In this review we check out the Vision Ears EXT MK II In Ear Monitors selling for $3,400 USD.
Disclaimer: Vision Ears supplied the EXT MK II for this honest review at no cost. Vision Ears is a site advertiser.
Vision Ears
The German brand, Vision Ears is known for crafting some of the world’s finest custom and universal IEMs for audiophiles, musicians, and sound engineers. Vision Ears’ philosophy centers on a combination of German precision engineering, luxury design, and a passion for impeccable sound quality. Each product is meticulously handcrafted to ensure the highest level of performance, comfort, and aesthetic detail.
They have a diverse range of IEMs in their VE and VE Premium lines. The VE line consists of all their custom IEMs as well as the VE10, which is universal only. In the VE Premium line, you will find their most advanced universal IEMs to date. The Phönix and EXT MK II.
Over the past years, Vision Ears has gained popularity significantly among audiophiles. Especially their Elysium and Erlkönig were true statement pieces in my opinion.
When looking at the artist roster from Vision Ears, we see that there are many highly respected bands and groups in it. Bands like Kraftwerk (yes, Kraftwerk! Best concert I have been to this year), Blink 182, The Bosshoss or H.P. Baxxter (Scooter) trust them with their monitor choices.
In today’s feature we will look at their all-new EXT MK II, the evolution of their EXT (which in turn was the successor to the Elysium). You can find the full review here:
EXT MK II
The Vision Ears EXT MK II is the latest iteration of the highly acclaimed and renowned EXT. The EXT MK II is a hybrid design, using two dynamic drivers for lows and mids, as well as four electrostatic drivers for treble reproduction.
The driver configuration is as follows:
1 x 9.2mm dynamic driver for lows,
1 x 6mm dynamic driver for mids
4 x EST tweeter
It has a rated impedance of 10 ohms at 1kHz and a sensitivity of 108.5 decibels. This makes the EXT MK II a relatively easy to drive IEM, although I noticed that the electrostats need a bit more power to come alive. Which is also a behavior found in the original Elysium.
The dynamic drivers are surrounded by a liquid silicone rubber, which allows them to perform at very low THD levels. Vision Ears used an Al-Mg alloy for the diaphragm, which is known to be stiff but lightweight, which makes them fast and surprisingly precise. They also use two N52 magnets for the midrange driver to increase sound pressure level and reduce THD.
Vision Ears also implemented their HALC tuning chamber for the midrange driver. This chamber further optimizes the tuning for enhanced realism. A characteristic that the original Elysium and its successor (the EXT) have been praised for.
The EXT MK II is available for $3,400 USD throughout Vision Ears’ retail channels.
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Frank
Great review, thank you!
I love my Aura’s but cannot wear them the whole day. How is the EXT mkII size compared to the Aura’s?
Felix
Hi Frank!
Thanks for your comment. I don’t have the Aura with me anymore as it is back in my friend’s hands. The Aura’s shells are smaller. And in terms of comfort, I could wear the Aura longer without issues. Though it also produced some discomfort after a while and I couldn’t wear them the entire day at my day-job.