beneath as Carmen uses a phase synchronization compensation technology. The name Carmen is inspired by the passionate Spanish Flair of the Opera “Carmen”.
We have IEM shells made of Medical-Grade Resin, and a beautiful faceplate that is purple in color. I see the cable as a stay for the review, and you can order the Carmen with any of the popular connectors, including 3.5mm SE, 2.5mm BAL and 4.4mm BAL. The inner construction of the cable is a high-quality single crystal copper with four strands, 22AWG with 140 cores. At a technical level, the passive noise isolation is quoted to be 26 dB, and we have a 10 OHM of impedance, with a Sensitivity of 109 dB. This ultra low sensitivity indicates that Carmen will easily change character with each source, as I’ve heard it do, and it can easily sound brighter or darker with sources that have a different output impedance. There are 4 electronic crossovers and 4 physical duct crossovers, with Carmen being made to order, and needing a Pre-Order time of 3-5 days. Carmen comes with a 1-Year Warranty, and 3 Months for the cable.
Fit/Comfort
On a subjective level, the cable feels a bit shorter than the vast majority of IEMs I review, and it is heavier than the vast majority of the cables I review, but the comfort is sublime, there is no driver flex, no void, and the cable has zero microphonic noise. With a medium sized towards slightly large IEM shell, the IEMS occupy a good portion of my ears, but with a super ergonomic shell, the passive noise isolation is very strong, about 25 dB of passive noise isolation, while leakage is minimal.
I can’t really get over the fact that 5 minutes after inserting the Carmen in my ears, they feel like they belong there, I feel comfortable wearing them, thing which I rarely feel with most IEMs, and a big part here is that there is a full contact between the IEM and the ear, but the shell is made of a high quality resin, feeling nice in contact with my ears instead of causing discomfort.
I did replace the default eartips with a less sticky ear tip – the ddHiFi ST-35 as I typically get tired when wearing sticky ear tips for long periods of time, but the wearing comfort is just too good to be real. Carmen is not sensitive to background noise, is not very picky with the source and is very easy to drive, being a true gift for someone who uses high-end IEMs on a daily basis and usually has issues matching those.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the YanYin Carmen I have paired them with a large number of sources, including HiFiMAN EF400, HiFiMAN EF499, Singxer SA-1 V2 driven by a SMSL DO200 PRO DAC, Dethonray Listening M1 DAC AMP, iBasso D16 DAC + iBasso PB5 AMP (this is the reference setup right now), iBasso DX180, and a Topping D50 III + Topping A50 III Stack. It is really not necessary to use a strong and powerful source to drive the Carmen, and they will sound beautiful out of most sources, including entry-level dongle DAC AMPs, with a zero background noise policy and low sensitivity to source noise, plus they are not very source picky. Yanyin Carmen is the first pair of IEMS that hugely and definitely prefers low gain with all the sources tested.
Overall Signature – I fell in love at first listen with the Carmen, it is an IEM / Earphone with a beautifully lush, deep and heavy sound, with a deep rumble and rattle, huge impact and superb pleasing midrange tonality / extra musical and lush and rich sound. We have a dampened and rich treble that gives music air and space, but is forgiving and relaxed, creating what I consider to ultimately be pure sonic pleasure. Carmen will present any style you throw at them as heavy, full, luscious, lush and rich.
Bass – Starting with the deep bass that envelops everything, outlines and defines the sound of the Carmen, this is one of the bassiest, fullest and most pleasing sounding IEMS I’ve heard to date, and satisfies a basshead itch I never knew how to scratch, rendering one of the fullest, most rounded and pleasing bass sounds ever played on this planet. Carmen is truly like an EDM club is playing inside of my head, it creates depth, impact and substance in spaces where I never knew bass existed, in tracks I never knew as heavy. Even in songs like Falling In Reverse – Ronald, the focus is on the heavy bassline, impactful midrange, and we have a smoother, forgiving treble that allows you to hear the raw impact and punch of the song, creating a truly deep and earth-shattering bass, fully complementing both the metal parts and the rap parts of th song.
Midrange – I never knew how sweet, full and rich guitars can sound when you pump the bass loud, even lead guitars having a thick and lush body with the Carmen, but bass guitars become audible, highlighted and contrasty in all music styles. The midrange can be said to be as forward as the bass, voices play in an intimate space, right next to you, showing excellent amounts of depth and impact. Lead voices and bass become the leading factor in every song, and for J-Rock and J-Pop this creates a beautiful, rounded and musical experience with the voices of HimeHina being sweet, and singing right in my ears, with a dynamic, and colorful presentation, while male voices in rock are more solid, deeper and more serious. Carmen is excellent at presenting the original emotion of a song without coloring that song in its particular tuning / color.
Treble – To complement the deep and heavy tune, Carmen has a soft, slightly rolled off, but still right and present treble. Basically, the presence and amount of the treble rolls off by 10 dB – 20 dB compared to the bass and the midrange, but you still hear air and extension, high-end detail and resolution, it is just dominated by the heavy sub bass, strong and bold midrange and the extreme control of the IEM. Even in heavy metal, rock or downright deathcore songs, you can barely say the cymbal crashes are fatiguing, although you always know they exist and are part of the song.
Dynamics – Dynamics handling is superb, and Carmen handles complex songs with complex structures really well, keeps instruments well-defined and separated from each other, creating a sound that has every single instrument revealed and rendered, and each one of them contrasted against the others, easily audible. The dynamic range is also very high, with Carmen not applying any kind of compression, and instead being fully able to render the intricate differences between a whisper and a loud bang, but also the finer difference between two different whispers. As the midrange is on the forward side of things, most voices are a bit on the forward side of things.
PRaT / Textures – For a really smooth, lush and rich sound, Carmen has what I consider to be a really pleasing texture presentation, they have a natural – waxy texture which draws in hard impact, but no harshness or fatiguing elements, edging towards having a wet texture. This creates an easy to enjoy sound that still presents a rich amount of textures even for synths and EDM songs. Classical is vivid and colorful, while rock is pleasing without ever being fatiguing.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Volume control is decent, Carmen doesn’t have a lot of THD to begin with, so they handle high volumes really well, but at higher volumes the sound becomes more aggressive and more forward, while at lower volumes, the soundstage is wider and deeper, at louder volumes the soundstage becomes more intimate, and more like a wall of sound, like a live concert experience. Carmen is very specific about liking low gain with all sources and will easily sound too loud, and too saturated in loudness / drive factor if you use high gain. Listening at extreme volumes shows excellent control, almost no extra THD, with super good definition and resolution.
Soundstage – As the soundstage is quite volume dependent, Carmen will show a generally intimate image, with a strong separation between the lead instrument, a well defined and rich middle layer, and a distant, spread and projected far away background layer. For my ears, Carmen is a universal player, balanced and pleasing, I adore music played through them, from EDM to Pop to Rap to Rock, everything has a crazy colorful presentation with beautiful midrange, and both male and female voices are ultra fun to listen to, but if you don’t want a bass cannon, Carmen will sound too heavy. I just happen to slowly get in touch with the basshead inside, Carmen delivers a beautiful bass, but it is a true bass cannon delivering the ultimate impact. Absolutely go for them if this sounds like your kind of signature.
Comparisons
Yanyin Carmen vs Sweear He-Live5 (849 USD vs 899 USD)
Build – You may read this comparison as the first, but I wrote them starting with the bottom one, just because that’s the order I chose, yet He-Live5 comes with a more comprehensive package, has a high-end cable too, and the whole package makes He-Live 5 look and feel more premium. This being said, the wearing comfort is a bit better with the Carmen which sits like a waxy resin pillow in my ear, and Carmen also offers a similar degree of passive noise isolation and a similarly low leakage compared to He Live 5. Both IEMS have a low impedance and high SPL, being easy to drive, but He Live 5 is sensitive to source noise while Carmen really isn’t.
Sound – Sonically, the two are polar opposites, and while Carmen is a bass Cannon, Sweear He-Live 5 is a neutral, analytical IEM with excellent resolution and clarity. Both are ultra enjoyable in a daily usage scenario, but He-Live 5 is a bright, brilliant earphone with exceptionally good resolution and revealing abilities, but it sounds quite sharp and is not forgiving of the source material, while Carmen is a forgiving, smooth, full, lush and bassy earphone with exceptionally good impact and low-end extension, but not a lot of treble. The signature is so polar opposite that if you like an airy, neutral-ish, bright sound, SWeear He-Live 5 will clearly be a better fit, while if you want a bass cannon you will like Carmen more. They are both quite extreme in the tuning, and Carmen will likely fit better with a more general public, but both are extreme enough to be considered specialist tunings.
Yanyin Carmen vs Campfire Bonneville (849 USD vs 1399 USD)
Build – Carmen and Bonneville are both of good quality, but Bonneville comes with a superior transport case and package, while Carmen comes with a superior default cable. The ergonomics of both are good, and so is the passive noise isolation, but Carmen is a shallower-fitting IEM and has a more even contact with the ear, while Bonneville has a few hotspots when making contact with my ears, and has a much deeper fitting, which can cause issues depending on your personal anatomy. Bonneville is far more sensitive to source noise and hissing, but both have a low impedance which could, in the long run, cause issues when using them with a source that has a high output impedance.
Sound – Sonically, Bonneville has a strong bass, and Carmen too, but Carmen has a much stronger sub bass and bass, relative to the midrange and the treble. This makes Carmen more of a bass cannon, while bonneville offers a stronger treble and upper midrange to make up for the strong bass, creating a more balanced listening experience if you want to hear some sharpness and brilliance in the highs. The actual detail is very comparable, and Carmen can reveal more information in the midrange, while Bonneville shows much more information in the treble and upper midrange. Soundstage is similar, and so is the instrument separation, both are really good IEMS, Bonneville being a bit more balanced and isolating a bit more, while Carmen is more unhinged in how much of a pure cannon of bass it is. Love both, Carmen satisfies the basshead itch and pleasure more, Bonneville is a more general IEM I can recommend to basically anyone wanting a good purchase.
Yanyin Carmen vs Soundz Blade V2 (849 USD vs 812 USD)
Build – You can have the Blade V2 in both a universal body, but also in a custom body, Soundz being quite good at creating custom IEMs. The actual wearing comfort is a bit better on the Carmen if we’re talking about universals, thanks to a more complete contact with the ear, and thanks to the resin seemingly feeling more natural inside my ears. The default cable of the Carmen is much better than the default cable of the Soundz Blade V2, but the package of the Soundz IEMs is always a bit better, with a solid transport case and other extras. Passive noise isolation is similar between the two, and both are easy to drive, although the low impedance of the Carmen and of the Blade means both will change tuning when paired with sources that have a high output impedance. Blade V2 is much more sensitive to source noise, Carmen is not very sensitive.
Sound – Sonically, Carmen is a Bass Cannon, while Blade V2 is a very colorful, very balanced sounding IEM with a fun amount of bass, but a slightly recessed midrange, and a brighter, sharper treble. This means that Carmen is far less harsh and fatigue prone, while Blade V2 sounds sharper and can reveal more details in the treble. For details in the midrange, Carmen reveals them more, but it sounds more forward and more intimate with a more voice-centric sound too. The bass is dominant with Carmen, which has the quantity and quality to be called the heaviest and bassiest IEM Flagship I heard to date, while Blade V2 has a very balanced and natural bass presentation. While both are excellent deals currently, I would grab the Carmen for a guilty pleasure, bassy sound, and Blade V2 for a balanced, more natural sound good for mixing, mastering, but also singing and listening.
Yanyin Carmen vs FiiO FH19 (849 USD vs 599 USD)
Build – FH19 has a much richer package, the cable of FH19 is modular, and the overall deal feels much better when you consider the better transport case and much higher number of eartips. This being said, the comfort is equal, or even better with the Carmen, often the resin used feeling better inside of my ears. Even if using ddHiFi ST-35 eartips for both IEMs, Carmen has a better seal and offers a stronger passive noise isolation and less leakage. Both IEMs are similarly easy to drive, but Carmen has a much lower impedance, and the sound will be changed more easily by impedance mismatches.
Sound – Sonically, both IEMS are basshead colorful sounding IEMs, and both have a really ballsy, strong deep bass, but Carmen has a much more forward midrange, more energy in the vocals, while FH19 has more treble and a colder, brighter midrange. The bass depth is almost equal, but FH19 has a tighter, faster, and more dry bass, while Carmen has a more rounded, slower and more satisfying bass that feels deeper. Voicing is beautiful for both, musical and fluid, but Carmen sounds a bit more waxy, while FH19 a bit more wet in texture and sonic character. Female voices are highlighted and emphasized more by YanYin Carmen, while FH19 emphasizes male voices and harder instruments more. Both IEMS are great to listen to, both are full, lush and enjoyable, but Carmen has the upper hand in resolution and clarity, although it all comes in a lesser package.
Value and Conclusion
With a price tag of about $849 USD, Carmen is a flagship, and for the price they offer a raw performance fully worth the price, excellent ergonomic, the sonics, and a high-end cable, plus some of the best quality sticky eartips I have ever seen, but they do not come with a transport case, only a magnetic pouch, nor with a very complex package. All of those extras, including ddHIFI ST-35 Eartips can be purchased for less than 10% the price of the Carmen, and most IEMs that come with all the needed extras typically do not offer a performance quite as strong as the Carmen, so all in all Carmen is an excellent product for the money.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for excellence in sonics, a basshead IEM with a beautiful, voluptuous, lush and rich sound, and for the ultimate earthquake – club between your ears – experience, YanYin Carmen is one of the best ways to experience this and an excellent IEM that could overlook but really need to look at and explore.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/48ktTmu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBquHCv
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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