[tawmizzzz]

Bro, yours is the new universal shell with the slightly different shape nozzle? Or is the old demo?

Hey man-old demo. Whatever barra is packing...tour wise!

 

[Rockwell75]

I was fortunate to receive the Elysium/VE8 tour package this afternoon. The Elysium was released a couple years ago right around the time this most recent phase of my audio hobbying began in earnest. I was immediately enticed by its description and by enthusiastic reviews by fellows like @mvvRAZ. Still, back then the fact that it was only available as a custom was pretty much a deal breaker for me (along with the cost). Up until somewhat recently I was too entrenched in the basshead tendencies of my audiophile youth to seriously consider an IEM with a single BA for the bass. Still, I have always been curious to hear it and am grateful that these IEM tour programs exist as it’s one of the few ways to try new gear without blind-buying in this depressing age of Covid.

I tried the VE8 first and it was basically exactly as I remembered from when I owned one earlier this year—something of a thicker, darker Andromeda. It sits in the upper echelons of my personal favourites alongside the Campfire Andromeda 2020, which I consider to be something of a spiritual sibling to the VE8 in that both IEMs specialize in what I have come to realize is the most important quality of an IEM to me-- emotional engagement ie., the ability of an IEM to draw me in, to stir my heart, to make me feel something when I listen to my music. It is this quality which to me elevates IEMs like the Andromeda and the VE8 above some of their flashier or more technical peers.

While I loved the VE8 the Elysium is decidedly another level to my ears. It has, in just a few hours, totally and completely won me over. The presentation was a bit weird to begin with, especially after days of rapid fire jumps from the MEST to the Andro to the Solaris…but once I upped the gain on my n6ii and just sat back and let the Ely do its thing it wasn’t long before I was swept up in its beautiful textures and gentle nuances. The bass presence (or comparative lack thereof) was a bit jarring at first but once I forgot about trying to break things into pieces and isolate and compare and instead focused on the signature as a unity I found myself immersed in a blissful and beautiful world of sound from the Elysium. At first I was quite thrown off by what appears to be an almost homeopathic amount of bass—and I know of at least one other person who did not get on that well with this IEM on account of this. However I found that, listening to the Elysium, the comparative lack of bass emphasis frees up my attention to fully engage with the midrange of the music, which is really its heart and soul. This is where the Elysium’s choice of a DD for the mids really comes into play as it helps create a really rich, naturally textured and alluring mid-range. Instruments and voices feel at times to almost break the 4th wall and convince you they are right there with you—and it is on account of this mid-range voodoo that after a short time I don’t even notice the lack of bass anymore and find myself totally captivated with what I’m hearing. I've thrown a wide variety of my music at the Elysium-- including a lot of EDM and drum and bass-- and while often a different or more nuanced presentation than what I am used to the Ely brings enough of its charm to the fore that I find myself more often than not feeling as though I’m hearing old favorites for the first time again, or in a way I’ve never heard before.

The greatest strength of the Elysium, to my ears, is that it lays bare the essence of what your are listening to...but not through raw detail and resolution, which can come off as sterile. Instead the Elysium forces you to forsake a some of the spectacle and theatrics of a more robust bass response and instead, through a deft focus on a wonderfully alluring and textured mid-range, facilitates an intimacy with whatever it is you are listening to. Here we have an IEM that sees its role, not to draw attention to itself but to get out of the way, and let you connect directly with your music and to my ears. This connection, above all, is what I am ultimately seeking from the listening experience. The Elysium is the first IEM I've heard that is a comprehensive upgrade to the Campfire Andromeda in terms of emotional engagement. It's shot right to the top of my "want" list and the only reason I haven't ordered one already is that I haven't yet figured out which one of my vital organs I can do without. Cheers Vision Ears and thanks again @Barra for making this tour possible.

 

[toaster]

Awesome, @Rockwell75 !

Glad you’re finally getting some ve love up north.

Elysium is a special piece, no doubt.

Now, if you could just have a crack at the erlky as well...

 

[Rockwell75]

Awesome, @Rockwell75 !

Glad you’re finally getting some ve love up north.

Elysium is a special piece, no doubt.

now, if you could just have a crack at the erlky as well

I'd love that...I hope we can get some more people in our Canadian tour group so we can get some more tours up here. I would love to hear the Erlkonig...but honestly I have a hard enough time wrapping my head around the cost of the Ely...the Erlkonig, great as it may be, is just too far out of reach $$ wise for me.

 

[Rockwell75]

 

[Rockwell75]

This track sounds amazing on the Ely:

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

If VE manages to create an IEM that retains their mids with good DD bass I’d be all over that.

I would be all over that IEM. It would be end game for me.

 

[Rockwell75]

I think I'll be picking up an Elysium through my favorite store @MusicTeck

Edit: It is done...I've just joined the VE family.

 

[normie610]

I think I'll be picking up an Elysium through my favorite store @MusicTeck

Edit: It is done...I've just joined the VE family.

Welcome to the family

 

[Frankie D]

I think I'll be picking up an Elysium through my favorite store @MusicTeck

Edit: It is done...I've just joined the VE family.

Andrew is the best! Enjoy!

 

[toaster]

Better late than never

Welcome, @Rockwell75!

 

[Frankie D]

This track sounds amazing on the Ely:

That was great!
Now to spice things up a bit I compared the Ely with PW1950, VE-8 with Horus 8-Wire and Erlk LE ( as it comes ). The Ely is fantastic. The bass is not really that low, so it has some good punch. I do feel the VE-8 to go a bit deeper and I might favor it over the Ely for this track. It has a bit more punch. There is also no treble to speak of, so no favoritism in the highs comes into play. The Erlk can really shine on this track. It goes deeper, sounds fuller, and makes the details of the cut clearer. The end is really great as the deeper bass comes through just right.
Anyway, fun track and all three were great.

 

[Rockwell75]

Found a great review of the Elysium.

Of the midrange he said:

"The midrange is…just…oh my god. Neutral, natural, rich, controlled, vivid, mesmerizing, shimmering…well, you get the point.
These are one of the best, if not the best vocal performing IEMs I’ve ever heard period.
What’s very interesting is that I’d call it’s sound signature to be overall flat which could make them uninvolving. But no, that’s not true, not even close.
The midrange just takes you by your guts and put right into a music spectacle you simply don’t want to get out of.
I’m yet to hear more engaging, magical and hypnotizing vocals than this one."

Of the soundstage:

"Now, let’s get into the star of the show – the soundstage.
It is by far the best staging I’ve heard in an IEM to this date. It is so holographic and immersive that it sounds almost like a top-tier open back headphone. The soundstage is huge, in both, depth and width, but the thing that will steal your heart is its imaging. The stereo separation, shapes of the instruments, not a hint of emptiness – it all creates a magnificent festival of sounds going around your head in a sophisticated and natural way.
I want to put it as simple as I can – if you value the soundstage above everything else in the sound – I think that it might be the best IEM you’re ever gonna listen to. Remarkable."

I would add that instruments too as well as vocals are spellbinding on the Elysium. And yes the soundstage has really impressed me, and I'm coming right from MEST/Andro/Solaris.

 

[toaster]

vocals on ely are straight bonkers...the best I’ve ever heard.

the erlky may tie it for vocals, but until I listen again side by side I won’t be sure...

 

[Rockwell75]

Another great review of the Elysium:

https://headfonics.com/vision-ears-elysium-review/2/

I remember reading this review way back. Turns out this whole "the driver config sounds crazy but it works" view was dead on. Forgive the gushing but I at a loss for words to describe how much the Elysium has totally captivated me. It's a culmination of everything I've ever wanted and everything I didn't know I needed all wrapped into one. I put my Solaris on after two straight days with the Elysium and fell in love with it right over again...but omG it sounded like a bass cannon coming from the Ely. I was going to sell it but think I'll keep it around-- the etheric and blissful yin of the Elysium's presentation is perfectly and adeptly complemented by the raging yang of the Solaris SE. I love both but the Elysium will be getting the lion's share of my time from here on out.