LH Labs Vibrato and Vibrato X

Just wanted to thank LH Labs first and foremost for allowing me to try out their new Vibrato IEM. From my understanding there is a balanced version which is called the Vibrato X but I only tried the non X version. Personally I have no idea what the price is but was definitely impressed as I thought it sounded very good compared with what I had in the more expensive price range $200+. Please note that my main genres of music are Hip Hop, Rock and Roll, and EDM. I admittedly tried other genres such as Jazz and Classical. All of my testing the source used was both the LH Labs GoV2 and the Lotoo Paw Gold. Just a reminder I am a noob when it comes to impressions/reviews so please bear with me.




Build Quality/Comfort/Misc Comments: Build quality is very solid the minute I picked these up they had a premium weighty feel to them. The material of the cord is also very impressive. Fit is good as I figured with them being a premium weighty feel that they would easily fall out of my ears or make them very noticeable to listen to but that just didn't happen. As I shake my head vigorously from side to side they don't fall out. Really great job here. Love the color scheme of not only the IEMs but the cord itself.

Bass: Excellent bass extension with solid impact which I enjoy when listening to EDM as well as Hip Hop tracks. This IEM won't cater to extreme bassheads but this IEM definitely has good punch. This IEM performed very well especially during certain EDM tracks during reaver segments without losing any details (something I admire and look for) Honestly couldn't ask for much more as I feel if any was added it might take away in other categories such as detail and resolution.

Treble: Good treble extension. I am not as sensitive to treble issues as some of the other people you have asked for in impressions but I didn't think the treble was ever peaky but instead it was very seemless. There were no sharp edges for me that made this IEM fatiguing or cringeworthy.

Mids: I think the mids are very well represented and in most cases often highlighted especially with vocal focused tracks. On certain Diana Krall tracks I felt like she was singing directly at me in a very intimate way. She was singing to me and I was looking up at her. That's the way her music should always sound and these IEMs just nailed drawing me into her voice which starts in the mids and usually extends to the treble range and the transition just leaves you amazed. Very well done here as the timbre of a singers voice is never lost in the instruments.

Vocals: Like I started saying when I was talking about the mids. The tonal balance of voices as well as the change of timbre evokes true emotion of a song. Absolutely amazing. Dynamic vocals I find hard to do because you sometimes have to focus on something else rather than the changes of the voice (usually instruments) but this IEM keeps your mind focused on the voice of the singer which I throughly enjoy.

Soundstage: I don't think it's as airy as other IEMs but I feel that this IEM does a great job separating instruments in a way that it almost seems like the soundstage is interactive. Space is accentuated where it's needed to let all the details through where you can follow effortlessly all of the instruments in the spectrum with the vocals being center stage. Nothing is drowned out it all comes at you like you are there.

Details: This IEM is definitely detailed as I feel I have heard certain things come through in songs I have not heard before. I wouldn't say it's the most detailed IEM I ever heard but it definitely seems to have a mix of reference, pro, and pleasure audio all mixed. Definitely a hybrid in this department. I just don't feel like I am losing anything and am actually gaining a lot. Where I really noticed this was listening to Neil Young's Harvest album where I just noticed that there were guitar plucks I didn't realize were present.

Overall: I mean wow what a great IEM. It did exemplary in any genre I threw at it. I wish I had anything negative about the sound to say but I don't. I think this is a real winner for me

 

Like I said in my post no idea.

 

thanks to @velvetx for the public thread, time for me to come out of the Vibrato X (balanced) closet.

my Vibrato X (balanced IEMs) sonic impressions, using the included large silicone tips, and with GOV2+Infinity balanced output only:

1. tips
the barrel length and size would not allow me to attach Shure (olive) foam tips, which I find seals better than silicone and provides more comfort. couldn't find my comply tips around, so stuck with silicone. couldn't leave them in my ears more than 45 min until becoming uncomfortable which always happens to my ears with any IEM.
Note1: there IS still the possibility that Vibrato X can use foam tips in the future. also bet there is some Comply model that would fit these barrels.

2. treble
very good detail, can hear instrument and string separation easily. does not sound grainy or fuzzy or distorted in any way. Went "Wow" when I first heard the treble on these and didn't expect such detail! decay is nice as well. it's hard for me to pick out specific treble peaks, but nothing was "painful" to my ears. yet after awhile of listening the treble became slightly fatiguing, or sounded overall like a more "forward" IEM in presentation.

3. mids
mids are well spaced, seem a bit thin and don't have body in every track.
vocals might be presented a bit "forward" which some folks may like, I prefer vocal "even" or a step back inline with the music.
that's just me, don't listen to a lot of music with vocals anyhow.
with the mids lacking some muscle, guitar rock listeners might be disappointed by the Vibrato X.
acoustic guitar, strings, jazz and other might be well pleased with the "string detail" presentation for sure.

4. bass
seemed an attempt to keep "audiophile" bass nice and level and not elevate in relationship to mids. a welcomed tuning!
but the bass could use a tad step up in punch or depth, if it won't cover mids. a bass drum is well defined in comparison to other drum kit elements.
bass was polite and accurate and I'm glad it wasn't over done or hyper boosted, maybe could extend a tad lower?
if one "listens closely" for bass guitar, it's there and sounds clear- but it takes some effort to pull/hear it from the mix.

5. spatial presentations
overall a good amount of width for IEMs, felt the microdetail delivery was very good (maybe that's GOV2+Inf?) and instrument separation also very good. complex passages never got muddied or swallowed up.

Overall:
this isn't my first balanced IEM (others are balanced UM3X custom and balanced Heir Audio 4.AiS custom) but Vibrato X could be my first affordable (assuming) balanced universal IEM that I'd enjoy with some minor tweaks especially if foam tips would fit the barrels.
Vibrato X is more enjoyable than my darker UM3X, but it's not equal with $500 Heir Audio 4.AiS, nor was I expecting it to be despite not knowing the price point.
clarity is very good, if treble came down a tad and bass came up a tad, and mids delivered more body (all while not being dark) it would really be a great all rounder IEM for all genres of music.

Note2: have no clue of the differences in Vibrato vs. Vibrato X but may get a short trial of both this weekend to compare.

Cheers to LH Labs for not "giving up" and transforming a Verb mess into a Vibrato product that has merit.

 

I have these now. They are pretty good. The tuning is more along the lines of a very slightly exaggerated FitEar TG334. Tuned more for consumers or prosumer than strict audiophiles such as myself. Good crisp clean sound. The bass quality is very good. Solid punch. No sloppy fuzzy nonsense often heard on cheapo IEMs. Now I almost want to say its like 1Plus2, but without its weirdness. Kinda U shaped, except the mids aren't as recessed. I know this makes no sense... the bass and maybe the mid-upper mids are lifted. Some emphasis on higher range of vocals and harmonics. No issues at all with lower or mid treble which is where I am most sensitive. My assessment is that sounds like a $400-$600 IEM in terms of technicalities. Tonal balance will have to be suitable for your tastes. Soundstage isn't as deep with the solid center images of the reference IEMs such as UERM, etc.

OK, I figured it out. It sounds like the ER4S, with its humpy 2-3k diffuse field thing, but with a lot more bass, and no treble spike at 8kHz.

 

Quick measurements: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/lh-labs-vibrato-measurements.1818/#post-45937