LINK

VE or Venture Electronics is not your standard run of the mill audio company. My experience with them has been an enjoyable to say the least. The first I heard about them was on the off chance around Head-Fi from these savoury fellows who kept raving on about these earbud earphones that were reportedly amazing. Looking the pictures I completely dismissed it for just plain old unjustified hype; how naïve I was.
Then, out of the blue I got a message for uncle H20 asking me if I would like to take on some review samples from VE. Of course I gladly accepted his invitation. On arrival I received 3 items, one of which was VE’s entry level earbud, the Monk, which I simply threw into a draw at work and forgot all about them. On an odd day I decided to try them and was completely blown away at what I heard. There is a whole story to this which you can read here: VE Monk review.
As I got more and more engrossed into the amazing sound of the Monk, I was greeted with waves taunting messages from @RedJohn456 to get my hands on the Zen, as it was supposed to be so much better. To me, this statement was preposterous as already had a bias against the earbud design and my mind just could not fathom how an earbud could sound even better than the Monk. I thought that the Monk was the pinnacle, and it costed $5 which was just madness, so a $150 model from the same company must be just bonkers good. I wasn’t wrong.
 
I first received the VE Zen 1.0 and was quite underwhelmed. I was expecting more of the same as with the Monk, but more of it. The Zen 1.0 was much the polar opposite. Sporting a colder, more refined, toned down, and somewhat analytical sound signature, whilst still having great character, texture and immersion as the Monk. Don’t get me wrong, the Zen 1.0 is still a bonkers earphone; it’s got 320 Ohms of impedance for goodness sake! What is this bizzaro world? But to me it missed that sweet spot and amazing character that the Monk had which needed to return.
So I spent some time with the original Zens and withdrew from discussions about it until I received the long await revised Zen, with fingers cross, hoping that Lee did not disappoint. And to my patient surprise it was all that I ever imagined the Zens to be, or should've been.
Again, VE had flip-flopped and the 2.0 became a completely different beast to the 1.0. The Zen 2.0 was more like Monk. Retaining the insane 320 Ohms of impedance and a new transparent skin as well as a new cable. The 2.0 brought back that amazing immersive and organic experience you got with the Monk but with a more refined and detailed representation of the music. When listening to the new Zens I can just put my library on shuffle and melt away into the abyss, just forget about everything. It is as addictive as the Monk was and more. It was enlightenment.
 

---

 

Specifications

 
 
 
 

Conclusion

Both the Zen 1.0 and 2.0 are Head-Fi worthy and both have a place of their own. The Zen 1.0 sits in the colder analytical lovers corner and the Zen 2.0 sits in the musical, more bassy lovers corner. Both are completely bonkers and I love them both for that. Though, personally I feel that the 2.0 is the victor here. It took what I fell in love with the Monk and made it better. Lee from VE is a real wizard, and I really wish that he continues to make more of these completely insane products of his!
 
Cheers!
 
 

INTRODUCTION

I’d heard a little about the VE Zen previously on the forums, and it had been one to pique my interest given the glowing reviews it has received as a top of the line earbud. I have to be reasonably careful about what I actually buy (mortgage and growing family), so I was hoping there would be an Australasian tour at some stage so I’d have a chance to hear and review them. Then out of the blue my friend Tamal (RedJohn456) contacted me with an introduction to Lee (zhibili06), and Lee generously offered to send me not only the Zen, but also the Monk, Duke and Runabout amp.
 
So many thanks to both Tamal and Lee for this opportunity.  I’ve taken my time with all of Lee’s products, because while I’ve used earbuds before, I’m usually an IEM or full sized guy, and it has taken a while to adjust.
 
ABOUT VENTURE ELECTRONICS
 
Venture Electronics (or VE) is a 3 year old audio company based in Shenyang, Liaoning in the Peoples Republic of China. I was able to ask Lee a little about the company, and he has been very open and approachable – something I love to see when dealing with a manufacturer.  It really shows a lot about a company when they show pride in their own achievements, and are so open about sharing information with their customer base.
 
VE is relatively small (for now) with 5 employees, and currently have a very small product line (Zen, Asura and Monk earbuds, Duke IEM and Runabout amp). I asked Lee about their core business, and he said they were primarily an internet company, and had developed more products than were currently on offer, but for now their current product range covered enough to cater for immediate development. Their goal long term is “to have the best budget and hi-end gear”, and it was refreshing to see some frank and honest comments in reply to some of my inquiries. I’m going to quote one of Lee’s replies, because it really does add to my impression of VE as a company.
 
“We see our fans, not just as moving wallets. I see our budget gear (like the monk) as a walking ad for our brand, among our online community (people who love earphones, because they mainly they love the ART the earphones can deliver, like gaming, movie, anime and stuff. We believe the Zen is the best earbud in the world, and as we can sell the monk for cheap then it might go viral and get more attention to the other products.  We believe to be the best hi-fi company, we need to have the best of the best gears, not only budget ones. If we only do budget, people will have a false image of us not being serious enough, so the idea is very simple”
 
And to close, I asked Lee about VE’s mission statement or values statement, and the answer I received made perfect sense – “keeping it real”.
 
DISCLAIMER
 
I was provided the VE Zen as a review unit. I have no other association or affiliation with VE.  I do not make any financial gain from this review – it is has been written simply as my way of providing feedback both to the Head-Fi community and also VE themselves.
 
I have now had the VE Zen since July (so a little over 3 months).  Normal RRP is USD 128.00. 
 
PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.   (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)
 
I'm a 48 year old music lover.  I don't say audiophile – I just love my music.  Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up.  I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD).  I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP.  My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553.  Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).
 
I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock.   I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock.  I am particularly fond of female vocals.  I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences.  I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.
 
I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent.  I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue.  All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences.  I am not a ‘golden eared listener’.  I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.
 
Over the three months – I’ve used the VE Zen from a variety of sources, but for main body of this review, I’ve used it with my Fiio X3ii combined with the E11K amp. In the time I have spent with the Zen, I have noticed no change in the overall sonic presentation.  Listening time with the Zen now has easily been more than 50 hours, and probably a lot longer.
 
This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience.  Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.
 

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
 
The Zen arrived in a simple white and red cube shaped box measuring 100 x 1000 x 100mm.  Inside I received the VE Zen earbuds, the VE Monk earbuds and a selection of white full foam covers and red foam doughnut covers.
 
 
Also included was a round zipped clamshell case (about 85mm in diameter and 50mm deep) which has a mesh inner compartment and quite rigid outer shell.  It is reasonably pocket friendly. The case I’m using currently for the Zen though is a small hinged lid pelican type case (that actually came with the Duke), and the Duke in turn gets the clamshell case (just noting it here – in case there is any confusion).
 

 
So a reasonably sparse accessory package, but I keep going back to their value statement (keeping it real), and everything is covered nicely. Perhaps the only things I’d suggest looking at to add value might be something like the Earhookz retention clip system, and also a 3.5-6.3mm adaptor (as people will be using these with full sized amps)
 

 
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
 
(From VE)
 
FREQUENCY GRAPH
 
The graph below is generated by a new measuring system I’m trialling – using the Vibro Veritas and ARTA software.  I don’t have the calibration for the microphone 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (on other earphones we both share), and I think are “close enough” to get a reasonable idea of the frequency response for the Zen. Over time I am hoping to build a pre-set compensation curve so that I can get the graphs more consistent with Tyll’s curves.
 
The frequency response graph was created with foams intact, and the body pressed lightly to the coupler to simulate a normal fitting.
 
 
What I’m hearing:

1. Full and rich bass, with surprisingly good extension for an earbud.
2. Warmish tonality – but a clear and clean mid-range with good vocal presence
3. Nice lift in upper mid-range which lends particularly well to harmonics with female vocalists
4. Detailed but smooth treble

 
BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN
 
When first looking at the Zen, you’d be forgiven for thinking “generic $10 earbuds”, but looks can be very deceiving. The Zen has a white hard plastic shell, and has a driver enclosure which measures approximately 16m in diameter, and has two circles of ports (approximately 56 in total) close to the outer edge of the main face.  The rear of the earbud is ported on two opposite sides, and there is also a rear port running parallel to, and along the full length of the cable exit. The Zen has bass quality unlike anything I’ve seen on any other earbud, so it’s likely the combination of porting is contributing to the overall quality.
 

 
The entire earbud is approximately 35mm long from the top of the outer face to tip where the cable exits. There is no strain relief from the cable exit, but given the quality of the cable, and the fact that it will be primarily worn down, I would not think this is even a slight issue.
 

 
The cable is silver plated with a transparent outer sheath, and each channel is separate and in side by side configuration. For anyone wanting to convert to balanced, it should simply be a matter of reterminating at the jack – nice! The cable itself is really well built and the sheath itself has pretty low microphonics.  What is there can be reduced further by a little cable management (under clothes). My only issue with the cable is that it can be slightly unruly (tends to want to do its own thing). It made photographing the Zen a right PITA.  But it is a small price to pay considering the build.
 
The Y split is pretty small, made of flexible rubber, and has no relief (but again none is needed).  My pair does not have a cinch – so I can only guess that this pair was a preproduction pair, as I know some of the other reviewers have had cinches on theirs. The jack is 3.5mm, straight, gold plated, and has excellent strain relief.
 
All in all – a somewhat “generic looking” build, but also a very solid build – and if the sound is good, who really cares about the looks right?
 
FIT / COMFORT
 
It had been a while since I’d used earbuds, but going to the Zen was pretty easy.  I first tried the re doughnuts, and then the white foams.  Both provided adequate comfort, but now a wonderful seal for me (they were loose, and the bass was not as good as it could be). So I added a second pair of doughnuts, and it very much improved both fit and sound.  I would recommend anyone trying the Zen to try fitting second pair of foams, because it really can help.
 

 
Comfort is also surprisingly good – they simply disappear after a while. I’ve also found them relatively stable for walking, but if I was jogging, or doing anything more strenuous, I really would suggest looking at a stabiliser like the Earhookz.
 
And a final word on isolation – it is an earbud – so any isolation is minimal.
 
POWER REQUIREMENTS
 
I know there has been some debate on this in the forums, and all I can give you is my impressions based on the gear I have.  I do tend to be a bit of a maverick at times, and here is where I do try to get a bit objective. The Zen is 320 ohms, so that does mean it may require a little more power to get to a suitable loudness.  But at the same time, their sensitivity is 106 dB (1 mW) so that suggests they are far easier to drive than a lot of people may think.  So I tried many of the DAPs and amps I had, and armed with my trusty SPL meter, measured the output in order to give me an approx. 70-75 dB average with my test tracks.  I then used this volume and test tones to set a benchmark, and then used this to look at equivalent volume for each device.  I also listened to each using Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing” to test for dynamics and detail.
 

 

• Fiio X3ii – 60/120 low gain.  Plenty of dynamics, good bass response, does not sound anaemic in any way.
• Fiio X3ii + line-out to the E17K (0 gain, 23/60 on pot). No significant change from X3ii solo.
• Fiio X3ii + line-out to the E11K (low gain, approx. 2.5/9 on pot). No significant change from X3ii solo.
• Fiio X3ii + line-out to the VE Runabout (low gain, approx. 15-20% of the pot used). No significant change from X3ii solo.
• Fiio X5ii – low gain, 60/120. Plenty of dynamics, good bass response, good detail.
• iPhone 5S – approx. 8-9 (50-55%) clicks of volume. Again plenty of dynamics, good bass response and detail level.
• L&P L5 Pro – medium gain approx. 40/60 volume. One of the best sounding devices I tried. But I couldn’t say that it was significantly better than any of the other sources – just a little different in overall presentation.
• L&P LP5 – high impedance setting, maybe 10-15% on the pot (hard to tell because there are no markings). The other really dynamic sounding device. But again, I couldn’t say that it was significantly better than any of the other sources – just a little different in overall presentation.
• Fiio X7 – low gain approx. 71/120 on the digital volume. I made sure with this one (as there was some debate) that I matched it as closely as I could with the LP5, and when I checked for dynamics, I was checking in particular against the LP5.  The X7 has no issues driving these, and sounds spectacular with this track.

 
SOUND QUALITY
 
The following is what I hear from the VE Zen.  YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline).  Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii using line-out to the E17K.  With the Zen I used dual doughnut foam tips on each earpiece.
 
Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.
 
Thoughts on Default Signature
I covered a bit of this when I was talking about frequency response above, but if I was to boil it down to a few words – then I’d use the terms “natural”, “balanced”, “clear” and “detailed but smooth”.  In short, the Zen is the best sounding earbud I’ve ever heard. It reminds me a little of the HD650, or the HD600 if you reduced the 4kHz area, and added a little bit of mid-bass. The one thing I did notice with my listening was that the Zen (for me) suited a lower overall volume – with vocals being very clear, and bass easily discernible. If I tweaked the volume too much, vocals tended to get a little shouty and the bass could become too dominant.  But for relaxed easy listening at comfortable volume, the Zen was astounding in its tonality.
 
Overall Detail / Clarity
Tracks used: Gaucho, Sultans of Swing
 
The first noticeable thing with both tracks is that the bass is definitely there, and if anything I’d actually cut it back just a little bit (if listening at louder volumes) – more than anything because the bass guitar can dominate just a little.  Despite that though there is plenty of detail with a nice sense of decay from cymbals, click from the drums, and enough guitar bite to keep things interesting.  Overall the sound is very slightly U shaped with nice forward vocals, a little bass emphasis and some nice upper mid-range / lower treble detail.  Note – applying a shallow 3 dB cut centered around 100 Hz and extending between about 50-200 Hz balances things out even better.
 
Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Tundra, Dante’s Prayer, Let it Rain
 
With the binaural track Tundra – there is a good sense of both width and depth – but rather than appearing diffuse and overly open, the staging is actually really pleasant, and rather intimate.  I wouldn’t call it expansive by any means – but it does allow a sense of space between instruments, and the imaging is pin-point and very clear. 
 
With Dante’s Prayer the Zen once again appeared more intimate than open, but it is believable rather than contrived.  The tonality is really spot on though, and the contrast between cello, piano and Loreena’s voice is magical. The applause at the end of the track with a really good earphone / headphone can totally immerse me with a few select earphones.  The Zen didn’t quite get there – but it didn’t feel overly false either.  A really nice presentation.
Last up was Let It Rain, and it has a really good holographic feel to it – especially with the right earphone.  The Zen is that earphone. Absolutely gorgeous presentation – it just seems to nail female vocals so well.  And once again it is the balance and tonality I’m really enjoying.
 
Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: Bleeding Muddy Water, Royals
 
I use Bleeding Muddy Waters mainly to test for bass texture and mid-bass bleed. What I’m hearing is quite thick bass with good impact, but it isn’t impinging on vocals at all – and the track is suitably dark and brooding (as it is supposed to be).  I’m not hearing a lot of bleed despite the bass impact, and if anything the decay actually feels natural.
 
Next up was Lorde’s Royals – and the Zen has no problems at all with impact and sub bass.  Again the overall clarity is stunning, and I am really enjoying this presentation.  It’s easy to forget these are earbuds because the bass presentation is simply wonderful.
 
Female Vocals
Tracks used : Aventine, Strong, For You, Human, The Bad In Each Other, Howl, Safer, Light as a Feather, Don’t Wake me Up
 
The Zen (on the graphs) appears to have a curve which should be very well suited to my preferences – especially with female vocals (bump in the vocal area around 2K and a 2^nd peak in the upper mids), so I was really interested in hearing some of my favourite female artists. It didn’t disappoint either.  Female vocalists were beautifully clear and had a hint of euphony in presentation, just the way I like it.  Once again their intimate nature (vocals very forward) shone through clearly – and while this does focus the vocals, at times the forward nature has the ability to sound slightly too sharp if listening at higher volumes.
 
Standouts for me were Feist’s Metals and La Havas’ Don’t Wake me Up.  Metals had the dynamics and speed, La Havas had the lushness and creamy smooth vocals (velvet for the ears).
 
Male Vocals
Track used: Away From the Sun, Art for Art’s Sake, Diary of Jane, Hotel California, Keith Don’t Go, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.
 
The Zen excels with Rock IMO – and this was where I often turned the volume up a tiny bit because there wasn’t the issue with sharpness.  Bass continued to be punchy and dynamic, and this time the mid-range and lower treble were providing very good guitar crunch.  Detail levels were excellent especially on the acoustic tracks and older rock tracks (10cc was great, and I actually went back later and listened to the entire album – something I hadn’t done for a while). Even with faster more guitar dominant tracks like Diary of Jane, the Zen’s drivers coped really well, and they never felt like they were being overwhelmed.
 
Standouts for me though were acoustic tracks from the Eagles and Nils Lofgren – gorgeous tonality and excellent detail (I love hearing fingers sliding on a fret board).  My final test was once again with Pearl Jam though, and the combination of tonality, texture and detail was brilliant. The Zen does male vocals, and in particular Rock, really well IMO.
 
Other Genres
As you can guess, the Zen really is an all-rounder, and everything thing from Alt Rock, to Jazz, Blues and Classical was delivered with wonderful balance and tonality. Jazz in particular was absolutely brilliant – especially the tonal contrast between cymbals and double-bass. And the Zen does equally well whether it be piano or stringed instruments.
 
I really enjoyed EDM with the Zen as well, and Trip-Hop with Little Dragon or Trance with AVB was equally impressive.  Good bass, great detail, nothing overpowering – clarity and power makes for an addictive combination.
There was a tiny bit of sibilance with Adele (it is an issue with the recording I have – but worth noting), but didn’t stop the track being thoroughly enjoyable.
 
I particularly enjoyed running through my classical tracks – and once again it was the tonality that was captivating. The Zen somehow captures the timbre of certain instruments (cello and piano amongst others) almost perfectly.
 
EQUALISATION
 
As I alluded to in my notes above, the Zen does exhibit rather strong bass at times, and if it does become overpowering a little cut centering around 100 Hz can help. At lower volumes though I never felt the need to engage EQ.  And if the upper end does get too strong – a little notch at 7-8 Khz, or even dialling back the presence area around 2 kHz has some interesting effects (creates a little more space / openness).  For the most part though I left the default tuning in play, because at lower volumes it is simply wonderful.
 
COMPARISONS
 
The issue with comparisons with the Zen is what to compare it with – as it really is like no other earphone I’ve heard before.  What could give you (the reader) some ideas about how the really Zen sounds? So for starters I’ve compared it to the Zen’s little brother – the Monk, and then to my HD600 (which I think sounds kind of similar). For these comparisons – I used the headphone out of my iFi Micro iDSD.
 
 
Zen $128 vs Monk $5
The first thing I noticed swapping between the two was how similar the bass was, in fact how very similar the whole signature is.  The main difference is that the Zen just appears more vivid and detailed, while the Monk is a little bit more distant and doesn’t have the same life. What is clear though is what an incredible deal the Monk is, and if I wasn’t currently comparing the two side-by-side, I’d be praising the Monk as better than some IEMs I have at 20 times the price. But for lovers of the Monk wanting a step up – the Zen (to me anyway) is absolutely worth it. Every time I switch from the Monk to the Zen, it’s like adding a notch of clarity and presence.
 
Zen $128 vs HD600 $300
Brooko – are you mad?  How can this little $130 generic looking earbud be compared with one of the best (IMO) dynamic headphones ever built?  Well naturally it can’t – but we can compare it and look at the similarities.
The first thing I noticed was that the HD600 was more open, had a little less bass warmth, and was a little airier up top. The mids on the Zen comparatively were a little more forward, the bass a little deeper, and the overall tone just a little darker.
 
But the one thing that really stands out is that the Zen isn’t embarrassed in the presence of the HD600, and this is the bit that really astounds me.  It really does sound like an open full sized headphone – and what continues to floor me is the natural balance, and the full rich tonality.
 
VALUE
 
The Zen has an RRP of $128 and at this price it really is a no brainer. I honestly can’t think of another earphone or IEM that I’ve experienced (maybe the Titan series, and possibly Trinity’s Delta) which will deliver comparable sonics at the same or better price. I know the Monk at $5 ultimately delivers better overall value – but for me personally, the Zen does deliver a sonic experience that is worth the extra money.
 

VE ZEN – SUMMARY

First up I want to take the chance to thank my friend Tamal for introducing me to Lee, and to Lee for giving me the chance to listen to the Zen.
 
At first glance the Zen looks a little like the generic earbuds you get bundled with a cheap MP3 player.  But on closer inspection, you’ll notice that the build (while quite plain) is actually pretty solid, and the cable gives it away as something maybe just a little special. And then you plug it in, hit play, and watch as your jaw hits the ground (the first time you hear the Zen).
 
 
Sonically it is a little on the bassier side of neutral, and does exhibit a slightly darker sound than what I’m used to – but the vocals are really quite forward and extremely clear. The Zen is the closest I’ve come to any IEM or earbud sounding like an open headphone.
 
They can be powered out of most reasonable sources (and that includes my iPhone 5S), but if your source is slightly on the weak side, then additional amplification may be required.
 
I would recommend them unconditionally to friends or family. They are incredible.
 
I've had one or two ask me how I can rank something 5 star if I note during a review that they aren't completely perfect.  My answer is simple - if they are in my opinion close to perfect,a nd also exhibit incredible value, then in my books that rates a 5.  The Zen is the epitomy of near perfection combined with fantastic value.
 
RECOMMENDATIONS TO VE
 
Although the Zen has ticked virtually all my boxes there are a couple of things I personally would change.  YMMV.
 

1. Sonically I’d like to see just a little less mid-bass, and also a little less emphasis at 2 kHz.  This effectively would sit the vocals back just a little without losing any clarity, and give the Zen just a little more sense of space.
2. I’d love to see a little less of the generic look (note - this has already been addressed in version 2 coming out).
3. Inclusion of some sort of locking mechanism / stability enhancement – similar to the Earhookz
4. The option of inclusion of an in-line mic and volume control (perhaps with a lower impedance).  I know this isn’t really “audiophile” – but these could then be my default earbuds for using with my iPhone and would be perfect for calls (being open).

I would like to thank Venture Electronics (VE) and Lee (@zhibli06) for providing me with a review sample of VE ZEN (and MONK) too many months ago



Manufacturer website: http://eng.52ve.cn/




The site I have for purchase is: http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32302987270.html?productId=32302987270&productSubject=Venture-Electronic-VE-Zen-high-impedance-320-ohms-earbud&tracelog=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail.




I received an invitation to review these headphones, and I said yes, seemed like it might be fun to be a REVIEWER on Head Fi. I didn't even catch that the headphones I was going to review were ear buds at first...I realized that after I had agreed, and, though I have never liked ear buds, figured I'd give them a shot. That's a bit of understatement-I never could stand ear buds, to be more precise, going back to the old iPod days; couldn't get them to stay in my ears, couldn't walk around with them in, didn't like the sound from them once I did get them in. But, this was supposed to "not be your father's" ear bud, so I figured I'd give it a try. Later I read a rave review by ClieOS and I actually started looking forward to getting the Zens.
The Zens arrived in a plain white box, with another pair of buds included, the Asura, a more entry level model (which I've spent very little time with...my listening time is precious, want to spend as much time with the main event as possible). Accessories included foam bud covers, in 2 varieties, solid and donut shaped, which were supposed to make wearing the buds easier for those not used to them. The donut ones were said to affect the sound less than the solid ones (since they didn't block the sound openings from the buds). I did try them with both versions of the bright red covers, never found it made wearing the buds any easier, did think even the donut one muffled the sound some, so I just went using the Zens Au Naturale. (I had read about another accessory that another reviewer found helped, the earhoox, so I tried them, but I still did better with just the buds, ma'am...the ubiquitous "ymmv" goes here, of course). The Zen is physically not imposing in any way, looks like your archetypical ear bud, it's a nice, solid white color, seems well constructed, and has a nice non removable cable, clear plastic with silver wire inside. The cable is not very microphonic, and seems very tangle resistant, much better than some uber cables I have (looking at you, Linum...). Certainly no sign that we are dealing with anything special just from looking at it, but the proof is in the listening, as we shall see.
So, tunes I used to evaluate these babies (I make no claim to the specificity of these tracks to evaluating any audio parameters; when I review gear, I usually wind up listening to the same track over and over, I find this more tolerable if I'm listening to tunes I like).

Aimee Mann-Humpty Dumpty (cd rip, FLAC)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters-Aretha Franklin (24/192 HDTracks download)
Somewhere In Neverland-All Time Low (CD rip, FLAC)

Upstream gear:
Pono (black, if you must know, not that overexposed yellow), either direct through single ended output or line out to amp.
Regen/Geek Out Special Edition, either through 47k ohm out put or line out into amp
AMP: MicroZOTL2

The Sound: the Zen has really great toe tapping, finger snapping PRAT, as they say in these here parts. The other words that jump to mind are "open" and "clear"...they have great clarity, give the feeling of seeing far into the stage. Staging is wide, detailing is really good, depth OK, not as strong as the width (at least, as compared to the higher priced spread). Bass doesn't go as low as some, treble is a bit rolled off compared to some, but it all happens in a very involving, musical type of way. Bass is interesting-it seems to roll off so that some of the really deep bass is MIA, but the leading edge and tone of the bass is so strong and rhythmic, it doesn't give any feeling of bass deficiency at all. In fact, that strong, bouncy bass it what pulls you in and makes you want to boogie.

I don't have any other good buds to use for comparison, so I pulled some of the Head Fi Greatest Hits iems out of the draw, just for comparison.

Zero Audio Duoza-gets a bit more body to the mids, more mid centric, and goes lower. The lows are not as sharply defined, though, open space not as "open", slight haze, more highs, but also, on some recordings (not all), some sibilance.

Havi B3-more sensitive, closer perspective, stage not as wide or deep, bass flabbier, silence/space between instruments not as clear (this is a really strong suit of the Zen), mids less present, overall not up to the Zen

Fidue A83-again, bass goes somewhat lower, powerful, but a bit looser, stage is wide and deep depending on recording, highs the best of the group (but again, at the cost of a bit of sibilance on some recordings), vocals more up front than Zen on some recordings, similar on others.

Adding the line out/MicroZOTL2 was instructive; these babies scale up. That is, give them better gear higher up in the chain, they sound better. Specifically, with the MicroZOTL2 in the chain, things are even more open sounding, clear, bass tighter, stage wider and deeper, makes a great combination. I put on another great track, Dave Douglas Quintet's "Bridge to Nowhere" from a FLAC CD rip from the album Time Travel, which confirmed my impressions from earlier listening. Treble opens up, cymbals, while still not up with the best I've heard, are more present, that ride cymbal that drives much jazz more immediate and keeping things sailing along, while that fabulous bass just drives the tune even more. Some more depth, tonal richness, layering become apparent when using the MicroZOTL2 as the amp. I know most of you are likely to use something like the Cayen C5 rather than the MicroZOTL2, but I wanted to see how much up-scalability (the word police are going to get me for that one... ) the Zens have, a sure sign of quality, and they pass the test quite nicely.

Similarly to iems, I think even more so, exactly how you insert them makes a HUGE difference in sound, so experimentation is key.

So, have to eat my words as far as buds go, was convinced they'd never be for me, fit and sound issues to much for me. Now, I have to say they make a great addition to my headphone collection. No, they don't replace the TOTL over ear (HE-1000) or my ciem (acs Encore), but they complement them, deliver good sound, good enough not to have me rip them out of my ears and reach for the big boys (which DOES happen with many of my other phones now), and give me a break from the over and in ear comfort issues that can come with both these TOTL cans (I'm in the minority who don't find the HEK particularly comfy; don't have time to go into the Encore story, maybe over a beer one of these days...)

Highly recommended.
"This Bud's for you!"

Back in March, I received the Zens from Lee of Venture Electronics in exchange for my honest impressions. I was a bit hesitant because I have never enjoyed earbuds, and that bias had me a bit concerned that I would end up having to write potentially less than positive impressions. But thank goodness I bit, because the Zens are amazing.
 
There are plenty of excellent and informative Zen reviews out there, so I'm going to keep my impressions brief. The main genres I listen to are progressive rock (Porcupine Tree, Rush, Radiohead etc), rock (Dave Mathews, Dire Straits etc), electronica (progressive house trance), and some pop.
 
When I got the Zens out of the box, my first impressions were: super durable looking; very utilitarian looking; and "hey, there are some black Asura (beta) buds in here as well - cool!"
 
I knew that the Zens have a  crazy impedance of 320 ohms, and had been for warned that to get the most out of them, that I should use an amp. Bearing that in mind, I have been listening to the Zens off of the following gear for the last 6 months:
 
1) Laptop -> HifimeDIY Sabre U2 Dac -> Cayin C5 amp
2) Colorfly C3 -> C&C BH amp
3) Xuelin 770 dap
 
The setups with the amps do bring out more of what the Zens are capable of - more solid bass, fuller sound with more body, tighter sound, and generally better "prat". Having said that, the Zens still sound rather stellar off of the 770 dap and I am quite content listening to the Zens off of it. I listen to them off of any/all of my sources and am quite happy.
 
The sound of the Zens basically blew my mind when I first listened to them. Incredibly full, balanced, refined and detailed sound with a beautiful airy soundstage and great imaging - much more of a "headphone" sound than an IEM sound. The bass is beautifully layered, the mids are perfectly presented, and the highs are detailed, airy and present yet completely non-fatiguing. They sound great with any of the genres I like, so they are very versatile for me. And as other accomplished reviewers have noted, the Zens have great "prat", and judging by how much the Zens get my toes tapping, I'm inclined to agree! Basically, the Zens provide a very full and balanced "Hi Fi" sound that is completely non-fatiguing. I can and want to listen to these puppies for extended periods, and I haven't tired of them in six months (which for me is practically a miracle).
 
As far as the beta Asura's are concerned, they were a wonderful bonus. They have more of a V-shape signature than the Zens and are not as refined, but they still sound very good. And they are also quite durable... I like to fall asleep listening to music and the Asura's have withstood six months of that torture test and I don't see them falling apart anytime soon.
 
As a side note, I found that I actually enjoy the earbud form factor quite a bit - in fact more than IEMs. Not having something jammed into my ear canals is a relief for me. The Zens sit comfortably in my ears, they stay nicely in place even without earhoox (which was a surprise), and my ear canals don't get sore after a period of listening. Also, I am sure that having more air circulating in the ears is a good thing (for example, when falling asleep using the Asura's).
 
So simply and in summary, the Zens sound amazing. 

---

Before I start my review, I would like to Thank VE and @zhibli06 for providing me with a review sample of VE ZEN (and MONK) in exchange for my honest opinion.
 
Manufacturer website: https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=3 - now featuring Zen 2.0
 

---

 
Just like a deja vu from a few weeks ago when I mentioned in one of my reviews that I can’t believe I’m writing about CIEM (I usually test and review only in-ears and full size), I’m back with another personal “exclusive” now writing about earbuds.  Actually, in the past I had an opportunity to test Dunu Alpha 1 and Astrotec Lyra 6 earbuds, but due to a cumbersome fitment relative to my ear anatomy (smaller concha area), I wasn’t able to evaluate their sound properly.  Hearing the buzz about Lee’s VE creation, his flagship ZEN earbud model, I got very excited and decided to take a chance.  Did it pay off?  Let’s just say as a spoiler, my ears and ZEN are the best buds now!!!  Here is more about it.
 
So why couldn’t I fall in a love with earbuds in the past?  I have tried and still have apple earbuds from a very brief period when my kids had their iPod touches.  Those were small and comfortable, but a sound was not inspiring, just ok for listening.  Alpha 1 and Lyra 6 had their own fancy design shape where fitment prevented me from a more accurate evaluation of low end performance.  That is the biggest problem with earbuds – creating a proper seal with your ear canal in order to enjoy entire frequency range as intended by design.  Perhaps that is a reason why so many other earbuds use a common cheap plastic housing design which is easier on your ears, though not as much on your eyes.  I’m talking about earbuds with an elongated housing that morphs into a hard plastic strain relief, the same design VE utilized with ZEN.  I have tried a few similar shaped earbuds in the past, thus had a little more confidence in ZEN fitment.  So how about a sound?  I will get to that soon.
 
Starting with unboxing, it was just a generic carton square box stuffed with ZEN, MONK, foam covers, and a bonus DUKE (VE's new micro-dynamic IEM provided for evaluation purpose).  There is no fancy packaging, and because DUKE came with its mini-pelican style case, there was no room for a storage clamshell, but it will be provided with official order.  Furthermore, MONK was actually included as part of the accessories, even so it’s a $5 pair of budget earbuds you can buy separately.  The only other included accessory was 2 pairs of white foam covers and 2 pairs of red foam covers with an opening in the middle.  When you buy these earbuds officially, they will have all the accessories including small hardshell case and double amount of foam covers in different colors: http://eng.52ve.cn/product.php?cm_id=196&if_id=172
 
Unboxing and accessories.
 
 
 
VE Monk "accessory"
 

 
I already started to talk about the appearance, mentioning a very common bland ear-shell design.  I guess you can look at it from a perspective that nobody going to dare ripping these off your ears, but at the same time considering $120+ price tag I would have expected at least a different finish or some kind of a translucent color instead of solid white.  As of now, it's more of an ear-candy than an eye-candy.
 
But regardless of the shell look, VE made a wise decision to use a premium cable which appears to have silver-plated wires (at least from the looks) with a translucent cable jacket.  You can also find a unique little rubber y-splitter where the shell slides out to turn into a chin-slider - it's hidden really well and out of sight when not in use.  Cable terminates in a basic straight gold plated connector with a nice rubbery housing and a decent strain relief, but the story doesn't end here.  The wiring of both earpieces is kept separate all the way down to the headphone single ended TRS connector plug which suggests a balanced wiring without tying a ground together.  With such wiring opportunity, I would have loved for Venture Electronics (VE) to terminate ZEN with a balanced wired 3.5mm TRRS connector with the same wiring as HiFiMAN (HFM).  Then, just like with HFM RE400B or RE600, include a short extension adapter to go from balanced wired TRRS to a single ended TRS.  This would have opened up a door to use VE ZEN balanced wired with HFM DAPs (HM901, HM700, etc.) as well as using it with any other audio player or a smartphone.  And to take it to a new level, have another optional extension adapter with 2.5mm TRRS A&K style balanced wired connector.  That would welcome an opportunity to use ZEN with AK DAPs, Cayin N5, and Lotoo PAW 5k which all have 2.5mm balanced wired connector.
 
Design details.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Since fitment plays such an important role in VE ZEN sound perception, I experimented with a few options before starting my sound analysis.  Wire down is probably the most common way to wear earbuds, but I also found VE ZEN to work quite well with wire up over your ears.  With assistance of chin-slider to bring wires close together under your chin, I was able to achieve a very secure fitment where earbuds stayed in my ears even during jumping or fast moving around.  Either way, wire down or wire up, sound was the same with the only difference of wire up having a more secure fitment.
 
 
 
Since I wasn't too crazy about plastic earpieces rubbing inside of my ears, I switched to using foam covers.  They definitely improve the comfort, and make earpiece to fit tighter.  Also, I preferred using foam covers with a hole in the middle to keep air-vents of the driver open, or at least as open as possible.  It was a good idea to include both types of foam covers to give you a preference option, and to include spares if you rip one during fitment.
 

 
To take it to a whole new level of fitment and comfort, there’s a really cool accessory offered by Earhoox which is a small rubber ring that stretches around the edge of your earbuds and has a molded shark-fin for a more secure fitment (available on HERE).  Regardless if you are using VE ZEN or MONK or earbuds from other manufacturers, these Earhooxs really improve the fitment and the comfort when wearing earbuds.
 
 
 

 
With seal and fitment finalized, now we are ready to proceed with a sound analysis. 
 
After an extensive listening period I found ZEN to have a very detailed transparent smooth sound with a slightly mid-forward signature.  It has a great soundstage, definitely above the average in width and depth, maybe more width then depth.  I wouldn't say it has the best layering and separation, and perhaps the imaging doesn’t necessary standout with 3D placement.  But it has this amazing clear neutral tonality with an incredible smooth sound that you can listen to for hours, or maybe days!
 
In a more detailed sound analysis:
 
Low end is very accurate with a fast and tight mid-bass and extended sub-bass depth.  Due to the nature of earbud fitment the quantity of sub-bass will vary, but regardless of that I still hear a well controlled, tight, and snappy low end with a noticeable sub-bass rumble.  While some earbuds either have a muddy exaggerate low end or hardly any low end presence, ZEN offers a great low end quality with a noticeable quantity.  Not on the same level as IEMs, but still quite good for earbuds.
 
Mids are the star of these earbuds.  You will find a perfect smooth lower mids with a clean separation from the low end.  Though you are not going to get a lot of warmth from the bass, mids have a nice smooth body, and a very clear presentation.  Upper mids sound very organic with an excellent retrieval of details.  Both female and male vocals sound very natural and accurate.
 
Treble has a great definition, crisp and detailed but not as airy which takes away some sparkle and makes it smooth and non-sibilant.  It just flows smooth and transparent as an extension of upper mids, sharing the same characteristics.
 
Even so VE MONK is included as an “accessory”, I found it to have a great clean and clear balanced sound, slightly on a warm side with a nice sub-bass extension and punchy mid-bass.  They don't have the same level of detail retrieval or clarity or soundstage expansion as ZEN, but for $5 it's quite an amazing value.  In comparison to MONK, HisoundAudio PAA-1 ($20) is warmer, less detailed, and with a narrower soundstage.
 
With different DAPs and AMPs.
 

 
Before I go into pair up compatibility, I have to mention about one very important spec parameter of these earbuds: the impedance of 320 ohm.  Yes, earbuds with an impedance of over 300 ohms.  In my testing, I found that high impedance load wasn’t a limiting factor of being able to drive them loud, but it did affect a sound quality significantly when driven from a less powerful source, like smartphone.  Here is more about it.
 
Pair up with DAPs and their corresponding volume setting:
 
QA360 - (v109/150) - a transparent dynamic smooth organic sound with a tight bass.
 
AK120ii - (v114/150) - a warm dynamic smooth sound, punchy tight bass, and a great organic vocal presentation.
 
N6 - (v49/100) - a clear transparent dynamic sound with an excellent retrieval of details, wide soundstage, tight punchy bass, bright detailed upper mids, and a smooth treble.
 
N5 - (v47/100) - a full body detailed sound with an excellent retrieval of details, above average soundstage, tight punchy bass and slightly improved sub-bass quantity.
 
And with Note 4 - despite its 320 ohm impedance, I can still drive ZEN to a reasonably loud volume without a problem, but there is noticeable difference in quality where a sound is no longer as dynamic and actually somewhat flat, loosing details.
 
Paired up with amps driven from LO of N5:
 
Cayin C5 – yields a slight coloration of the sound, while adding more excitement, slightly improved dynamics, adds a bit more body, more punch in mid-bass, tighter low end, and a bit more details in upper mids.
 
FiiO E12A - not much of a soundstage improvement, actually a similar tonality as N5 HO, just making sound a little more transparent and faster in speed.
 
VE RunAbout (RA) - very similar performance as with E12A, including similar tonality as N5 HO, just tightens up low end a little bit more.
 
Conclusion.
 
I'm very serious when I say that VE ZEN restored my faith in earbuds, because a sound I'm hearing from ZEN is on a level of some of the premium IEMs and full size headphones, but I do sincerely wish VE would look into some facelift to compliment ZEN's premium sound tuning with some more unique design appeal.  You can even keep the same generic shell, just make it look more premium, maybe with a selection of a translucent material.  After all, you have $5 MONK and $128 ZEN that look nearly the same from outside.  Also, the cable would greatly benefit from TRRS connector termination and TRRS to TRS adapter - it just asking for it!  Other then that, leave a sound tuning as it because it's nearly perfect!  I don't have too much experience with other earbuds, but can say with certainty - regardless if you are a fan or not, VE ZEN is definitely a pair of earbuds you need to experience!

At the time of the review, the Venture Electronics Zen was on sale on the company’s Aliexpress store. Here is a link to their listing of the product:
​
 
 
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Venture-Electronic-VE-Zen-high-impedance-320-ohms-earbud/32302987270.html
 
Introduction
This was the hardest review I’ve had to do thus far. For starters I don’t like earbuds, well actually, not until I got my hands on a pair of these. It took a lot of time and effort finding the right fit and source, but in the end it was a rewarding experience. The VE Zen is a fantastic product.
 
While chatting about new gear with my good friend Tamal, the Zen was brought up. I wasn’t big on them because I’ve never had much luck with earbuds. Tamal suggested I try these, matter of fact I think it took three or four attempts and an offer of a free review sample of the Zen to get me to cave. I figured “what the heck, if they’re free why not?”
 
Today I have the pleasure to share my experience and review of the VE Zen earbud. I also want to use this opportunity say a big thank you to @RedJohn456 for suggesting them and setting up the sample, and to @zhibli06 for sending them. I’m honored to be a part of Head-Fi and have friends that share the same love for audio, and are willing to also share their products and knowledge. Thanks guys!
 
Disclaimer
I was given an opportunity to review the Zen in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion and review. I am in no way affiliated with Venture Electronics.
 
My Background
I AM NOT a numbers and graphs audiophile or sound engineer. Personal audio enthusiast? Absolutely! Headphone junkie? Possibly…
 
There’s something about quality DAPs, DACs, Amplifiers and Earphones that intrigues me, especially if they can be had for low prices. I will buy the $5 to $500 earphone that looks promising, in hopes that I will discover that one new gem that can compete with the big names in this industry. If you look at my Head-Fi profile you will see that I have purchased MANY different headphones and earphones, ranging from from dirt cheap to higher end products. For me, this hobby is more about getting great price to performance ratio from a product, and have a variety of different gears with varying builds and sound to mix and match. With personal audio gear, we tend to pay a lot of money for minor upgrades. One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that just because a headphone has a higher price tag, it doesn’t mean that it has superior build and sound quality.
 
I’m always looking for great audio at a great price. I’m after headphones and IEMs that give me the “WOW” factor. I can appreciate different builds and sound signatures as long as they are ergonomic, and the sound is pleasing to the ear. It is my pleasure to share my experiences with audio products and make recommendations based gear I have owned and used.
 
REVIEW
I didn’t get the retail packaging. My pair of Zen came in a black clamshell case with  the earphones and an assortment of foam discs and doughnuts. If you are curious what the retail packaging and accessories are please refer to the above link. One bonus that must be mentioned is that if you purchase the 320 ohm Zen, you will also get the easier to drive monk included in the package. Bonus!
 
Specifications
Transducer: 15.4mm Single Dynmanic Driver
Sensitivity: 105db @1KhZ
Frequency Response: 20Hz~20kHz
Impedance: 320ohm
Cable Length: 1.2m SPC
 
Accessories
There’s not too much to say here. You get some Foam discs and doughnuts to help make the Zen fit better and more comfortably.

 
The clamshell case I received was black and of decent quality. I assume it is the same case as the retail package but I’m guessing it’s gray color is the only difference.
 
Note: There is a very special aftermarket accessories package I will touch on later in the review. Stay tuned.
 
Housings

 
I’m not going to lie, the housings are made of plastic and seem very generic. When I first received them and held them in my hands for the first time, I thought “what did I get myself into?” thinking that there’s no way these very light and cheaply built housings can produce good sound. I was wrong in my assumption. More on that later.
 
Imagine every generic pair of earbuds you got in the early 1990s. The Zen housings are very similar to that. Given the fact that: #1 earbuds are not very popular right now in the USA and #2 these are very bland looking, you aren’t going to turn heads and I don’t think anyone is going to mug you on the streets because of your flashy earphones.
 
Okay, let’s say something positive about the housings… They are a pretty solid construction and don’t look like they will break anytime soon. They aren’t flashy and many people will like that aspect, because it isn’t the cover of the book that matters it’s the story inside of it. In this case the shell is playing possum for the impressive sound output.
 
Cable, Y-Split, Cable Jack, Strain Reliefs
The Cable is the nicest aspect of the Zen’s build. It’s a clear jacketed 1.2 meter silver plated copper cable. It is slightly springy and has no memory.
 
They Y-Split is a very generic piece of plastic that serves its purpose and doesn’t give you a sense of being a premium product. One clever thing about the Y-split is the chin slider that works as a jacket for the Y-Split when you aren’t using it. This is very clever, and a couple Head-Fiers didn’t even realize they had a chin slider until others found out and shared their findings.
 
The cable jack is a straight plug that uses a fair amount of the same generic plastic used on the housing, and some white rubber for a strain relief. Although plastic isn’t an Ideal application for a cable jack in my opinion, there is enough of it that it feels like it will hold up well.
 
There are no strain reliefs coming from the housings. The cable comes straight out of the housing’s tubular plastic mold. There isn’t necessarily any strain relief at the Y split. The cable jack has a pretty nice rubber strain relief that should hold up very well.
 
Ergonomics, Fit and Microphonics, Isolation
Oh boy, here we go…
 
First thing I have to confess is that I don’t like earbuds because of this particular criteria. I find earbuds to be a PITA when it come to consistent fit and sound. With the foam discs I was able to get them to fit, but just like with all earbuds, I drive myself nuts wondering if they are sitting in my ear in a way that is promoting the best sound quality. I caught myself tinkering with them repeatedly, switching foam discs and tinkering with how I placed them in/on my ears. I would turn my head and one would feel and sound looser than the other, or fall out of my ear all together.

 
Not being able to get a consistent fit, or as good of a seal as most IEMs bothered me, ESPECIALLY when using them while being active or in noisy environments.
 
Microphonics were almost non-existent. Any level of microphonics I experienced were only when there was no music, and disappeared when I played music.
 
Now, this is where things got interesting and more awesome…
 
Over the course of struggling with the fit, I reached out the the Head-Fi community for help. Although I was getting good sound from the Zens, the tedious and temperamental fit was very bothersome. After asking for help or suggestions on how to improve the fit, Tamal again came to the rescue. He recommended Earhoox. It’s a clever silicone design that allows me to position them in my ear, then secure them with a attached fin. I went from not being able to move my head without them falling out, to being able to get a solid fit that I could go running in. The difference was huge, and for the first time I was able to actually enjoy these earphones without having to readjust the fit all the time. Here is a link to purchase them:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Earhoox-Attachment-Popular-Skullcandy-earbuds/dp/B00FGDRXTC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1438458177&sr=8-4&keywords=earhoox

 
 
Sound Review & Materials
 
I used my usual same songs for testing gear:
“Limit to your love” by James Blake (bass speed, punch, response)
“Doin’ it Right” by Daft Punk (sub bass)
“Get lucky” by Daft Punk (bass to midrange transition resolution, male vocals)
“Madness” by Muse (soundstage, separation)
“Some nights” by Fun (soundstage and male vocals)
“The soundmaker” by Rodrigo y Gabriela (texture and imaging)
“Bassically” by Tei Shi (bass to midrange resolution, female vocals)
“Skinny Love” performed by Birdie (female vocals, acoustic playback)
“One” by Ed Sheeran (male vocals, acoustic playback)
“Outlands” from the Tron Legacy Soundtrack (symphonic presentation, imaging)
“Sultans of swing” by Dire Straits (detail, separation, balance)
“And Justic for All” by Metallica (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
“Ten thousand fists” by Disturbed (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
 
Note: Other tracks were used, but the listed songs were primarily used to asses and break down the gear’s response.
 
Sound Signature & Source Selection
 
More Power! More Resolution!

 
First things first, the source you use is key in getting the most out of the Zens. These earbuds are 320 Ohms and require a powerful source in order to unleash the Zen sound that so many have reported experiencing.
 
Through a cell phone your Zens will sound quiet and flat. With a portable source and amplifier like the Topping NX1 or Soundmagic A10, you will get plenty of volume, but still a somewhat two dimensional soundstage.
 
I wasn’t planning on rating these very high until I plugged my Zens into my Bravo Audio Ocean or Cayin C5 amplifier. Simply put, they take them to a higher level of “Zen”. With more power they present a tighter sound with a more forward and textured midrange. Everything sounds more lively, airy and cohesive with a more powerful and resolving source.
 
Because I received the best results with a more powerful amplifier and a pair of large Earhoox, I will be doing my sound impressions review using these items.

 
To my ears the Zen is like a nice pair of semi open headphones in an earbud form. They have a midrange forward response with excellent transparency, balance and cohesiveness. They are an earphone that makes vocals and instruments sound very natural and enjoyable. Their design and tuning is far better suited for genres like acoustic, live performances, alternative, band, vocals, symphony. It’s a tuning that is geared for long listening sessions.
 
Bass
Punch, tone and rumble are all present. For an earbud design there is bass in abundance. What the Zen lacks is the lowest frequencies of sub-bass. This is one of the reasons I say the Zen has the sound of a semi-open back headphone. During test sweeps bass could be heard from 20-50 Hz, but had nowhere near as much presence as from 60Hz and up. This tuning works great as many audiophiles find this to be a more natural sounding bass response. Because of this tuning bassy genres like pop and hip-hop won’t sound as good as through something like a good closed back headphone or IEM. The trade off for this is a very natural and high quality bass that works with every genre that doesn’t call for lots of low frequency response.
 
The Zen bass is relatively tight in nature, with pretty fast attack and decay. With some recordings and genres the Zen mid bass can sound a tiny bit sloppy and unresolving. It isn't overbearing or bothersome, more noticeable during critical listening.
 
Midrange
Midrange of the Zen is the star of the show. Male and female vocals sound very natural, forward and with great resolution. When listening to Florence & the Machine I got chills listening to her voice come through with a textured and airy presence. The midrange transparency was great for an earbud.
 
The mids are forward in the mix and take center stage at all times. Where I feel the Zen excels is listening so singer-songwriters. Ed Sheeran, Jessie Ware, Agnes Obel and Mumford and Sons all sounded great. If you are a fan of these types of artists and have a slightly more powerful amplifier, put the Zens on your list of things to try. Its definitely something you need to experience.
 
The upper mids of these earbuds can occasionally get a touch congested during complex passages. Most of the time and with most music it isn’t the case. For the most part upper midrange is very pleasant with a forward and energetic presence that isn’t overdone.

 
Treble
Where IEMs can often times get it wrong, the Zen’s treble response gets it right. There is no spike with them. I would describe them as being snappy and with an airy sense that is very enjoyable. I wouldn’t say it is extended, it’s pretty average in this aspect but what is there is fun. It’s a toe tapping kind of treble that is more entertaining than bland, while not overdone to the point of being fatiguing.
 
Soundstage and Imaging
The lack of sub bass takes away from the earphone’s depth, but it is made up for with a fantastic midrange response that yields a decent sense of space. Although treble isn’t extended the airy nature of it also helps create a nice stage. Imaging is dependant on the genre listened to. With hip hop and pop music they sound flat. They sound just the opposite with every genre that doesn’t call for lots of sub bass.

 
Comparisons
 
I usually do a comparison to other earphones of similar build quality and prices, but to be honest I don’t have any other earbuds, and comparing them to IEMs would probably deter or confuse people.
 
I will use this section to say that if they sound most like another piece of gear, it would by my Sennheiser HD600. They have very similar tunings. I can almost say that they are a earbud version of them.
 
The HD600 might have a better separation of sounds and be a bit more resolving overall. The timbre and transparency of the Zen is fantastic and slightly better than the mighty Sennheiser in this aspect. Going back and forth between the two, I appreciate the sound quality of the Zen even more. While the the HD600 justifies its asking price being a full size can with better refinement in build and slightly more articulate sound, this comparison makes me say that the Zen punches well above its asking price and will work great for people who are a fan of semi open cans.
 
Conclusion
I was impressed with the Zen’s performance. Venture Electronics definitely knows how to tune an earphone. I’m now hoping that they can improve the ergonomics and housing design. If Venture Electronics could manage to take the Zen sound and tweak it to have a touch more sub bass, and put it in a half in-ear shell like the titan, they would have a truly revolutionary product on their hands.
 
Some people will fault it because at the end of the day it is still a generic looking earbud that doesn’t have the bass extension or isolation of their favorite closed pair of cans or IEMs. One thing I know from being in this hobby long enough, the Zen will appeal to audiophiles who can look past their flaws and get down to the heart of what has brought on their cult like following. They are timbre rich, transparent and mid range forward tuning that along with great PRaT that will keep you coming back for more.
 
I look forward to getting my hands on more VE products. After hearing the Zen, Venture Electronics has the potential to be a serious contender for a share in the audiophile earphone market.
 
Thanks for reading and happy listening!

I do not own this unit – I had this unit from @fnkcow
 
With Impedance of 320ohm this earbuds need a good amp to show its worth. I use my phone during my first listen to the zen and it sounds cold, sterile. Using the zen with my oppo HA2 or cayin N6 (which has monstrous power) reveals their real sound: good bass, forward sounding mids, smooth highs. With proper amplification the zen gives a wide soundstage and imaging, good instruments separation and layering. The shells looks to be a generic earbuds design, which doesn’t seem to be a good choice for a flagship product. The earbuds are wired with a decent OFC cable that feels nice to touch and have slight microphonics when touched.

Introduction 
 
I always have an avid interest in earbuds even though I am primarily focused on In-Ear Monitors (IEMs). The thing is, earbuds tend to find themselves becoming the middle child in the family, with the big brother in headphones taking up serious ear time when people want to sit down and have critical listening in the comfort of their own homes, whereas the youngest brother in IEMs being preferred when people want to go out and about due to their strengths in isolation and portability, hence drawing manufacturers to focus on developing headphones and IEMs for their mass appeal, leaving earbuds stuck between a rock and a hard place, the awkward and forgotten child. With lack of much interest in earbuds, development and advancement in earbuds are scarce and few and far between at best, and there is only a handful of earbuds available on the market right now as compared to headphones and IEMs, thus I don't have much expectations of earbuds. When I caught wind about the emergence of a new company named Venture Electronics from China having its focus on making earbuds, I clicked through to find its the earbuds in particular its flagship Zen gaining great feedback, my curiosity got the better of me and I enquired about the earbuds, and would like to thank Lee for giving me this opportunity and have a review sample sent out for me to hear them through my own ears.

 

Technical Specifications of VE Zen

Transducer: Dynamic Driver
Transducer Size: 15.4mm
Sensitivity: 106dB (1mW)
Impedance: 320ohm (1 KHz)
Frequency Response: 15Hz~23.5kHz (-10dB)
Cable Length: 1.2m (+/- 2 cm)
Cable Material: OFC with TPE outer skin
 
Packaging

 
Unboxing VE's white cardboard box revealed the following:
 

 

1. VE Zen
2. VE Monk beta version*
3. A zipper hard case
4. 3 pairs of earbud foam cushions
5. VE welcome message

 
Quite basic packaging and accessories. The zipper hard case is of good guality and prevents crushing very well. Would like to see a shirt clip included. More on this later.
 
*Take note that Monk is currently shipped free with purchase of Zen, but that may change in future when stock eventually runs out/discretion of Venture Electronics. Do check with them first before buying if you are interested in the extra earbud. 
 
Design, Build Quality and Cable
 

 
The earpieces use generic MX500 shells as its housing. This uninspiring design has been used countless of times in many earbuds, and since Zen is their flagship, it should be different from its budget youngest brother Monk for instance in the housings. Since they are still a startup company though, it is understandable why they would go for the tried-and-tested path instead of developing their own design. In future developments, I would like to see they put in their own design into their next flagships.
 
I found the OFC cable with TPE outer skin to be stiff with cable noise. The microphonics were quite audible especially when out and about, and certainly would have benefited by including a shirt clip and a cable cinch. Qualms aside, the OFC cable is of good quality as it feels like solid silver cables and won't tangle easily compared to its many peers available on the current market.
 
Fit and Comfort
 

 
I tried the foam cushions and preferred to use the earbuds without them on as the foam cushions tended to hinder part of the sound spectrum IMO. I could have the Zen on for hours on end comfortably and not noticed any ear fatigue or pain. YMMV as the earpieces are a bit on the large side and may not fit well with small ears. 
 
Sound Impressions
 

 
Drive-ability: With Impedance of 320ohm (1 KHz) and Sensitivity of 106dB (1mW), it is easily one of the highest impedance within earbuds and IEMs, but that does not mean that it cannot be driven at all by the likes of normal mobile phones and typical DAPs. It can be driven by them, but the end result would just be average/subpar, and would sound rather dull and lifeless. It requires powerful source such as extra amping capacity and desktop setups to perform the way the engineers intended and the better the source the better it scales. In my testing I paired the Zen with my Cayin N6 and Meier Audio Corda PCStep. 
 
Soundstage and Imaging: Wide soundstage and airiness have always been advantages of earbuds against IEMs, but at the sacrifice of sounding too flat and 2D. In the case of Zen however, it renders a 3D soundstage with proportionate width, height and depth, giving a feeling of spaciousness with quality imaging. Layering and separation of instruments are fairly good, not excellent as it will tend to sound a bit congested when there are lots of elements going on within a song but they are sufficient and will not get totally overwhelmed and collapse. 
 
Lows: Big bass compared to many earbuds, with nice balance between sub-bass and mid-bass and does not bleed into the lower mids. It is not what I would refer to as bass heavy, but well-controlled with good impact, attack and speed. On the minus side, bass decay stops a bit too quick for my liking. Only when dealing with songs laden with copious amounts of bass that it becomes a bit too overpowering and loose. Nonetheless, very few earbuds have this kind of lows that kept me engaged and toe-tapping when the right songs came up.
 
Midrange: Forward sounding and intimate meaty mids, a bit thick with slight veil masking small details. Vocals are rendered with full body, realism and a bit of warmth with no peakiness or sibilance. Female vocals perform better than male vocals.
 
Highs: Smooth highs but not lacking in details. Treble extension is good with decent sparkle but a touch rolled off, slightly soft resulting in loss of headroom space and airiness.
 
Conclusion
 

 
VE Zen has a sound signature of fairly neutral tuning, leaning a bit towards musicality with a tinge of warmth. I often caught myself few hours later doing nothing other than listening to the Zen transfixed by its relative ease in portraying music effortlessly. Its qualities may not jump out at you at first listen but it fits like a pair of well-worn gloves. I think that it is a surprising entry from a relatively unknown company before its release then suddenly become one of the major contenders in the world of earbuds. For it to perform true to its capability however you will need good power source. For those who does not have a powerful source or who does not want to carry an additional amp with them, Venture Electronics do have a more portable-friendly solution in the form of Zen's younger brothers the Asura and Monk. At present I have heard that they are about to release newer retuned versions of the Asura and Monk. I look forward to future releases by Venture Electronics. 

Hi , i'm new to writing reviews and was lucky enough to be chosen to review this wonderful ear-bud which i have in my possession.this is my first review and i will most likely make alot of grammatical mistake and i'm sorry(please be kind ). 
 
the company is called Venture electronics and the founder name is lee also known as zhibli06  on headfi .this is where you can order a pair http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32302987270.html?productId=32302987270&productSubject=Venture-Electronic-VE-Zen-high-impedance-320-ohms-earbud&tracelog=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail.
 
the specs are as follow:
15.4mm drive
320ohms
105db at 1khz 
1.2m  silver coated OFC wire
 
price will be roughly $128USD and i think it's definitely worth it as having many ear-buds and none actually sound this good , even the alpha1 from dunu doesn't. i don't have any pictures but will try to post some later.
 
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
 
BASS:
One awesome and plus of this ear-bud is its bass reproduction in both quality and quantity . the bass has a lot of low sub-bass information and with the right amount of mid-bass that it will not interfere with low mid-range . the speed is above average so it'll not sound muddy with complex bass note .comparing the bass to my alpha1 the bass is real while the alpha1 doesn't even reproduce the low sub-bass and mid-bass not in natural way just like how the zen does .
 
MIDRANGE
 
What can i say besides that the mid-range on the zen is perfectly balance with the bass and the movement between the bass to the mids are flawless having no bloats or warming of the vocals or instruments .the vocals has a 3D imaging which i love . it isn't inside the head out produced outside like how a open-backed headphone might reproduce mids comparing to the aplha1 the zen is realistic while the aplha1 is thin and doesn't have much depth as well as width , its more intimate and thinner with alot of grain to the mids.
 
TREBLE AND SOUND-STAGE
 
Treble is balanced as well with sparkle and no grain in the sound. it's extended and open sounding producing a black airy sound-staging and the imaging of this ear buds is insane . some song produced a cymbal crash that was like from the other side of the house and i got scared alot and the height and depth are equally as marvelous . alpha1 is so sibilant and intimate sounding , no comparison to the zen.
 
CONCLUSION
Thank to lee for this great opportunity to review such a wonderful product and all this comparison was through my phone and both the ear-buds had the minimum requirement of 200hrs of burn-in , even after that burn in the alpha1 which i thought was going to surpass the zen didn't achieve that goal for me. the zen triumphs the alpha1 without even a sweat even thought it's under-powered . \
 
Thank you for reading and sorry for the mistakes

The VE Zen and the VE Asura
 
If you're going to buy an earbud, you should chat to the fellows at VE...
 
Earbuds are an odd little throwback. An anachronism now, when once they were the defacto form factor for headphones bundled with phones and mp3 players (back when they were called mp3 players, and not “DAPs”…time was a brother would ask for some DAP and you’d give him a fist bump…alas, no more…).
 
Like Elvis though, earbuds never died, they just moved to another planet. They are still out there, actually being produced by loving, enthusiasts' hands, in boutique organizations you never really get to know much about if you live outside of China. And you know...they don’t suck as badly as some would have you believe. In fact, they sound pretty damn good. I revert to buds whenever I get tired of my full-size or on-ear headphones. Of late there has been a wave of great earbuds showing up on AliExpress, eBay and other spots. Personally, I took notice when Dasetn got attention for ridiculously good earbuds being made and sold at ridiculously low prices. Dasetn has since faded into the background a little due to a large number of complaints regarding build quality and order fulfillment, but there are others…
 
Recently ClieOS reviewed something I hadn’t heard of yet from a new company: VE. A 320 ohm impedance earbud. This sort of thing captures my tired and slightly jaded imagination. An earbud that needs that much of a kick in the pants? What do they have in there, lumps of coal, diaphragms made of steel? I had to find out…I sent Lee, the owner a quick PM and asked if he would send a pair of his earbuds out to do a tour of the United States. He very graciously agreed to, and on top of that, sent out his second highest model, the VE Asura as well. I spent a week with the tour units, and they are now winging their way across the US for other enthusiasts to enjoy. Another set, also kindly provided by Lee, are crossing the northern borders into the frozen wastes of Canada to tour a little there too.
I ran both sets of earbuds through the equipment listed above, and listened to a wide range of music through them. I am a jazz nut, but am prone to drifting into electronic and avant-garde sounds as well. I always have a little time for the blues too, both traditional and electric.
 
What can be said about the VE Zen and Asura? They are richer and more fun than my Blox M2C. They have better definition than my Yuin PK3, and exceed my memory of the Blox TM7 and the Yuin PK1. The Zen portray bass and soundstage almost like a full-size headphone, perhaps better than some I have owned (I used to be a Grado-head if that explains much). They have sound signature that is neither sterile, nor is it debilitatingly warm and thumpy (one head-fier called the HD600 of the earbud world). They challenge my full-size headphones in many respects, which is handy when you don’t want to lug a pair of T50rp about with you. For the Asura, simply take away maybe a fifth of the goodness in the Zen. It’s a scaled down, cheaper version.
 
The downsides? The design is very generic. Sennheiser's MX500 shell has gotten incredible mileage. Its amazing how many earbuds now occupy that very familiar shape. Its functional though....and that's what counts, right? They require an amp to shine, and the stronger the better. Lee recommends a Class A portable that a DIYer in China makes. The E12 was good enough for me, but I could tell that perhaps I needed something more. The cable on the VE Zen is a touch annoying. It’s clumsy and a little noisy, but this is remedied with a shirt clip. The VE Asura was like a scaled down version of the Zen. At 120 ohms it’s easier to drive, but it doesn’t have that magical bass quality, and it seemed to get a little muddled in more complex passages.
 
These earbuds come highly recommended in my humble opinion. Like Elvis, they will always have a place in the lineup of your attentions, and you will never regret indulging in them….perhaps even struggle to stop doing so.


*EDIT* Fast forward to today. I recently bought a Pono player, and have founf the synergy between it and the Zen to be ridiculously good. The Pono does balanced operation as well. Lee most kindly offerred to re-terminate my pair of Zen (yes, I have my own pair now) to take advantage of this. The improvement is noticeable. The Pono's discreet, extremely low feedback architecture gives the Zens all the juice they need. Switch to balanced and you get an incredibly refined, organic, detailed, smooth listening experience with even the most difficult recordings...if you buy a pair of Zen, seriously consider the Pono, and make sure you go balanced...

INTRODUCTION

As tough as it is for me to admit, earbuds are a dying breed. It seems every year, fewer and fewer manufacturers even bother making open-air earphones (Denon), and when they do, they either focus only on low end models (Panasonic, Philips, Sony, etc.), or they don't release them here in the United States (Audio-Technica, Pioneer, and Sennheiser, just to name a few). Indeed, the focus for headphone manufacturers today is the now ubiquitous canalphone, or in-ear monitor.

Despite this trend, many smaller companies, primarily out of Asia and especially out of China, have started making earbuds targeted at the audiophile market. One such company is Venture Electronics (VE), and I've had the opportunity to spend a little time with two of their high-impedance earbud models, the 320 ohm Zen and the 150 ohm Asura.

I'd like to give a special thanks to fellow Head-Fier Bruce (a.k.a. fleasbaby) for setting up the review tour. Without his initiative, I probably would not have had the chance to try these earbuds out. Thank you!






ACCESSORIES AND BUILD

The earbuds arrived in a cubic paper box which contained the buds (ensconced in their cases) as well as an information sheet in Chinese. Each bud comes with three pairs of earbud foams: one each of black full foams and two pairs of "donut" foams in black and red. They also came with simple but very useful and appropriately sized clamshell hard cases.

As for build, I feel both earbuds are adequate but not exceptional. Both the Zen and Asura use the same Sennheiser MX / Foster 040596 housing and cap that so many other Chinese earbud designs incorporate. Strangely enough, the pre-production Asura, the cheaper of the two models, comes across as being more well thought-out, with a nice braided cable and metal Y-split, which terminates at a nicely-relieved metal-covered straight jack. Comparatively, the more expensive Zen uses what appears to be a silver cable insulated in a very bouncy, rubbery sheath that can be a bit annoying to handle both while merely walking around the house or when putting the earbud away in its case. Unlike its inexpensive sibling, the Zen's cable split and straight jack are covered in plastic. Neither have a cable cinch to manage the split.





AMPING

The Zen and the Asura have high impedance ratings of 320 ohm and 150 ohm, respectively. Despite both earbuds having high impedance, I actually found the Asura to sound quite good straight out of my Sansa Clip+, as well as smartphones like the Lumia 520 and Moto G (2013). The Zen, on the other hand, demanded more power. Currently, my main portable amp is the FiiO E11 Kilimanjaro. I did find that using the amp increased the warmth and authority to the Zen's sound while increasing resolution and separation. Thus, I highly recommend using an amp with the Zen, and go as far to say that if you don't have a portable amp, it may be best to pick up the Asura instead.





SOUND

The sound signature of both VE buds can be characterized as having an open and dynamic sound with excellent transient response. In particular, I've found that both the Zen and Asura excelled in bass impact and attack, and often did I find myself tapping my toes and/or banging my head. Simply put, these buds rock.

Continuing with the bass, I found the extension of the lower frequencies to be very good for an earbud, with perhaps a bit of emphasis in the sub-bass. At times I felt this emphasis may be slightly much in the Asura, but this was mostly when using the buds indoors. The higher-impedance Zen didn't have this issue. On a positive note, the bass doesn't bleed into the midrange, so never do the buds feel muddy or stuffy.

The mids are solid and probably best described by what they don't do. No, the mids aren't as forward or thick like the Blox M2C, but neither are they as airy or dry as some recent Sennheisers can be. They don't add that "special sauce" to vocal presentations, but they don't take anything away from them either. It's the midrange that also seems to separate the two VE buds. Side by side, it was clear to my ears that the Zen had much more detail and resolution, along with air and separation when compared to the Asura.

I would describe both the Zen and Asura as having treble that is well-extended to provide good airiness and an open feel, but devoid of excessive sparkle and uneveness. Trebleheads may be begging for more, but this balance lends itself well to longer listening sessions. Where the Zen sets itself apart from the Asura is once again by being more articulate and open.





CONCLUSION

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect coming into this loaner tour. I've had a good amount of experience in the past with so-called DIY and small batch Chinese earbud manufacturing startups with mixed results. Some produce excellent sounding products, while others, not so much, and the level of support from these companies ranges from non-existent to bare minimum. Time will tell where VE will stand when addressing customer feedback, but I do applaud them for assisting fleasbaby in creating the US tour as well as others, and I think this is a sign that the company is willing to look outside of China and reach out to its (potential) customers.

Thankfully, there's no questioning the Zen and Asura when it comes to sound, where I feel the two buds are definitely worth their respective prices. Both offer an dynamic and enjoyable sound that should please many an earbud enthusiast. The Asura may be the better choice for those without a portable amp, but for those who do, the Zen offers more resolution, and increased linearity to the already rocking VE sound signature.

It's clear to me that VE is an earbud maker that deserves attention and a listen.

Prelude: A few weeks ago I was contacted by a mutual 3^rd party on whether I will like to give some Chinese made high-Z earbuds a review. Immediately I recalled a review article I read awhile back in erji.net that comes with fairly high praise (and subsequently get knocked around a few times, see reason below). We don’t see a lot of high-Z earbuds around so I was fairly certain they should be the same things. I don’t keep high hope for earbuds these days but I am still an earbuds lover in heart, so I agreed to give them a look, and indeed they turn out to be the same model I saw earlier. They are made by a small Chinese company called VE (52VE.cn, with a Chinese name translated to ‘micro wing’). No sooner after I agreed, the news spread out on some Chinese forums, which in turn came back to HF, and I received some ‘friendly suggestion’ that, perhaps it might not be the best of idea to do a review on VE. It would seem that there are a lot of heated discussion (or controversy?) on whether VE is a genuine company or just a quick DIY job for money. Even more so is whether VE actually makes TOTL earbuds as they and their Chinese supporters have claimed. Different from the international market where IEM rules, earbuds still hold a high esteem among Chinese audiophiles and they really don’t mind paying for premium earbuds – mixed that with the fact that there are a lot of shady companies employing shill marketing tactic, it is understandable on why people are always skeptical and will act defensively when confronted with such a bold claim. If there is anything I learned from reading Chinese audiophiles forums over the years, it will be the bad ‘SNR’ that often ruins the days. You can never quite sure whether you are reading genuine impression, shill marketing, over-enthused writing or maybe some other types of hidden agenda. So I decided not to take things written on a those forums too seriously but instead let the products speak for themselves, which I kind of glad that I did.  Nevertheless, I think a prelude is needed to shine some light on the unusual circumstances surrounding VE. Regardless of what have been said, it will be a mistake to dismiss VE – that much I am sure.
 

It said: "torture one-self, reject mediocrity, all for our sound."
 
Spec
Asura
Transducer: Open Dynamic
Sensitivity: 108dB
Frequency Response: 10Hz~25kHz
Impedance: 150ohm
Cable Length: 1.2m
MSRP: US$48
 
Zen
Transducer: Open Dynmanic
Sensitivity: -/-
Frequency Response: 20Hz~20kHz
Impedance: 320ohm
Cable Length: 1.2m
MSRP: US$112
 

Zen (left) and Asura (right)
 
Packaging, Accessories and Build Quality
The Zen and Asura comes in one single white box with no model name on the outside. I assume it is one of the ‘early bird’ pack for those who pre-ordered the Zen, which also get a free Asura. The 320ohm Zen is pretty much the flagship earbuds for VE, and Asura is the previous flagship. According to what I have read, Asura is more of a bang-for-buck model meant to be Hi-Fi yet not breaking the bank where Zen is meant to compete with other top-of-the-line earbuds in the market.
 
Accessories wise, there really are not a lot to talk about. Beside the decent hard case, all you’ll get are some foam pad. Then again, that’s pretty much the standard for most other earbuds, so nothing to complain about.
 
Build quality is decent. They are not Sennheiser MX895 so there isn’t any flashy metal or unique design to speak of. The earpiece housing is just the generic type, though the cable do look better than decent - with weaved cable on Asura and the straight silver cable on Zen. Can’t really say what is the material used though, as VE doesn’t list out detail spec on both models. Needless to say, I don’t think you should use them on rough situation (i.e. sport and such). Otherwise I don’t see a problem.
 

Asura
 

Zen
 
Sound Quality
It isn’t easy to describe the sound signature of Zen. If MX985 is about immersion and warm where TM7 is about lush and liveliness, then Zen will be about PRaT. If you don’t know about what PRaT means, well, it is basically the ‘toe-tapping’ factor in music. The kind of factor that makes a certain headphone more ‘danceable’ than other on the same music. One of the reason is perhaps Zen has one of the best bass impact and attack I have heard on any earbud. It is not purely a quantitative matter as Zen isn’t exactly what I’ll refer as bass heavy, but the transient is certainly excellent. The vocal range is actually slightly further away when compared to TM7 (and even more when compared to the very sweet MX985), though it holds on to its own and doesn’t sound thin at all. If anything, I’ll say Zen’s vocal range is still pretty good. It gives a sense of depth while still keep a good amount of texture. In contrast, I’ll say Yuin PK1 sounds much thinner in the mid-range. Treble is quite good as well. Not as sparkly as TM7 but I don’t sense any darkness or dullness either. Soundstage is somewhere between TM7 and MX985 - not the widest, but still above average.
 
Asura pretty much share the same sound signature as Zen, with a similar emphasis on PRaT, but feels a bit more compressed on overall dynamic and a bit grainier on the upper vocal. Still, it is good enough that I think it will give PK1 a good run for its money. One thing to note is that, because of the 320ohm vs. 150ohm impedance between the two earbuds, Asura can sound better than Zen when they are on weak source. For example, even though they are both loud enough on my Sony A15 (10mW @ 16ohm), I can definitely tell the Zen has lost its edge and feel rather lifeless. Asura on the other hand still rocks on. But once I have A15 feeding into iDSD micro (as DAC) and O2 (as amp), the situation reversed where Zen comes up on top. So a word of caution is to consider what kind of source you will be using with these two earbuds as it can kind of turn things around.
 
All and all, I’ll place Zen as one of the best three earbuds I current have, among TM7 and MX985. Asura on the other hand is just a few steps down, at the middle of my top ten list, perhaps right around where PK1 will be.
 

From left: MX985, TM7, Asura, and Zen.
 
Sum-up
I don’t usually get goosebump when listen to earbuds , but I do when I heard something that of exceptional quality. The last time I got one is from Blox TM7 some 2.5 years ago. Since then, I have picked up Hifiman EX100, Obique ES903, a few Dasetn, Sidy (also known as BGVP) DX1, some Tingo, Audio-Technica CM707, a very cool Chinese made Dual-Driver-Matrix based earbud and last but not least, the hybrid DUNU Alpha 1 – none is bad per se and a few are actually quite good, though they never approach the top-tier level – but then comes the Zen, and in fact Asura as well. I got two goosebump in a day and it is golden.
 
Now we just need someone to bring these out of China.