Vsonic: A full Product Line Shoot-Out!

Jeroen, who also did the Teufel review for us,  was so kind to volunteer to guestreview the -at that time- full Vsonic lineup. We got these IEMs from Lendmeurears.com for free and for making this possible they deserve a very special “Thank you” and an extra mention in this article. Lieven

Lend Me UR ears

Intro

First of all, we at Headfonia would like to thank Lendmeurears; they’ve sent us some Vsonic models and asked us to do a review about them. This friendly company is based in Singapore and you can take a look at their store on www.lendmeurears.com if you want to know the latest news about Lendmeurears and the newest models of Vsonic!

2

Now a brief introduction of our Chinese friends from Vsonic, who have built up an entire team of experts. They work with high quality equipment and endeavor to create designful and well-built products. Their aim is to produce a series of qualitative iems for a reasonable price, in which they’ve succeeded resplendently! Each model came in a plastic cover, which contains a half open box covered with a cover-up. Within this box the iem and accessories are being packed carefully, so you can be sure that your package will be delivered in one piece. Every iem will be delivered with more than enough accessories like a dozen of various ear tips (check the end of the review), pouches and ear guides. Having small ear canals, I know how difficult it is to find the right ear tips that fit well and offers you the maximum comfort. I can assure you that you will find one that fits you for sure.

Throughout the review there will be certain items that will inevitable return, which in a way is very logic. The signature sound of Vsonic with its warm and deep bass, the extensive accessories and the well build quality of the models. But let’s get started with the review!

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GR01

Vsonic released the GR01 in 2012 and it takes place in the upper price market right beside its illustrious GR07. But don’t be fooled, it doesn’t share the same sound of the GR07, because the GR01 is an armature based earphone that uses the TWFK transducer and Vsonic teamed up with Knowles’ engineers, to create the best sounding armatured iems.

The GR01 came in a plastic box like the rest of the other Vsonic models. It doesn’t bother me too much, however it would have been nice that this iem and the GR07 would have been delivered in a more suitable package, that stands up to the quality of these two fine models. On the other hand, the plastic box helps pulling down the price, so looking from that point of view I assume most of you can get a long on this.

Vsonic 1

Vsonic does provide you with the well-known bulky set of accessories, 10 pairs of hybrids tips, 3 pairs of silicon tips, 1 pair of foam tips, a pleather pouch and 1 pair of ear guides. I used the bi flanged ear tip for the GR01, because you need to put the ear tips deep into your ears to have a good fit and seal, otherwise the ear tips tend to come loose. The design on the GR01 gives you a refined impression with its slim tube shape on the metal housing. The nozzles can be screwed off for cleaning, which comes in very handy, but pay attention when you’re putting in the GR01 into your ears, you may happen to screw the nozzles loose.  No big issue, once you know it. To clear out which side is left and right, Vsonic has put a dot on the right iem. Distinguished and handy.

The cable is rather thin, which suits the looks of the GR01. I haven’t had any entangling issues or cable noise with GR01, it just fits all nice within the picture of this iem. The design and looks embody the sound that GR01 produces: refinement, quality and an eye for detail.

As I mentioned earlier on in this review, the GR01 hasn’t got the same signature sound as the GR07. First of all there is a major difference when it comes down to the lows, where the GR07 stands to be very warm and deep, the GR01 produces a more tighter bass, which stands in proportion with the mids. Quantity wise the GR01 isn’t like its siblings, yet it contains depth and quality, but sometimes it inclines to roll off. As it doesn’t sound too rich and full, I found that I it stands open for a more general public, where people who prefer more bass oriented quality iems can trust on the GR07.

I’m most impressed with the way that the GR01 reflects voices, it doesn’t matter man, woman, genre, etc.. voicing is always upfront and sounding clear and reflecting the right timbre. It is simply spot on with GR01. Yet I can’t get the same quality of the mids on the GR01. Don’t get me wrong, it all sounds smooth, non-aggressive and bright. But somehow it lacks a little dash, I have the feeling it could have been just a notch better. If it would be more bright and transparent, it would be perfect. Obviously it is what it is, but if Vsonic can make the voice nearly perfect, they could have done the same with the mids. In comparison with the GR07 it sounds more neutral but less warm and forward. The cherry on the cake are the highs, they aren’t outstanding, but they complete the sound of the GR01. Very neutral and they line up with the smoothness of the mids, and therefore it makes it all easy to listen to. After a lot of hours listening I encountered almost no high peaks or sibilant sounds and that also accords with the general sound of the GR01, you can say that Vsonic played it a little bit on the safe side, but I don’t mind as it sounds fantastic. You can listen to the GR01 all day and night, sit down, relax and enjoy!

Sound stage is pretty good I must say, through the extension on the highs, it gives me a widely image which works very relaxing. Almost like sitting in a blue room…

Another strange thing I’ve noticed with this wonderful iem is that when I listen to a song I don’t hear the signature sound of a song in which decade it was made. Normally when I’m listening to my music collection, I automatically always think: O yeah, this sax sounds so 80’s or this synth was so late 90’s. Somehow I guess it is the low/mid ratio that creates this feeling. As usually I listened to all kinds of music and it handles it without any problem, switching from rock to electronic to oldies and back to hip-hop, you don’t need to adjust. That’s a sign for me that the GR01 is on top of its game.

At the end of the line, all I can conclude is that the GR01 is just one fine quality iem. Putting looks and sound in balance, it is clear that Vsonic has thought this well over, they really worked hard to present a product for the general public. What I mean is that Vsonic will definitely compete with the established brands with this iem, they’ve shown that it’s well built, sounds great and certainly has a fair price tag. For those who want a detailed sounding iem but no emphasis on bass and treble, I recommend to give the GR01 a try.

Next page: More Vsonic IEMs!

4.5/5 - (8 votes)
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Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

31 Comments

  • Reply February 13, 2013

    Lespectraal

    Sounds like the GR01s are the IEM for me. Thanks for the review man, you’ve got me wanting this particular IEM now.

    • Reply February 13, 2013

      L.

      Glad you like it!

  • Reply February 14, 2013

    reckoncile

    That is a sexy GR01 picture 🙂

    • Reply February 14, 2013

      L.

      Glad you like!

  • Reply February 15, 2013

    Eli

    I appreciate the time that you’ve taken to write this, but your poorly phrased English made understanding many of your observations & conclusions difficult. There were several instances where I had to stop reading the review, go back a several sentences, and try to start over, just to correctly understand what you were trying to say or describe.

    Considering the fact that there are 5 long pages of you musing on these IEMs, the normally minor inconvenience of interpreting poorly phrased/written English made for an unappealing read.

    I’m a fan of Headfonia. I hope that you work on improving the quality of the writing in the future, as your website is devoted to (often lengthy) written reviews & articles. It’s not about nitpicking, it’s about making sure that your opinions & conclusions are clearly expressed in a way that your readers can consistently understand and thoroughly enjoy reading.

    • Reply February 15, 2013

      Andrew Hulva

      I completely agree. The author gave it his best effort I’m sure, but headfonia has consistently put out well written articles. Not that we are entitled to such a standard, as this is their site, not ours, but it is hard to enjoy the read when you have to have to read not only what’s there, but what should be there as well.

      • Reply February 15, 2013

        Sam Pascoe

        A teacher a Princeton once said, “Edit until you have cut it down to the main pros and cons, then edit 5 more times”

      • Reply February 18, 2013

        Mike

        Thank you for the honest and constructive comments, guys.

  • Reply February 16, 2013

    dalethorn

    Funny thing – I always scored at the top of my classes in English, yet I had no problem reading this at all. I wonder if it just has to do with getting familiar with different writing styles and non-native writers. There is so much text on the Web today that we’re going to have to learn to digest it somehow.

    • Reply February 16, 2013

      L.

      Thanks for the support Dale, I mostly think it’s exactly what you mention.

    • Reply February 18, 2013

      Mike

      Thanks Dale.

      • Reply March 11, 2013

        Fabio_Rocks

        Hey Mike I think you must hire Dale as a reviewer. This guy is so skilled at headphones! I really like his style and he owns a lot of stuffs, He is very good to comparison. With Dale headphonia will be daily updated:) PS: this is a sincere comment, I am no affiliated with him.

        • Reply March 11, 2013

          dalethorn

          Thank you for the confidence. But it’s best that I stay independent, otherwise I would have to work much harder learning more about more products, not to mention listening skills. I think the good thing about Headfonia is that it works just right to attract people like yourself who can also contribute.

  • Reply February 18, 2013

    Marley

    How would compare the GR07 to some full sized headphones? Like the HD650, or maybe some closed headphones in the same price range?

    • Reply February 18, 2013

      Mike

      Quite hard to find a comparison to the 07 to be frank. It’s definitely nothing like the 650.

      • Reply February 18, 2013

        Marley

        Surely you could something about the technicalities of the GR07 😀 And whether it holds up to closed headphones in its price range? HD650 is pretty special though, technically I’m not that impressed, but its timbre is something else.

        • Reply February 19, 2013

          Mike

          What is there to say about the technicalities of the GR07? It’s pretty good but I feel that most good IEMs these days are just as competitive.

      • Reply March 11, 2013

        Fabio_Rocks

        I hope so! The hd 650 is so sleepy…

    • Reply February 20, 2013

      L.

      I have the HD650 on my head now and the GR07 in my hands. Will listen later

  • Reply March 3, 2013

    Meh

    Come on Mods, it’s 2013, you are audiophile studying budgets, and yet you havent reviewed the Somics MH 463 or EFI-82 MTs?

    *shruggs* I dont know man, you should know those by now.

    They. Are. Amazing.

    • Reply March 4, 2013

      dalethorn

      The 463 got a rave review for sound, but gets killed for having very bad earpads. So does the signature change with replacement pads?

    • Reply October 29, 2013

      L.

      We’re not that much into universal iems tbh

      • Reply October 30, 2013

        Meh

        I see, well, these China budget stuffs are really sweet for their price. I still put a vote in that you try them out, worth a fifty from your pockets definitely.

  • Reply March 11, 2013

    Fabio_Rocks

    Hi guys I just ordered the V-sonic gr07 mk2 after 2 weeks of hard research on various website and forums. For the price of 130Eur I think they are a great deal.

    I have some questions for Lieven: Electric guitars sounds upfront-inyourface or laidback? Do you miss some bass compared to your favorite headphones? (I know you are a kinda basshead:) )

    There is also a Vsonic gr07 bass edition out there.

    Anyway it was a nice review, no problem for reading at all.

    • Reply October 29, 2013

      L.

      Only saw this just now. I didn’t do the review Fabio 😉

  • Reply April 17, 2013

    Peter Jan Icogo

    Add VC02 and VC1000 too 🙂 Nice Write-up bro! 🙂 Cheers!

    • Reply April 17, 2013

      L.

      Thanks! We’re done with iems for the moment though 😉

  • Reply October 29, 2013

    Dan Z

    I know this was written a while ago. But would anyone happen to know how the GR07 MK2 would stack up against the B&W C5 headphones, since they are pretty much the same price. I would imagine the overall quality is better on the GR07 than the C5 from the review on the C5.

    • Reply October 29, 2013

      L.

      Definitely go for the GR07MK. The C5 was really weird airy sounding, while the Vsonic is top

      • Reply October 31, 2013

        Dan Z

        I thought as much, thanks for the quick reply

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