The SeeAudio X Crinacle Yume Midnight sells for $30 more than the SeeAudio Yume and brings with it supposedly increased technical performance with a slight tuning change at either end of the frequency range. I have not heard the Yume before, but it must be quite poor in technicalities if this is a marked improvement since I was still left wanting more in that regard. I suppose I did also go in expecting the Yume Midnight to be quite competent in this regard, but the general absence of any details on what was actually done to make this happen doesn't help. It may be a case of the parties involved not knowing exactly themselves, but part of that is surely also keeping it to themselves for future developments. I see the Yume Midnight as a solid base for a Yume Midnight 2 perhaps, but perhaps with wholly different drivers.

Listed above are several pros and some cons that add up to a mostly positive outlook for the Yume Midnight nonetheless, not the least of which is a deliberate tuning intended to lay light on the bass, mids, and treble responses. The bass elevation comes off more as a sub-woofer at times, but not so strongly as to be head-thumping for the likes of EDM. Even if so, I feel the well-done execution adds to other genres more positively regardless. The mids too have enough range for many instruments to shine, so much so that the vast majority of rock, pop, and even jazz music will play well here. The treble response is more a miss than a hit for me, though, and the aforementioned imaging issues don't help. Keep in mind that the stock cable just didn't work out well for me—at least until HiFiGo shipped out what I am told is the mass-production, machine-assembled cable which solved those concerns. Now I wait to see whether customers who paid for the first batch will be eligible for a replacement cable if they so desire also.

If the Crinacle label was not attached to this IEM, I doubt it would get the attention even with the original Yume faring relatively well. So in that sense, this collaboration bringing in some fairly guaranteed sales is alone worth it for SeeAudio. I can't speak much for the $30 increase over the Yume, but this is still a very good set for $200. What works in its favor is the tuning target of neutral with a bass boost, which is going to be quite appealing, especially for those who wanted the likes of the MOONDROP x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk, but could not afford that $300+ set. The other $200 powerhouses released recently are tuned differently enough to where there is room for them all, and even the current hot-pick 7Hz Timeless does a few things worse than the Yume Midnight l, which means the Yume Midnight merits a consideration. It's certainly one of my preferred sets around the $200 price point, and even more in some cases. But it's also not a must-have by any means, especially with the technical aspects still found wanting despite the supposed focus here.