Vibro Labs Aria: Technically complement but with a divisive signature.
 
I was allowed to spend 1 week listening to the Aria in exchange for this review.
 
The Vibro Labs Aria is a quad BA driver IEM and comes in both universal and custom forms. It is currently listed at $499 direct from Vibro Labs. This review is focused on the universal model that I had a chance to spend some time with as part of a tour.
 
Background: I’ve been part of the headphone hobbyist community for 3 years now. I’ve amassed a sizeable collection of headphones, notable among them being my LCD-2 (2016 rev), HD6XX, Vmoda M-80, JVC HA-SZ2000 and Oppo PM-3 among others. In terms of IEMs, I own a Sony XBA-H1 and have owned a HiFiMan RE-600. I tend to have a preference for dark signatures, and am very fond of good price/performance ratios (My ongoing love affair with KZ IEMs only serves to reinforce this point).
 
Presentation/build quality: The Aria I sampled came with a wooden like exterior face, and featured a clear-ish plastic like enclosure around the sides and forming the nozzle. The wood looks nice in pictures, and my home does have really cruddy lighting, but the wooden looking part didn’t seem as vibrant and with as much contrast with the wood grain as I was anticipating. The housings themselves seem sturdy enough, and like they will hold up well so long as one takes a modicum of care when handling them.
 
They feature a detachable 2 pin cable, and the one provided with the tour model was extremely nice. It featured a plasticized, braided exterior with a 90 degree connector and handled like a linen rope. The wire forms stiff but still rather flexible ear hooks.
 
Comfort wise the housing didn’t feel heavy at all thanks to the ear hooks, but the bore of the nozzle felt way too wide for my ears when inserted, even with the smallest cushions I had avaliable (comply foam tips size small). This led to some frustration as I couldn’t listen to the Aria for more than an hour at a time before I had to give it a rest due to discomfort. The housing seemed shaped well for my ears, and the shape as well as the tips did a decent job helping isolate me from outside sounds.
 
Sound Impressions: Listening was done with a variety of sources and amplification. I used either premium Spotify or FLAC files direct from my phone (Moto X 2nd Gen) or from Spotify or Foobar2000 from my computer. When listening to files on my computer, I used a Schiit Modi 2 DAC and switched between a Magni 2 solid state amp, and a Little Dot I+ Hybrid tube amplifier.
 
Bass: This point was an overall letdown for me. Listening to “Silent Shout” by The Knife didn’t start promising. A short while into the track, a deep, heart beat like percussion steps into the mix, and I was a little stunned. It didn’t feel like it was washing over me like with previous headphones I heard this song with. To put it succinctly, it sounded like someone knocking on a dense door. There was way too much punch and it left me feeling unsatisfied. This would become a trend throughout my experience.
 
Listening to Irish folk music, percussion instruments such as a bodhran delivered a tight beat, but lost their vibrance. Trance tracks featured some good sub-bass out of the Aria, but with so little midbass that the beats sounded hollow. Hearing the drop on Coldplay’s “Paradise” sounded like a clicking mechanical monster rather than a heady buzz. In all, I felt the subbass was adequate in a vacuum, but the mid-bass sounded sucked out, and this combined with the sub-bass and extended highs made most beats, whether acoustic or electronic, sound absolutely empty Switching from solid state to tube amplification helped marginally, but not really enough for me to feel that the bass was all that good.
 
Mids:  The middle frequencies sounded very neutral to cold. There was some good, natural detail in this region, but this seemed to come at the cost of any pleasing warmth. Dave Gllmour’s voice on Pink Floyd’s “Wish you were here “(2011 remaster) sounded rather strained, but in a way that suggested more realism that sounding merely off. Female vocals featured in such bands as Maidens IV sound really good, with a nice hint of sweetness, but still rather dry as opposed to lush.
 
Details (separate from detail, an aspect of the Aria I explore in the Highs section) in this range seemed rather well done, with things such as breaths and fret slides being audible, but not distractingly so. Listening to “The Promise/Blinded by Light” off the album “A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy” had me doing a double take as I heard one of the artists taking a very deep breath right before transitioning to the Blinded by Light part of the medley. All in all, I found the mids to be a mixed bag. It didn’t have the hedonistic pleasure of drinking in warm mids, but it did illustrate that the intoxication of thickness does cloud one’s senses to things they wouldn’t be able to hear without a considerably more sober sound signature. The mids got considerably warmer through tubes, but I mostly felt it brought it to a base level, and didn’t sound like the headphones I enjoy running through tubes.
 
Highs: Oh boy. The highs aren’t not there, which I think we can all agree is a good thing. But I think the universal agreement on this aspect ends there. I listed my repertoire and I mentioned my preference for dark sound sigs. I like my treble rolled off. Not too steep, but still, I feel a steady decline is best. Well, let me tell you that that is not the case with the Aria.
 
Treble detail is very present, with crunchiness added to guitars, grain added to violins and percussion that feels like Bruce Lee decided to one-inch-punch through your eardrum. Oddly enough, there seems to be a dip in the treble at some point in the mid-upper area, as cymbals sound a bit splashy, but otherwise fine and grainy instruments such as violins never got to the point where I cringed in pain, but I was preparing to cower as I heard them build up to higher pitched crescendos. I wouldn’t even say the Aria’s have sparkle, because to me, sparkle implies a rather delicate emphasis, and the highs here are too heavy handed.
 
In all, I would wager this is the make or break aspect, and totally based on your subjective view. The Arias are bright, and though a good thing for trebleheads, it was decidedly less good in my book.
 
Soundstage/Imaging/Transients: Soundstage on the Aria was pretty good. On the wide side, but rather close, I felt like this was an area where a check+ is earned. Imaging was pretty decent, with about 4 main points per side where the instruments seemed to come from. Listening to “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa was marvelous as always and Peter Frampton’s “Frampton Comes Alive” album sounded particularly immersive. Speed was also very good, as the drivers sounded nice and fast, striking with good attack and nimble decay. Though that is to be expected from BA configurations.

 
Value: This is a tough one. 500 bones is a lot to ask, even still in today’s world of $5000+ flagships. Honestly, the Aria gets a lot of the technical aspects right, but dat sound sig do’.I would only really recommend this as a niche product, as its anemic nature may be both its Achilles heel as well as its greatest draw. If this were $100, I’d give it a hearty recommendation as the Aria’s frequency emphasis would be livable for all the things it does right sound-wise on top of a unique looking housing and replaceable cables. But if you’re going to spend half a grand on the Aria, you better have done your research and know full well what you’re getting into.
 
In conclusion: The Aria is capable on a technical level, but in my opinion, the tuning is a major deal breaker. Very much on the bright side with a rather sucked-out midbass and combined with the $500 price point, I can only recommend this if you are a treble-head who absolutely values detail and tight rhythm above all. In total, it is too niche for my tastes, and with my subjective preferences factored in, I can only rate it 3 stars out of 5. It does many things well, but the anemic sound signature and sterile nature are just too much for me to see past.
 
I would like to thank Luke Pighetti of Vibro Labs for the opportunity to review their product and expand my pool of experience.
 

I'm a semi-frequent reviewer of headphones on Amazon, and decided to dip my toe into the Head-Fi review waters. Wish me luck!
 
Background: I've been into the headphone hobby for about 2 and a half years. I have limited experience with the highest of the high end, but I have spent a good amount of time playing around in upper Mid-Fi territory. My current stable of cans and devices consists of my Parrot Zik 1.0, Oppo PM3, Hifiman RE-600, Audeze LCD2 and now the JVC HA-SZ2000. I also use my Sennheiser Urbanite XL for television watching and have parted with and provided loving homes to my beloved Koss ProDJ200, Sennheiser Momentum and Hifiman HE-400S. For source and amplification, my main rig consists of a Schiit M2/M2 (non-uber) stack and a Fiio E18 Kunlun for portable listening.
 
I generally listen to my music as FLAC through Foobar2000 or as 320kbps through Spotify premium. I'll be the first to admit that I'm still training my ears, and that 320 MP3s don't stick out like a sore thumb to me. In the objective vs. subjective debate, though I value objectivity to keep things grounded and from going too off the rails, I am in the camp of audio hedonism. "If it sounds good (to you), then do it!"
 
So. On to the meat of this review!
 
Presentation: Note: I bought the Japan import versions of the SZ2000, so a few things about the presentation will be different from the US/Europe version. Namely, from my understanding, the storage pouch is quite different, and the words "Live Beat" are stenciled onto the cups on the Japanese version as opposed to the word "Z-Series" as seen on other models.
 
The SZ2Ks arrived in a sturdy package consisting of a paper sleeve with the specs printed on the back, and a cardboard box inside that also serves as a presentation case, if the silk/satin material layering the inside is any indication. The presentation box is made of a stiff and thick cardboard, quite similar to the one the Oppo PM-3s come in (the blue box, for those who want specificity due to the rather Russian nesting doll-esque nature of how the Oppos are delivered). A leather(? or maybe protein leather) bag is included with the letters "JVC" inscribed on the side. It's a nice gesture, but rather disappointing. For the price these debuted at, a hardshell carrying case would have made a much better perk. In addition, a custom case would have been  even more appreciated as I would imagine finding a generic case for the JVCs is quite difficult due to the massive size of the cups, and their lack of being able to rotate flat. The cups do fold into the headband arch, so the bag might not be too much of a hassle.
 

Photo: The JVCs nestled in their display box.
 

Photo: As you can see, the cups of the SZ2000 are nearly as big as those of the LCD2.
 
The cans themselves are quite nice looking and to my eyes, they exude elegance and class. The majority of the cup is made of a strong, black, matte plastic while the yoke is made from a shiny, black metal with a brass ring encircling the outside. The headband and sliders seem to be made of metal, and the upper part of the headband arch is made from a rubberized material with a soft, mesh covered pad on the bottom. The pads they come with are soft, but they sink too much and it leaves your ears touching the housing.
 
Speaking of the stock pads, they need to be replaced, pronto. For this review, I will be testing the sound with the stock pads switched out for the pads from the JVC HA-M55x. I have also heard that the Brainwavz HM5 pads work well for these, but I have not experienced them to be able to give you my view of things.
 

Photo: M55x pads on left. Stock pads on right.
 
Sound quality and characteristics: Of note is the the JVC HA-SZ2000 uses a dual driver system. A 55mm driver for the bass, and a 30mm driver for the rest. It is interesting to note that the woofer uses the same principles as a Kelton subwoofer, meaning it routes the sound it produces through a series of brass chambers to amplify and condition the bass volume and characteristics The 30mm driver is also unique in that it is a carbon nano-tube driver (or CNT for short). What's interesting about CNT drivers is that they create vibration by rapidly heating and cooling the driver and the air around it in an effort to excite the air molecules and produce air vibrations.
 
Out of the box, this headphone was very muffled, muddy and a bit dull. I busted out the EQ to create a V-shaped signature, and though the bass was really good, the highs were merely OK and I resigned myself to not really being able to appreciate the mids. I've experienced tentatively verifiable burn in before, but not using any method that would stand up under scientific scrutiny. However I decided to give it a shot. I set up a pink noise loop and ran it for 12 hours a day over three days. I didn't listen to it during that time as I had switched them out for my LCD2s during my waking hours. Here are my results from after the burn in period. Whether the change was real, or my brain adjusted, I may never know. But here is my admittedly subjective take on it all. The following observations were made with my Modi2 DAC and Magni2 amplifier, using a combination of Foobar2000 with FLAC files and Spotify premium. I used the built in equalizer when listening to Foobar and used the the program EqualizerAPO for Spotify EQ impressions.
 
Bass: No EQ:  The bass on the SZ2K is really punchy. I have never really heard anyone else describe this, but the bass is so tight that impactful, percussive bass notes almost leave a slight air of silence after landing for a fraction of a second. Quantity leaves a bit to be desired. It has more than your average headphone but it feels like only a bit more than my Urbanite XLs (which are pretty focused on quality over quantity).
          With EQ: I raised everything below 80Hz up 10dB and just kind of left it flat until the treble (We'll get to that soon enough). I found raising the sub bass really does the trick. You don't want the whole bass spectrum raised at once or it is really easy to start experiencing headaches. With 80Hz and below raised, you start to get a lot more slam in your tracks. The bass has a good rumble while still dealing tight punches here and there. This headphone lives for EQ and does not even flinch or distort when I amped it up to 15dB on the EQ. You can feel the ear cup shake with songs like Love Lockdown by Kanye West. Overall, it has great extension, texture and slam and  I would say the bass is better than that on my LCD2 (and the bass on that is nothing to sneeze at). Dare I say it has the best bass I've ever heard!
 
Mids: No EQ: They're a bit recessed, but rather clear with smooth texture. If you listen to the song "Downstream" from the Braid soundtrack, you kind of feel like swaying just a little too much to the undercurrent of cello that sets the pace, and the bass drums are a bit more present in comparison, but the SZ2Ks convey the violin quite admirably, though the texture is just a little too smooth for audiophile purposes. Overall though, you may find yourself tapping your toes to the beat more often than you sit back a drink in vocals or other instruments.
   Comparison with Bass and Treble EQ: The mids sound far more recessed though you can hear them. I really recommend you get comfortable with messing with your equalizer if you frequently switch between bass heavy music and lighter fare. They get kind of overlapped by the other frequency ranges.
 
Treble: No EQ: Treble is a bit subdued but present. Not really any sibilance to speak of and cymbals do have a shimmer to them though there is a very slight, blink and you miss it, echo effect to heavy cymbal work, almost hollow sounding. Some textures like guitars and some percussion don't overwhelm with treble detail but do maintain a delightful crunch. So in summation, the treble is very pleasant, not very in your face but also not too polite.
            With EQ: Between 2.5kHz and 7kHz I bumped it up 5dB. Textures start to come out more. EDM feels super alive with synth hits complimenting the upped bass mentioned previously. You feel compelled to bob your head.as the drum hits rattle inside your skull. But it's not quite piercing. Overall it provides a lot more energy without causing a skull-splitting headache.
 
Soundstage and imaging: I'll admit that this is an area that is hard for me to assess too well. I'm working on improving my hearing so I can assess soundstage and imaging upon first listen. I can instantly hear major differences in this regard between headphones, but I do have to close my eyes and focus to determine perceived dimensions. From what I hear, the soundstage is pretty wide, but imaging is a bit sparse, with most sounds coming from the direct sides, front, or about halfway in between the former and the latter. But, a neat stereo effect I can point to is that at 40 seconds into Strobe (Radio Edit) by Deadmau5, the song starts bouncing between the left and right channels and it felt like the sound was flowing like liquid through my head from one ear to the other. I've only ever experienced that on my Momentum. Even my LCD2 doesn't let me experience that effect.
 
Sound summary: Without EQ and with adequate burn in, the SZ2000 sounds like a competent, yet bassy headphone for the <$200 price tag it's currently at. It would be great as a home theater headphone in this state as most everything is clear and the emphasized bass would make action movies have a bit of audio flair. With EQ however, this becomes an absolute bass monster. However you set your frequency emphasis, the SZ2000 will endure it like a champ. You can't help but wiggle in your seat, or even dance to the beat (though don't bang your head too hard, they are liable to fly off your head due to the weight).
 
Things I didn't like:  Straight out of the box, it sounds pretty bad. Like "Oh god, what  did I just spend my money on" type bad. I didn't like that there are a lot of caveats to this purchase, including needing to have a pretty good amplifier, replacement ear pads being a necessity and needing to invoke an equalizer in order to get peak performance. I was disappointed with the lack of a hard shell case, and the short (3-3.5 ft), hardwired cable. In this day and age, a removable cable should be considered a necessity with any headphone at the price point this premiered at. It's also heavy as sin, but considering the brass chambers involved in the Kelton design, I consider it a necessary evil. But seriously, whenever I switch from the SZ2000 to my LCD2, the Audeze feels much lighter, though that could be due to better weight distribution and a comparatively more merciful clamp force.
 
 
In summation: I find the JVC HA-SZ2000 to be a delightful treat when in the mood to have your head kicked in with bass, and it is a strong enough contender to use while listening to other music in a pinch. Should it be your next upgrade when working your way up the Hi-Fi ladder? No, not unless you're a basshead who knows what they're getting into. It does make a great supplementary headphone for those who have their audiophile picks locked in. I actually bought it as sort of a compromise from getting a Fostex THxxx line as I already had my endgame headphones and didn't need my "fun" headphone to be audiophile high end level cans. With the proper EQ it provides an exciting listen and bass nirvana. In all, I rate it 4 stars as there are some quibbles I have that are minor individually, but add up to the subtraction of a star. I still highly recommend it for those who want the best bass from a headphone possible.
 
Thank you for reading. This was my first review of what I hope to be many on head-fi and I would really appreciate any feedback and criticism.