[aflyingduck]

I think for most people Aura is the DD PLE. It sounded similar, clean, with excellet technical ability.

For jerks as picky as myself, the Aura's:
- subbass is average and more mid over sub, and mid quality/quantity is good but not fantastic. PLE actually slams harder with the exact same SP3000, cable, tips, and volume setup.
- mids are pulled further back which I really didn't enjoy, and instruments in the mids image smaller than the usual recessed mids IEM (recessed compared to PLE)
- treble extension is not as good
- bite is not as good
- female vocals can sound a touch too forward

YMMV and also will need to hear a unit that has settled down, hopefully later today.

Definitely would like to know how the others think after listening!

By DD PLE do you mean phoenix limited edition? The purple ones?

I wish I got a chance to hear it but sadly that was not available.

 

[Tristy]

I think for most people Aura is the DD PLE. It sounded similar, clean, with excellet technical ability.

For jerks as picky as myself, the Aura's:
- subbass is average and more mid over sub, and mid quality/quantity is good but not fantastic. PLE actually slams harder with the exact same SP3000, cable, tips, and volume setup.
- mids are pulled further back which I really didn't enjoy, and instruments in the mids image smaller than the usual recessed mids IEM (recessed compared to PLE)
- treble extension is not as good
- bite is not as good
- female vocals can sound a touch too forward

YMMV and also will need to hear a unit that has settled down, hopefully later today.

Definitely would like to know how the others think after listening!

My impressions reflect these. Aura was nice and the build quality was amazing, best at Canjam London next to Solaris Stellar Horizon, but I feel the sound was lacking for the price tag. Nothing was wrong with it so to speak I just felt that it wasn’t doing anything special so wasn’t worth the asking price for me. The VE 10 also didn’t impress me too much, I liked it but it felt like a step down when comparing it to the likes of Raven etc. it sounded intimate and like a more technically accomplished VE8 (which I’ve owned and loved). It was a more intimate sound and quite in your face. I need to try it again with my other gear as I feel I’d love it but during that short amount of time it failed to capture my attention. EXT is a completely different creature altogether IMO and offers something unique compared to the standard DD+BA set ups.

 

[Eoin]

By DD PLE do you mean phoenix limited edition? The purple ones?

I wish I got a chance to hear it but sadly that was not available.

I think he is implying that for most people, the tuning of Aura and Phönix LE would be very similar, but with noticeable differences in the bass as a result of Aura having some DD drivers where as the Phönix OG & LE had BA drivers for the bass
Some prefer DD over BA.

 

[vladzakhar]

100% agree, the Aura is what the Phoneix LE was missing - the DD bass. It's great for electronic music with prominent bass lines. The modern pop vocal music is enjoyable too. Old rock as good as it was recorded.

 

[Rockwell75]

Sorry for not being clear enough.

Trifecta is great, its totally a different sound. Its sound impressed me a lot too.

But the connector was not 2-pin and all my flagship cables are 2-pin. I would like to switch the cables around for different impressions of the sound with new iems.

I kept going back to trifecta but I could not convince myself to see my flagship cables not being involved with the new iems at all.

Therefore I eliminated trifecta from the run at the end and focused on odin and ronin.

If trifecta was 2-pin I probably would have gotten it several months ago.

I'm in the same boat, but with a preference for MMCX. My last few cables have been Con-X and having experienced it I never want to go back-- Con-X should be an industry standard imho.

 

[twister6]

100% agree, the Aura is what the Phoneix LE was missing - the DD bass. It's great for electronic music with prominent bass lines. The modern pop vocal music is enjoyable too. Old rock as good as it was recorded.

Exactly! Just finished and posted my Aura review, including FR comparison between PHX OG, LE, and Aura, for anybody who is interested

 

[Nightshifter]

It’s still my favourite IEM (with my setup, it really shines with power). It’s a unique sound which I haven’t heard elsewhere and I’ve heard most of the current crop of heavy hitters…. Actually thought about buying another as a spare in case mine fails

Nice to hear

The fit is very hit or miss, so I would highly recommend that you try them out first if you can to avoid disappointment. When I spoke to VE at London Canjam they said they had looked into making a custom version, but it was challenging due to required positioning of the EST drivers high up the nozzle of the iem shell (which itself is why the universal shell doesn’t fit well for many people).

Sound wise I love them, but that’s all down to subjective preference! They’re not as technically impressive as some of the best TOTL iems out there, but I haven’t found many that are more musically engaging.

I already own a technically impressive headphone and I search something to have fun with so that could really be the perfect match.
I already owned bass heavy IEMs (Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 EB and a Sony I don't remember) 10-15 years ago and I loved the Soundsignature of the DD driven lows.

I would recommend hearing the VE Aura ( making it for A&K), the VE10 and their new model ( not out yet ) before moving on the EXT. I was never a fan of the EXT and felt VE could do better. Others liked it.
Many also had a fit issue with the EXT, so you should definitely trial it first.

The aura looks very nice but the price is above my limits. The VE10 lacks the DD for the lows...

I loved the EXT however I developed a sudden and weird aversion to e-stat timbre that muted my enjoyment of it somewhat...I had a similar problem with the Annihilator when I owned it. I think EXT is definitely worth looking at and easily worth the money if you connect with it...but as others have said it should be a try-before-you-buy scenario if for no other reason that the weird fit. I would second the recommendation to consider the Aura and the upcoming VE 10. I haven't heard Aura but the VE 10 is allegedly based on a pink prototype that VE had circuating around a few CanJams and which remains far and away the most captivating new IEM I've heard in 2023 so far (topping the likes of the Fir Rn6, Subtonic Storm, FatFreq Grand Maestro and a few other big hitters). The VE 10 is the number one thing on my radar heading in to CanJam SoCal later this month.

Can you describe that further what exactly you didn't like from that e-stat timbre?

I listen to mostly vocals on SP 3000. I almost never listen to EDM.

I auditioned EXT and I didnt like it. Cannot tell whether or not its because of my taste, my DAP or my playlist.
In the end i got vision ears phonix.

I then also auditioned empire ears Odin, empire ears Odyssey, campfire trifecta, noble audio ronin and many others.
I was like ok, i just wanted something that sounded different. maybe i should buy Odin or Ronin anyways. I was not 100% in it but at least it sounded different.

Then Aura came along and BAM! it was everything i wanted. Vocals separated clearly yet close from the rest of the instruments. Highs, mids and lows all coming strong (with the lows coming harder than the rest). The only shortcoming is the soundstage. The soundstage is not as wide as odin and ronin. But at least I can see how Aura is designed to pair with SP 3000.

Also, the shell of Aura is impressive, one of the main reasons why I picked aura over other iems is the material and construction of the shell.
I personally had never touched or seen vision ears ERLKöNIG so i cannot compare.( I wish I get to tho)

I also have cables other than the stock cable and they each perform differently. Could get more into that.

My point is you never know whether you would like the equipment or not unless you try it out in person, or how much you like it, or whether or not its worth the price.
What's for me might not be for you. What goes well with my equipment might not go well with yours.

Especially when the equipment we are talking about is under such heft price tag, reading/researching online helps but it definitely should not be the only thing you do before pulling the trigger.

To avoid remorse, please go ahead and audition it by yourself with your equipment.

Thanks for the review.
Aura is above my price limits.
I still think that the EXT could be perfect match.

@all
Looks like I have to try.
Hope I can test it somewhere near me since I live in germany.
I could also just pull the trigger and send it back if I don't like it but that doesn’t feel right to me.

 

[aaf evo]

The aura looks very nice but the price is above my limits. The VE10 lacks the DD for the lows...

The upcoming VE X/10 has DD lows.

 

[Rockwell75]

Can you describe that further what exactly you didn't like from that e-stat timbre?

Not really beyond that it has this ethereal quality to it that once I notice I find hard to un-notice. Interestingly I didn't notice it as much in the Fir Frontier series (or previously in the Elysium) which are the IEMs with e-stats I have the most experience with apart from Ext and Ani. Sorry if this wasn't much help.

 

[Frankie D]

The aura looks very nice but the price is above my limits. The VE10 lacks the DD for the lows...

The soon to be released VE 10 has a DD for the bass frequencies.

 

[davidmolliere]

So the virtue of classics is that they continue to amaze long after you get them, no matter what new kid / new tech on the block there is classics have a uniqueness that makes them relevant no matter what (re-assuring really, tuning and engineering greatness is still the key). I am really in awe of what @Oliver Marino and the VE team have done with this baby... (I am sure if EXT had been custom... anyway VE10 will be so )

But back to the Ely, I am going through my collection with my latest (last?) DAP, Cayin N30 LE.

I plugged the Ely with Cleo II Octa to the N30, class A / Tube in Classic Mode / P+ and Hyper mode ON on medium gain and... pure magic...

I didn't know that the Ely had this extra potential to deliver and I have known them for hundreds and hundreds of hours... really stunning synergy with N30 LE and I have ran them on many flagship DAPs and the iCAN Pro in Tube mode it didn't sound half as good as this... granted N30 is way more Tubey so it's right down my alley and the midrange is really something to behold.

This is the kind of vibe I am living for and why I am in this hobby, everything disappears and you get intimate with the music and the artist... it takes quite a feat of engineering to take things to that level

 

[Nightshifter]

My EXT arrived yesterday.
At first I was very disappointed due to the fact that the sound was very ... idk some kind of "detached". I figured out that it had something to do with the fit. Then I tried different Eartips and finaly with the AZLA Crystal Tips they sit so tight that it feels like it is sucked in my ear by its own constantly. I have done a lot of housework yesterday and today and the fit is perfect for me. They don't move any millimeter while working with them - best fit I experienced with an iem.
It's to early to give a detailed statement about the sound but they sound great till now.
Very smooth soundsignature, great resolution, great highs and I love the bass

 

[Deferenz]

My EXT arrived yesterday.
At first I was very disappointed due to the fact that the sound was very ... idk some kind of "detached". I figured out that it had something to do with the fit. Then I tried different Eartips and finaly with the AZLA Crystal Tips they sit so tight that it feels like it is sucked in my ear by its own constantly. I have done a lot of housework yesterday and today and the fit is perfect for me. They don't move any millimeter while working with them - best fit I experienced with an iem.
It's to early to give a detailed statement about the sound but they sound great till now.
Very smooth soundsignature, great resolution, great highs and I love the bass

I thought the EXT was the best fitting IEM I've ever tried. It had a great seal and it felt like it became part of your ear.

 

[pankaj1431]

My EXT arrived yesterday.
At first I was very disappointed due to the fact that the sound was very ... idk some kind of "detached". I figured out that it had something to do with the fit. Then I tried different Eartips and finaly with the AZLA Crystal Tips they sit so tight that it feels like it is sucked in my ear by its own constantly. I have done a lot of housework yesterday and today and the fit is perfect for me. They don't move any millimeter while working with them - best fit I experienced with an iem.
It's to early to give a detailed statement about the sound but they sound great till now.
Very smooth soundsignature, great resolution, great highs and I love the bass

Once you get the perfect fit, they hardly move out of their place. Enjoy them as they are one of the most musical IEMs out there.

 

[Darkestred]

I thought the EXT was the best fitting IEM I've ever tried. It had a great seal and it felt like it became part of your ear.

Agreed. Its probably as close as you can come to a custom fit. Its just unfortunate it hurts a lot of ears (thankfully not mine!).