TL;DR
A well made and great sounding IEM featuring a prominent V-shaped sound with treble that may be too much for some. The whole package here is fantastic, punching well above the price point. And it doesn’t hurt that they look awesome.
Introduction
EarAcoustic Audio make some great looking IEMs. They definitely catch your eye. But as I always say, choosing IEMs (or other audio gear) based on looks is like buying sunglasses based on how they sound.
The VSA-Max is, apparently, “the ultimate female toxicity hunter.” Not sure what that means, but, these sound … great! I’ll admit, the first couple days with these I wasn’t sure what to think (reflected in the … in the previous sentence). They seemed a bit muddy on the bottom and a bit (well, a lot) sharp on the top. Plus, they were a bit uncomfortable. But after a few days, things settled down. Was it driver burn in, brain burn in, cable swapping, better tracks, or all or none of the above? Who knows. But I can say with confidence that the VSA-Max are very enjoyable, especially when you use them on the right music.
It goes without saying that I am not affiliated with EarAcoustics Audio and of course was not asked for any copy checking before publishing. Photos are my own. ALL opinions shared in this review are my subjective thoughts. The VSA-Max retails for 998 Chinese Yuan, or (at the time of writing), US$139. The VSA series of IEMs can be purchased direct from the EarAcoustic website https://www.earacoustic-audio.com/Product.aspx.
As a point of reference, most often I am using the IMR Acoustics Enigma, which has an 11.5mm bespoke CNT A.D.L.C dynamic driver with neodymium motors, a bespoke 8mm A.M.T driver, and a monolithic piezo MEMS driver.
VSA-Max Details
Driver: 11.4MM full amplitude titanium diaphragm dual magnetic circuit
Sensitivity: 110dB
Impedance: 32 ohms
Freq range: 5-40000Hz
Shell: Aviation grade aluminum
Cable: 4.4MM+3.5MM 2-in-1 408 core Leeds oxygen free copper and silver plated wire mixed weave 0.78MM doublePin 1.20M wire length
Presentation
The package and presentation punches well above this price point. Unboxing is very nice and you get an excellent zippered case and a nice, modular cable with 4.4mm and 3.5mm terminations. I’m not used to that at this price point.
EarAcoustic Audio make some great looking IEMs. They definitely catch your eye. But as I always say, choosing IEMs (or other audio gear) based on looks is like buying sunglasses based on how they sound.
The VSA-Max is, apparently, “the ultimate female toxicity hunter.” Not sure what that means, but, these sound … great! I’ll admit, the first couple days with these I wasn’t sure what to think (reflected in the … in the previous sentence). They seemed a bit muddy on the bottom and a bit (well, a lot) sharp on the top. Plus, they were a bit uncomfortable. But after a few days, things settled down. Was it driver burn in, brain burn in, cable swapping, better tracks, or all or none of the above? Who knows. But I can say with confidence that the VSA-Max are very enjoyable, especially when you use them on the right music.
It goes without saying that I am not affiliated with EarAcoustics Audio and of course was not asked for any copy checking before publishing. Photos are my own. ALL opinions shared in this review are my subjective thoughts. The VSA-Max retails for 998 Chinese Yuan, or (at the time of writing), US$139. The VSA series of IEMs can be purchased direct from the EarAcoustic website https://www.earacoustic-audio.com/Product.aspx.
As a point of reference, most often I am using the IMR Acoustics Enigma, which has an 11.5mm bespoke CNT A.D.L.C dynamic driver with neodymium motors, a bespoke 8mm A.M.T driver, and a monolithic piezo MEMS driver.
VSA-Max Details
Driver: 11.4MM full amplitude titanium diaphragm dual magnetic circuit
Sensitivity: 110dB
Impedance: 32 ohms
Freq range: 5-40000Hz
Shell: Aviation grade aluminum
Cable: 4.4MM+3.5MM 2-in-1 408 core Leeds oxygen free copper and silver plated wire mixed weave 0.78MM doublePin 1.20M wire length
Presentation
The package and presentation punches well above this price point. Unboxing is very nice and you get an excellent zippered case and a nice, modular cable with 4.4mm and 3.5mm terminations. I’m not used to that at this price point.
Comfort and Fit
The ear-side of the shell has one of those protrusions (see in photo below). While it didn’t hurt, it was at times uncomfortable. Still, I used the VSA-Max without pause for a couple albums at a time, a time or two, and lived to talk about it.
The ear-side of the shell has one of those protrusions (see in photo below). While it didn’t hurt, it was at times uncomfortable. Still, I used the VSA-Max without pause for a couple albums at a time, a time or two, and lived to talk about it.
My right ear has an abnormally large opening (apparently) and I always have to use my own tips. I settled on the Divinus Velvet wide bore for best seal … and wide bore also helps attenuate the treble a bit.
Overall Sound
Under the headline “Auditory Murder in the Name of Science,” the webpage for these IEMs says “VSA-Max is not a headphone, but a murder weapon for ‘female drug addicts.’ I have no response for that!
In my own words: Very healthy and good quality bass (not muddy, artificial, or over-emphasized), mostly clear vocals, and, of course, strong treble that can be too strong depending on source and track (and how sensitive you are).
A Note on Cables
As alluded to above, I tried a few cables on the VSA-Max to possibly address the treble. For most of my listening, I ended up with one of my old IMR cables (described as “OFC”) with 4.4mm balanced. Toward the end of my focused listening for this review, I tried the stock cable again, and a NiceHCK that I often use. All three pretty much sounded the same to my geezer ears.
Evaluation Tracks
Most tracks were local hi-res files (96/24 or better) on my Cayin N7 or through my desktop setup (Foobar 2000>Schiit Modius E > Schiit Lokius > Monolith dual THX Amp). Where noted, some tracks were streamed (on the Cayin), and some were from vinyl LPs. Vinyl setup is: Fluance RT85 turntable > Schiit Mani 2 > Schiit Lokius > Schiit Vali 2. That’s a lot of Schiit.
Peter Gabriel, “Love to be Loved,” US.
Listening for: Bottom end presence and male vocals. Maybe my favorite track on the album. I love the bottom end of this track. As an aside, Mr. Gabriel seems to know how to produce an album with healthy bass. And there’s plenty of that here. Maybe just slightly bloated. Vocally, Pete’s inimitable voice comes through forcefully, pleading and powerful, and plenty of nuance. Test #1 passed.
The Beatles, “Mother Nature’s Son,” The Beatles (50th Anniversary remaster from Blu-ray).
Listening for: Accuracy of Male Vocals. I’m always a bit stunned at the clarity and intimacy of the opening guitar notes, and drum interruption, that start this track (brilliant job, Giles!). This intimacy carries on throughout the track. On the first instance of the phrase “mother nature’s son’ there was fairly strong sibilance on the s of son … and nearly so on the ‘s of nature. But the rest of Sir Paul’s vocal sounds pretty much just like it does on my best equipment.
Annie Lennox, “Into the West,” The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Complete Recordings (from Blu-ray). Listening for: Accuracy of female vocals. For various reasons, this song brings me to tears almost every time I hear it … and nearly this time. Annie has one of the most distinct, powerful, and well-controlled singing voices. She came through loud and clear, with just a few moments of (maybe) spiking every so slightly in the chorus. Brava!
Mew, “Apocalypso,” And The Glass Handed Kites (streamed via Apple Music).
Listening for: Pain. This track can hurt a bit on IEMs that are too “spicy” on the top. One of the standout tracks on a phenomenal album … that probably isn’t very well known. While the charging bottom end sounded as good as always, the vocals were, in fact, somewhat painfully sibilant. It was so “bad” that I didn’t bother to finish the track. Not really the fault of the Max … much of it is due to the way the track is mastered, although some of my IEMs are better able to smooth over the sharp edges. I even tried this track through my desktop setup and turned the 6kHz band on the Lokius to 0 and still had some sibilance.
Yes, “Close to the Edge,” Close to the Edge (2025 super deluxe Blu-ray).
Listening for: How well the Max handles a dense track. Yep, I listened to all 19 (almost) minutes of this masterpiece. Overall, the Max did a very good job. The elements were clear and well placed. Vocals just a tad recessed, with a few sharp edges here and there. Drums could have used a bit more heft. The best part was Chris Squire’s exceptional bass work.
Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here,” Wish You Were Here (from Immersion edition Blu-ray).
Listening for: Acoustic guitar tonality and resonance. Dave coughs and the familiar notes come through loud and clear. The tone sounds exactly right to me, with a sturdy bottom end holding it up. Vocals are right on the mark as well.
Led Zeppelin, “Achilles Last Stand,” Presence (2014 remaster vinyl).
Listening for: Impact and depth of drums. Stunning, simply stunning. Bonzo’s drums come through with, oxymoronically, delicate force. This is another track that can be a bit sharp at times, but sounded really nice. In fact … I’m not sure when it last sounded so vivid and lively. Certainly the Lokius helped smooth things out, but I by-passed it for the second half of the track and it was still very tolerable.
Rush, “Jacob’s Ladder,” Permanent Waves (40th anniversary edition vinyl).
Listening for: Electric guitar attack and tonality. Plenty of power chords in this track, and Alex sounds fantastic on the VSA-Max. As with “Achilles Last Stand” above, this one sounded especially fresh and powerful. There were some drum strikes that I don’t want to call “piercing,” but they had some sharpness. But otherwise pretty awesome.
Pink Floyd, “Careful With That Age, Eugene,” At Pompeii MCMLXXIII (from Blu-ray).
Listening for: Hi-hat fidelity. This live track seems to be all about the hi-hat. Nick Mason’s poor arm. Mine is tired just listening. Anyway, the timbre and quality of the hi-hat feels just right. No glare, no exaggeration, no splash, good decay. Nice!
Douran, “The Last Journey, Race to Infinity (streamed from Apple Music).
Listening for: Subbass. Can’t even remember how I found this track, but it has a vibrant bass throb that is useful for testing. Every part of this track sounded amazing! The bass was definitely throbbing (seemed especially powerful in the last 60 seconds), but the other pieces were not obscured or over-emphasized. Really impressive.
Listening Summary
Based on these specific tracks, I’d give the VSA-Max a low A-. Let’s face it, some IEMs work great on some styles of music and not so good on other styles. I’m trying to pinpoint the sweet spot for these … and I think there are quite a few. Maybe it really comes down to how well an album was produced and mastered.
On that point … in other listening (not listed), the Max have been VERY well behaved. Ambient tracks from Harrold Budd & Brian Eno (The Pearl) were just about perfect. Beck (Morning Phase) was solid. Dead Can Dance (mostly Spleen and Ideal) sounded bold and powerful, and I wasn’t afraid to turn it up. So try some genres and find what works best for your ears.
Overall Sound
Under the headline “Auditory Murder in the Name of Science,” the webpage for these IEMs says “VSA-Max is not a headphone, but a murder weapon for ‘female drug addicts.’ I have no response for that!
In my own words: Very healthy and good quality bass (not muddy, artificial, or over-emphasized), mostly clear vocals, and, of course, strong treble that can be too strong depending on source and track (and how sensitive you are).
A Note on Cables
As alluded to above, I tried a few cables on the VSA-Max to possibly address the treble. For most of my listening, I ended up with one of my old IMR cables (described as “OFC”) with 4.4mm balanced. Toward the end of my focused listening for this review, I tried the stock cable again, and a NiceHCK that I often use. All three pretty much sounded the same to my geezer ears.
Evaluation Tracks
Most tracks were local hi-res files (96/24 or better) on my Cayin N7 or through my desktop setup (Foobar 2000>Schiit Modius E > Schiit Lokius > Monolith dual THX Amp). Where noted, some tracks were streamed (on the Cayin), and some were from vinyl LPs. Vinyl setup is: Fluance RT85 turntable > Schiit Mani 2 > Schiit Lokius > Schiit Vali 2. That’s a lot of Schiit.
Peter Gabriel, “Love to be Loved,” US.
Listening for: Bottom end presence and male vocals. Maybe my favorite track on the album. I love the bottom end of this track. As an aside, Mr. Gabriel seems to know how to produce an album with healthy bass. And there’s plenty of that here. Maybe just slightly bloated. Vocally, Pete’s inimitable voice comes through forcefully, pleading and powerful, and plenty of nuance. Test #1 passed.
The Beatles, “Mother Nature’s Son,” The Beatles (50th Anniversary remaster from Blu-ray).
Listening for: Accuracy of Male Vocals. I’m always a bit stunned at the clarity and intimacy of the opening guitar notes, and drum interruption, that start this track (brilliant job, Giles!). This intimacy carries on throughout the track. On the first instance of the phrase “mother nature’s son’ there was fairly strong sibilance on the s of son … and nearly so on the ‘s of nature. But the rest of Sir Paul’s vocal sounds pretty much just like it does on my best equipment.
Annie Lennox, “Into the West,” The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Complete Recordings (from Blu-ray). Listening for: Accuracy of female vocals. For various reasons, this song brings me to tears almost every time I hear it … and nearly this time. Annie has one of the most distinct, powerful, and well-controlled singing voices. She came through loud and clear, with just a few moments of (maybe) spiking every so slightly in the chorus. Brava!
Mew, “Apocalypso,” And The Glass Handed Kites (streamed via Apple Music).
Listening for: Pain. This track can hurt a bit on IEMs that are too “spicy” on the top. One of the standout tracks on a phenomenal album … that probably isn’t very well known. While the charging bottom end sounded as good as always, the vocals were, in fact, somewhat painfully sibilant. It was so “bad” that I didn’t bother to finish the track. Not really the fault of the Max … much of it is due to the way the track is mastered, although some of my IEMs are better able to smooth over the sharp edges. I even tried this track through my desktop setup and turned the 6kHz band on the Lokius to 0 and still had some sibilance.
Yes, “Close to the Edge,” Close to the Edge (2025 super deluxe Blu-ray).
Listening for: How well the Max handles a dense track. Yep, I listened to all 19 (almost) minutes of this masterpiece. Overall, the Max did a very good job. The elements were clear and well placed. Vocals just a tad recessed, with a few sharp edges here and there. Drums could have used a bit more heft. The best part was Chris Squire’s exceptional bass work.
Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here,” Wish You Were Here (from Immersion edition Blu-ray).
Listening for: Acoustic guitar tonality and resonance. Dave coughs and the familiar notes come through loud and clear. The tone sounds exactly right to me, with a sturdy bottom end holding it up. Vocals are right on the mark as well.
Led Zeppelin, “Achilles Last Stand,” Presence (2014 remaster vinyl).
Listening for: Impact and depth of drums. Stunning, simply stunning. Bonzo’s drums come through with, oxymoronically, delicate force. This is another track that can be a bit sharp at times, but sounded really nice. In fact … I’m not sure when it last sounded so vivid and lively. Certainly the Lokius helped smooth things out, but I by-passed it for the second half of the track and it was still very tolerable.
Rush, “Jacob’s Ladder,” Permanent Waves (40th anniversary edition vinyl).
Listening for: Electric guitar attack and tonality. Plenty of power chords in this track, and Alex sounds fantastic on the VSA-Max. As with “Achilles Last Stand” above, this one sounded especially fresh and powerful. There were some drum strikes that I don’t want to call “piercing,” but they had some sharpness. But otherwise pretty awesome.
Pink Floyd, “Careful With That Age, Eugene,” At Pompeii MCMLXXIII (from Blu-ray).
Listening for: Hi-hat fidelity. This live track seems to be all about the hi-hat. Nick Mason’s poor arm. Mine is tired just listening. Anyway, the timbre and quality of the hi-hat feels just right. No glare, no exaggeration, no splash, good decay. Nice!
Douran, “The Last Journey, Race to Infinity (streamed from Apple Music).
Listening for: Subbass. Can’t even remember how I found this track, but it has a vibrant bass throb that is useful for testing. Every part of this track sounded amazing! The bass was definitely throbbing (seemed especially powerful in the last 60 seconds), but the other pieces were not obscured or over-emphasized. Really impressive.
Listening Summary
Based on these specific tracks, I’d give the VSA-Max a low A-. Let’s face it, some IEMs work great on some styles of music and not so good on other styles. I’m trying to pinpoint the sweet spot for these … and I think there are quite a few. Maybe it really comes down to how well an album was produced and mastered.
On that point … in other listening (not listed), the Max have been VERY well behaved. Ambient tracks from Harrold Budd & Brian Eno (The Pearl) were just about perfect. Beck (Morning Phase) was solid. Dead Can Dance (mostly Spleen and Ideal) sounded bold and powerful, and I wasn’t afraid to turn it up. So try some genres and find what works best for your ears.
Comparisons
DITA Prelude: Also a single DD. Just immersed myself in these in July for a review, and Prelude is better-mannered and smoother across the range. If I had to choose this or the Max, I’d choose the Prelude. But if you want more of a V-shaped IEM, you’ll likely prefer the VSA Max. And, the Max’s presentation, case and cable are a step above the Prelude, which could tip the scales for some.
Roseselsa Rose Technics QuietSea: VSA-Max comes out ahead of this single DD because of a livelier, better all-around sound. Not really anything else to say.
Linsoul Simgot EW300 (1DD+1Planar+1PZT): This is a pretty close call. I give the VSA-Max a slight edge. The bass for both is just about even, but while the EW300 are less sharp on the top, it’s actually that lack of liveliness and sparkle that puts them behind the Max. Just a smidge.
Conclusion
My first day or two with the VSA Max were a bit rough. They were somewhat uncomfortable and the high end was untamed. Still, there were some very nice moments along the way. With some cable rolling and burn-in (perhaps), I’ve come to really enjoy these IEMs, especially (important!) with the right kind of music, and I look forward to finding the tracks that really make these hum — a voyage of musical discovery.
DITA Prelude: Also a single DD. Just immersed myself in these in July for a review, and Prelude is better-mannered and smoother across the range. If I had to choose this or the Max, I’d choose the Prelude. But if you want more of a V-shaped IEM, you’ll likely prefer the VSA Max. And, the Max’s presentation, case and cable are a step above the Prelude, which could tip the scales for some.
Roseselsa Rose Technics QuietSea: VSA-Max comes out ahead of this single DD because of a livelier, better all-around sound. Not really anything else to say.
Linsoul Simgot EW300 (1DD+1Planar+1PZT): This is a pretty close call. I give the VSA-Max a slight edge. The bass for both is just about even, but while the EW300 are less sharp on the top, it’s actually that lack of liveliness and sparkle that puts them behind the Max. Just a smidge.
Conclusion
My first day or two with the VSA Max were a bit rough. They were somewhat uncomfortable and the high end was untamed. Still, there were some very nice moments along the way. With some cable rolling and burn-in (perhaps), I’ve come to really enjoy these IEMs, especially (important!) with the right kind of music, and I look forward to finding the tracks that really make these hum — a voyage of musical discovery.