[Deezel177]

@Deezel177, thank you for the Elysium review, I own the Trinity brass so I am particularly interested in your review. Do you know at what point the crossovers take place? do you know if the two ESTAT drivers kick in at the same frequency point? As the Trinity and the Elysium use the same estat drivers for the treble, will your comment about the dynamic headroom for the treble also apply to the Trinity? Great job.

Thank you! I don’t know exactly what frequency range the e-stats cover, but they’re certainly tuned differently on the Trinity and the Elysium. Like I said, the Trinity is sharper and drier-sounding in the low-treble (where s sounds and tizz sounds are), while the Elysium retrieves the same - if not a higher - amount of detail whilst being silkier and wetter-sounding. Because of this, the Elysium has a lot more of that dynamic range, while the Trinity’s dry-ness (and the contrast between its low-mids and treble) can become a bit fatiguing and compressed-sounding after some time. I’d say that’s what puts the Elysium over the Trinity for me, while the Trinity’s appeal is in its thick, voluptuous bass response.

 

[Jalo]

Thanks I will be able to demo the elysium in a few days.

 

[Sound~Patriot]

Thanks I will be able to demo the elysium in a few days.

And?

 

[Jalo]

Ha Ha Ha

 

[Jalo]

 

[Jalo]

Ha Ha I went in to audition the Elysium but came out with the Erlkonig. The Elysium is pretty good but I like my Trinity better. The Treble is almost the same as the Trinity but the mid range is softer due to its DD driver. The Trinity's mid range has much more PRaT and dynamic to me and I like it better. The bass is also more visceral for the Trinity. The bottom line is that the Trinity and the Elysium is more similar than different and I happened to like the Trinity better.

I did not know too much about the Erlkonig going in but since they have a demo I said what the hack let hear it. Within the first minute upon listening to the Erlkonig, I was shocked two times. The first shock was from the the sound. It was a refreshing sound signature as most of my IEMs have a V or U shape but the Erlkonig has a rather linear sound making the mid range much more forward and that is really good for the lovers of vocal like myself. The second shock was of course the price. After thinking about it over night I recover from the second shock, but I never recover from the first and hence I am a proud owner of a set of Erlkonig.

 

[Jalo]

What do I do? I cannot stop looking at the Erlkonig and I cannot stop listening to them either. I can either look at them or listen to them. They are so beautiful both sight and sound.

 

[Sound~Patriot]

Ha Ha I went in to audition the Elysium but came out with the Erlkonig. The Elysium is pretty good but I like my Trinity better. The Treble is almost the same as the Trinity but the mid range is softer due to its DD driver. The Trinity's mid range has much more PRaT and dynamic to me and I like it better. The bass is also more visceral for the Trinity. The bottom line is that the Trinity and the Elysium is more similar than different and I happened to like the Trinity better.

I did not know too much about the Erlkonig going in but since they have a demo I said what the hack let hear it. Within the first minute upon listening to the Erlkonig, I was shocked two times. The first shock was from the the sound. It was a refreshing sound signature as most of my IEMs have a V or U shape but the Erlkonig has a rather linear sound making the mid range much more forward and that is really good for the lovers of vocal like myself. The second shock was of course the price. After thinking about it over night I recover from the second shock, but I never recover from the first and hence I am a proud owner of a set of Erlkonig.

This hobby is so funny as tastes are sooo different i love it.

I've sold my Trinity exactly for the reasons you've mentioned (drier midrange). It might sound more dynamic but less natural (imo). The bass was great though... but i prefer Canary 's bass over Trinitys.
The Erlkönig is a great one. My problem was that just mode 1 was really mine and therefore it is too expensive for my wallet's taste. And the weight needs getting used to.

 

[Jalo]

This hobby is so funny as tastes are sooo different i love it.

I've sold my Trinity exactly for the reasons you've mentioned (drier midrange). It might sound more dynamic but less natural (imo). The bass was great though... but i prefer Canary 's bass over Trinitys.
The Erlkönig is a great one. My problem was that just mode 1 was really mine and therefore it is too expensive for my wallet's taste. And the weight needs getting used to.

Sure I can understand that you like the more natural mid and at times I like that also as I am not unfamiliar with that sound I have two single DD iems ( JVC FW10K and Lab 2). The Trinity is a new sound for me and I like the variation. And now the Erlkonig, so much to enjoy (4 settings) haha.

 

[davidcotton]

What do I do? I cannot stop looking at the Erlkonig and I cannot stop listening to them either. I can either look at them or listen to them. They are so beautiful both sight and sound.

Buy another set?

 

[Jalo]

Buy another set?

But I only have one kidney left

 

[Sound~Patriot]

The ELYSIUM ......

Honestly......this one blew me away from the first second i put it into my ears. Extremely clear but still warm and silky mids and so sweet, nicely tuned highs. Didn't expect that.
And the bass is just perfectly integrated. Nice to see bass is not the main actor here. Here it's definitely the mid section. Awsome !
Fit is just perfect and the built quality is the best i've seen so far.

 

[davidmolliere]

Beautiful and oh please don”t make me like them

 

[beholdclarity]

The Vision Ears VE8 has finaly arrived!

A brief summary of my history:

I have started my journey with closed over ears headphones in the 300-800USD market with great success. I have made the switch to IEMs with the Campfire Andromeda early this year. The Andromeda did a remarkable job and I had only few fit issues. The sound signature was a little more on the brighter side and had that clear and dry feel to it. Then came the Campfire Solaris, my first hybrid and my first true love in IEMs. It always had a darker feel to it with liquid fluidity and no sharp edges, ever. The extension of the bass and its impact were sublime and the sound just oozed liquid gold. But there were definite fit issues. Hence began my journey for customs.

Vision Ears is located in cologne, Germany and has many skilled distributors around the country. One of them, Pietschmann, is located in Frankfurt just 5 minutes from where I work. So I paid them a visit.
They had all the VE line-up available at that time for testing and test I did.

Being the snob I am, I ended up with the VE8. I tested it three times and got consistent results: not absolutely what I am looking for, but fantastic in a different way. I did bear in mind that due to my smallish ears, I never got to experience the true potential, especially in the lower regions of the spectrum, which I like the most. I bit the bullet. My final impressions of the IEM are interestingly different from the universal ones. So seal does play a huge role with BA IEMs.

Now, although my experience was exceptionally pleasant throughout, there were delays in the production. In the end, it took almost 30 days until I had them, as opposed to the estimation of 14-21 days I got. But, never mind that now.

Accessory:

The VE8 is accompanied by a lot of cool stuff. But I do think that the VE8, being the flagship at that time, could do with a better cable. The cable possesses great flexibility but feels a little flimsy. So does the 3.5mm plug, which is a little meh.

Fit and Finish:

The finish of the product and its presentation are good and consistent in their line-ups. You get the same level of quality and accessory no matter the IEM you buy (with the exception of Elysium and Erlkönig).
Getting the IEMs in my ears is something I'm still adjusting to, but the isolation ist... incredible. I hear NOTHING of what's going on around me.

Technical stuff:

The VE8 has 8 BA drivers that come in the following configuration: 2x lows, 2x mids and 4x highs.
The BAs are configured in three ways, so the lows and highs are each double BAs and the highs quadruple,
Driving them is no difficult task, but I do need to crank up the volume from 50 to 65 on my SP1000.

The sound:

Oh my! I was a little worried that I had been spoiled by the mighty and deep DD bass of the Solaris and on my initial testing sessions with the universals it seemed that I was. But the now perfect seal with the customs has changed that quite dramatically.

Lows:

The bass of the VE8 goes deep. Maybe not as deep as the Solaris, I don't know, but you will not miss depth with this woofer BA configuration. It also has impact! It is a different impact than Solaris or Legend X for sure, but there is no lack in power down low. There is also no lack of warmth. While the bass is terrifically well controlled it lends the signature a magnificent layer of warmth especially in the mids without covering any of the details.

Mids:

The mids are detailed and layered. There is a cornucopia of information while making the VE8 emotional and rhythmical. Lows and mids flow into each other effortlessly and with excellent coherency. The mids are neutral-warm with solid body and weight.

Highs:

The treble is very well extended but entirely lack sharpness. It is not the most clearly defined treble making the VE8 lean to a darker side. However upon normal listening, I get the impression that the information in the highs is still there. The VE8 just doesn't throw it in your face or sharpens it up by making it sound edgy. The highs are just super-smooth and effortless.

Signature:

The overall signature is clearly a fun tuning. This is not a reference IEM but easily the most fun and exciting IEM in all regions, I have heard up to date. There is such rhythm and dynamic and emotion throughout. No fatiguing ever. Everything is balanced out pleasingly with nice emphasis in the lows. Musical instruments display separation and distinct qualities. Every string of acoustic guitar is clear from the pluck to the timbre, bass guitars thump and drums kick, clap and hit the way, I think, they should.

The soundstage is tremendously large. I liked how the Solaris allowed pinpointing the position and direction of sound but the VE8 takes it to a new level. I listened to Wish you were here, yesterday. And Welcome to the machine actually made me feel like I was IN the machine. I was part of it. It surrounded me.
The VE8 has that capability to cover you in sound, makes you flow through it. Surrounds you.

Vocals are pregnant with emotion, breathy, clear and part of the music.

With the VE8 nothing stands out and everything stands out

I think I made the right decision

 

[Sound~Patriot]

The Vision Ears VE8 has finaly arrived!

A brief summary of my history:

I have started my journey with closed over ears headphones in the 300-800USD market with great success. I have made the switch to IEMs with the Campfire Andromeda early this year. The Andromeda did a remarkable job and I had only few fit issues. The sound signature was a little more on the brighter side and had that clear and dry feel to it. Then came the Campfire Solaris, my first hybrid and my first true love in IEMs. It always had a darker feel to it with liquid fluidity and no sharp edges, ever. The extension of the bass and its impact were sublime and the sound just oozed liquid gold. But there were definite fit issues. Hence began my journey for customs.

Vision Ears is located in cologne, Germany and has many skilled distributors around the country. One of them, Pietschmann, is located in Frankfurt just 5 minutes from where I work. So I paid them a visit.
They had all the VE line-up available at that time for testing and test I did.

Being the snob I am, I ended up with the VE8. I tested it three times and got consistent results: not absolutely what I am looking for, but fantastic in a different way. I did bear in mind that due to my smallish ears, I never got to experience the true potential, especially in the lower regions of the spectrum, which I like the most. I bit the bullet. My final impressions of the IEM are interestingly different from the universal ones. So seal does play a huge role with BA IEMs.

Now, although my experience was exceptionally pleasant throughout, there were delays in the production. In the end, it took almost 30 days until I had them, as opposed to the estimation of 14-21 days I got. But, never mind that now.

Accessory:

The VE8 is accompanied by a lot of cool stuff. But I do think that the VE8, being the flagship at that time, could do with a better cable. The cable possesses great flexibility but feels a little flimsy. So does the 3.5mm plug, which is a little meh.

Fit and Finish:

The finish of the product and its presentation are good and consistent in their line-ups. You get the same level of quality and accessory no matter the IEM you buy (with the exception of Elysium and Erlkönig).
Getting the IEMs in my ears is something I'm still adjusting to, but the isolation ist... incredible. I hear NOTHING of what's going on around me.

Technical stuff:

The VE8 has 8 BA drivers that come in the following configuration: 2x lows, 2x mids and 4x highs.
The BAs are configured in three ways, so the lows and highs are each double BAs and the highs quadruple,
Driving them is no difficult task, but I do need to crank up the volume from 50 to 65 on my SP1000.

The sound:

Oh my! I was a little worried that I had been spoiled by the mighty and deep DD bass of the Solaris and on my initial testing sessions with the universals it seemed that I was. But the now perfect seal with the customs has changed that quite dramatically.

Lows:

The bass of the VE8 goes deep. Maybe not as deep as the Solaris, I don't know, but you will not miss depth with this woofer BA configuration. It also has impact! It is a different impact than Solaris or Legend X for sure, but there is no lack in power down low. There is also no lack of warmth. While the bass is terrifically well controlled it lends the signature a magnificent layer of warmth especially in the mids without covering any of the details.

Mids:

The mids are detailed and layered. There is a cornucopia of information while making the VE8 emotional and rhythmical. Lows and mids flow into each other effortlessly and with excellent coherency. The mids are neutral-warm with solid body and weight.

Highs:

The treble is very well extended but entirely lack sharpness. It is not the most clearly defined treble making the VE8 lean to a darker side. However upon normal listening, I get the impression that the information in the highs is still there. The VE8 just doesn't throw it in your face or sharpens it up by making it sound edgy. The highs are just super-smooth and effortless.

Signature:

The overall signature is clearly a fun tuning. This is not a reference IEM but easily the most fun and exciting IEM in all regions, I have heard up to date. There is such rhythm and dynamic and emotion throughout. No fatiguing ever. Everything is balanced out pleasingly with nice emphasis in the lows. Musical instruments display separation and distinct qualities. Every string of acoustic guitar is clear from the pluck to the timbre, bass guitars thump and drums kick, clap and hit the way, I think, they should.

The soundstage is tremendously large. I liked how the Solaris allowed pinpointing the position and direction of sound but the VE8 takes it to a new level. I listened to Wish you were here, yesterday. And Welcome to the machine actually made me feel like I was IN the machine. I was part of it. It surrounded me.
The VE8 has that capability to cover you in sound, makes you flow through it. Surrounds you.

Vocals are pregnant with emotion, breathy, clear and part of the music.

With the VE8 nothing stands out and everything stands out

I think I made the right decision

Very nice read. Great mini-review !

Oh, yes...nice design as well