Moondrop S8 VS Yanyin Carmen

IEM Comparison: Expert & Community Scores Side-by-Side

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Moondrop S8 and Yanyin Carmen use 8BA and 10BA driver setups respectively. Moondrop S8 costs $700 while Yanyin Carmen costs $799. Yanyin Carmen is $99 more expensive. Moondrop S8 holds a decisive 1.1-point edge in reviewer scores (7.6 vs 6.5). Moondrop S8 has significantly better mids with a 2.5-point edge, Moondrop S8 has significantly better treble with a 4.8-point edge, Moondrop S8 has significantly better dynamics with a 1.7-point edge and Moondrop S8 has better soundstage with a 0.5-point edge.

Insights

Metric Moondrop S8 Yanyin Carmen
Bass 6.6 6.5
Mids 7.5 5
Treble 7.8 3
Details 8 6.5
Soundstage 7.5 7
Imaging 7.7 6.5
Dynamics 5.7 4
Tonality 7.3 7
Technicalities 7.5 5.3

Moondrop S8 Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Bad Guy Good Audio Shuwa-T Audionotions Gizaudio Axel Crin Jaytiss Smirk Audio Precogvision Tim Tuned
Super* Review

Average Reviewer Score:

7.6

Strongly Favorable


Yanyin Carmen Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Jaytiss
Fresh Reviews
Jays Audio

Average Reviewer Score:

6.5

Cautiously Favorable


Moondrop S8 User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

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Yanyin Carmen User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

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Moondrop S8 Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

6.9

Gaming Grade

B+

Yanyin Carmen Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

6

Gaming Grade

B

Moondrop S8 Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A-
  • Pleasing tonal balance with good technical control. Minor quirks present but not distracting. Demonstrates decent genre versatility.

Average Technical Grade

A
  • Competent technical presentation. Handles separation and detail well in most tracks, with modest soundstage and acceptable imaging capabilities.
Bass B+
Good bass foundation with decent impact. Maintains acceptable control while providing satisfying thump in most tracks.
Mids A
Excellent midrange with natural timbre and great detail retrieval. Vocals are forward and emotive with lifelike instrument reproduction.
Treble A
Excellent treble: airy, extended and well-controlled. Great micro-detail retrieval without sibilance or harshness.
Dynamics B-
Decent dynamic performance. Good macro-contrast but micro-dynamics could be more nuanced. Satisfactory impact.
Soundstage A
Excellent spatial presentation - wide, deep and tall. Precise instrument placement with clear separation in all dimensions.
Details A+
Exceptional resolution that uncovers the deepest layers. Retrieves even the most minute details while maintaining natural timbre.
Imaging A
Excellent imaging: precise and stable placement. Instruments occupy specific points in space with tangible positions.
Gaming B+
Respectable environmental presentation favors atmosphere over precision. Detects obvious directional cues while conveying game world ambiance. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Yanyin Carmen Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A-
  • Pleasing tonal balance with good technical control. Minor quirks present but not distracting. Demonstrates decent genre versatility.

Average Technical Grade

C+
  • Satisfactory technical performance. Handles basic detail retrieval adequately in most tracks. Maintains reasonable cohesion in simpler arrangements.
Mids C+
Decent midrange performance - balanced but unremarkable. Adequate clarity for most genres without notable flaws.
Treble D
Uneven treble response with noticeable peaks and dips. Can sound both dull and occasionally harsh simultaneously.
Dynamics C-
Average dynamics - passable but unexciting. Transients are rounded and micro-dynamics lack refinement.
Soundstage A-
Excellent spatial presentation - wide, deep and tall. Precise instrument placement with clear separation in all dimensions.
Gaming B
Decent spatial awareness for fundamental positioning. Creates satisfying atmosphere in story-driven games while handling basic directional cues. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Moondrop S8 Reviews

Reviewed by: Super* Review

Super* Review 9* * score normalized

Reviewed by: Bad Guy Good Audio

Bad Guy Good Audio 7.9 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A- Tech
Great detail,relax tuning upgrade of "A8" only a slight upgrade to the previous A8

URL to full Review

Bad Guy Good Audio original ranking

Bad Guy Good Audio Youtube Channel
Bass: B Mids: A+ Treble: A+

Reviewed by: Shuwa-T

Shuwa-T 7.8 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A+ Tech
Comment: Technically proficient. Clarity and tuning well done BA timbre

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

Bass: A- Mids: A- Treble: A+ Soundstage: A+ Details: S- Imaging: S-

Reviewed by: Audionotions

Audionotions 7.5 Reviewer Score
Very resolving and well tuned. Note weight leans thin. First IEM that I can say I definitely hear the BA timbre. Could use more down low. Pressure build is uncomfortable. Previously Owned

Audionotions original ranking

Website (Audionotions)

Reviewed by: Gizaudio Axel

Gizaudio Axel 7.5 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A+ Tech
Smooth, detailed, and balanced tuning. Harman-like sound with plenty of detail. BA bass.

Gizaudio Axel original ranking

Gizaudio Axel Youtube Channel

Reviewed by: Crin

Crin 7.5 Reviewer Score
S- Tuning
A Tech
More faithful to the Harman target compared to the A8, with a smoother bass response.

Crin original ranking

Crin Youtube Channel

Reviewed by: Jaytiss

Jaytiss 7.3 Reviewer Score
B Tuning
A- Tech
Special set.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
Mids: B Treble: A- Dynamics: C+ Soundstage: A-

Reviewed by: Smirk Audio

Smirk Audio 7.1 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A- Tech
Very resolving with a sweet, pleasant timbre. Good mids and treble. Average bass. Upper-mids may be shouty to some.

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

Bass: B Mids: A+ Treble: A Dynamics: B Details: A Imaging: A

Reviewed by: Precogvision

Precogvision 7.1 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A- Tech
Excellent treble extension and detail retrieval.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
Bass: B Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Dynamics: B Details: A+ Imaging: A-

Reviewed by: Tim Tuned

Tim Tuned 7 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A+ Tech
Smooth engaging harman signature with fun bass BA timbre

Tim Tuned original ranking

Tim Tuned Youtube Channel
Bass: A+ Mids: A+ Treble: A+

Yanyin Carmen Reviews

Reviewed by: Jays Audio

Jays Audio 8 Reviewer Score
S Tuning
A Tech
An OG EJ07 that does vocal scaling. A blast your brains out kinda set. Full, powerful, extended, VERY forward vocals, might be too much for some people. Reveals every last bit of emotion from the artist's voice. Makes the song very intimate and vulnerable. VERY genre depedent, check playlist in the video description. It's basically an RSV that scales at high volume. Super immersive, great centre-imaging (or as good as it gets in an IEM), and mid-bass quality competes with the MMK3 and others. Treble is dark, not for trebleheads or people who like air. Detail takes a hit, and stage is very close, like the artist is singing right infront of you. A truly unique experience, but again, it's gonna be a hit or miss for many people depending on their library and how loud they listen - NOT a mid-lower volume set... and it comes with a $2 pouch at $850 LOL, but hey, I mean they actually get away with it because when it hits, it HITS.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
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Reviewed by: Fresh Reviews

Fresh Reviews 7* * The score of this reviewer influences only the Gaming Score

Reviewed by: Jaytiss

Jaytiss 5 Reviewer Score
C+ Tuning
D Tech
I don't get this one. It's not good.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
Mids: C+ Treble: D Dynamics: C- Soundstage: A-

Moondrop S8 User Reviews

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