Test report Yamaha YH-C3000 closed over-ear headphones: Finest sound from the wooden shell | News

With the closed over-ear YH-C3000, Yamaha has expanded its portfolio to include top-class closed headphones. Equipped with hand-made beech wood housings and “Armodynamic” drivers made of “Zylon”, the highest sound levels are to be achieved.

The Japanese Yamaha Corporation, primarily known for its musical instruments and hi-fi (the motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha Motor Company is independent), has a fairly extensive range of headphones for a wide variety of applications and different sound requirements. Most recently, the Japanese impressed with their magnetostatic top models in an open design (Yamaha calls this converter principle orthodynamic). The over-ear YH-C3000, which was recently launched on the market, is a closed headphone with dynamic drivers (called “Armodynamic” by Yamaha), which is aimed at users who prefer significant external sound isolation but do not want to compromise on sound.

Anyone who knows a little about headphones and is also interested in models in the price range up to 2,000 euros, in which the YH-C3000 is located, will certainly know the differences between open and closed housing designs for headphones, so I don’t have to explain them again. Instead, we’ll focus on the special features of the new Yamaha.

The YH-C3000 introduced
1,700 euros. That’s how much Yamaha charges for these headphones. A lot of money for which you can expect a lot in return. Not only should headphones for this sum sound really good, but higher demands are also made in terms of workmanship and design in this price range. Yamaha complies, but in an extremely subtle and reserved way.

Anyone who sees the YH-C3000 on Yamaha’s headphone overview page (where there are no prices) will hardly realize that this model is a lot more expensive than the mainstream model. In contrast to its open and even more expensive siblings YH-4000 and the top model YH-5000SE, the makers of the YH-C3000 forego a particularly striking design. Instead, the look of the closed back is characterized by black housing shells. At first glance – especially in photos – you can’t tell that they are hand-sanded from wood and extremely finely crafted and varnished. Even in person, the high-quality workmanship is not immediately noticeable. The YH-C3000 is definitely more for people who prefer understatement and celebrate “Black is beautiful”.

The wooden shells have the finest finish that Yamaha also uses for its concert grand pianos. What’s interesting is that the cases look deep black in pictures and under mixed lighting conditions. However, under a lamp and especially in direct sunlight, the wood structure under the varnish becomes visible in a warm brownish tone. I was able to capture this in a photo for you:

The bracket construction is identical to that used by Yamaha on its YH-4000 and YH-5000SE open models. It is characterized by a flat metal bracket that ensures gentle, just-right contact pressure over the delicately soft artificial leather upholstery. A wide leather headband distributes the already pleasantly low weight of 330 g very evenly. The geometry is very well thought out, which further benefits the wearing comfort. The only thing that could prove to be a disadvantage is the fact that the sound openings are quite small even for my rather small ear cups and could provide contact points for people with big eavesdroppers. Please try it out for yourself to see whether this shoe fits or hurts.

The included connection cable, which is fed on both sides, is not only beautifully flexible, it also falls pleasantly smoothly. For transport, it can simply be rolled up around the palm of your hand. A reusable cable tie is included, but you don’t necessarily have to use it if the cable is stored in the mesh pocket in the case. However, there is one thing to criticize about the cable. Unlike its open siblings, it causes noise in the housing shells of the YH-C3000 when touched. Not bad, but also not to be argued away.

As drivers, Yamaha uses conventional dynamic sound transducers with cone membranes instead of magnetostatic foils. But not just any off the shelf, but newly developed with a special membrane made of “Zylon”. This material name is a registered trademark of TOYOBO MC Corporation and has nothing to do with the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica. Strictly speaking, the membrane is made up of three layers made of composite materials such as paper and resin and contains the PBO fiber ZYLON. PBO stands for poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), as Wikipedia told me. Yamaha also uses this material in the membranes of its HiFi flagship speakers.

As always, the experiments with exotic membrane materials are about reconciling properties that are difficult to reconcile, such as low weight with high stiffness and high internal damping, as well as resonance behavior in general. Yamaha is traditionally one of the manufacturers who have always been very active in the field of material research for sound transducers. Yamaha is considered to be the first manufacturer to use the material beryllium, which is actually highly toxic but harmless in solid form, for tweeters in the NS-1000 model. That was in 1977. Later, the French manufacturer Focal perfected the use of this material for membranes and still uses this technology today.

Electrically, the YH-C3000 with its dynamic drivers is an extremely uncomplicated fellow. With 38 ohm impedance and a sensitivity of 94 dB (@ 1 kHz), it is not too difficult a load for any modern headphone amplifier and can be driven loud enough even with most dongle DACs. But as a pair of headphones designed primarily for stationary use, they are probably mostly operated with high-quality DAC/headphone amplifiers.

The YH-C3000 is delivered in a fairly voluminous storage case. Although it is transportable and even has a handle, it is not suitable for travel because of its volume. Ideally for stylish storage and safe moving. In the interior of the case, which is lined with silk-like material, there is space for a pleasantly flexible connection cable next to the headphones. This is connected to the headphones on both sides and has an adapter plug with a 3.5 and 6.35 mm jack for connecting to the headphone amplifier. A balanced connection cable, such as an XLR4 or 4.4 mm Pentaconn, is not included, but can be purchased as an option. Yamaha has some high-quality cables on offer, which you can find on the product page below under “related products”. The really incredibly stable and beautifully made headphone stand HST-5000 is also listed there, which is included in the delivery of the top model, but costs a whopping 400 euros alone.

Sound: For enjoyment and private studio sessions
I can save myself a separate practical part because I have already checked off the most important things about wearing comfort, electrical parameters, cables and accessories. So straight to the point: How does this noble Japanese sound with closed cases?

I tested the YH-C3000 on three different headphone amplifiers in different price ranges and different DACs. First I tried the inexpensive iFi Audio ZEN DAC (V2). Not only does it work perfectly, it also sounds damn good. The Yamaha quickly reveals its character here. In summary, it can be classified as very transparent, particularly precise in the mids, without bass emphasis and very open for a closed listener.

But there is definitely more. That’s why I also tried it out on the Violectric HPA V324 (2,600 euros) and on the brand new eversolo DAC Z10 (1,980 euros, test coming soon). And they actually get a lot more out of the Cylon drivers. More substance, brighter tones and, most importantly, more control, resulting in a more realistic overall presentation. Potential buyers of the YH-C3000 should definitely take this into account. Such high-quality headphones also deserve an appropriate headphone amplifier. The better, the better, you could say. But your budget is the only deciding factor. Fortunately, with the YH-C300 you can start small, so to speak, and later enjoy improvements with a better front end.

But one thing shouldn’t be kept secret about the sound of the YH-C3000. In direct comparison with some other candidates from different price ranges, which can be classified as neutral, the Yamaha takes some getting used to tonally. I would attribute this to the slightly different Far Eastern listening taste. You should definitely try it out beforehand to see if it also appeals to your taste buds. The fact is that the YH-C3000 could be perceived as slightly mid-emphasized and a bit “potty” tonally. As I said: in direct comparison with headphones that are more tailored to European ears, such as the Beyerdynamic T1 or the extraordinary Grell OAE2, which I will introduce to you in more detail in a test that will appear later. Without this direct comparison, this would hardly be noticeable.

Conclusion: Definitely not wooden
The Yamaha YH-C3000 is not a headphone for Fred-type blenders. Its rather subtle but extremely elegant design with ingenious material details could easily be mistaken for a pair of 30-euro headphones. The proud owner acknowledges this with a knowing smile and enjoys.

The Japanese also knows how to impress in terms of sound. As a closed back, it manages to still sound pleasantly open and “not oppressive”. He’s not a muscular guy with pumped-up bass, but he still reaches into the deepest frequency ranges with confidence and control. But you should try out its somewhat midrange-emphasized tuning beforehand. – Which actually applies to all headphones. Buying blindly online because it saves a few euros is never a good thing. The Yamaha is also ideal for very precise listening to the music, such as when monitoring. Luckily, the YH-C3000 doesn’t get carried away with excessive analytics.

The only notable point of criticism for me is the sometimes annoying cable noise, which does not occur with its siblings YH-4000 and YH-5000SE.

Plus/Minus Yamaha YH-C3000
+ Fine, slightly mid-emphasized sound
+ very open and spacious for a closed back
+ excellent workmanship with successful understatement
+ Pleasantly light with high long-term wearing comfort
+ comfortable case for storage
+ Connection cable flexible and smooth
+ does not place high demands on the amp (but benefits from top electronics)

– Cable noise
– No symmetrical connection cable included