Yinyoo BK2 Review – Bud Wiser
Pros:
Cheap.
Balanced tuning.
Light and comfortable, good build.
Good technicalities (for a earbud).
Minimal harshness/sibilance.
Detachable cables at this price point.
Cons:
Average soundstage width.
Thin note weight.
Bass lite, with subbass roll off (may be a pro or con depending on your bassheadedness).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Yinyoo BK2 is: Beautifully Balanced, Bang for Buck, Brilliant Bud, No Brainer Buy!
Not for Bassheads.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Impedance: 16 Ω
- Sensitivity: 96 dB
- Frequency Response: 5 – 50000 Hz
- Cable: detachable MMCX
- Tested at $21 USD
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
ACCESSORIES
In addition to the earbud, it comes with:
1) Detachable 3.5 mm SPC cable (MMCX) – hardly seen in buds at this price point. In fact some TOTL sets costing more than ten times may not even come with detachable cables.
2) Generous assortment of foam covers (full foams and donut foams)
3) Shirt clip
4) Semi rigid case
BUILD/COMFORT
The BK2 is comfortable and light. The build looks robust enough, and I’m very happy that something at its $20ish USD pricing can incorporate detachable MMCX connectors, as non detachable cables may be a potential point of failure down the line. The MMCX doesn’t lock with a satisfactory click however, though so far I haven’t had the MMCX area detach on me while in use.
DRIVABILITY
The BK2 is drivable from lower powered sources like smartphones, though it scales slightly better with amping.
SOUNDSTAGE
Soundstage width is an area of weakness on the BK2 compared to similarly priced earbuds: it is average in width at best. Height and depth of soundstage is above average.
SOUND & TECHNICALITIES
The BK2 is not exactly neutral, but is very balanced with a slight upper mids boost.
Technicalities are good for a bud at its pricing.
Timbre on the BK2 is good for acoustic instruments, but note weight is on the thinner side.
Bass:
Bass is neutralish in quantity, with a slight midbass hump. There’s a subbass roll off around 30ish Hz. It lacks subbass rumble when compared to IEMs, but this is a common issue in buds, and I’ve certainly heard worse in other buds.
Mid bass quality is good and tight and accurate, with no midbass bleed.
Mids:
Mids are detailed and clear, but perhaps some specialist midcentric buds may be better solely in the area of vocals. Upper mids are slightly boosted relative to lower mids, but there is minimal harshness.
Treble:
Lower treble on the BK2 is slightly boosted compared to higher treble, but there is minimal sibilance and harshness, and the BK2 still manages to retain quite good details/clarity. Treble extends moderately well but is not a true treblehead bud.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The BK2 was originally priced close to $50 USD during launch and maybe at that price it would not be a universal recommendation, but now at the $20ish USD pricing, it is a no brainer purchase.
The BK2 sports a well balanced tuning, with good technicalities and few weaknesses. I’ve always looked down on earbuds for years due to my preferences for IEM isolation and subbass, but the BK2 really opened my eyes to what a earbud can do for an affordable price. Indeed, the BK2 is my most used earbud in my earbud rabbithole collection, and it is the very definition of bang for buck.
MY VERDICT
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
I bought the BK2 at my own expense from Aliexpress.
It can be gotten at $21 USD onwards.
