Okay..well this is my first review..if you may call it so..hence any,,amatuerish mistakes be forgiven..here we go..
So i saved some money(i'm always short of it) for the Vsonic gr02 be..after studying Head-fi posts extensively..and at the moment of commitment, my seller went out of stock. These were just launched on a reputed website here in india..so i decided that i'd get them to satisfy my itch for a while..as for an inventory..i own Sennheiser hd180, Soundmagic E10, Panasonic Hje125, Cowon EM1, and the MH1C.
Anyway..lets proceed with the review..I'd follow joker's style of writing..call it hero worship..if you may..i wont provide any ratings though..i don't think i'm that good, yet.
Price: I got it for just under $40, currently retails for around $55
Accessories: A hard clamshell carrying case, 3 silicon tips in s,m,l sizes and a pair of comply foams and a shirt clip.
Build Quality: Flat, Y shaped cable, a meaty I plug and purpose built strain reliefs on the earbuds bode well for long term use. However, the flat cord is too wide..and the earbuds too heavy and elongated.(More on build quality later, sadly)
Comfort: Once you start to use the shirt clip and the right tips, they are reasonably comfortable, otherwise they fall out on their own mostly. Complys are my preferred tips for these.
Isolation: Okayish..depends on the tips almost the same as SM E10, as these are ported on the underside.
Sound: okay, so right out of the box, these were somewhat harsh at the top end, n quite sibilant(in comparison to E10, thats what i was using before i got these). So i let them burn in for about 50 hours.
Post burn-in, the harshness and the sibilance was tamed to a good extent, though still coming to fore occasionally.
So, the bottom end is tight, less in quantity than the E10, doesn't come to foreground often but it is there and complements the mids well, not overpowering them. Bass heavy tracks are enjoyable though, due to the tighter and faster bass response. This is despite them being branded bass heavy.
The mids..are much more forward than both E10 and the Mh1c. It extends well, doesn't sound rolled off and in general, is executed well, if somewhat dry. Coming from the E10, these sound much cleaner, female vocals have a sparkle to them n both male n female vocals sound good. Sibilance does rear its head then and now.
Treble is somewhat..wild..well, there's some harshness to it, the crashing of cymbals and all sounds dry and somewhat robotic, now that I've heard the Mh1c. Though in their defense, i may add that both the sibilance and the wild nature of the treble are kept under control but for high volumes, maybe the last 4-5 increments.
The one thing that impressed me was the soundstage..much wider than both E10 and the mh1c, using the E10 right after these makes them feel somewhat claustrophobic, and too intimate. However i like the presentation of the Mh1c better now, due to its more airy nature and a thicker note presentation to go with it.
So that's it bout the sound!
Now, these quickly became my preferred set over the E10(Mh1c came later), the cleaner sound and the wider presentation helping in equal measures. However, driver flex is an issue i underestimated at first..it is there and it is severe..so much so..that i avoided using the silicon tips as there was no flex with the foam ones. All precautions notwithstanding, the left earbud died on the 20th day. That these failed in less than 3 weeks, whereas the E10 is doing well after over a year of abuse and split shells and superglue, says negatively of their build quality..i don't know if it is the driver flex or the odd strain reliefs, but if you get these eventually, do take care of these.
For the price these are available for right now, i'd say you'd be better off with the Lg Quadbeat, or the Vsonic Vsd1(I haven't heard any of them, but according to what joker says, they'd be what these couldn't be, for me).
Thanks for reading, i'd be happy if this is recognized as a contribution, howsoever insignificant it may be.
So i saved some money(i'm always short of it) for the Vsonic gr02 be..after studying Head-fi posts extensively..and at the moment of commitment, my seller went out of stock. These were just launched on a reputed website here in india..so i decided that i'd get them to satisfy my itch for a while..as for an inventory..i own Sennheiser hd180, Soundmagic E10, Panasonic Hje125, Cowon EM1, and the MH1C.
Anyway..lets proceed with the review..I'd follow joker's style of writing..call it hero worship..if you may..i wont provide any ratings though..i don't think i'm that good, yet.
Price: I got it for just under $40, currently retails for around $55
Accessories: A hard clamshell carrying case, 3 silicon tips in s,m,l sizes and a pair of comply foams and a shirt clip.
Build Quality: Flat, Y shaped cable, a meaty I plug and purpose built strain reliefs on the earbuds bode well for long term use. However, the flat cord is too wide..and the earbuds too heavy and elongated.(More on build quality later, sadly)
Comfort: Once you start to use the shirt clip and the right tips, they are reasonably comfortable, otherwise they fall out on their own mostly. Complys are my preferred tips for these.
Isolation: Okayish..depends on the tips almost the same as SM E10, as these are ported on the underside.
Sound: okay, so right out of the box, these were somewhat harsh at the top end, n quite sibilant(in comparison to E10, thats what i was using before i got these). So i let them burn in for about 50 hours.
Post burn-in, the harshness and the sibilance was tamed to a good extent, though still coming to fore occasionally.
So, the bottom end is tight, less in quantity than the E10, doesn't come to foreground often but it is there and complements the mids well, not overpowering them. Bass heavy tracks are enjoyable though, due to the tighter and faster bass response. This is despite them being branded bass heavy.
The mids..are much more forward than both E10 and the Mh1c. It extends well, doesn't sound rolled off and in general, is executed well, if somewhat dry. Coming from the E10, these sound much cleaner, female vocals have a sparkle to them n both male n female vocals sound good. Sibilance does rear its head then and now.
Treble is somewhat..wild..well, there's some harshness to it, the crashing of cymbals and all sounds dry and somewhat robotic, now that I've heard the Mh1c. Though in their defense, i may add that both the sibilance and the wild nature of the treble are kept under control but for high volumes, maybe the last 4-5 increments.
The one thing that impressed me was the soundstage..much wider than both E10 and the mh1c, using the E10 right after these makes them feel somewhat claustrophobic, and too intimate. However i like the presentation of the Mh1c better now, due to its more airy nature and a thicker note presentation to go with it.
So that's it bout the sound!
Now, these quickly became my preferred set over the E10(Mh1c came later), the cleaner sound and the wider presentation helping in equal measures. However, driver flex is an issue i underestimated at first..it is there and it is severe..so much so..that i avoided using the silicon tips as there was no flex with the foam ones. All precautions notwithstanding, the left earbud died on the 20th day. That these failed in less than 3 weeks, whereas the E10 is doing well after over a year of abuse and split shells and superglue, says negatively of their build quality..i don't know if it is the driver flex or the odd strain reliefs, but if you get these eventually, do take care of these.
For the price these are available for right now, i'd say you'd be better off with the Lg Quadbeat, or the Vsonic Vsd1(I haven't heard any of them, but according to what joker says, they'd be what these couldn't be, for me).
Thanks for reading, i'd be happy if this is recognized as a contribution, howsoever insignificant it may be.
I own the E10 and I ordered the MH1 so I think you actually saved me from spending money in the wrong bet. I considered buying the J33 but durability is a plus in my book I even recabled my e10's and will keep them along my Vsonic GR04 Pro Flagship Edition that withstood a lot of abuse from me.