In this feature, we review the HiBy Yvain, which is a new 3-way quad-BA driver universal IEM designed for vocal lovers and quiet listening. It is priced at $239.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to us in exchange for our honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links. We thank HiBy for their support.
You can click here to read more about the HiBy products we have previously featured on our website.
Note, that this article follows our latest scoring guidelines which you can read in more detail here.
The HiBy Yvain universal IEM is named after the knight of the lion from the Arthurian legend, as represented by the symbol on its CNC-machined faceplate.
This is the 6th IEM release from HiBy and priced at $239 SRP it takes a seat just behind the long-running Crystal 6 series with the Zeta launched in mid-2023 which is still their flagship in-ear monitor.
TECH HIGHLIGHTS
The Yvain is a universal IEM that features a quad-BA driver design with a 3-way crossover.
Inside the Yvain you will find a dual, full-range Sonion balanced armatures, one Non-dampened Knowles Bass driver, and a Knowles Hi-res tweeter. The three drivers are not packed together and are secured independently.
The Yvain is tuned to cater to stage and recording monitoring needs while also delivering an enjoyable musical experience. In short, it should be ideal for vocal lovers and as HiBy describes it ‘quiet listening’.
DESIGN
HiBy makes use of 3D printing technologies this time and uses medical-grade materials for the body.
The earphone has an unusual structure as you can see the silver faceplate has a curvy shape and is seamlessly fused with the housing, which looks like the armor of knights. The product logo is smartly positioned around the splitting line between the faceplate and the body.
On the two faceplates, a lion icon representing the knight of the lion – Yvain from the 12th Century Arthurian romance is laser etched. Such represents bravery, nobility, honor, and loyalty.
The Yvain is middle-sized and fits easily into the ear without the need for adjustment. The overall aesthetics is convincing considering how HiBy fits the irregular metallic faceplate onto the body framework, and the construction is rugged.
COMFORT & ISOLATION
The Yvain has a nicely tilted insertion angle and it seals well immediately when you put it in the ears. It sits and locks on the outer ear comfortably and the body feels well-polished.
Isolation is quite strong and from HiBy it can provide -26 dB passive noise isolation, which is pretty much the standard number.
However, I believe it seals better than some earphones that put the same number on the specifications. It does not stress my ears after a 2-hour listen and there is no need to adjust the earphone all the way.
TIPS
The Yvain comes with two different types of tips, foam and silicone. Both variants come in the usual small, medium, and large sizes with the M-size form pre-installed out of the box. As usual, it is recommended to give every tip a try as a measure of fine-tweaking.
The foams help enhance the seal and bass performance and also give a slightly warmer, forward bass flavor. The silicone tips sound cleaner and promote resolution, sounding less colored than the foam performance.