VSonic VSD1/VSD1S Reviews/Impression Thread

[esteebin]

  Damn I'm tired. I just spent the entire night listening to VSD1LE and comparing it to VSD1 and VSD1S. I have muscle fever from all that swapping of iems. Anyway, I'll give them a couple more days more to see if anything will change with more burn-in and I'll share my final impressions or I might just share my impressions from this night tomorrow after I get some sleep.

Thanks for your dedication to deliver in-depth impressions. Now get some rest!

 

[sfwalcer]

  Damn I'm tired. I just spent the entire night listening to VSD1LE and comparing it to VSD1 and VSD1S. I have muscle fever from all that swapping of iems. Anyway, I'll give them a couple more days more to see if anything will change with more burn-in and I'll share my final impressions or I might just share my impressions from this night tomorrow after I get some sleep.

Yeah get some sleep old man. I am working on my latest impressions as i type. : P
 
Appreciate all the hard work you have put into these VSD1s meng.

 

[sfwalcer]

These VSD1 LEs are indeed tricky, so why did I point to the Nutman's review of the Cardas??? This was the response he posted when I asked him to compare the similarities and capabilities of the JVC FXZ200s to the Cardas:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586909/the-discovery-thread-monster-gratitudes-kef-m200-pg835-philips-fidelio-s2-pg-724/15930#post_9927344
 

  The problem with the FXZs is they have a sound cap to their sound stage even though those have a big sound too and while amping helps in this regard.. The cardas on the other hand don't sound like they have a sound cap. The stage is immense for earphones. Probably one of the biggest and largest scale of sound I have ever heard in any earphones. The Mids of the Cardas takes time for them to sound like the pair I have.. While there is sweetness to the ES700s mids. The mids of the Cardas is more dimensional and warm and fuller in presentation. Now that I think about it. That right there makes the Cardas stand out to me more than anything on the sound presentation.. It is like a highly evolved FXZ in sound..
 
It is a lot of scratch to throw out for a unique set of in ears.. I think the Cardas are more for guys that add to their collections of fine in ears more than anything.

 
His comparison made me realize that when compared to the regular VSD1, maybe even the GR07 BEs these LEs don't seem to have a cap to their sound as well. What I mean by this is that these VSD1 LEs, possibly due to their higher impedance and different tuning is able to scale much more beautifully with better sources. So what is the big dealios since I had previously stated that these VSD1 LEs without a Jazz preset EQ (which boosted the bass and treble regions) sounded boring as hell due to their "polite" treble and "rounder" bass??? Burn-in my friend, burn-in.
 
My VSD1 LEs has been on continuous burn-in with fast bass heavy tracks on high volumes since they arrived. During the 1st couple of days there were no changes and I have documented this in the VSD1 Thread, but last night there was a break through. What I heard last night was EXACTLY what I had desired these VSD1 LEs to be ever since my initial listen.
 

 

1. [img]http://cdn.head-fi.org/4/4c/100x100px-LS-4c899b82_LLCfin.jpeg[/img]

 


Hmmm....... these VSD1 LEs are a bit tricky.
 
From my initial listen on my 5th gen ipod classic what stood out was the bigger/ fuller/ bolder sound. More out of head experience if you will. There was also more emphasis on the bass end as well, though it's of the "rounder", not tighter/ deeper variant. So I was like nice there seems to be some added clarity and that nothing feels lacking although the bass end needs to tighten up in order to sound more right that's for sure.

 
+

 I was hoping these VSD1 LEs would sound vastly different from all of VSonic's previous offers as it was supposedly tuned by the father of the CEO to sound like their up coming VSD7s, but sadly this is not what i am hearing from my initial listening sessions. I am not really digging the less extended polite treble as well as the rounder/ softer bass texture tuning, but the overall fuller, more out of the head sound is a nice addition since it makes it sound a bit more 3D.

 
Yes these VSD1 LEs no doubt have VSonic's classic house sound/ tuning (great depth, texture and lushness in the lows and mids with fantastic extension/sparkle to their treble), nonetheless they also sound vastly different in presentation when compared to the regular VSD1 and GR07 BEs as well. This is why they are tricky, cuz initially there was very little texture or extension to their sound.
 
Let me illustrate how these VSD1 LEs sounded like during my initial listen.
... there are lots of good qualities esp. the big/bold/full out of your head sound with very lush mids, but the overly laid back treble and bass makes for a very disengaged presentation. This dull sound makes the listener lose all interest in the audio spectacle cuz it's trying to avoid the matter at hand, which is to entertain.
 
This is the VSD1 LEs after a good amount of intense high volume bass heavy burn-in.
... the lackluster "round" bass has gained more weight/ texture and punch as well as speed, which has given these VSD1 LEs a second wind it needs to do battle. Clarity and headroom has also improved hence the increased depth, layering and 3Dness gives these VSD1 LEs the focus to go in for the final blow. All of these nuanced improvements combined with the slightly increased extension in the treble makes these VSD1 LEs a deadly heavy weight sonic champion. 
 
Did he just say Sonic Champion???

Oh yes I did.

I affectionately coined the signature of these VSD1 LEs as having an "old man sound" initially cuz of the disappointing treble and lackluster bass and since the old man of VSonic's CEO had supposedly tuned them to sound like their upcoming VSD7s it was pretty fitting; old man tuning for an old sound am I right??? DEAD WRONG!!! As the result of burning these in that "boring old man sound" has turned into a big ol' mean beast that is WIDE awake!!! O.O The old man seems to be a deadly sleeper, once awaken WATCH OUT!!!

 
 
Here's my reasoning behind this revelation extrapolated from what I have stated before:

  4th listen today and sound doesn't seem to have change much despite the continuous burn-in BUT their "neutral" less extended/ more outta' the head soundstage make these VSD1 LEs AMAZING sounding with metal music. Was listening to the same Chinese metal band yesterday on my Nokia N9 with my VDS1 Classics and it was a little bit bright/ harsh due to the very well extended treble. The spacing and the head room wasn't as big/good enough it seems so faster/ more intricate passages/ percussion sounded more congested and fatiguing.
 
Listening to the same album with the VSD1 LEs on the other hand sounded much more spacious, with little to no less congestion and fatigue as the result of the tamer treble, which makes the yelling and screaming much more listenable/ enjoyable. Also i also noticed that the dac/amp of my Nokia N9 has more emphasis on the bass end as well as treble, along with a big soundstage and it works wonderfully with less colored more neutral iems/ cans. So i would imagine sources that has a more colored sound such as the new Fiio X3s would sound pretty damn good with these VSD1 LEs as well.
 
One last thing, you know what the bass end/ sound signature/ technical capabilities of these VSD1 LEs really reminded me of and is very similar, the new Apple earpods. DEAD SERIOUS!!!

 

 
Are these VSD1 LEs "neutral" as I have stated before??? NOPE!!! They sounded more "neutral" cuz of the lack of depth in their lows and extension to their treble when compared to VSonic's previous offerings specifically the regular VSD1 and GR07 BEs. But after some burn-in the bass end has come out to play in spades, and combined with the improved bass quality (more weight, texture, more punch, faster attack) these VSD1 LEs no longer sound "neutral". So my initial "rounder" bass observation of the lows is almost non existent now. Not only that, but the bass almost has this speaker-like quality to them that rumbles which I have yet to detect from my regular VSD1 or the GR07 BEs. These VSD1 LEs are "bassy" sounding for sure, but the bass doesn't bleed nor interfere with the rest of the sonic spectrum, hence the quality of the bass provides a solid foundation for the rest of the sound to build upon. 
 
Along with the solid bass, the big headroom/ staging of these VSD1 LEs effortlessly and effectively envelops the lush forward mids, so combined with the polite treble gives it a very full/bold and layered spacious sound, yet is never harsh/bright/sibilant nor fatiguing even when listening at really loud volumes. A common gripe with the GR07s is that they are not the most 3D in presentation, this is probably due to their more neutral and "flat" sound. These VSD1 LEs however seems to have addressed this exact criticism.  The lack of 3Dness in VSonic's pervious lineup no longer rings true for these VSD1 LEs due to this new tuning.
 
So do these VSD1 LEs still remind me of the Apple earpods as I have stated before??? Yes and no, yes in that prior to burn-in they share a very similar sonic presentation (big soundstage, with a pretty bold/full sound and kinda boxy/ roundish sounding bass). I am happy to say now that after a good amount of burn-in the answer is a resounding NO, cuz these VSD1 LEs has left the earpods in the dust on ALL accounts..... maybe even the regular VSD1 or even the GR07 BEs???

 
TO BE CONTINUED..... kova style
 

  ^ Oh also these VSD1 LEs are MUCH more forgiving and less revealing on utterly schiityly recorded/ mastered low bit-rate junk tracks. It's more true for probably the former cuz it makes the overall listening experience more enjoyable due to less fatigue if you have A LOT of crappy mastered bright pop music. haha
 
So would i say these VSD1 LE are more "refined" out of all the VSD1 variants??? Nope not by a long shot, but with their more "polite/ old man" tuning you can listen to these all day without ear bleed. The VSD1 Classics are more engaging with its better extension but is less smooth/ forgiving. They all serve their purpose i guess, old man tuning is still old man sound.

 
In summation, not only is the presentation of these VSD1 LEs MUCH more 3D when compared to the regular VSD1 or even the GR07 BEs, it also has a bigger and more spacious out of your head sound and instrument layering. For me these VSD1 LEs has already best the regular VSD1 due to the changes stated above, so combined with their scalability (better sound as the result of quality sources) along with their malleability (responds very well to simple EQ) makes these VSD1 LEs extremely versatile and refined regardless of it's low price. The very transparent and revealing nature of these VSD1 LE, yet is never fatiguing/picky/ nor peaky has sealed the deal for me cuz poorly recorded pop music has never sounded so good.

 
Scalability/ malleability baby is what these VSD1 LEs be!!!

 

[kova4a]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

These VSD1 LEs are indeed tricky hmmm, so why did i point to the Nutman's review of the Cardas??? This was the response he posted when i asked him to compare the similarities and capabilities of the JVC FXZ200s to the Cardas:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586909/the-discovery-thread-monster-gratitudes-kef-m200-pg835-philips-fidelio-s2-pg-724/15930#post_9927344
 
 
His comparison made me realized something regarding these VSD1 LEs. When compared to the VSD1 Classics, maybe even the gr07 BEs these LEs does not seem to have a cap to their sound as well. What i mean by this is that these VSD1 LEs, possibly due to their higher impedance and "old man tuning" is able to scale much more beautifully with better sources. So what is the big dealios about this since i previously stated that these VSD1 LEs without Jazz preset EQ (which boosted the bass and treble regions) sounded boring as hell as the result of the rolled off polite treble and rounder bass??? Burn-in my friend, burn-in.
 
My VSD1 LEs has been on continuous burn-in with fast bass heavy tracks since they arrived. The 1st couple of days there were no changes and i have documented it here, but last night there was a break through. What i heard last night was EXACTLY what i had desired these VSD1 LEs to changed into ever since my initial listen.
 
 
+
 
Yes these VSD1 LEs no doubt has that classic VSonic house sound/ tuning, BUT they sound vastly different in presentation when compared to the VSD1 Classics and gr07 BEs. This is why these LEs are tricky, cuz initially there was very little texture or extension to their sound esp. in their bass end as well as the rolled off polite treble (that was the reason why i said that their bass was more "round" and not as tight/deep or well textured when compared to VSD1 Classics/ gr07 BEs).
 
I lovingly coined the signature of these VDS1 LE as having an "old man sound" cuz of the disappointing treble and lackluster bass. But as the result of burning these in for couple of days straight that "boring old man sound" has turned into big ol' mean beast that is WIDE awake!!! O.O
 
This was how the VSD1 LEs sounded like during my initial listening. Let me illustrate for ya'll.

... lots of good qualities esp. the big/bold/full out of your head sound with a very lush mids, but the overly laid back treble and bass makes for a very disengaged presentation. This makes the sound soooo boring cuz it's trying to avoid the matter at hand, which also makes the listener lose interest in the audio spectacle.
 
This is the VSD1 LEs after a good amount of high volume fast bass heavy burn-in.
... the lackluster "round" bass end has gained more weight/ texture and punch as well as speed, this has given these VSD1 LE a second wind to do battle. Clarity and headroom has also increased giving them more 3Dness/ awareness to finally focus in for the final blow. This combined with slightly increased extension in the treble makes these VDS1 LE a deadly heavy weight sonic champion.  The old man tuning on these is a deadly sleeper, once awaken WATCH OUT!!!

 
Sonic Champ??? Oh yes i did.

These VSD1 LEs has best the VSD1 Classics for me due all the subtle but noticeable changes stated above as the result of burn-in. Combined with their scalability (better sound as the result of quality sources) along with their malleability (responds very to simple EQs) makes these VSD1 LEs much more versatile and refined.
 
Here's my reasoning behind this revelation as i have stated before:
 
Are these VSD1 LEs "neutral" as i have stated before??? NOPE!!! The bass end has come out to play in spades, as i have stated above there is more weight,  texture, more punch, faster attack therefore the "rounder" sense of the lows prior to burn-in is almost gone. The bass end almost has this speaker-like rumble quality to them that i have never detected in the VDS1 Classics or the gr07 BEs. This is a bassy IEM no doubt but it doesn't bleed nor interfere with the rest of the sonic spectrum.
 
The bass of these VDS1 LEs provides a pretty solid foundation for the rest of the sound to build upon. This is where big soundstage takes over and further advances their sonic presentation. The big headroom of these VSD1 LE effortlessly and effectively envelops the lush forward mids and polite treble giving them an extremely big/full/ bold spacious yet very well layered sound. Much more so than the VSD1 Classics and gr07 BEs. A common criticism of the gr07s is that they are not the most 3D out there, this is probably due to their more neutral more "flat" sound, these VDS1 LEs on the other hand seems to address the lack of 3Dness of the older VSonic lineup, though my KEF M200 are still tops in 3Dness outta' all the gears i have heard so far.
 
So does these VSD1 LEs still remind of the Apple earpods as i have stated before??? Yes and no, yes in that before burn-in they share a very similar sonic presentation (Big soundstage, with a pretty bold/full sound and kinda boxy/ roundish sounding bass). I am happy to say now that after a good about of burn-in the answer is a resounding NO, cuz these VSD1 LEs has left the earpods in the dust on ALL accounts. Maybe the polite treble is the only technical similarity that the earpods are on par with these VDS1 LEs if that.
 
 
Not only is the sound of these VSD1 LEs MUCH more bold/full/big compared to the VSD1 Classics it is also more 3D as well due to it's increased headroom/ stage. The less revealing/ picky nature of these VSD1 LEs seals the deal for me cuz crappy recorded pop music never sounded so good to me than with these VSD1 LEs.

So in essence these VSD1 LE are like the Cardas without a cap to their limits/ sound and would scale amazingly well as your sources improve, while the VSD1 Classics has a capped sound and is limited. That's it for now, this was a revelation even for me after burning these in for these couple of days straight.
 
Scalability/ malleability baby is what these VSD1 LEs be!!!

 

You've made quite the write up while I was sleeping. Glad you like it and now you hopefully won't burn me at the stake for recommending people to buy it before I even heard it. 
As far as the LE's sound, I have a bit different opinion than yours, especially in regard to the soundstage which is exactly the type that has "a sound cap" to it and less of an out of the head feel than both VSD1 and VSD1S. Of course, things are not as simple and there is a perfectly logical explanation for your opinion. 
 
edit: As soon as I feel like writing it a detailed impression will follow explaining in what regard the VSD1LE bests its brothers and also gr07.

 

[esteebin]

I'm behind the burn-in revelation since I didn't use bass-heavy tracks until recently. That's great to hear about the bass quality has improved, but I was more focused on the treble.
Listening to the LE yesterday after 30 hours of bass heavy tracks (total burn in of 60 hours), I can notice some difference in the treble quality, not quantity.
 
The upper treble, even though it's behind the mids and lows, now has a satisfying sound. I originally said that all the clangs sound the same, but now there are differences and I can tell them apart. I think it's a lot to do with the method of burn in versus brain burn in. This is only in the upper reaches of the treble and the lower treble has some energy to it.
 
Guitars and vocals sound amazing on the LE.
 
Even though the LE doesn't have the sound signature I prefer (which is U-shaped), I cannot deny that they have a charm that will get me to use them regularly.

 

[kova4a]

(Part One)
 
Ok, so here it goes.
 
I spent quite some time last night comparing the LE to its brothers.
 
Bass-wise, I never though the original VSD1 has better extension or texture. The LE has a pretty good solid bass with a bit harder impact then VSD1. VSD1S' bass is still a bit tighter but it's not a huge difference and all the 3 versions are very similar in the bass department. 
 
As I said before both VSD1 and VSD1S sound a tad more neutral and have a bit thinner note presentation which gives them slightly better clarity than the VSD1LE. But as I was comparing the VSD1S to the LE a strange tendency emerged. I would first listen to VSD1S and then swap it right away with the LE to hear the exact same song or part of it and I would hear some details on the LE that I missed with its brother despite its edge in clarity. Then I would go back to the VSD1 and listen for that detail and of course when I was listening carefully for it I could hear it.
That was interesting.
 
Also as I said before both the VSD1 and VSD1S have a more pronounced top end (with the VSD1's slightly more pronounced but less refined), which makes them sound more airy and transparent than the LE. They definitely sound wider than the LE, which as I said lacks a bit of air on top and sounds a bit darker in comparison. Despite that, VSD1LE's treble while more laid back (mainly at the very top) still has plenty of sparkle and I can't call it rolled-off coz it isn't - just smoother and more relaxed. 
Now you might wonder why if VSD1 and VSD1S sound more spacious and wider someone like the Master troll above me can claim LE sound more three-dimensional? What has he been smoking under that box of his?
 
TO BE CONTINUED... 

 

[esteebin]

  Also as I said before both the VSD1 and VSD1S have a more pronounced top end (with the VSD1's slightly more pronounced but less refined), which makes them sound more airy and transparent than the LE. They definitely sound wider than the LE, which as I said lacks a bit of air on top and sounds a bit darker in comparison. Despite that, VSD1LE's treble while more laid back (mainly at the very top) still has plenty of sparkle and I can't call it rolled-off coz it isn't - just smoother and more relaxed. 
Now you might wonder why if VSD1 and VSD1S sound more spacious and wider someone like the Master troll above me can claim LE sound more three-dimensional? What has he been smoking under that box of his?
 
TO BE CONTINUED... 

^^ exactly what I wanted to say

 

[kova4a]

  ^^ exactly what I wanted to say

Well, to be completely honest, the thing you seemed to be most disappointed about in LE in comparison to VSD1 - stuff like cymbal crashes is actually one of the weakest parts of VSD1 technically. Yeah, they sound more different and pronounced on it but that's because of a couple of peaks on VSD1, which actually also make them hotter and too exaggerated almost to a point of becoming shrill and really annoying me at times.

 

[sfwalcer]

  (Part One)
 
Ok, so here it goes.
 
I spent quite some time last night comparing the LE to its brothers.
 
Bass-wise, I never though the original VSD1 has better extension or texture. The LE has a pretty good solid bass with a bit harder impact then VSD1. VSD1S' bass is still a bit tighter but it's not a huge difference and all the 3 versions are very similar in the bass department. 
 
As I said before both VSD1 and VSD1S sound a tad more neutral and have a bit thinner note presentation which gives them slightly better clarity than the VSD1LE. But as I was comparing the VSD1S to the LE a strange tendency emerged. I would first listen to VSD1S and then swap it right away with the LE to hear the exact same song or part of it and I would hear some details on the LE that I missed with its brother despite its edge in clarity. Then I would go back to the VSD1 and listen for that detail and of course when I was listening carefully for it I could hear it.
That was interesting.
 
Also as I said before both the VSD1 and VSD1S have a more pronounced top end (with the VSD1's slightly more pronounced but less refined), which makes them sound more airy and transparent than the LE. They definitely sound wider than the LE, which as I said lacks a bit of air on top and sounds a bit darker in comparison. Despite that, VSD1LE's treble while more laid back (mainly at the very top) still has plenty of sparkle and I can't call it rolled-off coz it isn't - just smoother and more relaxed. 
Now you might wonder why if VSD1 and VSD1S sound more spacious and wider someone like the Master troll above me can claim LE sound more three-dimensional? What has he been smoking under that box of his?
 
TO BE CONTINUED... 

^ Welp we all hear differently, so your impressions are just as valid as mine. Still a relative noob here and is just trying to iron out the sound in order to reach a general consensus on these buggers.
 

 TO BE CONTINUED... 

Tell me, tell me!!!

 

 

[kova4a]

(Part Two) 
 
It all started yesterday before my extended audition of the LE. 
I decided to do what I like to call the extreme burn-in (aka the super-secret-highly-potent-groundbreaking method), which is generally playing Battlefield 3's multiplayer and boosting the volume to a point where weapons are as closer to real life loudness as I can take for a prolonged period. That pretty much turns the iems into small speakers. Anyway, that's not the main point of my story. It's just that it was while I was playing that I really noticed "it" first. That actually made me start that long and tedious comparison.
 
So what actually caught my attention while comparing the LE to its brother? What did Vsonic do this time that they didn't do with their previous products (even their flagship Gr07)? What has the troll been smoking?
It's one thing that actually leads to LE's strongest points. 
 
TO BE CONCLUDED...
In the shocking finale of this thrilling tale about three brothers everything will be revealed 
(yeah, I know I'm such a teaser and very annoying and I haven't even been drinking LOL). I'll probably go out for a smoke and come back in 5 minutes to finally share my opinion on the LE and stop with the nonsense 

 

[sfwalcer]

  (Part Two) 
 
It all started yesterday before my extended audition of the LE. 
I decided to do what I like to call the extreme burn-in (aka the super-secret-highly-potent-groundbreaking method), which is generally playing Battlefield 3's multiplayer and boosting the volume to a point where weapons are as closer to real life loudness as I can take for a prolonged period. That pretty much turns the iems into small speakers. Anyway, that's not the main point of my story. It's just that it was while I was playing that I really noticed "it" first. That actually made me start that long and tedious comparison.
 
So what actually caught my attention while comparing the LE to its brother? What did Vsonic do this time that they didn't do with their previous products (even their flagship Gr07)? What has the troll been smoking?
It's one thing that actually leads to LE's strongest points. 
 
TO BE CONCLUDED...
In the shocking finale of this thrilling tale about three brothers everything will be revealed 
(yeah, I know I'm such a teaser and very annoying and I haven't even been drinking LOL). I'll probably go out for a smoke and come back in 5 minutes to finally share my opinion on the LE and stop with the nonsense 

^ BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO this undrank kova suck!!! BRING BACK THE DRUNK ONE. The real one is no fun!!!

 

 

[mochill]

Vsonic FTW!!!!!!

 

[kova4a]

  ^ BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO this undrank kova suck!!! BRING BACK THE DRUNK ONE. The real one is no fun!!!

 

LOL 
 
(Part Three) This is for reals this time I swear - and it's almost as disappointing as the finale of Lost 

 
 
So what has been going on with that LE and its brothers? It really occurred to me while listening to the VSD1S and thinking how it sounds more open and airy. It has an edge in clarity but somehow while the details where all there, it was the LE that made me hear them without even paying attention for them. Was it only the thicker note presentation of the LE that made some of them stand out more? Maybe to a small extent but I was still wondering why would the VSD1S doesn't do it better coz it was the one that sounded a bit more transparent. The LE does sound a bit dark in comparison and is more forgiving so it should be less revealing also in regard to small details?
 
THEN it finally HIT me! 
Yeah, the VSD1LE is a bit dark but do you know what is much darker?
Its BACKGROUND. 
 
This background leads to three things.
First, the LE has superior separation.
Second, the LE has superior depth. You know how when you go to a 3D movie things have depth to them and that's what makes it 3D - not the width of the screen. That's what happens here - yeah, the VSD1/S have wider soundstage but it is the LE that has the depth. That's actually the first time vsonic have shown improvement in that area as VSD1 and VSD1S just like the gr07 while decently extended in width all lacked in the depth department.
Third, the LE is superior in conveying intimacy.
 
All the above combined with the LE other strong points like the thicker note presentation leading to better timbre and texture, the smoother, more liquid and lusher sound make this a winner in my book.
And did I mention that the master troll got it right about how the LE sounds phenomenal with metal music coz it does and not just because it's more forgiving to badly mastered recordings. The bass guitars on LE are the best I've ever heard from an iem. Period! And then you switch to an acoustic live performance and the sound envelops you. Good times!
 
 
edit: And in the end, this is not hype coz the purpose of hyping something is to make people buy it. In this case though the Limited edition will be pretty hard to find, so I guess i'm mainly teasing them with my impressions.
 
VSD1 and VSD1S are also great iems, which have their strong points, especially for people who prefer more neutral sound and are looking for a more airy presentation with more pronounced treble. 

 

[sfwalcer]

  LOL 
 
(Part Three) This is for reals this time I swear - and it's almost as disappointing as the finale of Lost 

 
 
So what has been going on with that LE and its brothers? It really occurred to me while listening to the VSD1S and thinking how it sounds more open and airy. It has an edge in clarity but somehow while the details where all there, it was the LE that made me hear them without even paying attention for them. Was it only the thicker note presentation of the LE that made some of them stand out more? Maybe to a small extent but I was still wondering why would the VSD1S doesn't do it better coz it was the one that sounded a bit more transparent. The LE does sound a bit dark in comparison and is more forgiving so it should be less revealing also in regard to small details?
 
THEN it finally HIT me! 
Yeah, the VSD1LE is a bit dark but do you know what is much darker?
Its BACKGROUND. 
 
This background leads to three things.
First, the LE has superior separation.
Second, the LE has superior depth. You know how when you go to a 3D movie things have depth to them and that's what makes it 3D - not the width of the screen. That's what happens here - yeah, the VSD1/S have wider soundstage but it is the LE that has the depth. That's actually the first time vsonic have shown improvement in that area as VSD1 and VSD1S just like the gr07 while decently extended in width all lacked in the depth department.
Third, the LE is superior in conveying intimacy.
 
All the above combined with the LE other strong points like the thicker note presentation leading to better timbre and texture, the smoother, more liquid and lusher sound make this a winner in my book.
And did I mention that the master troll got it right about how the LE sounds phenomenal with metal music coz it does and not just because it's more forgiving to badly mastered recordings. The bass guitars on LE are the best I've ever heard from an iem. Period! And then you switch to an acoustic live performance and the sound envelops you. Good times!
 
 
edit: And in the end, this is not hype coz the purpose of hyping something is to make people buy it. In this case though the Limited edition will be pretty hard to find, so I guess i'm mainly teasing them with my impressions.
 
VSD1 and VSD1S are also great iems, which have their strong points, especially for people who prefer more neutral sound and are looking for a more airy presentation with more pronounced treble. 

^ OH IT FEELS SOOOOO GUD TO BE RIGHT ALL THE TYME!!!

 
Dat cabbage is indeed AMAZING!!!
 
Great insights kova!!!

 

[Hatmann]

Do I have this straight -- there's a VSD1, VSD1S, VSD1SE, and now a VSD1 Classic?
 
And around the corner is a supposedly forthcoming GR07 Classic that may, or may not, be better for just an extra $20?
 
All of that and you have to hunt through different retailers to find the different models?
 
My head is spinning -- and I haven't even started to listen to any of these!