Hey, everyone! The wonderful folks over
@Vision Ears have generously sent over their brand-new
VE7 CIEMs for me to review, and they’ve just arrived today. I've spent a couple hours with them, and here are my first impressions:
As usual, the fit and finish on these are absolutely fantastic. It’s flawless all around, and I love the design as well. The faceplates are ever-so-slightly reminiscent of the
Bifrost faceplates on the ODIN, but with a different colour palette and topography; not as many pinks or blues, and spread out in plates, almost. I love the blue shells that it’s paired with. It’s slightly darker and redder than some of the blues you’ll find on the market, and it contrasts the faceplates very nicely. The fit is a bit smoother than my VE6XC or my ELYSIUM too, which I personally find easier to insert
and more comfortable.
Sonically, what I’m hearing right now is exactly what VE’s advertised, which is an emphasis on clarity and neutrality. While, to some, that may suggest a lift in the treble or a relaxed low-end, I’d say the VE7 accomplishes its neutrality by simply not doing too much. It doesn’t lift
that, or dip
this, or expand
that, or aerate
this. It has a more relaxed, more
stand-off-ish approach to presenting music that comes off clean, pure and precise, yet full and realistic too.
I think, for me, the in-ear’s standout feature is the specificity of its imaging. Notes are distinct, tight and focused, and you know exactly where they’re placed in the mix. Beneath them is this incredibly crisp background as well, which highlights those nuances even more. For example, on Nathan East’s rendition of
Love’s Holiday, you can hear that the hi-hat is positioned
slightly to the right, which suggests that the drums were panned from the audience’s POV. Whereas, with less precise monitors, you’d probably just assume it was panned centrally and not even think about it. Those are the kinds of tidbits the VE7 can retrieve with its accuracy.
The downside to that tonality and that tighter note size is the VE7 won't be the most sweeping, resonant or expressive in-ear you’ll probably ever hear. You won’t get those soaring, belting vocals or riveting, ethereal strings. The lows won’t rattle skulls either, even though it does really,
really well for a BA. It’s, again, a more matter-of-fact sort of presentation. But, given the advertising, that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Its stage is also unexaggerated and studio-like; more
near-field than
PA system. Again, given the VE7’s philosophy and purpose, that’s a clear given.
Otherwise, though, I’m very, very impressed with I’m hearing technically. Again, imaging accuracy, stereo separation and stage tidiness are absolutely top-flight. Whenever a note inches left, right, forward or backwards, you’ll hear it with superb clarity. They’re all individually well-textured and fleshed out too. The shaker on the far-left of Nathan East’s
Lifecycle, for example, sounds just as tactile as the instruments centre-stage.
I also love how much headroom there is on the in-ear. The mid aren’t pushed too much, which allows instruments to breathe, and allows for calm, calculated analysis without saturated vocals being shoved in your face. They’re nicely-full, though, which is impressive given what I said about focus and precision earlier. The highs are very well-refined too; extended with a definite edge to them. But, they never exceed the midrange, which I find crucial for reference monitors.
I compared it briefly against VE’s flagship ELYSIUM, and they’re similar in a lot of ways. The VE7 is livelier-sounding as a whole with a bit more energy in its high-mids and highs. There’s more articulation and air to them there, while the ELYSIUM is warmer and more relaxed with its stock cable. If I swapped the cable out for something more neutral, they’d be more comparable.
Instruments also sound more vivid on the VE7, because of that added presence. Though, the ELYSIUM still has the more sweeping, rousing mids of the two, especially with solo performances. There’s a movement and size there that the VE7 trades for its precision. Down low, the ELYSIUM has a warmer mid-bass, but the VE7 has a weightier, more solid, more palpable sub-bass.
All in all, just a couple hours or so in, I think the VE7 is a really, really promising in-ear. It fulfils its brief to a T, and it doesn’t really put a foot wrong along the way. Obviously, you gotta know your own preferences to determine whether or not it’ll be the in-ear for you. But, as a monitor that almost presents music as is - incredibly shrewd in imaging, yet without tonal cheats, coldness in timbre or dulled dynamics - I’m thinking it pretty much hits the nail on the head at the moment.
I hope you found those impressions helpful. Look out for the full review within the next couple months, and please feel free to ask any questions, as always. Cheers!