VSonic VSD1/VSD1S Reviews/Impression Thread

[Freddopoops]

Just got my VSD1s today!
 
 

 
My initial impressions are:
 
Build quality:
When compared to the GR06's beautiful copper cable, the wires of the VSD1 simply do not inspire confidence. There is also no cable cinch. The section where the wire splits into two is slick, but as shown in the above picture, is flimsy at best compared to the GR06. It should also be noted that the headphone jack of the VSD1 is not gold plated, thus creates annoying static if you spin it around while listening to music. Nonetheless, the shiny plastic housing is solid (looks cheap though) and there is also a nice matte finish on the convex part (even though the 'VSD1' in comic sans font is slightly irritating.. and is also only printed on the right bud.. what's up with that?!). The ergonomics are good and very comfortable worn both over the ear and straight down. 
 
Sound:
Straight out of the box with literally only 5minutes of listening time, the bass is extremely bloated and not fast punching at all. Mids and highs are decent but i cant judge much since i haven't spent decent time in both listening and burning in. Isolation is good and cable noise is apparent while worn down and non existent while over ear. 
 
 
Overall, I expected a better cable in terms of build quality. Sound wise, they are quite capable but lack clarity and separation in the bass region, and thus can be quite fatiguing (Bass heads will love it straight out of the box though). I definitely need more listening time and allow these buddies to burn in for a few days and hope they tighten up a bit.. but my initial impressions are quite positive. The '80% of GR07's sound' claim is ridiculous in my opinion but nonetheless the VSD1s are a definite bang for your buck at 40$ or so. 

 

[Huxley]

Sauce?

 

[erudite]

Any comparison to the gr06?
 
Anyone have a reliable way to contact vsonic, my gr06's broke just out of warranty and so i emailed vsonic directly to inquire if they could help me out at all but received no response. 

 

[Lifted Andreas]

Quote:

Have to say yeah, might be player dependent, i'll have a fiddle later and see how they stack up against my yammies.
 
Id say they're quite spatial, but i really do like the slightly forward mids, makes them a nice all rounder good with rock as well.
 
As for expelling any excitement, been many years since i've had the chance to

 
Yeah that would be interesting to read.
 
Would they get even close to the Yammies or not. 

 
 
Quote:

Yeah Geko, get'em. For sure.

 
Definitely considering for this months purchase mate. 

 
 
Quote:

HMU with some of your sets and I'll take a listen. I can say that the trance I currently listen to is pretty nice on the headphones, but it is not my main genre.

 
You can find my latest Trance mix for streaming and download here:
http://www.mixcloud.com/LiftedAndreaS/dj-lifted-andreas-laser-kissed-vibes-046-classic-vibes-part-1-httptrancefm-22-05-2013/
 
Previous sets are here:
http://www.mixcloud.com/LiftedAndreaS
 
 
Quote:

 
I had the pleasure of switching between them while listening to laser kissed vibes #18 (and now #26) while doing yard work. Make doing yard work rather enjoyable 

 
To me, the vsd1's entire signature is more forward, so you're slapped in the head with sound. Lots of bass. Forward mids. Very nice treble. Overall a very big, full, satisfying sound.
 
With the Bassos, the bass and mids are a bit farther away than with the vsd1's (ie they are not recessed, but they are more recessed than with the vsd1's). The Basso's bass is ample and very nicely controlled, but not as much thump as with the vsd1's - I would venture to say that the vsd1's have more mid-bass, whereas the Basso's more extended into the sub-bass regions. Although the vsd1's treble is actually surprisingly good, the treble of the Basso's is more detailed, refined and sparkly. I get a sense of more space with the Basso's - a deeper soundstage - they sound more airy. 
 
Knowing that you are a bit of a treble-head and like the Tenores so much, I would venture to say that you would prefer the Basso's over the VSD1's for trance - the Basso's would I'm sure have ample bass for you, and they have more layering, are more airy, and the treble is a bit more detailed/sparky/refined.
 
For me? I'm loving both of them for trance to be honest. The vsd1's extra bass and forwardness forces you to get engaged with the music. The Basso's deeper soundstage, sense of space, beautiful bass and more refined treble is amazing. Loving them both.
 
Btw, this is through my clip zip and C&C BH. Also, the vsd1's have only about 24 hours of hard burn in on them so far. Time to get back to the yard work with more vibes!

 
Wow thats some nice comparison there, thanks mate! However you're not making it any easier for me to choose between the Bassos and VSD1 lol.
 
I'm still loving my latest Trance mix on the Tenores, I cant believe how well they handle stereo separation and soundstage.
 
Btw, what tips are you using with your Bassos? Stock?

 

[peter123]

Quote:

Any comparison to the gr06?
 
Anyone have a reliable way to contact vsonic, my gr06's broke just out of warranty and so i emailed vsonic directly to inquire if they could help me out at all but received no response. 

I sitll love the mids of the gr06 but I think the VSD1 is better in total. 

 

[peter123]

Quote:

Wow thats some nice comparison there, thanks mate! However you're not making it any easier for me to choose between the Bassos and VSD1 lol.
 

We all now you're going to choose both

 

[Lifted Andreas]

We all now you're going to choose both

Maybe I would, if I was a millionaire lol

 

[Huxley]

Ok bud, you wanted a comparison you got one,
 
Had to be a quickie as summats killing the battery on my fuze, no idea if it's me not switching it off, or the battery is gone.
 
Ahem.....
 
Sauce will be my fuze/P4 warbler for both, Rocoo ba for the EPH100's and Colorfly C3 for the VSD1's
 
Tracks will be trance of course, Triple A - Winter stayed and Matt Darey - See The Sun Both decent remixes of course.
 
VSD1 - Forward, Engaging, Effects are more pronounced, and linger in your head for longer such as echoes etc
Bass hits deep and hard, tiny hint of bloat bit it's settled down, hopefully with more burn in it'll settle down some more.
Treble has more sparkle, for me it's bang on where i like it.
Vocals are great on these things, again forward but in the right way, forces you to pay attention and really enjoy listening.
 
EPH100 - Well you know these, More spatial but yet music doesn't linger, vocals a bit recessed but perfectly acceptable as you'd expect from the mids.
Bass is well balanced, the VSD1's can go too much with the bass, but the yammies are pretty reserved, also separation is better.
 
Which one do i love, it's close, the separation in the yammies is what i love about them, not to mention their laid back nature.
But if i had to choose, id say VSD1, they are just real nice to listen to, combined with that fit makes them a winning combo for me.
 
 
 
Now if you don't mind, im going to have a play with my HS3000 that's just arrived, just to see what the fuss is with this aptx codec.

 

[DannyBai]

Just got these today and mowed the lawn with them.  Plenty of bass to drown out outside noise.  I really like the bass.  Big, powerful bass but remains pretty tight for the most part.  There's some bloom but I assume it will tighten up with some use.  Midrange is decently forward and treble is nice.  I hear some graininess in the upper midrange/lower treble region but I'm sure it will smooth out.  I can hear the mid bass affecting the vocals so there's some heft in female vocals.  Might be better with male vocals but I gotta do some more listening to know.  Stage is wider than deep but doesn't sound congested in the least.  Overall, I'm quite impressed and very happy that I only spent less than $40 for these.  These punch above that price no doubt.  

 

[kova4a]

Quote:

Just got these today and mowed the lawn with them.  Plenty of bass to drown out outside noise.  I really like the bass.  Big, powerful bass but remains pretty tight for the most part.  There's some bloom but I assume it will tighten up with some use.  Midrange is decently forward and treble is nice.  I hear some graininess in the upper midrange/lower treble region but I'm sure it will smooth out.  I can hear the mid bass affecting the vocals so there's some heft in female vocals.  Might be better with male vocals but I gotta do some more listening to know.  Stage is wider than deep but doesn't sound congested in the least.  Overall, I'm quite impressed and very happy that I only spent less than $40 for these.  These punch above that price no doubt.  

Yeah, pretty much what I think but I do have around 120 hours of burn-in on mine and everything has improved for the better. Due to the amount of bass I wouldn't call them that much forward (even though the bass has tightened quite a bit) but the mid-range has cleaned up nicely. I find the upper mids/lower treble pretty smooth - maybe slightly dry - I find them pretty good with the meelec tri-flanges on. Male vocals do sound great with these - the VSD1 is especially great with rock and metal. 
I'll be busy tomorrow but it's about time I start hyping this seriously.

 

[Longtime Lurker]

Has anyone here had the Brainwavz R1? I was wondering which monitors are better, because my R1s broke.
 

 

[kova4a]

Quote:

Has anyone here had the Brainwavz R1? I was wondering which monitors are better, because my R1s broke.
 

The VSD1 is a lot better - it's not even fair to compare them. The R1 is good for the moner but the CSD1 is a pure bang for buck performer.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

Has anyone here had the Brainwavz R1? I was wondering which monitors are better, because my R1s broke.
 

 
I'll sell you my used R1's for 70% of their original price 

 

 
Just teasing you. I haven't listened to my R1's for ages, but they have very different signatures, so you have to factor in your personal preferences (the R1's have much more of a V sig). For me, the VSD1's are way better. The bass is better (ie more controlled) on the vsd1's (the quantity is about the same), the mids are a bit forward on the vsd1's versus the slightly recessed mids on the R1's, and the treble is more refined and detailed with the vsd1's.
 
I'll give the R1's a listen again though and let you know if my impressions change.

 

[DannyBai]

Quote:

Yeah, pretty much what I think but I do have around 120 hours of burn-in on mine and everything has improved for the better. Due to the amount of bass I wouldn't call them that much forward (even though the bass has tightened quite a bit) but the mid-range has cleaned up nicely. I find the upper mids/lower treble pretty smooth - maybe slightly dry - I find them pretty good with the meelec tri-flanges on. Male vocals do sound great with these - the VSD1 is especially great with rock and metal. 
I'll be busy tomorrow but it's about time I start hyping this seriously.

Good to hear the mids will clean up.  I've been using hybrids so far but I'll have to mess around with tips.  I do have a pair of the Meelecs. so I'll give those a shot.  I also tried amping them and the stage widened up some more.  Sounds excellent.  
Quote:

Has anyone here had the Brainwavz R1? I was wondering which monitors are better, because my R1s broke.
 

I wasn't very impressed with the R1.  Sounded wonky to me.  Like being in a large cavern.  I consider the VSD1 a big improvement.  

 

[kova4a]

Quote:

Good to hear the mids will clean up.  I've been using hybrids so far but I'll have to mess around with tips.  I do have a pair of the Meelecs. so I'll give those a shot.  I also tried amping them and the stage widened up some more.  Sounds excellent.  
I wasn't very impressed with the R1.  Sounded wonky to me.  Like being in a large cavern.  I consider the VSD1 a big improvement.  

Yeah, as I'm busy I've still left them to burn-in more but I gave a quick listen to them yesterday to see how is the process going and James Hetfield sounded awesome and a lot clearer coz initially as I said I found them a bit veiled from the slightly boomy and bleeding bass. I actually kinda went for the meelec tri-flanges right after trying the stock tips and the mh1c's tips and I liked how they sounded and isolated but I still haven't properly swapped tips and compare them, so they might not be the best tips for it. Amping gives some improvements but the VSD1 is pretty good as it is. I have to mentioned it again but I'm really impresses with how not prone to pick up hiss it is - even the gr07 wasn't that good in this regard.
 
As far as that unfair comparison with the R1 goes I mentioned - the R1 has more of a rounded bass, which is a bit hollow and less impactful. The mids are warmer and a bit veiled with the upper mids and lower treble quite a bit peaky, which improved a bit after more than 150 hours of burn-in but was still only acceptable for me with the stock single-flange tips.