The EarAcoustic VSA-PM is an artistic masterpiece with its unusual crinkle body design and sparkle encrysted Crown faceplate. The iem is supremely comfortable with a sound signature that is incredibly natural with an emphasis layering and depth giving every detail of vocals and instruments beautiful natural timbre and tone.
The single, inhouse designed and manufactured, ribbon planar driver is of an extremely high quality. The high turnover of releases this year has all led to this moment. The Silver Angel series of iems are all single Dynamic Driver sets with the tuning being the differences between them. The VSA-PM is a completely different beast boasting a unique driver that took my breath away.
When I started to really listen I was mesmerised by the depth and separation of the mids from this flagship iem the details are all presented with an effortless expertise that I've not experienced before at any price. I'm finding it difficult to articulate how special the mids sound the usual cliché's dont feel adequate.
When listening to my musical library I was placed in the space those recordings were made not in the audience but next to the artists the musical notes swirling around my head from every direction. They are ostensibly a Slight V signature but the mids are not recessed. The bass is big tactile and detailed with texture and depth the sub bass digs deep the mid bass is not pulled back, it is slightly softer in attack than a DD but still very effective. This softness is more akin to being in the room with the drummer rather than the artificial sharpness that a producer adds in the recording process. The treble is smooth extended and detailed producing the most natural cymbals and hihats that I've heard and that includes multi driver iems with est drivers.
Which opens up the subject I've been ruminating about for quite a while. Are iems in the higher price sectors actually improving in sound quality my opinion up to this point was not really. What was happening is the more refined sound signatures and the tuning expertise of the Kilobuck companies is filtering down to the midfi $200 to $400 iems. then along came the VSA-PM to blow my theory out of the water. Yes at $849 the VSA-PM is very expensive for a single Planar iem, BUT in my opinion it sounds like no other.
The subject of pricing in the hobby is a contentious one. My opinion is that no iem is worth the telephone number prices that are being asked. The reality is value is a very personal thing. If you have the abilty to afford an expensive product then you asign a value based on your enjoyment. Do I wish the VSA-PM was $200? Sure but its not its $849. Can I get the same experience for $200? My answer is not in my collection of 380 iems ranging from $2000 to $40. This rambling exposition adds up to the conclusion yes the VSA-PM is worth the price to me.
In these days of two week life spans of iems where an iem is released hyped then forgotten about. I think this set of iems are going to be remembered as they offer a wonderfully unique balanced sound signature that is both dynamic and musical at any price level.
The VSA-PM is the flagship of EarAcoustic iems and priced at $849 the most expensive. I feel they are still competitive in this price range at the moment they are iems that are special and standout from the crowd.
The beautiful all aluminium shell is very well built with the crystal faceplates exuding a premium appearance, as usual for me the incuded eartips did not fit my large ear canals so careful selection of eartips is needed to get a comfortable fit I settled on Divinis wide Velvets for a very comfortable fit with good seal so I could enjoy the sound they produce to its full effect.I'd just like to say upfront I believe we are all biased when giving our subjective thoughts about IEMs and earbuds be it a particular type of signature that works with our music library or how they look and feel in our ears. On the subject of ears everyone's ear anatomy is different and this effects fit and seal which in turn effects the perception of bass response so I recommend finding the right ear tips or foams that suit your ears to get the best of any earphone.
My review star ratings are linked to the price range of the iem eg a 5 star review of a $100 iem is not equal to one of a $500 iem.I’m and audio enthusiast with a collection of over 300 iems, 30 different sources with a music collection that numbers over 100,000 tracks and 18 flathead buds I share my impressions as a way to share my enthusiasm for the hobby I approach from the premise of music first technology 2nd, what does this mean? For me the technicalities are not of prime importance but does the music move with this particular iem.I’m a connoisseur of many different sound signatures. The only prerequisite is musicality I’m not a fan of analytical cold playback. My scale of success when it comes to evaluating earphones is; do I get goosebumps when they playback my favourite tunes. There are many good earphones but do they give me goosebumps?
Unfortunately I have a draw full of just good earphones.I want the earphone that I reach for without thinking because I instinctively know it will bring the thrill I’m seeking from my music.
The VSA-PM are not a bass head sound signature they have a slightly boosted bass that is commanding with good texture and excellent technicalities a very natural presentation while being free of any unnatural tone, timbre or unnatural colouration, the bass is not boomy, it digs deep in the subbass region while also supplying enough mid bass slam with great texture and detail making drums, electronic bass instrumets exciting and engaging. I'm a closet Basshead and I was extremely satisfied with the forceful bass provided, The Bass is not to the detriment of the mids or treble regions. There's a lovely snap and clarity to leading notes across the frequency range with natural decay not too quick like some planars to draw you into the music. The mids have a glorious depth in playback making male and female vocals really organic and anologue in presentation there is no thinness rather a warm clarity that enhances the overall enjoyment.
Now I know there are those who don’t believe in burn in of earphones, all I’m going to say is, I burn in all my earphones the VSA-PM bass response tightened and the treble smoothed out at the 50 hour mark I didn’t hear any shift in the signature from there on.
Disclaimer
I purchased the VSA-PM from EarAcoustics Audio with a small discount with my own money . I am not affiliated with EarAcoustic and of course was not asked for any copy checking before publishing, they are seeing this the same time as you. All pictures taken be me . ALL opinions shared in this review are my subjective thoughts.
The VSA-PM iems can be purchased direct from the EarAcoustic website as well as at Penon website
https://www.earacoustic-audio.com/
https://penonaudio.com/EarAcoustic-VSA-PM-Crown.html
Make sure to research any earphone before you buy!
What do they sound like?
As I mentioned above they are a vocal lovers wet dream that are so well balanced, they played well with pretty much any genre I've listened to. The mids are warm, clean with a very smooth transition from the bass, there is a very pleasing body to males vocals the timbre is the most natural I've experienced. Male vocals sound really good, very smooth with good air. Female vocals sound amazing, pure soaring with no edge or sibilance just sweet and rounded.
Treble does not feel rolled off rather extended to bring details and an open airy spacious staging with no jagged edges smooth and well rounded. Cymbals sound very natural with good decay, guitars are detailed with every resonance clear and sweet. A perfect iem for Classic Rock, Blues, jazz and acoustic music. Acoustic guitars sound just wonderful with beautiful transients that decay with perfection.
My albums with Orchestral arrangements sounded incredible with open spacious staging. Strings had such an authentic timbre I could hear the bows being drawn across.
The timbre and tactility of drums, strings, guitars and brass instruments is very natural all instruments find their own place. Vocals both male and female are reproduced authentically with emotion, every inflection captured. I had goosebumps so many times that I lost count. I was lost in the music feeling every emotion, carried by the artist through the journey they had created.
When I'm evaluating iems I have a play list of roughly 100 songs of mixed genres. With the VSA-PM I was analysing the different frequency ranges listening to albums in their entirety. I found they worked across all the genres in my library always full bodied. smooth and detailed . They really excelled with Shawn Mullins, The White Buffalo, Led Zepplin, Rod Stewart, Lorde, Hozier, Journey, Foreigner.
Some of the music Selections I evaluated the VSA-PM
Shawn Mullins - Apocalyptic Blues
This track really shows what a well tuned Bass with clean mids and treble gives you with this tune with its anologue instruments inc guitars drums, bass and Salvation Army band , the staging really shines with intricate layering and superb depth you can picture the position of every instrument. Shawn's vocal is rendered with such detail you can hear his vocal chords flexing. I felt like i was standing next to him. The whole experience an holographic out of head experience this iem is just perfect for this track.
Led Zepplin - Since i've been loving you
The ultimate slow burning power blues song with its live in the studio production is rendered to perfection from Bonham's iconic drum sound (squeaky drum pedal included) to Plant's sublime vocals dripping with emotion and Page's arguably finest guitar solo. Presented with a special sauce that gave me goosebumps.
Marc Coen and the blind boys of Alabama – Silver Thunder Bird ,
This multi-layered live vocal is a classic with moody piano intro and fabulous vocals reproduced with weight to draw you in giving emphasis to the slowly building vocal acrobatics of the Blind boys of Alabama. The staging is also brilliantly reproduced, increasing the atmospherics greatly. The VSA-PM works incredibly well with live recordings seemingly adding extra atmospherics putting you front and centre in a room with the artist never sounding thin just rich and expansive.
White Buffalo - The Woods -
this is one starts with a lush strings with Jake Smiths rich baritone vocals and slowly builds with new instruments being introduced as this slow ballad builds Jake's authorative vocals stays front and centre with great depth, as the song becomes a multi-layered wall of sound the VSA-PM keeps the big production in control avoiding any congestion the separation of instruments is stellar, with every nuance present and correct, more than impressive.
BROTHERS OSBOURNE –
Slow your rollThe sound of waves lapping at the beach shoreline, before the exquisite instrumentation starts was so realistic I swear I could smell the salty sea air. The rich baritone vocals are so real I felt the singers breath in my ear with the superb layering of instruments giving them space to linger in the air. I think you've got the idea I love this iem.
The VSA-PM is reasonably easy to drive iem I had no issues using them with my , Daps, Dongles in getting loud enough, the dynamics and open sound was present with all sources the texture and layering they are capable of was available for all to some degree.They sounded good with all sources. This is an iem that doesn’t necessarily need a powerful source but it does scale impressively with the bass getting tighter with even more details and texture.
I'm not a fan of analytical sounding IEMs/earphones that force details into your ears like a photograph with HDR and sharpening set at max a decidedly digital representation.
I'm more Vinyl on a turntable, Leica manual focus, sumptuous colours on kodak colour gold film, kinda guy, where if you look really close all the details are there but it's the whole image you appreciate rather than just how sharp it is. The quality overall sound signature of the VSA-PM is exciting with sub bass bass slam snappy midbass really sublime open natural mids and a smooth extended treble to make a sound signature that I appreciate and really enjoy.
Sources used:
Onix XM5 Overture
FIIO JM21
iBasso DX340 with amp17
Cayin N3 Ultra
Cayin N7IRiver
Activo Hiby R8
Fiio BTR17
Kaei TAP1 pro
When using my different sources I did favour the more powerful ones the extra dynamics and layering and technical presentation was more apparent but the overall musical presentation was the same.
My Favourite source with the VSA-PM was the iBasso DX340 with amp17 the level of detail while still retaining organic musicality was breathtaking.
Comparisons Nothing I own quite sounds like the VSA-PM especially in the single Planar area.
i was going to use the Audeze Euclid which is also a flagship priced planar but they were beaten out by the Letshuoer S15 which is until now the best planar I own in my collection of 15 planar iems.
Letshuoer S15 A single Planar iem that also has beautiful mids with an emphasis on natural vocals this iem is one of my favourite planar iems and until now was my first choice for vocal focused music. The VSA-PM has a more detailed bass that drops deeper and has a more natural decay. When it comes to the mids it smokes the the S15 with far more depth and more accurate layering wringing every once of atmospherics and emotion out of the vocals and especially acoustic guitars. The VSA-PM has an holographic presentation that is distinctive and unmatched across the frequency range. The VSA-PM is just more impressive period. Wether that equates to the difference in price is up to you. In my opinion it does.
Conclusion
What a revelation the VSA-PM are I literally used then for 8 hours and more without any fatigue absolutely enraptured by the musicality, my music has never sounded so inviting, with my eyes closed I would have sworn I was in the room with the musicians every time. I'm in the process of writing reviews for 2 other flagship iems that cost over $1000 and I'd rather listen to the VSA-PM everytime. If i was a sane person these would be my endgame.
Compared to other $500 to $1000 iems or quite frankly at any price in my opinion they are easily front runners. I can not recommend the EarAcoustic VSA-PM enough Simply put if you can afford buy and enjoy if not borrow and audition I promise you you need to experience what is my favourite iem of 2025!
