Build Quality & Design
Both the cable and the units are very nice in regards to build quality. The 4-way copper MMCX cable has a white (see-through) sleeve with a light braid. All the plugs and terminations are very solid and some even have the Venture Electronics name on them. The cable has a good weight, because of the nice plugs, decoration and 4.4mm plug, but it’s light enough not to pull the IEMs down.
The IEM itself, has a matte copper finish and you can clearly distinguish both halves of the units. Both of the earpieces have a “BIE” label on them. The build quality is very good as well. The MMCS connector sits sturdy in the unit and the there a nice mesh grill covering the end of the canal. The earpieces also have a ring at the end, so your tips stay firmly in place when in use. At the back of the earpieces you have a nice circular decoration with in the middle the vent. It’s clever design.
It’s a simple yet well-executed, with a good product finish. For the price it’s very good and we didn’t expect anything different either.
Fit, Comfort and Isolation
The BIE does come with seral tips and we all know the comfort, fit and isolation is all linked to using the correct tips for your ear.
The units are light, very normal in size and the cable doesn’t want to pull them out of your ears. The slider beneath your chin allows you to keep the cable in place. Comfort-wise there’s not anything I can complain about, especially when using foam tips. The only thing these IEMs suffer a lot from with my ears is driver flex when putting them in place. Once inside my canal of course, that’s not an issue anymore. You can wear the IEMs down the normal way or you can even wear them over the ear, both ways are comfortable.
Isolation-wise these are like any other IEM with this typical canon-like shape. You will get better isolation with foam tips than compared to silicone tips but it does impact the tuning (see later). I prefer blocking out a lot or most of the outside “noise” and I’m actually quite happy with the isolation level of these.
Sound
Sound Intro
VE claims:
It adopts the popular consumer signature by offering a good amount of bass. The signature can be altered by swapping the ear tips to match your preference. One should also give it a good amount of burn-in for it to reach its maximum potential. If you do not have a proper source, we recommend buying the Odyssey dongle to pair with the BIE. In this way, the BIE’s potential can be fully realized.
For this part on sound we used the Astell & Kern SP2000 with the Effect Audio AKA balanced 4.4mm adapter. This perhaps is overkill but the reason I use it here is because the SP2000 is so resolving and precise, that it really shows you how the BIE sounds on its own.
I have seen many different descriptions of the Bonus IE’s tuning and sound, but this is how it sounds to us. Remember, this is the MMCX version with the higher end copper cable, and not the standard version with the fixed cable. It’s not a review of the $20 USD version of this IEM.
The impact of the source on the BIE – as you will see later – also is quite high, so before reading any other reviews, make sure you know what source and which kind of tips were being used there.
Sound – Tuning
With the silicone tips – make sure you get the correct size/fit – the sound signature is musical but not specially cold or warm. There besides the bass aren’t any boosted frequencies and you get a more v-shaped sound signature (though it depends on your source as well). Body-wise the BIE still is quite full (especially the lows of course) and there’s enough punch and energy to keep and make things exciting and musical.
The BIE has quite good clarity and speed overall but the attack is better than the decay. The sound stage is on par for the price, but it’s not an exceptionally impressive IEM in this regard, especially when it comes to extension in the highs. In the beginning you might say it’s a more in your head kind of sound, but the BIE actually performs better than that. The presentation (especially in the upper mids) is spacious and natural-ish. The BIE is not the most revealing and precise IEM, so if you’re into high level technicalities and precision, this isn’t one for you. But at this price and with the single driver, it does a really good job.
Bass is bigger and reaches down very low when needed and it also shows impressive sub-body when called upon (try Billie Eilish – My strange addiction). In general this bigger bass, is the kind of bass that a lot of people love. For some it might be a bit much, especially in a case where you want to do some critical listening, but to enjoy your favorite tunes, this is quite fun. Bass is powerful, punchy and depending on the recording and source, even quite well layered. Bass decay is also quite nice, especially with higher end sources. Bass, for my tastes (in non-review mode), isn’t too powerful and it doesn’t become too much. But for you it of course, might do just that.
The mids are the most spacious and airy of all. The lower mids with the v-shape are more in the back and especially the upper mids and vocals here are excellent. They’re logically more forward, but it gives the BIE that nice energy that keeps you excited. The spaciousness and separation in the mids are good and the depth/layering is on par with those of the bass, certainly with a good source.
The treble section is ok but it isn’t the furthest extended or precise. The amount of energy is just right to contrast the fulness of the bass but treble is easy on the ears. It’s musical but it isn’t the most revealing.
That being said, the more I listen to the BIE, the more I like it. In the beginning it seemed like just another dynamic driven, v-shaped IEM, but this isn’t the case. The BIE actually performs nicely with its single driver. Seeing how this $158 USD IEM sounds, I can’t help but wonder how the $20 USD version sounds. If it’s anything like this (more high end) version, it must be incredible for the price.
If you want even more fulness, bass impact and body, you can switch to foam tips (not provided) but in this case it’s very important not to pair up the BIE with a bass heavier source, because bass will easily become too much and overpower everything. I personally would recommend sticking to silicone tips, but you might prefer something different of course.
Sound – Quick pairings
For the description on sound in this chapter we still use the silicone tips.
As we reported last week, the new Cayin Audio N3Pro is a fuller and bass heavier sounding DAP. This for me, with its v-shape, makes the BIE sound very full and it delivers too much bass for my taste. At the same time however, the synergy with the N3Pro in the treble section is very good. The energy level and overall timbre in this combo are also excellent, while the delivery is smoother. It’s a difficult combo, as some parts are really good and others (bass and body) are not as good.
What I like most with the Lotoo PAW as source, is the decay, layering and stereo imaging. It’s also a fuller sounding and bass heavier DAP but it with the Bonus IE, is not like the N3Pro in any way. It’s actually slightly less v-shaped sound and the bass is perfectly in control. I never have the feeling it’s too much and the vocals are natural. This is a smooth sounding combo with soft treble, but it’s musical and has rather good layering and decay. This combo is less v-ish and the energy and excitement level here is lower, but if you love bass and smoothness this for sure is your thing.
The brand new HiBy R8 sounds makes the Bonus IE sound excellent. I quite like the full Android R8 and it keeps the BIE perfectly in control. Of course you still get the bigger, full bass. But it’s tight and fast and it doesn’t overpower. The clarity and energy levels with the R8 also are very good. The R8 sounds more like the PAW in regard to the fullness and less v-shape presentation. You also get the best extension with this DAP when compared to the N3Pro and the PAW, but that isn’t really surprising. The layering and note extension with the R8 are also pretty good, but not at the level of the SP2000. The R8 and BIE combo sounds musical, but less smooth as the PAW. The combo at the same time is technically stronger than the N3Pro and PAW, but it doesn’t have the precision and finesse of the SP2000.
The best DAP for the Bonus IE to me is the SP2000 (see before). It’s the most clean, technically strong and most precise combo. I do realize that this DAP might be out of budget, and in that case I would recommend getting the most neutral and precise DAP for your money.
On the last page you’ll find you can read all about comparisons and our conclusion. Click HERE.
