VSonic GR07X

Discussion in 'IEM Measurements - La Cenric's IEM Playhouse' started by Crinacle, Oct 20, 2017.

  1. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    Did anyone get the GR07 AE during the AllieExpress sale? I have been absolutely enjoying my pair - going back and forth between them and the Andromeda when I need a change of pace. These are easier to drive and less tip sensitive than the Mee P1, so its a win for my preferences.
     
  2. julian67

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    I didn't manage to get the padlock off my wallet at the time, but there is another aliexpress sale on now and the GR07s are again heavily discounted. Combining the discount with some coupons I ordered the Bass Edition with replaceable cable for £63 ($90 US). I do love my Shure SE425s but sometimes listening to dynamic driver IEMs reminds me that there are other tasty recipes too.
     
  3. julian67

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    I received my new GR07 BEs yesterday. The manufacturer recommends a break-in period with white noise and pink noise. I am doubtful as to the possibilities of break-in except with full size loudspeakers but if the manufacturer recommends it then who am I to argue? So I used sox to generate a 10 minute white noise wav and a 10 minute pink noise wav and then ffmpeg to concatenate them. I connected my GR07s to my ancient SSD modded, Rockboxed iRiver H140 and played this file on repeat for 24 hours at 13dB below max volume. I didn't listen to any music until this was completed so can't comment on any differences, real or imagined.

    The sound is beautiful. There is absolutely no trace of sibilance, ringing, or harshness in the higher frequencies. The GR07s just sound great, rendering the higher frequencies in a very similar manner to good loudspeakers. Everything is well balanced with a nice warmish bass that has a good kick. I have been listening to my iRiver (still perfectly good for 16-bit 44.1 kHz audio), my Galaxy Note II and my PC's Asus Xonar D1 sound card. Actually the 50 ohm impedance of the GR07s is very helpful with the iRiver, which hisses a little with very low impedance IEMs. I suspect some people would find the GR07s too quiet when used with a smartphone in a noisy environment.

    There have been some negative comments about Vsonic build quality. I would not buy the fixed cable version of this, but the same goes for every other IEM or headphone that costs more than change, regardless of manufacturer. I learned my lesson by buying too many items whose fixed cables failed (Sennheiser, Klipsch, RHA, Koss, Flare Audio etc. etc. etc.). However I am very happy with the apparent build/manufacturing quality of these GR07s with replaceable cable. The IEMs seem to be very nicely put together from high quality materials. The cable is soft and flexible with a slider to keep it still and quiet. In combination with the light, well shaped IEMs this makes wearing the GR07s very comfortable.

    These make a very nice change from my usual dual balanced armature Shure SE425s.
     
  4. julian67

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    Update on the GR07 Bass Edition and build quality:

    The cable failed near the jack plug yesterday, just sort of three months use. Well, it's a replaceable cable and I already have quite a variety of Shure and aftermarket MMCX cables so it's not a disaster, in fact I'm using the GR07s right now, but I would be very annoyed indeed if this was the GR07 with fixed cable. It's a bit of a shame because the Vsonic cable is very soft and flexible and, at a little over 130cm, about the ideal length for wearing over the ear but hanging down in front. But it's Vsonic and I lost count of how many Vsonic reviews I saw along the lines of "beautiful sound but now it crackles or cuts out when the cable moves". Which is why I didn't buy these until the replaceable cable version finally arrived. So I'm not surprised but am a tiny bit disappointed. Three months is not a respectable lifetime for any manufactured and supposedly durable product.

    Fortunately the sound of the GR07s is still thoroughly appealing and engaging. I would still recommend them to anyone who gets bored with BA IEMs. But wait for a sale as Vsonic shop sales on aliexpress are very good, with genuinely big discounts, and spend the saving on a generic cable or two. Horribly overpriced cables by Shure, Vsonic etc seem to fail if you simply use them but cheap, no-name, braided cables are apparently indestructible.
     
  5. julian67

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    Update:

    It's about 2 months after the cable failed, so about 5 months after I received my GR07s. Today the left IEM failed. Yup, the actual driver. Tried different cables which work fine with my Shures, and the cables are good. I prised open the left IEM shell expecting to see some horrible ultra thin wire or a cracked solder but actually the MMCX socket looks nicely soldered and so does the driver, and the wire and insulation are intact. So, it seems the driver itself has failed. This is piss poor quality control or component manufacture.

    I went back to my Shure SE425, but am immediately reminded why I got fed up with BA IEMs. The GR07 BE are so much like listening to loudspeakers at realistic levels, and the Shures sound distinctly two dimensional and zero fun by comparison. I think I prefer my SE215s, for all their shortcomings.

    Anyway Vsonic is now on my shitlist, I won't be buying any more products from them. It doesn't matter how good something measures or sounds if it breaks.
     

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