Introduction

SeeAudio is a brand that we have seen before, with its recently released 4-balanced armature set—the SeeAudio Bravery—faring well when put through our review methodology a couple of months ago. As is the norm with IEMs today, the brand was busy making another new set. This time, however, things were different. You see, the SeeAudio Yume—a ~$170 hybrid IEM set—is what it used when undergoing a global brand launch last year after seeing success in the Chinese domestic market, and that was a set that was praised by others for good tuning but lacking in technical performance to where it seemed to share more in common with an inflated balloon filled with mostly nothing inside. Clearly, there was scope for improvement, and SeeAudio agreed.


HiFiGo is how I was first introduced to the SeeAudio brand, and the online retailer saw the success a few recent collaborations have had. Let's leave aside the potential bias other reviewers might have one way or the other when one of their own collaborates with an IEM manufacturer to bring out a new or updated product, and adding a retailer to the mix further complicates things. In this case, HiFiGo is the conduit that helped Crinacle and SeeAudio make the aptly named SeeAudio X Crinacle Yume Midnight happen, and in return get exclusive sales rights to. The Midnight, as it is more commonly referred to, follows in the line of Crinacle's collaboration IEMs in being named after phases of the sun as it relates to the earth, and looks to re-shape the original Yume into a more technically competent set. Let's see whether this has been achieved in this review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Having recently examined the SeeAudio Bravery, I already had an inkling of what to expect unboxing the SeeAudio x Crinacle Yume Midnight, which I shall henceforth mostly refer to as the Yume Midnight for convenience. The box came inside a plastic seal and is on the larger side of average with artwork to commemorate the collaboration between the three entities. The listed product name is Yume:Midnight, which might well be correct, but I am going by what is used on the product page. On the back are more relevant specifications, including a factory frequency response, distribution of drivers and technology that has gone into the making of the product.


SeeAudio has gone with an outer sleeve over an inner box, with the sleeve sliding off to reveal a predominantly black box with the SeeAudio name and a tagline on the front, and more of the same on the sides. This box has a lid that lifts up to reveal a cardboard card, which has some of the accessories inside.


This section has items that are heavily shared with other SeeAudio IEMs, including the customary postcard in this product's theme. There are stickers of the.. mascot, let's go with that.. along with a colorful contact card, and we find a handy multi-language quick start guide that goes over the usage of these IEMs for those new to the IEM world. SeeAudio also includes four replacement mesh filters, which is nice for when you may want to replace the stock filters, so it is a case of combining function and form at least. The rest of the components are underneath in snug cutouts made in thick foam, with the carry case on the left and a collection of labeled ear tips above the IEMs.


I appreciate that the ear tips come neatly labeled and contained inside more thick foam, and SeeAudio provides five sets of silicone ear tips in sizes SS, S, M, L, and XL. This was a point of confusion with initial review samples that mistakenly had two other randomly marked L and M sets on the right, but what you see is the retail version itself. These also come with differently colored cores to further distinguish the sizes, and match the pairs, although I would have liked to see a set of foam tips rather than the foam container for these. Still, stock ear tips in SS and XL aren't commonly included, so that makes me happy.


The storage case is the exact same as what we saw on the more expensive SeeAudio Bravery, and a design that is clearly OEM given others have used it with just a different logo on top. It is primarily black and has a matte finish that is scratch-resistant. The case takes the shape of an ice hockey puck with the SeeAudio signature on top, along with a bunny hairband because why not? A rubber lining in the middle keeps the lid closed, and the inside is similarly lined to prevent the IEMs from getting scratched or damaged. There isn't a lot of room inside. However, the Yume Midnight with the stock cable and installed ear tips fit just fine even if the cable may want to fight it.


The IEMs come with the cable pre-installed and placed in a separate compartment below the ear tips. The cable makes it easier to pluck the shells out, which shows no pre-installed ear tips. For a closer look at the cable, we need to disconnect it from the IEM shells. This shows SeeAudio using 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors, so carefully pull out the pins from the cable side on each of the left and right channels.


Those who pre-ordered the Yume Midnight got a bonus assemble-it-yourself kit of a SeeAudio acrylic IEM stand that retails for $10 separately. It's really more a frame than anything else, and the four feet are interchangeable to place it at different angles. You can then drape the IEMs over the stand or simply stare at the imagery, I am not judging! I just chose to take the photos above and pack it up since it does not really make for a practical IEM stand.