[Watermelon Boi]

GR07 Classic: Mild V-shape, 6k peak, slightly subdued upper treble
GR07 Bass: Same as Classic with less upper treble
GR07X: Flattest of all the VSonics with a upper treble boost
GR09: Sub-bass boost, laid back treble, warmest of the lot
GR07AE (not my impressions): Similar to GR09 with no sub-bass boost, like a warm GR07X if anything.

Unexpected that GR09 is the warmest. Is there a distinct difference between GR09 and others in terms of performance?

 

[DeltaRay]

Has anyone heard anything or tried the Ares? Saw it being really pricey on Aliexpress and not moving at all.

 

[Anaz]

Has anyone heard anything or tried the Ares? Saw it being really pricey on Aliexpress and not moving at all.

Looks new and hopefully will be an incremental upgrade to the GR07 BE since it’s priced higher. However, from a cursory glance, the following have me worried and I’ll hold out for reviews: the word “bass” in the title (... okay, I have a “bass edition” GR07 and Vsonic’s implementation of extra bass on that is restrained and perfect ), the shape looks like it would stick out from your ears, and no detachable cable.

 

[ArksalSublimed]

Hello guys, I've read a lot about VSONIC GR07, I've search them in their Aliexpress "official" store but they have way more new variants like low impedance, 2018 edition, microphone edition, do you think is there any difference in sound signature between different variants from base model like Classics GR-07. I would like to get a pair of these with microphone option but obviously maintaining the same sound signature from the base model. Between GR-07 Classic and VSD5S (My preferences are balanced and soundstage) some opinion about it? Thank you in advance guys.

PD: By the way I don't see the GR-07X edition in their store, maybe they sell them only in lendmeurears site.

 

[kova4a]

Looks new and hopefully will be an incremental upgrade to the GR07 BE since it’s priced higher. However, from a cursory glance, the following have me worried and I’ll hold out for reviews: the word “bass” in the title (... okay, I have a “bass edition” GR07 and Vsonic’s implementation of extra bass on that is restrained and perfect ), the shape looks like it would stick out from your ears, and no detachable cable.

I had it ordered initially but changed my mind and cancelled the order. Btw, lmue had it on sale for 140 bucks last month. I ordered it again couple of weeks ago when the official tmall store had it in a package deal with the upgraded gr07x but the taobao agent messed up and missed the deal. People seem to be split on the ares. Some say it's bright others that it is warm and with subdued highs. I am still undecided on getting it. Maybe if a really awesome deal pops up coz nowadays I prefer only ergonomic housings with over the ear fit and the ares doesn't meet that criteria

Hello guys, I've read a lot about VSONIC GR07, I've search them in their Aliexpress "official" store but they have way more new variants like low impedance, 2018 edition, microphone edition, do you think is there any difference in sound signature between different variants from base model like Classics GR-07. I would like to get a pair of these with microphone option but obviously maintaining the same sound signature from the base model. Between GR-07 Classic and VSD5S (My preferences are balanced and soundstage) some opinion about it? Thank you in advance guys.

PD: By the way I don't see the GR-07X edition in their store, maybe they sell them only in lendmeurears site.

The official aliexpress store is not really official - the tmall store is the only official one, but the aliexpress one is fine, I've ordered from it several times. The 2018 version features updated housing and cable. there is actually a standard non-low impedance 2018 version, but for some reason it's still not available from international resellers. The mic version sounds the same as the non-mic version. Gr07 is more realistic sounding than vsd5s, I do prefer the ergonomic housing of the vsd3s/5s, but if you go for a cheaper vsonic wait for the occasional vsd3s sales as it goes often at 50% off and for $30 is a great buy - the vsd5s offers a slight different tuning that's not really worth the price difference. The gr07 also every few months or so goes at least 10-20 bucks lower and you can grab one for circa $80 and maybe circa 90-95 for the mic version. The vsd2s is also quite good sounding but usually the lowest it goes is like 25 bucks - I prefer it's form factor and fit bit it's a bit thin and light sounding in comparison.

 

[Watermelon Boi]

The official aliexpress store is not really official - the tmall store is the only official one, but the aliexpress one is fine, I've ordered from it several times. The 2018 version features updated housing and cable. there is actually a standard non-low impedance 2018 version, but for some reason it's still not available from international resellers. The mic version sounds the same as the non-mic version. Gr07 is more realistic sounding than vsd5s, I do prefer the ergonomic housing of the vsd3s/5s, but if you go for a cheaper vsonic wait for the occasional vsd3s sales as it goes often at 50% off and for $30 is a great buy - the vsd5s offers a slight different tuning that's not really worth the price difference. The gr07 also every few months or so goes at least 10-20 bucks lower and you can grab one for circa $80 and maybe circa 90-95 for the mic version. The vsd2s is also quite good sounding but usually the lowest it goes is like 25 bucks - I prefer it's form factor and fit bit it's a bit thin and light sounding in comparison.

Dang, the Aliexpress one wasn't the authentic one? No wonder why the price is higher than the MSRP :/

 

[Udi]

I have some questions about all these new GR07 versions:

1. Is the aliexpress store really not official (vsonic.aliexpress.com)? Because it's listed as "Vsonic official store". Please provide evidence / link to the official store if elsewhere.
   
2. Can someone explain how the "low impedance" versions are different (i.e. surely they must use a different driver?), and has anyone got a measured FR graph for both? This seems like a terrible move because one big reason the original GR07 (and C) was such a hit was because of the high impedance making them very easy to drive correctly with phones/ipods/etc (thus they sounded "as intended" for any average joe). I think many people think "low impedance" means "easy to drive" which is obviously not true, low impedance = harder to drive since it's closer to a dead short, and you end up reducing bass frequencies noticeably with common sources. It seems very odd that Vsonic would give into this (incorrect) marketing pressure. Sidenote: you can't see this problem unless you measure the FR curve back-to-back (on both versions) with a normal source and a high current drive source.
   
3. Where/how does one get the 2018 version (new design, either fixed or detachable cables), with the original high-impedance drivers? I read above that this is an actual thing, but it's not very clear anywhere, and some of the product pages even give different impedance numbers for the same product (50Ω and 32Ω). I think that may be the correct link still, as the main spec list says "51Ω".
   
4. Do "New GR07 2018" and "GR07X" use the same driver? I can't see the X advertised on the aliexpress store or LMUE, it seems superseded now. I've seen someone say they're not the same, but there's actually no proof given, and it seems logical that they'd be the same thing. Again, some official evidence / verification would be good.
5. I can't find a shop link for the GR07 2018 non-detachable without the "low impedance" added in the product title, if anyone can explain / link that would be great.

FWIW, LMUE list a "New GR07 2017" with old graphics/casings, while the aliexpress vsonic store lists "New GR07 2018 detachable" and "New GR07 2018 Low impedance" both with new graphics/casings.

I mean no rudeness with these questions, but I think a lot of people are wondering, and there's a lot of varying information here with no evidence. It makes it hard to decide which/where to buy.

Hopefully someone can answer these 5 questions, it'll probably help many.

 

[kova4a]

1. The only official store is the tmall vsonic store. https://vsonic.tmall.com/?spm=a220o.1000855.1997427721.d4918089.43d6fa42yHtZGy
How do I know? Because Vsonic's CEO said so. That's where they run all their official promotions, offer all new models way before all resellers and where you can get the new 2018 versions. There are authorized resellers though - lmue is one or at least used to be as I am not sure if it still is. there' a also penonaudio and I guess aliexpress' brightaudio and the "official" one, but they don't necessarily have to observe MSRPs, they don't match the offical vsonic tmall promotions (lmue used to do it few years ago and also offered pre-orders but doesn't anymore) and they don't carry the newer models and when they do it's usually months later than the official release date.

2. The low impedance versions are 32 ohms and have the exact same drivers. They are just easier to drive and made for people to use with their smartphones.The average consumer using his/her phone as source cares more about the output sound pressure level more than for impedance matching and whether the lows are attenuated. People complained that they can't drive thr gr07 on their phones and it wasn't loud enough, so vsonic made a lower impedance version and 32 ohm is still high enough to not be affected by most phones' output impedance. And vsonic still offers a 50ohm version, so no mistake made and not a terrible move - just giving the consumer a choice.

3. Right now the only place you can grab the 2018 50 ohm version is the official tmall store, but you can't just buy one freely unless you're in China. You have to use a taobao agent like basetao and it's a bit of a hassle and will cost you as you have to pay hefty ccurrency conversion rates, handing fees and commission, which raises the price with at least 30 bucks. But if you really want a gr07 with the newer housing that's the way until other resellers pick it up but it's been months and they still haven't.

4. Gr07x was discontinued. It had upgraded drivers and a bit improved tuning, which brought the higher price. As I said before, vsonic released a new upgraded gr07x with carbon nano drivers instead of the previous bio-cellulose ones, but it was a limited event and it's unknown whether there will be another one. Vsonic's CEO said it will not be offered for sale. You can also grab the gr07 collector's eddition - the one with the silver plished housings - it has the new updated design and carbon nano drivers and occasionally goes down to circa $150 on aliexpress

 

[ForceMajeure]

1. The only official store is the tmall vsonic store. https://vsonic.tmall.com/?spm=a220o.1000855.1997427721.d4918089.43d6fa42yHtZGy
How do I know? Because Vsonic's CEO said so. That's where they run all their official promotions, offer all new models way before all resellers and where you can get the new 2018 versions. There are authorized resellers though - lmue is one or at least used to be as I am not sure if it still is. there' a also penonaudio and I guess aliexpress' brightaudio and the "official" one, but they don't necessarily have to observe MSRPs, they don't match the offical vsonic tmall promotions (lmue used to do it few years ago and also offered pre-orders but doesn't anymore) and they don't carry the newer models and when they do it's usually months later than the official release date.

2. The low impedance versions are 32 ohms and have the exact same drivers. They are just easier to drive and made for people to use with their smartphones.The average consumer using his/her phone as source cares more about the output sound pressure level more than for impedance matching and whether the lows are attenuated. People complained that they can't drive thr gr07 on their phones and it wasn't loud enough, so vsonic made a lower impedance version and 32 ohm is still high enough to not be affected by most phones' output impedance. And vsonic still offers a 50ohm version, so no mistake made and not a terrible move - just giving the consumer a choice.

3. Right now the only place you can grab the 2018 50 ohm version is the official tmall store, but you can't just buy one freely unless you're in China. You have to use a taobao agent like basetao and it's a bit of a hassle and will cost you as you have to pay hefty ccurrency conversion rates, handing fees and commission, which raises the price with at least 30 bucks. But if you really want a gr07 with the newer housing that's the way until other resellers pick it up but it's been months and they still haven't.

4. Gr07x was discontinued. It had upgraded drivers and a bit improved tuning, which brought the higher price. As I said before, vsonic released a new upgraded gr07x with carbon nano drivers instead of the previous bio-cellulose ones, but it was a limited event and it's unknown whether there will be another one. Vsonic's CEO said it will not be offered for sale. You can also grab the gr07 collector's eddition - the one with the silver plished housings - it has the new updated design and carbon nano drivers and occasionally goes down to circa $150 on aliexpress

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
You should be the CEO haha.
Really though the last year has been very confusing with vsonic.

 

[Udi]

2. The low impedance versions are 32 ohms and have the exact same drivers. They are just easier to drive and made for people to use with their smartphones.The average consumer using his/her phone as source cares more about the output sound pressure level more than for impedance matching and whether the lows are attenuated. People complained that they can't drive thr gr07 on their phones and it wasn't loud enough, so vsonic made a lower impedance version and 32 ohm is still high enough to not be affected by most phones' output impedance. And vsonic still offers a 50ohm version, so no mistake made and not a terrible move - just giving the consumer a choice.

I don't think you understand what "low impedance" means, this is a common misconception.

Lower impedance means harder to drive, that's why multi-driver IEMs with an impedance of around 10-16Ω start experiencing heavy rolloff, usually in bass frequencies, because most phones and iPods won't provide enough current to drive them properly.

Low impedance requires higher current, which is what most basic sources cannot provide.

High impedance requires more voltage, but this is readily provided by simple sources (evident by only needing a few bars of volume for listening levels), it's the current that is lacking.

Post #18 here by JimAustin makes it VERY clear, if you still don't get it.
There are a lot of incorrect posts on this topic in general (including in that thread), but this is the most concise explanation I've seen.

I've personally done calculations for this (for the iPhone, with the GR07), and even the lowest OI versions of the phone (around 2.1Ω OI from memory) still suffer some rolloff at 43Ω (the actual measurement @ standard 1kHz for the old GR07/C), so 32Ω would be detrimental.

Bottom line: if you use a portable source like an phone or iPod, you want a high impedance IEM, unless you want to lose a bunch of bass frequencies and have poor bass control.

This is why it's a mistake on VSonic's part, and the opposite of what they should have done.
There have been posts questioning this move earlier in this thread (rightfully so), by people who understand the concept.

2. The low impedance versions are 32 ohms and have the exact same drivers.

Do you have evidence for this?
Reason I ask: you can't lower the impedance without changing the driver, or at the very least adding resistance across the driver terminals (which is a terrible idea and I don't know why they'd do this).

 

[kova4a]

I don't think you understand what "low impedance" means, this is a common misconception.

Lower impedance means harder to drive, that's why multi-driver IEMs with an impedance of around 10-16Ω start experiencing heavy rolloff, usually in bass frequencies, because most phones and iPods won't provide enough current to drive them properly.

Low impedance requires higher current, which is what most basic sources cannot provide.

High impedance requires more voltage, but this is readily provided by simple sources (evident by only needing a few bars of volume for listening levels), it's the current that is lacking.

Post #18 here by JimAustin makes it VERY clear, if you still don't get it.
There are a lot of incorrect posts on this topic in general (including in that thread), but this is the most concise explanation I've seen.

I've personally done calculations for this (for the iPhone, with the GR07), and even the lowest OI versions of the phone (around 2.1Ω OI from memory) still suffer some rolloff at 43Ω (the actual measurement @ standard 1kHz for the old GR07/C), so 32Ω would be detrimental.

Bottom line: if you use a portable source like an phone or iPod, you want a high impedance IEM, unless you want to lose a bunch of bass frequencies and have poor bass control.

This is why it's a mistake on VSonic's part, and the opposite of what they should have done.
There have been posts questioning this move earlier in this thread (rightfully so), by people who understand the concept.


Do you have evidence for this?
Reason I ask: you can't lower the impedance without changing the driver, or at the very least adding resistance across the driver terminals (which is a terrible idea and I don't know why they'd do this).

I unerstood you perfectly, but you're not taking everything into account. Low impedance does require higher current, but 32 ohm is not low impedance for iems - below 16 is. Pretty much anything has enought current to drive something in the 16-32 ohm range. But when you raise the impedance the voltage requirement raises, so your source has to provide leower current but higher voltage and it can't, especially a phone. That's why no smartphone can properly drive, for instance, the 100ohm etymotic er4s let alone big cans with 100ohm + resistance. And then not only the dynamics and the sound presentation suffer, but often times you have zero headroom and the sound preesure level is still to low. There' a reason why pretty much all average consumer iems are 16ohm with high sensitivity - because the average consumer often times judges the sound on how loud the heasphones can get, and if you're out and about in a noisy environment and you can barely hear your music at max volume that is a bigger issue than attenuation in the lows. Vsonic decided on amiddle ground and I think that is fine. And you can always add resistance - there are olentyvif sellers selling 50ohm+ impedance adapters

 

[Udi]

You clearly did not understand (and still don't) as evident by your misleading quote here:

The low impedance versions are 32 ohms and have the exact same drivers. They are just easier to drive

Not correct, lowering the impedance makes them more difficult to drive.
This is a clear cut fact in the case of the GR07, given the impedance curve, which I've linked below.

But when you raise the impedance the voltage requirement raises, so your source has to provide leower current but higher voltage and it can't, especially a phone.

Again, read my previous post, voltage drive is no problem for simple sources, it's the current drive that is lacking - and this is what causes lower impedance IEMs to suffer in frequency response.

The visible effect of this problem is that at a few bars of volume, the IEM is already loud enough (with plenty of volume control to spare), however there is appreciable loss of bass depth and control. This is because many portable sources struggle to provide enough current, not voltage.

Pretty much anything has enought current to drive something in the 16-32 ohm range.

Not true, many portable sources will suffer with nominal impedances this low - it is very clear if you perform an FR test with a high current source vs. an average phone or portable.
As I said, the previous-gen GR07C/BE (measured at 43Ω nominal impedance) were already showing slight bass rolloff issues with a 2.1Ω output impedance source (which is definitely on the lower side for phones, i.e. about as good as it gets on average), so reducing this to 32Ω is in no way a good thing. Yes it's not as bad as some, but also it's definitely a step backwards compared to previous. "Many" IEMs being 16-32Ω does not mean that "many" people's phones are driving them correctly or are sounding as intended.

Sidenote: the single-driver GR07 exhibits a fairly flat impedance curve (as shown here, which makes for easier analysis), but on many multi-driver IEMs which claim "nominal 16Ω" at the usual 1kHz frequency, there can be much worse dips elsewhere in the curve causing severe rolloff, usually in bass. So looking at the number alone is not the best idea either, it just happens to work okay in this particular case. I'm intimately aware of this because I own a 2-BA / 1-Dynamic IEM @ "nominal 16Ω" that shows noticeable bass rolloff issues with average portable sources. It performs great with suitably high-current amplification, but not without. In fact this is why I own the GR07 in the first place, and why many others do too, it plays well (or rather, played well, before they reduced the impedance) with average portable sources.

And you can always add resistance - there are olentyvif sellers selling 50ohm+ impedance adapters

Read my post again.
I said you can't easily lower the impedance without changing the driver (your claim), it is very easy to increase the impedance with cables or adaptors. You are showing a clear lack of understanding on the topic of impedance, which is no issue, but the problem is you are misleading others.

Sidenote 2: simply increasing the impedance via cable adaptors (for a low impedance IEM) is not ideal either, because it sacrifices damping factor (and decreases sound quality) in the process. This is why a higher impedance IEM out of the box is always better for average portable sources.

You've also conveniently not provided any proof of your claim that the "low impedance" version uses an identical driver.
How did they lower the impedance?

 

[ForceMajeure]

Udi.
He's not looking for a fight. He responded to you and I think he was clear enough. whether or not the 32ohm ver is the same DD and structure we don't know.
There are many factors that will account for a bass roll off as you call it and introducing BA based iems with non linear impedance for comparison is even worse for drawing any conclusion.

And yes you are correct about low loads being more difficult to drive for an amp.
But you have to look at it with the correct perspective. 16-32ohm is more than acceptable for any phone.


Please there's no need to go into fight territory

 

[kova4a]

You clearly did not understand (and still don't) as evident by your misleading quote here:

Not correct, lowering the impedance makes them more difficult to drive.
This is a clear cut fact in the case of the GR07, given the impedance curve, which I've linked below.


Again, read my previous post, voltage drive is no problem for simple sources, it's the current drive that is lacking - and this is what causes lower impedance IEMs to suffer in frequency response.

The visible effect of this problem is that at a few bars of volume, the IEM is already loud enough (with plenty of volume control to spare), however there is appreciable loss of bass depth and control. This is because many portable sources struggle to provide enough current, not voltage.


Not true, many portable sources will suffer with nominal impedances this low - it is very clear if you perform an FR test with a high current source vs. an average phone or portable.
As I said, the previous-gen GR07C/BE (measured at 43Ω nominal impedance) were already showing slight bass rolloff issues with a 2.1Ω output impedance source (which is definitely on the lower side for phones, i.e. about as good as it gets on average), so reducing this to 32Ω is in no way a good thing. Yes it's not as bad as some, but also it's definitely a step backwards compared to previous. "Many" IEMs being 16-32Ω does not mean that "many" people's phones are driving them correctly or are sounding as intended.

As a sidenote, the single-driver GR07 exhibits a fairly flat impedance curve (as shown here, which makes for easier analysis), but on many multi-driver IEMs which claim "nominal 16Ω" at the usual 1kHz frequency, there can be much worse dips elsewhere in the curve causing severe rolloff, usually in bass. So looking at the number alone is not the best idea either, it just happens to work okay in this particular case. I'm intimately aware of this because I own a 2-BA / 1-Dynamic IEM @ "nominal 16Ω" that shows severe bass rolloff issues with average portable sources. It performs great with suitably high-current amplification, but not without. In fact this is why I own the GR07 in the first place, and why many others do too, it plays well with average portable sources.


Read my post again.
I said you can't easily lower the impedance without changing the driver, it is very easy to increase the impedance with cables or adaptors.
You are showing a clear lack of understanding on the topic of impedance, which is no issue, but the problem is you are misleading others.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. And there's no need for personal attacks. I guess we have a different undersranding of whatvis easier to drive. For example, take the vsonic vsd3s, which is 32 ohm, it takes a lot less power to drive to a certain sound pressure level than the 50ohm gr07, the gr07 requires higher voltage to be driven as loud. Back in the day when I was using the gr07 mk2 with my colorfly c3 I could barely drive it a max volume and couldn't at all with my samsung galaxy, so voltage is clearly the factor here and you can't tell me it's not when no smartphone aside from few the last few years can drive a 100ohm ety er4s, which by your logic should be super easy for any source. I said I agree low impedance iems are also hard to drive, but like below 16 ohm, there are some really hard to drive 10-12ohm iems that reuqire an amp to get enough current. Of course, you need to take into account the sensitivity of the iem. There are some low impedance iems that are not really hard to drive and some that are. And can't get you on the adapters matter - you want a higher impedance and say that low impedance iems suck, so I suggest adding resistane because it's easy to increase the impedance and you just repeat what I said in other words and tell me I lack understanding?

 

[Udi]

whether or not the 32ohm ver is the same DD and structure we don't know.

He stated it was the same, that's why I asked for evidence (as this is unlikely).

Like I said, many people used the GR07 as a secondary IEM / daily-driver for exactly the reasons I described (many higher-end IEMs, particularly multi-driver ones don't perform as intended with average sources like phones), so there is plenty of reason to not provide misleading information on this topic. You can't just make claims with no backing.

Some people (perhaps not you, but others) do use this information to make a choice in spending their money, so keep that in mind.

I guess we have a different undersranding of whatvis easier to drive.

There aren't "different understandings" to have on this topic, there is a right and wrong answer.
I haven't seen a single documented case or concern of running out of voltage/volume on the original GR07/C/BE (which claimed 51Ω), however it was borderline for current drive - though *just* good enough with portable sources (i.e. produced mostly accurate-to-claim frequency response) that it was still an excellent choice. Thus, reducing the impedance further to 32Ω doesn't improve anything in this case, but it does cause some detriment.

This may well not be the case for the ER4S as you said - that is certainly plausible, I agree.
My comments are specifically for the GR07.

To each their own though, I've stated what I needed to.