*This is a slightly revised and updated version of my original review from September of 2014. The Bass Colour was a good earphone two years ago and at it's current price of 29.99 USD on Penon Audio is still a pretty solid buy.*
Today we shall be looking at the Don Scorpio Bass Colour, which looks to be a re-branded Velodyne vPulse. I have never tried the vPulse and am unsure if these are a true re-brand or a new driver in a similar housing.
I must note that I am in no way in cahoots with Don Scorpio (although it would be nice so I could give the Dolphin a whirl). These were purchased with real Canadian dollars from Penon Audio whom I have nothing but positive things to say about. Penon rocks, but Head-fi already knows that. Since the opinions posted here are my own, I do not expect everyone to share the same experience. However, I do hope this gives you a decent impression of what to expect if you opt to purchase a pair of Bass Colour.
Accessories:
They come with a nice batch of accessories; an attractive but basic hard case, 5 sets of black tips (xs, s, 2xm, l), 4 sets of off-white tips (xs, s, m, l), rounding out the package with a shirt clip; always nice to have with a flat cable. The tips all felt like they were made of the same material, just coloured differently.
One of the pre-installed pair of small black small tips were torn, and all the tips were subject to molding artifacts around the edges. While I originally ended up swapping to the stock medium JVC tips from my HA-FXT90, the included tips have proven over the years to be quite nice and have found their way to a number of other earphones. The shirt clip was a nice addition but did not feature any serration for grip. As a result it would slip off petty easily. Originally, I migrated over to using NarMoo's R1M clip to help combat microphonics and make the overly stiff cable more manageable.
While I love the case and it has proven to be a fantastic accessory over the year, it certainly had it's flaws. Upon originally receiving the Bass Colour, I hastily opened the package, scooped out the headphones and sped off to work so as not to be late. The Bass Colours were safely stored in their case, which was placed in an empty pocket. Upon arriving at work minutes later and settling down at my workstation, I pulled the case from my pocket to an unsightly image. Within a mere 10-15 minutes, a large amount of the felt-like coating had worn off. While the damage is just cosmetic and the case still works fine, it looks terrible. Over the years, the top layer of felt-like material has almost completely worn away. Oddly enough, the bottom of the case is just fine. Must have been a bad batch from the factory. In the end, the issue has proven itself moot.
Build:
Don Scorpio make the claim that these particular earphones feature an aluminium housing, but I think that only applies to a small portion. The chrome nozzle feels and looks to be plastic. Regardless, they are very solid and everything fits together without any gaps or sloppy construction; surprising given they look to be composed of four individual pieces (five if you include the aluminium logo plate).
The cable, while plasticky, has proven itself bulletproof and doesn't tangle easily. In Canada, our weather occasionally drops to temperatures some might consider cold. This particular cable stiffens right up and loses all flexibility in these temperatures. It's best to route them under your shirt and pray you're wearing a toque otherwise you'll be struggling to keep the Bass Colour in place.
The lack of strain reliefs is not of major concern given how stiff the cable is; it almost acts like a built in relief. The y-split is extremely solid despite being pure plastic, and the chin slider is a nice oval of aluminium. The phone control module feels less impressive, but still more than acceptable. Overall they are a well-built and solidly designed IEM that stand up just fine to some long-term abuse.
Comfort and Isolation:
As long as you can manage the cable, the Bass Colour is a pretty comfortable little earphone. The housings are small with the nozzle is offset at a nice angle. The stiff, somewhat heavy cable does tend to tug at them so you might feel it best to wear them cable over-ear. Unfortunately, the stiffness and angled nozzles make wearing them that way less than ideal, a situation further hindered by the fact that the mic will also be tucked in under your ear beside your upper jawline. This does not negatively effect using them as a headset too badly. Overall comfort is just average. They never disappear and you always know when you're wearing them.
Isolation is actually pretty solid, despite there being five vents behind the nozzle facing your ear. These do a decent job of drowning out your environment. Remember, of course, to be mindful of your surroundings and travel safely.
Sound:
So far there has been a mix of positives and negatives, but don't worry, they sound pretty good. The vPulse are known as a bass head IEM; Velodyne's specialization in subwoofers probably had a hand in this. I read every impression I could find of the vPulse while waiting for the Bass Colour to be delivered, expecting the same basic product with some minor cosmetic tweaks. The Bass Colour ended up being a different animal altogether.
When I originally reviewed these, they were uses on a more-or-less daily basis acting as my sole earphone. No specific test tracks or sources were used. To give you an idea of what I listened to then, and still listen to now; The Crystal Method, King Crimson, lots of random EDM (DnB primarly), and multi-genre mixes from the SubSIL3NT Podcast and Going Quantum Podcast, Aesop Rock, El-P, Infected Mushroom, Gorillaz, Muse, Pink Floyd, Skindred, and much more. I also used them a lot with low quality internet radio stations (Jazz and DnB mostly) found through Windows Media Player when the feature existed. Have to say that the Bass Colour does not play nicely with low quality recordings; not recommended.
The Bass Colour are are not a warm sounding iem, nor are they cold and clinical. They sit nicely in-between, leaning slightly towards the warm side of things. They are not super smooth, but have a fairly balanced yet aggressive and exciting signature that makes listening to music fun. They have a slightly above average soundstage with solid imaging and layering and as a result do not sound congested. Everything seems to have it's place.
Highs:
Treble is fairly crisp and detailed with a bit of sparkle, although it comes across slightly unnatural and a little unrefined. Cymbals and other sounds in the upper registers can get a bit splashy, especially at higher volumes, but in general they are more than acceptable and fall within what I was expecting for the price point they play in. There is certainly more of a treble emphasis than I was expecting. Years later, these comments still hold true. Listening to them now, I am impressed with the detail and clarity of the Bass Colour. Putting them head-to-head with the Brainwavz Jive and Accutone Lyra, two of my favorite earphones in this price range, they do not fall behind.
Mids:
These are mildly v-shaped phones to my ears, but the mids do not take a back seat to anything. Both male and female vocals sound great, however, I will give the edge to male vocals due to the additional presence and aggressiveness they display in certain genres like hip hop and rap. While I feel these have a very JVC-like signature, they do not share the harshness or 'tssst' sound experienced on words starting with t's and s's that I get with the FX1X and FXT90.
Bass:
This is where I was first taken aback on open-box listening; where is the bass? Well, now that I've had more time with them and swapped to some better tips, I am happy to report that it's there, but only when called upon. The bass extends deep, yet is still speedy and punchy. See "Skrillex & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - Make It Bun Dem (Laudz Trap Remix)" for an example of what these puppies can do when pushed. Despite good bass presentation, I certainly wouldn't call these bass-head IEMs. The Sony XB50 does a better job for the same price, but sacrifices treble extension and suffers from recessed mids in order to achieve some ridiculous levels of bass. Compared to their modern contemporaries, the Bass Colour has significantly less bass than the Jive or Lyra. It's also better textured is more controlled.
The Bass Colour has held up very well, surprising me with just how balanced and well-tuned they are. They're not as v-shaped or bassy as either the Jive or Lyra. Yeah, they do lack the refinement of those two more modern examples, but there's something to the Bass Colour's sound they lack. If I were to buy them today, I certainly wouldn't be disappointed with my purchase as they still compete quite well with today's ~30 USD earphones.
Overall:
In 2014 my conclusion was; "With the Bass Colour you get a plethora of accessories, a decent looking and well built product with strong mids and quality bass. They are a solid pick in the crowded under $50 market, and while you could certainly do better, such as spending $10 more for the outstanding VSD3, you can definitely buy into something much worse. These won't be my go to iem, but they will be a part of my regular rotation."
Over two years later the Bass Colour has proven it still has it. It looks just as good as it did out of the box, I've experienced no issues with durability, and compared to recent products in the same price range their sound quality remains competitive. If you've had an interest in this model in the past, why not give it a go now? Don Scorpio's Bass Colour has proven itself to be a keeper.
Thanks for reading!
- B9Scrambler
