Vision Ears VE7

VISION EARS VE7-AN ADVENTUROUS ENDEAVOUR WELL EXECUTED!!!
VISION EARS is a small yet well known, owner driven company in the heart of cologne/Germany. They are well known in the audiophile community and other sound enthusiast communities and have been making iems (mostly customs) for the past decade. The best thing is these are the best guys I have talked to ever; they are always helpful and do answer my queries as soon as they can. Their VE Premium line which includes the EVE 20 and ELYSIUM and now the PHOENIX and the EXT and their VE custom line consisting of VE2 - 8 (now having Universal options too) have created a great deal of name and fame for their wonderful Sound Signature and looks. But today I am gonna review one of the universal lineups of their VE customs- VE 7 Signature Design which as per VE and I quote them “neutral, in the best sense of the word and a professional tool for everyone who likes an analytical sound”; but did they deliver on that? Let’s find out

DISCLAIMER-Today I am getting to review the VE 7 Signature Design- the neutral tuned iem of VE lineup. This has been provided to me by Vision Ears in exchange for my honest opinion for which I am grateful to both Vision Ears @Vision Ears, Amin Karimpour and @suman134 for including me in this tour. You can visit the link to know more VE 7.

TECHNICAL DATA-

1. Driver – 7 BA, 5-Way System-2 x Bass - 2 x Low-Mids –1 x Mids - 1 x Mid-High - 1 x Superhigh
2. Impedance- 12Ω @ 1kHz
3. Sensitivity- 116dB SPL at 1mW

PRICE-
1650.00 €

UNBOXING EXPERIENCE-
Now given the price of this iem and the atrocious Indian customs (which we still had to pay) this was sent in a small packet and a 'M' size Spinfit tips.


On opening the VE Hard Rubber packet, I am greeted by a beautiful looking pair of Spinfit on a legendary looking pair of IEMS with VE7 shining through them. The face plate of VE7 looks epic on the signature edition and shines brilliantly overall. The light reflects over the silver writing on the iem and just makes it more wonderful overall to look at.
The cable is as always, a 4core cable with soft housing and 3.5mm termination.

BUILD & FIT-



POWAH REQUIRED-
It’s really easy to drive even phones are sufficient to drive it easily. But this will require some power to show its dynamic range but the change is around 5-10% mostly YMMV

NOTE- This IEM is used with

• N6ii and T01 module & R01(mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review.
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 8) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were FINAL AUDIO E ‘M’ sized tips and Symbio tips both were great.

NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND OF THE VE 7-Signature Edition.

SUB-BASS-

IRON – WOODKID- The big drum begins from 0.15min after a beautiful trumpet solo, with proper seal and some tasty Subbass iems, ohh my!! the rumble from the hits Did you think the song is just that, continue this goes on till the very end…Excellente musique ❤️

FLIP- GLASS ANIMALS- From 0.10min, wait for the beautiful textured Synth hits and the beautiful rumble. Lovely music which just gets on better and better and also don’t forget when the vocals come on from 1.20 min, there is the sub-bass still going on Feels epic!!! Then the Toms coming on from 2mins dot gonna be another epic with the surrounding support music and the it becomes easily busy have fun

For an all-BA set, this is nothing to scoff at. There is good rumble, great tonality and lots of texture . The dynamics are not overshadowed by rumble in any means and just shine through. No loss of resolution at all, even when too much music is going on all around. The fast decay though has its own demerits which causes it to not have a great room filling experience as the notes don’t linger at all. Notes body are slightly lean when compared to a DD iem but they make up with the separation and edge definition. This is different from what I have heard from Vision Ears yet since their other line up like EVE 20, VE8 and VE6XC all were BA but with nearly DD bass tuning. But given Vision ears has meant this as a neutral iem I can understand the emphasis given to the details and resolution this produces. But given all BA set meant to be neutral, this is one of the most effective and energetic subbass I have heard and it will impress a lot .

BASS-

SAVE YOUR TEARS- THE WEEKEND- The drums just start beautifully humming from the very beginning with a single kick bass and a snare and a sudden kick bass. This goes on the entire song and gives a good point of reference to compare with other parts of the music and also the vocals.

WOODFALL TEMPLE–REMIX – THEOPHANY -Now this has a lot of things going but the most notable thing is the number of percussive instruments this song has!!! Experience it once to know the different kind of drums and piano and the multiple small notes – just everything going with so much coherence that it’s a pure heavenly feeling!!! (Don’t worry I am still alive!!! )

The bass is awesome in a way that just makes you feel the energy of the song come through. There’s a lot of dynamism with the bass, combined with great resolution and texture, it’s fulfilling to say the least. Tonality is perfect and it doesn’t go sharp with the snare drum hits either. Notes are slightly on the leaner side with great beginning, body and edge definition. Energy of the mid-bass is good and doesn’t deprive you of much punch in that. A slightly more energetic punch would have been better. Decay of the bass is slightly fast than natural and hence keeps the notes separated but the projection is reduced as a result. But it’s not a bad thing at all, if you pair it with some good sources which makes it have a slightly more natural decay like R01 module of n6ii. The timbre needs a bit more work, it feels slightly fast and too tight. Even though, this bass isn’t like that of an DD iem but this works for me, the essence and energy are kept and I love it that way.



MIDS-

MALE VOCALS- WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER- BREAKING BENJAMIN- The vocalist here has sung his heart out completely and with the beautiful acoustic guitar in the beginning and then the change in guitar to electric guitar and addition of drums from 1.37min makes it a very lovely change.

Male vocals are very controlled and balanced. There overall aspect is not lush or thicker but more to bring out every detail in the words and voice. The tonality changes from thin to thick, as the singer deepens his voice is very beautifully executed. Vocals reaching higher extension when they sing their hearts out, is very much revealing too. Even with many instruments going on around the vocalists, the micro details of breath and lip smack does come through. A slight leanness is felt though in the vocals which is more felt when you know the singer has a thicker voice. No sibilance of any sorts I have felt.

FEMALE VOCALS- UNINVITED (Album version)- ALANIS MORISETTE- The female vocalist just impresses with their change in her pitch and gasps to add more feel to the song. There is also great charge in pace too with sudden addition to many instruments makes it a good challenge for an iem. With the slight musical ques and big drum hits in the back with the slow piano strokes makes the beginning a truly different difference. Wait for the entire thing to open up from 1.45min and you will be interested with the violin and other instruments just popping in, wonderful

Female vocals love the slight lean nature of the notes. Their change in speed and also extension is well executed. The gasps and other smaller details did come through. The sudden addition of lots of instruments does seem like a difficult feat to achieve but for this iem, it’s a “walk in the park” . The extension of the words in the singer’s voice is well executed and also beautifully pairs with other high extending instruments. The separation is also excellent. Vocalist sound open and energetic and separation just adds more glory to the iem tuning. Only thing needed is slightly more width to the beginning of the notes and this will be much better.



INSTRUMENTS IN MIDS- WONDER WOMAN’S WRATH- RUPERT GREGSON-WILLIAMS, HANS ZIMMER, - A just beautiful mixture of drums, violins and bass, electric guitars. Wait for the ends part of the song, where you can peacefully listen to the piano and violin. In this song, in between the big drum hits, the smaller hits are also present. Plus, check for the guitar placement it’s at the back.

ROUNDABOUT- YES- One of the most separated songs. Multiple things will just come and go in this song. Wait for the pace change in this song with small instrument hits in the song. It gets quite busy as the song proceeds further and further.

Mids are no exception to the vocals. They are just as beautiful. There is wonderful separation with good notes distribution over the soundstage. The tonality is slightly on the leaner side but it’s makes up with the notes texture and extension. Microdetails comes at you with great speed and precision yet maintaining musicality. There's not a hint of congestion in this iem let it be faster paced music or orchestra. The decay overall is slightly faster than natural but the timbre doesn’t suffer at all. Thicker bodied notes in the lower mids are missed but the edge definition and beginning are so well executed that this takes a backseat. The upper mids are beautifully done, no loss of energy or sibilance and also not to overly done. Resolution is pretty great too “none are left behind” . Overall, the dynamics are slightly less than what I would expect from the VE tuning but I think the resolution is what was tried and given more importance overall.

TREBLE-
STAMPEDE- ALEXANDER JEAN- the change in the types of violins and added guitars and the odd percussive instrument is epic to listen overall. Wait for change in the pace of the music and added vocals makes it a wonderful listen plus the vocals and the violin’s extension is well recorded and gets wonderful.

STAR WARS AND THE REVENGE OF THE SITH- JOHN WILLIAMS- Do I need to say more of this, it's one of the best music tracks there. A beautiful amalgam of sax, trumpets, drums and violin with slight hints of slightly ‘ting’ causing instrument Watch for the change of musical instruments pace and addition of bass / thicker trumpets which gives another feel at all from 1.40min. Another change coming in for use with much bigger drums and small transient sounds from 3.20min Further changes are also coming but I won’t spoil it, have fun

The lower mids consisting of electronic guitars and trumpets are beautifully executed. They are well extended with great tonality. Textured treble with great inter notes separation is something this didn’t miss at all . The upper treble is well extended but there is slightly less air than I have had felt with some others. Not a hint of sibilance. There is great amount of resolution and details too. Notes are slightly leaner than what I am used to but the edges definition is really good, the notes somehow make a single leaner line. The inter-instrumental separation is pretty awesome too. The only thing I would love to have more is the notes heights contrast and slightly thicker sound.



HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

This iem is of average width and height, but the added depth and interesting imaging in the Z axis makes the head stage both awesome and wonderful. The imaging of instruments is pretty sharp and gives off a space around them, making us feel the difference between what's in front and what’s in the back of the stage. It’s very similar to Focal clear in its staging.

RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

The resolution of this iem is one of the top tiers in its class. This though achieves that with musicality in mind and not being analytical, so if you wanna listen for long you can. Separation also goes hand in hand with the resolution. Inter notes separation is pretty great, all through the notes body, beginning and edges too. Inter instrumental separation is also pretty great and does not falter even in busy passages. Slightly more added width to the iem would have helped more.

COMPARISON-
MEST MK II- (with N6ii R01)
PROS-

VE 7-(with N6ii R01)
PROS-

VE 8- (with N6ii R01)
PROS-

SUMMARY-
This is a different venture of VE into a neutral tuning and for what it’s worth, I loved it. It’s way different that any of the VE iems I have tried and by far this has the best stage depth, treble extension and details than the previous models (not VE 8 of course). This is excellent in its category and is rivaled by MEST MKII mostly but it still stands on its own giving a wonderful experience. But still, I would advise to change cable to probably the stock cable of MEST MKII and SAKESHI of ARES AUDIO since even though the changes were little, they were noticeable and made the overall texture and treble much better.

Disclaimer:

I received the VE7 as part of a review tour organized in my country. I’d like to thank Amin Karimpour for organizing the tour. The views expressed in this write-up are based on my own experience with the pair over a week of evaluation. I am not paid by anyone to write anything positive or negative about the pair.

Introduction:

The VE7 has Seven Balanced Armature (7 BA) drivers on each side with 2 of them dedicated for Bass, 2 for the lower mids, 1 for the mids, 1 for the upper mids and highs, and the last one for treble extensions. Pardon my silliness here, but I’m stumped at how Vision Ears managed to put together such a diverse set of fine-tuned BA drivers, yet the result is the flattest sounding IEM I’ve heard to date. Since I’m not a fan of this signature, I personally preferred the more dynamic and fun-sounding VE8. From Vision Ears’ perspective though, it makes perfect sense to have such diversity in their product range to cater to different preferences.




Aesthetics:

The unit I received was an unboxed unit that came in a rather spacious zipper pouch. While the pouch definitely makes it a lot more pocketable, I really like the elegance of the round metal cases that came with the other Vision Ears IEMs that I got a chance to audition prior to VE7. This shouldn’t be a problem with the retail version though, as the configurator allows one to select that gorgeous metal case if required. The unit sent to me was stunning in terms of aesthetic appeal. The blue shell with a bold and colorful faceplate was definitely stunning and grabbed a lot of attention. If you’re not a fan of this color palette, you have a vast variety of options to choose from and build your unique-looking universal fit VE7 IEM. In fact, the level of customization that Vision Ears provides is tremendous. One can handpick pretty much every aesthetic detail of the IEM, including the color of the cable.

The stock cable is a rather basic 2-pin 3.5mm SE cable and a pair of Spinfit CP100 ear tips. The cable is good in terms of sonic ability, which is something one would expect from an IEM in this price range. However, the cable doesn’t look very durable, thus, I am not very confident about its longevity. Given the price tag of the VE7, I for one expected a better cable, maybe something modular, or a spare cable with a balanced termination at the very least.



Sound:

The VE7 has good speed when it comes to the bass. In terms of quality, the bass is excellent, however, it severely lacks in terms of quantity. There seems to be a lack of depth in the low end with rumble being almost non-existent.

The VE7 however is graced by a highly resolving and phenomenal mid-range. The note-weight seems perfect with instruments sounding natural and clean. Vocals sound life-like with male vocals having a really sweet timbre. Perhaps the strength of the VE7 lies in the coherence and flawless execution of the mid-range. Listening to something like “Shelter – The xx” is a revelation on the VE7, especially since it renders the nuances of the vocals so beautifully.


Treble on the VE7 is very good. It feels just about right given the flat signature of the IEM. Treble extensions are great. The coherence in terms of tonal balance is really good. Be it strings, hi-hats, cymbals, or all the bells and whistles (pun intended), at no point did anything feel shouty or detuned. Everything sounded lifelike and realistic. I was mighty impressed by the VE7 after giving a listen to “Alone – Speechless Project” on it. The mood and the warmth of this track were beautifully rendered and it was nothing short of ecstatic.




Conclusion:

If you’re someone who loves flat sound signature, the VE7 is an excellent albeit expensive choice. It is perhaps the most detailed and flattest sounding IEM I’ve come across to date. However, I’m not really a fan of flat-sounding gear. The VE7 is a brilliant performer when it comes to technical aspects. The resolution, soundstage, imaging, and separation are all excellent. I’d be hard-pressed to highlight anything wrong in those departments.



If only it had some more bass (especially sub-bass) in terms of quantity, the resulting dynamic range would have been spectacular in my opinion. That, however, isn’t a problem since Vision Ears has people like me covered with the VE8.

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The product was provided to me free of charge for the review purpose in exchange for my honest opinion. The review was originally posted on my site, and now I would like to share it with my readers on Head-fi.

Manufacturer website: Vision Ears. Available for sale from various retailers like Musicteck.

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Intro.

In recent discussions with my readers, I noticed two dominating trends. Some are on a mission to find a flagship all-rounder IEM that ticks all their boxes with money being no object. Others prefer a variety, especially when they can get their hands on different and more affordable IEMs with complementary tuning. And if you look closer into this variety, you will find that many latest releases are leaning more toward either a warmer or a brighter tuning. It is not often you come across IEM that skips the coloring in favor of the neutral clarity.



Being more familiar with Vision Ears (VE) Premium Line of IEMs, Elysium and Erlkonig, I was always curious about their standard VE Line, especially after hearing so many great things about VE8. And while I’m still not familiar with VE8 sound, I just had the opportunity to spend time with another Handcrafted in Cologne pair of IEMs, their newly minted VE7. As a spoiler, it looks like VE went straight for that missing link of neutral transparent tuning. Now, after spending almost a month testing VE7, I’m ready to discuss my findings!



Unboxing and Accessories.

When it comes to VE products, regardless if we are talking about $1.5k, $2.5k, or $4.5k IEMs, their packaging always has a strong touch of Handcrafted in Cologne pride. They literally spell it out once you flip open the magnetic top cover of VE7 box and read this message above the skyline of the Cologne, printed on the inner side of the cover. There are a lot of little details you discover looking around and inside of this rectangular box, like a glossy black VE logo pattern printed around the sides or the way how they used cardboard cutouts for the case and the accessories instead of foam. The unboxing experience of their packaging is always satisfying.




As part of the accessories, you will find a metal puck-shaped storage case with a threaded top cover and a laser etched VE logo. Inside the case, there is a foam insert with cutouts for IEMs fitted like a jewelry in a box. The foam insert is removable so you have plenty of room to store VE7 with a cable, a good and secure storage when traveling, though not as comfortable to carry in your pocket.



The accessories are in square area with a cover that reads “stay clean”, and under the cover you will find just that, a spray bottle with in-ear cleaner and a soft cleaning cloth – both are a great companion to keep VE7 faceplate shiny. You will also find a set of SpinFit eartips (XS, S, M, L), a cleaning tool, 6.35mm adapter (for studio and desktop equipment), a small dehumidifier container, and a detailed instruction manual.



Cable.

The included cable is very basic, featuring 4 twisted OFC wires. It has a single ended 3.5mm TRS plug, a very slim aluminum housing with a short strain relief, and a matching bullet-shaped aluminum y-split with a retractable plastic chin-slider. Moving up toward a standard 0.78mm 2pin plastic plugs with red/blue (right/left) id dots, you will find a flexible pre-shaped earhook formed using heatshrink which is always a plus since you don’t have to deal with metal memory wires.

There is not much to talk about the stock cable. This is a standard cheap cable intended for musicians and performers, rather than audiophiles. I will cover pair ups with higher end cables after the sound analysis, further in my review. But tbh, I was actually using this cable most of the time because it was lightweight, thin, flexible, non-microphonic, and easy to wrap around for storage.



Design.

As many would have guessed, VE7 model name refers to 7-driver design, all BAs in this case. It is actually a 5-way system, partitioning 7 BA drivers into: 2 Bass, 2 Low-Mids, 1 Mid, 1 Mid-High, and 1 Superhigh. This 5-way partitioning is grouped to come out of the 3-bore open nozzle design, no mesh cover so you can clean each bore easily with included tool or if you prefer to use one of those IEM vacs.

Despite 7BA design, the shell is very compact and rather slim with a custom-like shape on the inner side to fit better the concha area of your outer ear. I assume the material used is acrylic, very smooth, a dark blue semi-transparent shell finish with a non-recessed 2pin socket and a slim oval-shaped nozzle.

Despite of its oval shape, there are no issues using regular eartips with a round core. While Ely and Erl share a similar shell shape, I guess part of the Premium VE line with a bigger diameter round nozzle, VE7 has a slimmer design which is going to be more comfortable, especially for those with smaller opening earcanals.

But the focus of the shell is its limited-edition Fire Blaze faceplate design which looks layered and 3D. This multi-layered look actually reminded me of Odin faceplate, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was designed by the same company. And because of this multi-layered look, the faceplate design looks mesmerizing and 3D as you look at it straight or from an angle. With VE7 in your ears, it looks and feels like you are wearing CIEMs.

The pictures of VE7 faceplate I took with my phone don’t do it justice.



The fit.



Sound Analysis.

I analyzed VE7 sound performance paired up with a neutral LPGT source while playing a variety of test tracks, such as Agnes Obel “The curse”, Sandro Cavazza “So much better” (Avicii remix), C-Bool “Never go away”, Ed Sheeran “Shape of you”, Alan Walker “Darkside”, Galantis “Hunter”, Iggy Azalea “Black widow”, Indila “Boite en argent”, Dua Lipa “Love again”, Counting Crows “Big yellow taxi”, David Elias “Vision of her”, and Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana”. No burn in was necessary, though by force of habit I still let it play for a few days before I started analyzing the sound. I used stock SpinFit eartips and stock single ended cable in my analysis.

I find VE7 to have a neutral balanced signature with a revealing transparent colder tonality and a high level of clarity and detail retrieval. The overall sound has zero coloring, and the tuning is very coherent with all 7 drivers working in a unison of a perfect harmony.

Bass has a good extension, goes deep to a level of sub-bass rumble, but it is more neutral in quantity. We are talking about fast, tight, articulate BA type of bass, without too much texture or weight, but it has good accuracy and control. It still gives you a good sense of the toe-tapping PRaT rhythm, but it is on a leaner side and not the star of the tuning.

Lower mids are neutral, no added weight, just a touch of natural warmth, sounds very linear going from bass into lower mids. Upper mids are natural, resolving, layered. Not natural-organic, but rather natural-revealing. Mids do have a revealing edge with plenty of clarity thanks to a moderate lift around 2kHz and 4kHz, but they still sound natural to my ears.

Treble is airy, extended, on a brighter side, but well controlled and not overwhelming. There is a peak around 7kHz to give the sound higher resolution and to help extract more micro-details, but it doesn't contribute to any sibilance or harshness. And then another peak in upper treble around 12kHz injecting more "air" into the sound, helping with layering and separation between the instruments and vocals.

The soundstage is wide, definitely above the average, having more width than depth/height, creating sort of an oval shaped space around you. Imaging is not exactly 3D holographic, but still very accurate where you can distinguish and pin point every instrument and vocals in space thanks to a nicely layered and separated sound.



Eartips selection.

The selection of eartips is crucial to any universal in-ear monitors and will affect the sound, especially the bass impact/quantity which depends on the seal. Due to a large opening of my earcanals, I usually go for the largest size eartips to get a better seal. Also, please keep in mind, eartips impressions are subjective and will be based on anatomy of my ears.

SpinFit (stock) - baseline sound with balanced signature and neutral revealing tonality. The treble is bright and crisp, but not harsh.

Final Type E - the same as stock SpinFits.

AZLA Xelastec - a touch more sub-bass, otherwise the same as stock SpinFits.

Symbio F - a touch more sub-bass and more tamed down treble. Treble is still crisp, but Symbio F takes the edge of it to make it sound a bit smoother.

Comply TSX - more sub-bass and slightly elevated mid-bass. Treble is smoother as well, but it affected the treble extension and airiness. Also, I noticed the soundstage got narrower which I didn’t like.

If VE7 treble bothers you, Symbio F is a good alternative to tame it down. Otherwise, stock SpinFit eartips are good.



Cable pair up.

I’m aware that some people don’t believe in cables and have very strong opinion about it. It’s not my intent to change those minds. Instead, I’m just sharing what I hear during my testing. What makes sense to me, a metal wire is a material with physical properties of resistivity, conductivity, purity, and unique geometry, all of which put together act as a filter between your source and headphones. Variations of these physical properties can affect the conductivity of analog signal, resulting in a sound change, from a subtle to a more noticeable level. If the talk about cables upsets you, please skip this section. Otherwise, enjoy these short impressions.

stock to Eletech Socrates - a noticeable change in soundstage getting wider, though in this case I was going from 3.5mm stock to 4.4mm balanced which is a contributing factor relative to a source. Another change is a deeper sub-bass extension and stronger mid-bass impact.

stock to EA EVO10 - I thought the effect will be similar to Socrates, and indeed, the bass became stronger and deeper which I liked. But lower treble got a bit peaky and I started to hear a little bit of sibilance which I didn’t like in this pair up.

stock to EA Cleopatra - this was a good pair up with a noticeable change in bass extension and impact, going from neutral to elevated which changed the overall sound sig to even more balanced. For cable disbelievers this is a great example to try. Mids/vocals also have a fuller body and treble is a bit smoother. Soundstage all got a bit wider, though I went from SE to BAL.

stock to PlusSound Tri-Copper - I hear a very similar improvement as with EA Cleo, bass impact and extension change is quite noticeable. And so does a fuller body mids/vocals. But treble was also a touch smoother in comparison to Cleo. This was actually my favorite pair up that gave VE7 a more natural and musical tonality.

I didn't go into kilo-buck cable pair ups since some would have been more expensive than VE7 price tag. But between Cleo and Tri-Copper, which I enjoyed both, I preferred the pair up with the latter one.



Comparison.

The comparison was done using VE7 with a stock cable, SpinFit eartips, and LPGT source; volume matched in every comparison.

VE7 vs VE Elysium - This comparison was definitely a surprise, a tribrid design of Ely vs all BA VE7. With both using stock cables, I find VE7 soundstage to be wider, though Ely does scale up with upgrade cables. As expected, Ely's bass scales up in quantity, especially sub-bass expansion, but overall quality is very similar, just that VE7 quantity is more neutral in comparison. Treble also has a very similar brighter and more energetic tonality, though VE7 upper frequency intensity is dialed up a little bit higher. Now, the mids. Ely is famous for its DD mids, being very natural, musical, soulful. But here is a thing, VE7 mids remind me in a way of Ely’s. Perhaps, they don't have the same texture and definitely lacking the same warmth, but they have a similar natural quality. Also, due to sensitivity difference, it was a lot easier to drive VE7 while I had to raise volume with Ely.

VE7 vs Noble K10UA - Despite showing its age quite a bit, I find K10UA to be still relevant and it was an interesting comparison with VE7 since they are not too far off in tuning. The perception of VE7 soundstage is a touch wider, but I think it has to do with a fact that VE7 treble has a better extension and more air. K10UA treble is a bit smoother in comparison. Their mids/vocals tonality and presentation are very close, perhaps with VE7 upper mids being slightly more forward. Bass is a little bit different, not by too much, but K10UA bass is fuller and a little slower, while VE7 bass is more neutral, faster, and tighter.

VE7 vs CFA Andromeda '20 - Another big surprise actually since I found quite a few similarities in this comparison. Using stock cables, I do hear Andro to expand just a touch wider in soundstage. With bass, VE7 is more neutral, fast, tight, controlled, Andro's bass is warmer, slower, more laidback, a bit more north of neutral. With mids and vocals, I was surprised by how similar they sound, both in terms of tonality and technicality, being natural and leaning toward musical tonality with a good retrieval of details. Both also have a crisp and clear treble, energetic and sparkly, but with a few differences, such as Andro can get a bit sibilant with some of the poorly recorded tracks, while VE7 has more control in lower treble and more air in upper treble.

VE7 vs 64 Audio U12t w/M15 - I figured with an all-BA design some might be curious how it compares. VE7 soundstage is wider and quite noticeable. Bass is warmer and more elevated in U12t while, in comparison, VE7 bass is more neutral, tighter, faster. Mids in U12t have more body, which is noticeable in lower mids where VE7 is leaner and more neutral. Upper mids are relatively the same, though you will notice in vocals with U12t a thicker body while VE7 will be natural and leaner, more revealing. Treble is different as well with U12t being attenuated down in comparison to a lot more energetic brighter and airier treble of VE7.



Source pair up.

In each source pair up, I was using a stock cable and SpinFit stock eartips. VE7 is very easy to drive considering its 116dB sensitivity and 12ohm impedance. No hissing was detected. For your reference, these are brief pair up notes. And by brief, I just focus on any changes related to signature and general tonality, without going into too many details of technical performance difference.

Lotoo LPGT - baseline sound with balanced signature and neutral revealing tonality. The treble is bright and crisp, but not harsh.

Cayin N6ii w/E02 and ddhifi 4.4mm/3.5mm adapter - very similar to LPGT but with added weight in bass, especially deeper and more textured sub-bass rumble.

L&P P6 Pro - I do hear added sub-bass rumble and overall bass having more weight and texture. The same with mids and vocals, smoother and more textured tonality. Treble is still crisp, but a little smoother and more natural.

Hiby R6 2020 - the pair up is very similar to LPGT, would probably be hard to tell them apart.

A&K SP2000 SS - the sound sig is still balanced, but now it is more W-shaped where bass, mids, and treble came up. Bass is warmer and has more weight, goes even deeper. Mids are very similar, just with a touch more body. And treble because a little brighter, spikier, and even sibilant in a few tracks.

Lotoo LPGT + Cayin C9 - right away I hear a more expanded wider soundstage. Also, bass gained more weight and body, and mids/vocals also have more body. But unfortunately, I do hear a hissing in this combination, a background waterfall like white noise which I didn’t detect with any other sources. VE7 were dead quiet with all sources, but in this pair up it was noisy.



Conclusion.

Vision Ears put a lot of emphasis into promoting VE7 as their neutrally tuned IEM. But from what I have seen in the past, the reference to neutral sometimes turns people off because they assume it will be a dry lifeless sound. In this new release, it feels like VE gave neutral a whole new meaning where you can enjoy the sound without a need for a bass boost or a coloring. I would even go as far as saying that in the last few weeks VE7 became my EDC (every-day carry) companion while using it with a smartphone and a laptop.

You might already have your basshead tuned IEMs with a deep rumble and elevated impact or your crisp-tuned IEMs with analytical micro-details. Now, you can complement those with VE7 neutral balanced signature that focuses on clear detailed sound and revealing transparent tonality that bypasses the coloring. And they don’t just stand out because of their unique tuning, but also due to a more reasonable pricing and the ergonomics of the design that makes you feel like you are wearing CIEMs with a beautifully crafted custom faceplate.