• 11.4mm full amplitude titanium diaphragm dual magnetic circuit dual cavity Tesla dynamic coil unit;
• Sensitivity: 108dB;
• Impedance: 32Ohm;
• Frequency response range: 5-40.000Hz;
• Wire: 4.4mm & 3.5mm, 408 core LIZI oxygen free copper and silver-plated wire mixed weave 0.78mm double pin 1.2m length.

• BASS – it hits like a hammer and it get physical, it’s incredible what they achieved with only one dynamic driver measuring just 11.4mm. I thought my 14.2mm planar magnetic IEMs where kings, but VSA-V1 proved me otherwise. It has depth, it’s sustained when up and down, it hits like thunder then disappears in a blink of an eye and it’s very clean. This could be a bass-head wet dream. How did they achieve that? There is a volume attenuation of 1dB, but the depth of the dive due to the rigidity of the titanium membrane will reach an incredible 15Hz in frequency response.
• Midrange – while the bass impresses from the start, after listening all my favorite albums as I do with any other new headphones, I realized that the voices remain in my memory long after I stopped listening. They are intriguingly good, and it kept me curious in listening both male and female voices. VSA-V1 have an elevation applied in this area, a 5dB between 1-2kHz and a 4.2dB at 1.6kHz, and with these being critical in voice clarity, they managed to create a precision instrument in voice rendering. The female voices are by far incredible, while the male voices are extremely precise but could benefit from a more dramatic and heavy presentation. However, this may be my own preference, but after listening a consistent number of headphones till now, there were still details in lyrics that I have only heard loud and clear just with the VSA-V1.
• Treble – starting from 4 to 5kHz there is a smooth lift and after 6 kHz there is a 1.5dB roll, causing the high area to be extremely clean and detailed, but preventing to become harsh and fatiguing. You have all your details at hand but never getting tired of it. They’re not in your face, they don’t scream at you, they’re simply there without any effort.

(photo credit to EarAcoustic official website)

Now, enough with numbers, let’s talk real songs.

In the following test I used my Desktop setup, which includes a PC connected to a Hifiman Serenade DAC/AMP via Intona USB Interface 7055-C with an AudioQuest Carbon USB cable and a Cambridge CX-C CD Transport connected to the DAC with an AudioQuest Coffee COAX cable. The DAC and the Transport are powered using the Reference Power Cable from Sound Fidelity Italy.

Prodigy – Invisible Sun (TIDAL) – this is a track that I have been using to test gears for a long time. Its huge bass line with different textures, the mids and the percussion are really putting a lot of pressure on DACs, headphone amps and finally on the headphones in order to test their limits and capabilities. VSA-V1 offer bone-rattling lows, crystal clear percussion and are creating space for each element to breathe. Usually, this song tends to sound crowded on budget equipment, but here you can feel every low-end pulse while its atmospheric complexity and spatial ambiance remain crisp and expressive. In the end, the emotional weight of this track is not only heard but also felt.

Evie Sands – While I look at you (HQCD Inakustik RESO MASTERING) starts with a thunderous drum kick and immediately the guitar strings come along with an excellent separation. Evie has an expressive voice and subtle resonances are there to be heard easily, yet not in your face. This edition from Inakustik is a pleasure to listen to, delivering an emotional depth enhanced by its cleaner noise floor and wider dynamic range compared to her earlier albums.

Scorpions – Wind of Change (CD). I know this song since I was a kid back in the 90`s, when everyone knew it’s iconic whistle. It’s a song about texture and atmosphere and it gets me emotional every time on the right setup. The whistle starts natural and airy, free of harshness or sibilance. The guitar’s fingerpicking reveals string texture and decay. The vocals are smooth and forward, without sounding nasal or recessed. This one is very good to test the mids for headphones and also for stereo speakers. The low-end is very well controlled when the full band enters, offering clarity in the bass line and the drum kick. Overall, the sound feels spacious like a rock-arena, but you can place each instrument precisely. The transition from soft verses to full choruses runs smooth, going from quiet to loud without losing composure.

Karen Souza, Stella Starlight Trio – Tainted Love (TIDAL) is a perfect song for critical listening. Karen Souza’s voice is smoky, close to the microphone and intimate. I can hear her breath, lip sounds and phrasing detail without any grain or sibilance. The upright bass line is prominent and plucked with natural wood resonance. I hear finger contact, note articulation and string decay and at no time it gets to sound like a muddy thump. In the treble area the brushes on the snare and the cymbal taps sound silky and airy. The soundstage is having a sense of live space, with good imaging and depth. The vocals are centered, the bass is slightly off-center, and the light piano and guitar fill panned.

Julian “Cannoball” Adderley – One for Daddy-O (UHQCD Somethin’ Else Blue Note 1595) is a masterpiece in the Jazz section. I use it often to check the image precision, depth, transients, low-end control and treble extension, timbre differentiation and midrange accuracy. I love how VSA-V1 separates the tonal signatures between Cannonball’s alto sax, which sounds warm, expressive and fat vs Mile’s trumpet, which sounds dry, cool and a bit recessed. The separation here is key, and EarAcoustic VSA-V1 does it effortless. Cymbals are sounding real, not harsh, the bass is steady and distinct and you can hear those wood resonance and strings while the piano sounds naturally, not dull. Just bear in mind that you need a very good release of this record and a transparent audio chain in the back in order to hear all of these.

Finally, The Dark Side of The Moon album (CD) is a musical experience into a living, breathing performance with instruments floating in space, voices whispering from nowhere, and bass that feels like a pulse in your chest.

The heartbeat, clocks, voices and faint effects from Speak to me/Breathe are really testing my setup to check its ability to resolve very soft sounds without noise, and I’m happy to report that VSA-V1 are getting all the magic that these songs have to offer. The footsteps from On the Run are perfectly presented and I tend to turn my head each time I listen it. The vocal performance from The Great Gig in the Sky is the perfect test to check the midrange performance of any gear, and since the female voices are perfect on these IEMs you really get those goosebumps.

Compared vs 7Hz Timeless

For a long time, 7Hz Timeless were my favorite IEMs, as they had that planar-magnetic feeling that my former Audeze LCD2Classic had to offer. I’m talking about warm presentation, round bass, consistent midrange and highs that never bothered in the upper range. But they also lack in speed, spark in the higher shelf and precision in midrange, especially voices. After I plugged the VSA-V1 it felt that music got a different type of energy and rhythm, like I switched on another DAC. The bass could hit and disappear faster than a blink of an eye, the vocals offered remarkable clarity, and the details in the high frequencies were easy to pick. The only advantage that 7Hz Timeless had was in the midrange, where male voices sounded a little heavier, but this could be just a preference, and I wouldn’t trade that for better clarity and speed that VSA-V1 have it. So, it’s goodbye for my 7Hz IEMs.

On USB Dongles

I own two USB Dongles that I easily connect to my phone and listen to TIDAL whenever I’m not using my desktop setup. At 108dB sensitivity these are extremely easy to drive even connected to a 3.5mm phone jack (where available). With dongles, they sound energetic, delivering plenty of detail while remaining engaging and never dull. They’re excellent for YouTube and podcasts and you could wear them for hours without getting fatigued.

Conclusions

It was a great surprise to discover these headphones and their musical capabilities, I am not a fan of multi-driver IEMs as I consider them too hard to be made balanced in the sound, and still believe that a single driver is better fitted for my needs. They made me revisit all my favorite albums – and even rediscover some of them – thanks to the new details and nuances they revealed and I can only congratulate EarAcoustic for this achievement. They are great for movies too, titles like F1 or the latest Mission Impossible were such an experience on them.

If you are on the market for a new pair of IEM then I highly recommend the VSA-V1, at only 99$ they offer three-times the quality and experience.

EarAcoustic Audio Products at KEEPHIFI