EarSonics Velvet

Introduction:

Earsonics is a France based professional audio company and the Velvet is their first signature series earphone.

The Velvet has quite a big body. I was worried that I would have an ergonomic problem in my ear when I first bought it, however I did not encounter any problems, even in 3 hours of listening. I just think that if you have smaller ears you can have trouble after prolonged listening.

Velvet has 3 balanced armature drivers inside. In addition, the largest armature driver I've seen so far. Giant armature drivers and circuit boards, looks full inside of the body. 2-Pin connectors are very solid. There is no looseness. There is 1 screw on the body. The place where the screw is located is slightly sharp when touching the nail, but it does not feel discomforting in the ear. I like the quality and ergonomics of the body.




Technical Specs:

Driver: Triple Balanced Armature w/ 3-way Crossover
Imp: 31.5 Ω – 41.5 Ω
Sens: 116 dB
Freq: 10-20k Hz
Cable: 3.9′ L-plug





Inside of the Box;


The texture of the box is pleasantly soft. There are
4 Double Flange,
1 Small Double Flange
1 Fat Silicone tip,
1 carrying case,
1 pot screwdriver,
Cleaning wet wipe
6,3 mm jack.





Isolation:

I liked isolation of the Velvet with the double flange tips. It also provides a very good isolation when combined with the big size of body. It has also good isolation to the outside. As far as I can remember, this is slightly better than the SE846 and UMPRo30.


Bass:

Velvet came to me with warm mode as a factory setting and I started to listen to it with Warm mode. Before listening, I was curious about the bass and I started to listen to the Day Din - Halkidiki (Zonka Remix) to PSY Trance song. There's a very strong bass entry in the 55th second of the track, and the first time I heard it, I don’t want to exaggerate, but I'm a little bit "shocked". I was so surprised, I didn’t expect such a powerful bass, as the bass burst into the deep, creating explosions in my ear. I am a bit surprised by this bass. Bass is really as strong as I can not compare it with any balanced armature IEM I have heard so far.
The Velvet bass is not uncontrollable, even though it has high bass power, and is not bleeding to the mid area. Some bad recordings can be a bit muddy and loss of detail.
Velvet bass is not dry like regular balanced armature drivers. There is no such thing as a slowness in the fast parts or a hunch in one hit in the fast pace.
Despite all these massive bass, I found it a bit unnatural. Even though such intense bass does not create imbalance in the mid-range, it makes me feel that I can hear a bit more than the existing bass, because it dominates the general air of music. This is a good thing for EDM or R&B music, the bass spreads all over, but other genres can be tiring from some angles as well. Balanced and tight mode is more natural than the Warm one.
Warm mode is not suitable for users who like balanced and natural sound. Someone who does not like bass can hate the Velvet with this mode. However, users who love bass can fall in love with Warm mode of Velvet.


Mids:

Mids quite laid back. As the stage is wide, the feeling of mids is presented in a wide area. Since Velvet is not mid-focused (at least with warm mode), the vocal doesn’t feel like singing in your face. But it still doesn’t too far. In fact, vocal distance can be change with the source. When I listened with AK120, vocals feels closer than my LPG and iPhone. But when I listened with LPG, the vocals were located in a little bit far.
My complaint is the mid-bass. It’s a bit weak, which has a little effect on the overall sound. Especially men’s vocals feels a little bit thin.
Although the Velvet is also in warm mode, it doesn’t have such a dark atmosphere. I mean, it's definitely a warm but it's not curtained and dark. I like the level of resolution in the mids.


Treble:

Despite the warm mode, the treble is not laid back. The resolution level is also quite high. I noticed when I heard first time. I hear air and details in the music with excellent extension.
The trebles don’t mix with fast passage, even at high volume. The speed and detail of the treble is very good. It has enough level of speed. Guitars have a nice extension and decay to them, as do cymbals.
I listened Tina Turner - Steamy Window and I really liked the timbre and cymbals. There is absolutely no peaking of treble. I've never heard of sibilance even though I've been listening to all kinds of tracks. The treble is very controlled.


Soundstage:

The soundstage is really wide. I don’t have IE800 anymore but it is exactly as same as I remember. It is much more spacious than SE846. The 3D feeling depth and width are both impressive.


Conclusion:

Velvet is a very impressive earphone and we can call All-Rounder. The level of instrument layering and imaging is really good. If you are looking for EDM earphones with balanced armature, I highly recommended it. With a lot of bass and a lot of "bass head" users will be happy too. It has a high power, resolution and detailed presentation that should definitely not be ignored in this price range.

About Me:
 
I came into the world of audio from a guitar background, buying up tube amps from when I was a kid and was always fascinated with them. Then I ended up buying my first decent pair of IEMs one day for a long flight (Yamaha EPH-100) and it was downhill from there. For a year or two, my only source were cell phones + a DAC/amp combo. Recently, I've invested in a desktop setup consisting of an Audio-GD Master 11 (which I absolutely love). I'm still no professional, I don't know all the right terms and I can really only offer an opinion of what I like. I don't have golden ears and I would not be considered a sommelier of the audio world. But what I do have to offer is the fact that I buy pretty much every IEM that looks interesting and give it some good listening time. As for preference of music, as cliché as it sounds, I love everything with a definite nod toward pop, country, electronic, rock and blues.
 
Test Equipment:
 
I used a few different setups for this review, but I will note that I primarily use IEMs with “mobile” setups, meaning I do not typically test them with either of my desktop setups. That said, the majority of my listening (and the most enjoyable) was on my LG V20 playing Tidal HiFi via USB Audio Pro Player and then connected to my Chord Mojo. I also used the Centrance DACportable briefly and also tried the Velvets straight out of the LG V20. All produced outstanding results, with my slight favorite being the Mojo setup.
 
The IEMs:
 
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Earsonics honestly. I had read differing things such as lackluster build quality, cheap plastics, nothing-special cables and so on and so forth. When these arrived, I must have drooled over the box for a good minute or two due to the beauty of just the package! Opening the box, that continued as I stared in awe of these crystal clear, unique-looking (to me anyway) IEMs. The tip selection is okay and the carrying case is fairly standard, but the presentation was overall very nice. The cable feels very soft and while the memory wire is very short, it holds the IEMs firmly in place. I have been rather vocal in the past about my distaste for over-ear IEMs, but I approached these with an open mind and I actually find them to be tied as the most comfortable IEMs I have owned (tied with the Pinnacle P1, that is). You simply forget these are in your ear and you can then just enjoy the music. They are nowhere near as fussy as the Sony XBA-Z5 to me. Also, they have a screw for tuning the sound signature. You can choose between warm, balanced or tight. I prefer the balanced position and that is what my review is based on.
 

 

 

 
 
Tips:
 
I feel like this needs its own section. The tips that come with the Velvets are primarily double flange silicon. I would not say there is a wide array of tips like you get with some other IEMs of this caliber (XBA-Z5, for example). As someone who does not much care for double flange tips, I had to investigate my own options and ultimately settled on a Westone Star tip that works perfectly. It is hard to tell if this changed the sound or not because I was not getting a good deal with the Earsonics tips. Note: the Westone silicone tips fit these just fine, but they require some patience to install. I do not, however, think the foam Westone tips will fit because they are not nearly as flexible going over the nozzle. I’d pass on those. These also came with Comply tips, but I’ve never been a fan of them so I am not a good person to ask how they sound with those.
 
Update: I have found some tips that I LOVE with the Velvets. These tips came with (I believe) my LZ A2 earphones, so I am unsure where to buy them separately unfortunately. For me, the fit is outstanding and they really allow a proper seal. This proper seal gives the me the full benefits of the Velvet's sound characteristics and I'm 100% pleased with these tips. Below is a photo to show what they look like. The black and white are identical, just different colors. I highly recommend these tips. 
 

 
 
Sound:
 
Right off the bat, I knew I would love these. Despite a less than perfect seal, I was immediately taken by the sound signature of these. Gobs of warm, powerful bass, smooth mids and a really nice and textured treble sparkle. This was on the “balanced” setting as I mentioned. Once I got the Westone tips installed, isolation and bass impact improved further for me and I can honestly say these are some of the most fun IEMs I’ve ever heard. Here’s a bit more of a breakdown on the different sonic characters.
 
Bass: Extremely powerful, warm and fun. Not bloated, but definitely makes its presence known and these are definitely north of neutral for me in the bass department. They do not have the sub-bass rumble that my Shockwave 3 or Sony XBA-Z5s have, but they trounce other IEMs like the XBA-300, Pinnacle P1, RE-600 (no comparison whatsoever) and overall I find it extremely pleasing. I do notice it bleed into the mids a bit on certain tracks, but not nearly enough to be bothersome. I love a warm, musical sound signature and these have it.
 
Mids: Apparently this is where Earsonics really shine and these are no exception. Vocals are fantastic and I have no complaints about the mids. They’re the neutral, smooth and probably the most accurate of the frequency range and while I don’t have the technical know-how to go into much more detail, these are my perfect balance of neither recessed nor overly-forward (which something like the Simgot EN700, for example is).
 
Treble: This is a very fun sounding IEM on the highs. They have a certain grain or texture to me that makes them sound euphoric. They’re still extremely detailed and accurate, but they have a bit of extra sparkle that makes me really enjoy cymbals or rhythms on electronic music. I do not find these fatiguing in the least, but I can imagine someone who is treble-sensitive to maybe want to try a few different tip combinations to keep the treble in check. Again, it’s very enjoyable for me, but the treble is there and you won’t forget that it’s a main factor in the overall sound signature.
 
Separation: These are very, very detailed IEMs and at the same time sound incredibly smooth. Those probably conflict one another, but hey I’m writing the review and that’s how they sound to me! I won’t go on to say “I’m hearing things I’ve never heard before in a recording,” because I’ve had at least 20 headphones/IEMs and it’s unreasonable to think that these would uncover instruments I never knew were there. They are, however, among the best from a separation standpoint on any IEMs I’ve heard. I think they slightly edge out the Z5s for me, and they destroy the RE-600 which I had thought had pretty good separation. They’re even slightly better than the Pinnacle P1 in that sense, which is a strong point of that IEM.
 
Comparisons:
 
Sony XBA-Z5: The obvious comparison for me is the Sony XBA-Z5 because they are similarly priced (I paid about $500 for each) and they each have three drivers. The similarities stop there, however. The Velvet are overall more musical to my ears. I absolutely love my Z5s, but they are a different animal. Where there are gobs of sub-bass on the Z5s, the bass is a bit warmer and extends up closer to the mids on the Velvet. This gives them the overall feeling of more warmth and I like that. The mids are clear and up front on the Velvets where they are slightly recessed in the Z5s. Treble quantity is somewhat similar for me, but I give the nod to the Velvets due to their pleasing texture to me. Overall if I had to pick between both, it would probably be the Velvet and that is just because I think they are more versatile. Fit and isolation are WAY better for me on the Velvet, though I do love the Z5’s sound with something like electronic music. For an everyday IEM, the Velvets would win for me. But they are in no way going to make me get rid of my Z5s.
 
Sony XBA-300: This seemed like a logical choice because they are both three-BA units. Again, the similarities stop there. In a nutshell, the Velvet are very fun sounding IEMs that trade a bit of accuracy for musicality and color and the XBA-300 are bright, dry, almost-reference sounding IEMs. The bass is definitely there on the XBA-300s, but not to the levels of the Velvet. The XBA-300 has sort of become my reference test against my other IEMs because they’re so detailed, articulate and they have a flat neutral sound signature. I prefer the Velvets for every day listening with pretty much any genre of music.
 
Musicmaker Shockwave 3: These IEMs don’t have much in common other than me owning both of them. I’ll say right off the bat that the SW3 might be the more technical IEM with loads of drivers, but I prefer the sound of the Velvet nine times out of 10. I get deeper sub-bass rumble out of the SW3, but the extremely bright treble and simply massive shell make these less enjoyable to just relax and listen to music. The Velvet have a warmer signature, nearly as much sub-bass, better mids and a much more pleasing treble to me. I love the SW3, but, I love the Velvet more.
 
Sennheiser IE800: Now this is tough. Really tough. I have seen these compared in the past and for good reason, they are similar in price and both very well-regarded IEMs. For me, they are different, but equally good. I am biased toward wearing IEMs down and I LOVE the fit of the IE800, yet I also read that it’s a problem for some people. So for me, I prefer the IE800 as far as comfort goes, but there is very little to complain about either one. The sound? Seriously, this is tough. They sound so different, yet I am having a very hard time choosing a winner. There may be no winner, per se. I get more of the deep, hard hitting bass with the IE800, but I get that kick-drum-to-the-head sensation from the Velvets slightly up the frequency ladder. The mids are ever so slightly recessed on the IE800 while they are ever so slightly forward on the Velvets. Treble has a similar texture and grain and I have a really hard time declaring either a winner. Separation and detail I give a VERY slight win to the IE800. Seriously, they’re both equally amazing for me. If I had to choose, I’d buy the cheaper one.
 
Others: Pinnacle P1, while I love this IEM for its comfort, neutral sound signature and great separation and detail, it isn’t in the same league as the Velvets (nor should I expect it to be at ¼ the price). The RE-600 might have been the biggest disappointment here since at $400 initially, it was said to punch well above its weight. Simply put, it doesn’t punch the Velvet anywhere or in anything. Now, I just received an pair of LZ A4 for review and I cannot wait to pit them against the Velvets.
 
Conclusion:
I had immediate buyer’s remorse after jumping on these Velvets at the $500 Black Friday sale price. I had been wanting them for a long time, but then I bought them and immediately felt that sensation of “man, did I really just kiss another $500 goodbye on another set of IEMs?” I debated canceling the order, but I left it and I am so glad I did. While these are not “reference” IEMs and they do not have 15 drivers in each ear in an exotic configuration, they have potentially the funnest sound signature of any IEM I have tried to date. They’re just a beautiful IEM to listen to. They will slam the bass into your ear when the track calls for it and they will display elegance the rest of the time. Call me crazy, but these are the perfect wife! They know how to party, but you will not wake up the next morning regretting your decision. If I’m going to get really picky (and I should because these retail for $799), the plastic does feel cheap, the cable is whatever and the memory wire is very short. None of this, however, detracts from some of the best sounding IEMs I’ve ever heard. I do not regret my decision in the least and if I didn’t have the IE800 I would say these were my solid number one. Since I do have the IE800s, though, these are solidly TIED for my number one. I can’t wait to listen to them even more.