Cables play an important role in any portable audio enthusiast’s day to day life. We carry our DAPs or smartphones and IEMs with us wherever we go. The quality of the cable makes a big difference too, not only in terms of comfort but in many cases, we can hear an improvement in the sound too (especially if we go balanced). So today we’ve got another one in for review, the Yinyoo 16 Core Copper Brown Silver Plated Cable.
This cable is available in multiple configurations and you can choose the plug and connectors that suit your needs. This is a great and affordable way to upgrade your existing headphones today.
- Excellent build quality and ergonomics
- Available in multiple configurations
- Extremely pliable and soft
- Value for money
- N/A
Buy on:
AK Yinyoo 16 Core Copper Brown Silver Plated Cable features
- Characteristic: improve bass and mids
- Number of cores: 16 strands
- Conductor material: silver plated
- Cable length:1.2 m
- Brand: Yinyoo
- Colour: Brown Silver
- Plug type: 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm
- Interface: MMCX/2PIN
This sample was provided for the purpose of an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product.
Package and Accessories
A plastic bag and warranty card are about all you get with this cable. But that’s what I’ve come to expect with these budget cable goodies – if they were to spend more on packaging we wouldn’t get such quality cables for these low prices.
Build Quality and Design
The first thing I noticed about the Yinyoo 16 core cable was that it is very similar indeed to the HiFiHear. Upon closer inspection, I am certain that these 2 cables came from the same OEM, something that happens quite often with these budget Chinese brands.
So, if you’ve read the other review you know exactly what’s coming – in fact, I may even borrow parts from that since these products are near identical. However, if you have not read that review then continue with me and we’ll take a closer look at this thing.
At the heart of this cable is a high-purity oxygen-free copper-plated silver wire. The benefits of a wire like this are a rapid transmission of electrical signals and stability with low distortion.
The cable is available in 6 different configurations so you can customize it to suit the monitors you intend to use it with. There are 3 plug options: 2.5 mm balanced, 3.5 mm single-ended and 4.4 mm balanced. You also get a choice of 2 connectors: 2-pin and MMCX. This time around I went with a balanced 2.5 mm plug and 2-pin connectors.
This cable is unexpectedly supple for a 16-core wire but it is what it is. The cable is thick and feels robust but is silken and impossibly soft. It kind of feels like a thick shoelace or woven rope.
There’s no memory wire or pre-formed ear guides present on this cable, meaning it can be worn over-ear or straight down which makes it compatible with just about any IEM you can imagine (except those with recessed sockets).
2 engraved rings surround the bottom of the metal 2-pin connectors. This provides a bit of grip to aid you in detaching the cable. The plastic in the right side is coloured red for easy identification.
There is a tiny blue dot next to one of the pins on each connector. These are to help you plug them in the right way to avoid being out of phase. It’s great to see an attention to detail like this.
There is a clear, plastic chin slider that works well and stays out of the way. The Y-split is a cylindrical, silver-coloured metal with Yinyoo branding in white print on one side. The cable terminates in a straight, metal plug that also has the Yinyoo branding on one side.
Strain reliefs are good from top to bottom and the cable feels very well-built and durable. Overall this is a really gorgeous cable and it’s now one of the most pliable audio cables I’ve ever used (right alongside the HiFiHear cable of course!).
Comfort and Microphonics (cable noise)
When it comes to comfort this cable is off the charts. Despite its modest price, it has become one of my favourite cables mainly because of its pliability. It’s just such a
The cable has no annoying memory or kinks. It simply conforms to any surface it sits on, making it extremely comfortable in use. Some people might actually find it too pliable for their preference but I really dig it how it is.
Another great characteristic of the Yinyoo 16 core is that it has almost no microphonics at all. There’s no audible cable noise transmitted when it rubs on your clothing or skin; it’s the perfect companion for your monitors.
Sound
The cable was tested with the Hifi Boy OS V3 and Custom Art FIBAE Black Prototype and InEarz Fusion. Testing was done using the Earstudio ES100 or Soundaware M2Pro as the source using their balanced outputs. Because I don’t have any 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm adapters, I wasn’t able to use the cable with any desktop amps.
Likely because the IEMs I tested all come supplied with an SPC cable by default I didn’t detect any significant changes in tonality when using the Yinyoo 16 core. What I did hear was improvements in the form of less THD and crosstalk from the balanced outputs of my sources.
Conclusion
Although the quality of stock cables that come with the budget to entry-level IEMs has seen a steady improvement in recent times there are still a lot of bad ones out there. In many
Those are some of the reasons why having a third-party cable is really handy. Personally I really dig the look and feel of this Yinyoo 16 core. It’s a clear step up from the Yinyoo 6-core cable (review here) I tested a while back but it’s great to have options at various price points.
For me personally, apart from the improved comfort, aesthetics and practically eliminating any microphonics, the other great thing is being able to use any of my IEMs that have a 2-pin connector with my balanced sources.
At the current sale price of $40, the Yinyoo 16 core copper-brown cable is