Vivo xe800 vs GR07BE...
I'm going to make this short. They are both great, but in the end the GR07BE is better IMHO.
Build quality on the vivo xe800 cable is sketchy. The cable isn't of high quality. I like the housings but wish I could go over the ear with them without having to swap channels.
The sound on the vivo xe800 is great, but the GR07BE is slightly better.
Bass: vivo xe800 has a slightly boomier bass that is slower in attack and decay. It works great for some genres, but not all. The GR07BE bass is world class, extends down to the center of the earth, and is quick in attack and decay. Round one goes to GR07BE
Mids: This is a tricky one. Mids are more forward and musical on the vivo xe800, creating more of a 3-d sense of imaging. However, the bass presentation combined with the mids causes them to have a slightly less sense of clarity. The GR07BE seems almost recessed when coming from the xe800, but is not "lacking" in terms of tone.
Because the only knock I've ever had on the GR07BE has been imaging, I give a slight edge to the vivo xe800 for midrange.
Treble- This comes down to preference. The vivo xe800 is smoother in its treble presentation. It has enough detail and clarity to be impressed. There were times when I was listening to them that I felt like treble could have been a hair sharper.
Anyone who has experienced the GR07BE will probably agree with when I say that they are "perfectly sibilant", meaning that they aren't always hot up top, but it does show when tracks are recorded with sibilance. The GR07BE doesn't put a "bandaid" on sibilant recordings, which some might not like, but to my ears it sounds much more natural and revealing to my ears.
Soundstage: Extensions on both ends is better on GR07BE. Width goes to the GR07BE. Mids are lusher with better imaging and great bass on the xe800.
Thid is a pretty close match up, but I give a slight edge to the GR07BE.
I hope this helps.
Actually one of the reasons that I passed on these last time they were available for cheap was that I'm not sure how much of an upgrade they'll be to the VSD3S. I'll compare them when I get the xe800 but that will probably be many weeks from now.
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