GR04 FSE
This iem was the first of seven samples that we received from Lendmeurears. I was very excited because I did some research and found out the GR04 Pro Flagship Edition is based on the GR04 Luxury Classic Edition. Yes I know, it all sounds very classy. The difference between these 2 models is that the Pro Flagship Edition has an 50 ohm impedance and Luxury Classic Edition has an 24 ohm impedance. Vsonic tried to achieve a better treble and bass extension on the Pro Flagship Edition, unfortunately we don’t have a Luxury Classic Edition right now to make a comparison.
Just like all our Vsonic samples, this GR04 FSE also comes in a plastic cover, which contains the iem itself and a lot accessories. Eartips for everyone, 15 pairs to be exact! To ensure that you’ll have the best comfort and perfect seal, Vsonic enclosed 7 pairs of hybrid ear tips, 3 pairs of foam filled hybrid ear tips, 3 pairs of normal single flange, one pair of foam tips and 1 pair of bi-flange ear tips.
Also no problem here with finding the right ear tip for me, always nice to have a good start! To make the set complete, they also include a pair of ear guides and a synthetic leather pouch.
The GR04 FSE has a brass tinted cable, which in comparison to an average iem is on the thick side. I like it, the thickness and color match up perfectly, and I haven’t had any problems with the cable. As a matter of fact it entangled not as fast as my other iems would do.
The speakers have a squared housing that looks a bit odd in the beginning, but I got used to it very fast. I find the housing handy for adjusting the nozzles in a correct position when I put them in my ears. Vsonic has a big ace up its sleeve with its patented variable angle nozzle, which makes it also very handy to adjust the nozzles and obtain a high comfort. As like the GR07 MK2, Vsonic has made use of bio cellulose drivers and that is partly why the GR04 FSE has the similar great sound of the GR07 MK2. If you scroll to the GR07 MK2 part you will find a link to find out how the bio cellulose drivers work.
I was really impressed when I put these iems on for the first time. Vsonic show that they’re taking business very seriously with an iem sounding this great in this price range. Well, let me explain you what got me hooked on the GR04 FSE. First of all, the bass sounds good. It’s warm, deep and controlled and always accords with the mids and highs. There is no punch in the bass, yet the bass still sounds tight. Somehow the bass seems like a light version of a Fischer Eterna 2. The GR04 FSE has a great interaction going on between the lows and mid-range, they are truly a prolongation for each other. This is the reason why the sound is so full, sweet and warm, it just all makes sense. Sound stage is quite good and you get a reflection of the position of the instruments and vocals get a place on the foreground.
As for the highs, not standing out, it doesn’t sparkle but neither does it roll off too much.
With a good sense of detail in the upper range not, it’s clear that Vsonic has made a good balanced iem. I listened to all kinds of music with the GR04 FSE, it handles it all well. Pop, rock, country, pounding techno music, hiphop, etc.
Final conclusion:
Obviously, I really like this little rascal. It has got the looks and the sounds. The squared housing is a little bit different, but in one way or another it is justified, because Vsonic made an excellent iem with the GR04 FSE. If you want an iem that sounds fun and you have a preference for bass oriented iems, than you should definitely put the GR04 FSE on your list.
GR99
We continue our review with the entry model of the Vsonic line-up: the GR99. Because of its reasonable price tag I didn’t have any high expectations of it, and I don’t say this because I have a blind prejudice, but I had already listened to the GR04, GR02 and GR02 extra bass and they all have a pretty good price/quality ratio. I didn’t expect that Vsonic would pull it off once again, but au contraire, they did just that. I’m very glad I was proven wrong, because the GR99 also has the signature bass that Vsonic likes to carry out.
When we look at the GR99 we easily can say that it isn’t anything close to its siblings because of its tube shaped housing. As most of the other Vsonic iems have a squared housing such as the GR07, GR06 and the GR04, the GR99 comes with a tube shaped housing and at the end of housing they’ve brought on a blue and red ring. Red indicating right and obviously blue for the left side.
As I mentioned in the introduction, this GR99 also will place its mark with a beautiful bass sound. Deep, full and warm is best subscribe it, not in quantity or quality as the other ones, but impressing enough. It isn’t in the same category as the GR02 or GR04, because the bass is to loose and lacks quantity, but it will surpass the lows of the GR06. The lows of the GR01 are sounding much richer and fuller than those of the GR06, which is nice.
The bass isn’t tight, but it will not overfloat the mids, so you don’t have that disappointing muddy sound. Vsonic has given the GR99 their well-known “touch of warm” to the mids, and this in combination with a touch of aggression, it fills the GR99 with energy. Of course there could have been more detail and brightness, but for its price tag the GR99 is standing its ground pretty good. There’s a good extension on the highs, which creates a good counterbalance with the lows and this way it becomes non-fatiguing. The GR99 doesn’t really shine out at something, but that’s not bad because it has no or less flaws and that makes it a good iem. In my opinion the GR99 is good reflection of what Vsonic can produce for this kind of retail price and what you can expect of the quality of the other models.
When listening to rock music this GR99 shines the most. It really loves guitar music, with the right song I had the feeling to throw in some good old fashion head banging. Nevertheless the bass has a prominent role in the overall sound, the mids become more forward when listening to some good rock music. The GR99 devours all genres, which is a little bit surprising, considering its price tag. Only when I listened to hip-hop, I had the impression that it sounded kind of slow, not too much, but just enough to notice the difference.
Next page: Almost at the end!
Lespectraal
Sounds like the GR01s are the IEM for me. Thanks for the review man, you’ve got me wanting this particular IEM now.
L.
Glad you like it!
reckoncile
That is a sexy GR01 picture 🙂
L.
Glad you like!
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.
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.
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”
Mike
Thank you for the honest and constructive comments, guys.
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.
L.
Thanks for the support Dale, I mostly think it’s exactly what you mention.
Mike
Thanks Dale.
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.
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.
Marley
How would compare the GR07 to some full sized headphones? Like the HD650, or maybe some closed headphones in the same price range?
Mike
Quite hard to find a comparison to the 07 to be frank. It’s definitely nothing like the 650.
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.
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.
Fabio_Rocks
I hope so! The hd 650 is so sleepy…
L.
I have the HD650 on my head now and the GR07 in my hands. Will listen later
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.
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?
L.
We’re not that much into universal iems tbh
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.
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.
L.
Only saw this just now. I didn’t do the review Fabio 😉
Peter Jan Icogo
Add VC02 and VC1000 too 🙂 Nice Write-up bro! 🙂 Cheers!
L.
Thanks! We’re done with iems for the moment though 😉
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.
L.
Definitely go for the GR07MK. The C5 was really weird airy sounding, while the Vsonic is top
Dan Z
I thought as much, thanks for the quick reply
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