Articles, Headphones, Reviews

Vision Ears EVE20 IEM Review: Grand Experience

1,239
Vision Ears is a boutique Hi-Fi In-Ear Monitor brand based in Germany. The brand excels in producing stunning IEMs with unmatchable performance, truly TOTL stuff. A few weeks back I…
Vision Ears EVE20-14

Vision Ears is a boutique Hi-Fi In-Ear Monitor brand based in Germany. The brand excels in producing stunning IEMs with unmatchable performance, truly TOTL stuff. A few weeks back I reviewed their 6-BA IEM, the VE6XC(that you can check here). Today I am gonna take on another 6BA IEM from the house of Vision Ears, the Vision Ears EVE20. EVE 20 is a limited edition universal set of IEMs from their Exclusive Vision Ears(EVE) premium series. It is a special edition series in which the released products are made in limited numbers and are available for a limited time period. EVE20 is supposedly the first product in this series. It has a price tag of 1300 Euros.

According to the Vision Ears page, the EVE20 is more comparable to the VE8 flagship in sound rather than the VE6 series. I have seen how beautiful, how smooth the VE6XC sounds, but it costs like 2000 Euros(Completely worth it if you ask me). So how well does the EVE20 here performs? Is it worth its price?? Well, we are gonna find that out today. Before wasting any more time, let’s begin.

Vision Ears EVE20-1

Disclaimer:-

I got the EVE20 as a part of the ongoing review tour in my country(of which VE6XC was a part too). I am not paid by anyone to write positive or negative about the pair here. All impressions here in this review are based on my own experience with the pair over the past 10-12 days.

I received only the IEM in a metallic carry case with a pair of spin-fit CP100 attached to it. So i am going to skip the unboxing part and coming directly to the Design & Build quality of the pair.

Design & Build Quality:-

EVE20 has a very beautiful fully transparent shell design. One can see the placement of different drivers and acoustic tubes going from them to the ear nozzle through the shells. The inner cavity has a very light olive tone to it, the faceplate has a complementing red tone with shiny EVE and VE logo embossed on the right and left sides respectively. The earpieces are longer in length while being thinner in width, I am guessing this is done to provide a comfortable fit. Nozzle here is wide with a black mesh filter at the mouth. Both the units have their unique unit number printed on top of the nozzle. Since it’s an all-BA IEM there are no ventilation holes on the pair. We also have standard 2-pin connectors at the top of the shells.

Vision Ears EVE20-2

Since the pair is made of high-quality Resin material, it is extremely lightweight. In terms of design and build quality, the EVE20 is built with a perfect finish and flaunts its driver arrangement through the transparent cavities.

Vision Ears EVE20-3

The included cable looks very simple. It is a four-core cable with PVC insulated cover all over it that prevents any kind of microphonic issues with it. Connectors have a hard plastic casing around them followed by memory hook covers near them for a comfortable over-the-ear fit. The cable in my opinion looks too simple with the EVE20 and could’ve been of a heavier quality.

Fit & Noise Isolation:-

I had trouble getting a comfortable fit with the included Spin Fit CP100 ear tips. I switched to wide bore tips that came with my UM Mirage for a comfortable fit. The biggest issue with the fit of EVE20 is not the tips though, it’s the long length of the earpieces. As for me, I have medium-sized ears, the pair gave a tight, snug fit covering my ear entirely. I was happy with the fit as I got excellent noise isolation. But the concern is with people with small ears, for them, the cavities will sit on the outer portion of the ear. Other than this no issues in fit.

Vision Ears EVE20-4
Vision Ears EVE20-12

I personally find EVE20 fitting best with the medium-wide bore black stock tips I got with Unique Melody Mirage(Check the image above, the white one is CP100 stock tips of EVE20).

Powering Up The EVE20:-

Similar to the VE6XC, the Vision Ears EVE20 is also very easy to power. It can be driven right off your smartphone producing good detail and clarity in our music. I tried the EVE20 right off my Honor View 10(a very basic android phone with a 3.5mm headphone jack), and the result was really good and acceptable. Though the technical performance, the dynamics of the pair took a boost when I plugged them into my Shanling M3X audio player.

Vision Ears EVE20-5

Paired to the Shanling M3X, the pair drove off easy at around 30/100 volume on high-gain mode. The dynamics of the output such as staging, layering of instruments, separation of instruments, and extensions at both the lower and higher ends are highly improved in comparison to the regular smartphone. Well, to complete the pairing part off, yes the EVE20 provides acceptable output right off regular smartphones, but pairing them to a better source such as a dedicated hi-res audio player effectively improves its performance. For the purpose of this review, critical listening is done using Shanling M3X audio player, mostly using tidal streaming.

Sound Quality:-

As the brand states, the EVE20 despite having a similar driver configuration as VE6XC it sounds different. It has a different tuning with a W-shaped sound profile. The drivers are tuned in such a manner that they produce a smooth, non-fatiguing yet highly detailed sound output with excellent airiness in musical instruments. EVE20 has a grand soundstage presentation, by grand I mean really really grand. It has a super-wide soundstage presentation that gives the feeling of our music being played at a grand auditorium. The pair shows excellent dynamics, satisfactory quick bass response, natural tonality with a hint of warmth, overall a very enjoyable experience. Now let’s discuss different frequency responses.

Vision Ears EVE20-6

Lower End:-

EVE20 presents a quick, punchy, well-articulated lower-end response. It has quick decay providing us with a punchy presentation following each and every drum kick precisely. The lower end is quite refined retains good texture, we have quality here rather than quantity. Mid-bass slams just have the right amount, it doesn’t feel thick or pounding, rather natural and punchy. EVE20 doesn’t hit right onto the face with heavy bass response, rather we get a good balance between the mid and sub-bass portions, which effectively contributes to the balanced signature of the pair. To check the bass response of the EVE20 critically, I focused mainly on two tracks, Why So Serious by Hans Zimmer and Bad Guy By Billie Eilish.

The first track here Why So Serious, the rumble during the 3:29-4:30 mark just shakes the world upside down in my ears. The deep extensions of EVE20 can be felt here with full authority, an excellent track here. Coming to the second track here, Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, you know her music is full of energy, full of deep power punches, well the EVE20 makes you feel every single punch of that with great authority. Right from the beginning of the track to the very end, EVE20 kept one hooked to it. Satisfied with its lower-end response.

Vision Ears EVE20-7

Mids:-

Mids have a crisp and detailed presentation. EVE20 produces outstanding layering and details for instruments such as Acoustic Guitars, Pianos, and more. Vocals have a natural texture but they sound kind of dry for me. I mean VE ruined this for me themselves, VE6XC had such a musical vocal presentation that I kind of expected the same here. While the texture and clarity are intact, I find the vocals sounding slightly lean in comparison to the VE6XC(my benchmark for Vocals in the 1000$+ range). I am gonna list three tracks here, Hotel California from Hell Freeze Over by Eagles(Acoustic Instruments), Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi(Male Vocals), and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor(Female Vocals).

The acoustic intro in Hotel California featuring multiple guitars and bongo, the airiness, the layering of them simply perfect. EVE20 excels in presenting acoustic details with a wide stage presentation, exactly the two things that will complement this track. The second track for male vocals here, Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi is an absolute masterpiece, the beautiful piano followed by lovely male vocals. Vocals sound pretty rich though also a bit lean when we compare to VE6XC. The third track, I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, an energetic beauty. And the EVE20 does justice to it with its supreme detailing and clarity.

Vision Ears EVE20-8

Treble:-

Treble is the absolute beauty of the EVE20. The pair shows top-class layering and detailing while maintaining smooth textured response. The best part is there is the response is completely fatigue-free even for complex tracks such as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queens, In The End by Linkin Park, Snow(Hey Oh) by RHCP, and more. EVE20 produces minute details with good precision and quality. The sparkle of the top end is at the right amount that I like. If I love this pair the most for anything, it is this smooth, non-fatiguing, and highly detailed top-end.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a legendary track, even at the beginning, the layered vocals are bliss. EVE20 produces the track with absolutely brilliant dynamics, multiple layers of vocals, instruments at the same time, everything sounds just perfect. The second track In The End is again a brilliant track with multiple layers of instruments being played at the same time, EVE20 swifts through with the right amount of energy and detail to make the song enjoyable. Electric Guitars in the background doesn’t sound harsh even at high volume levels. The same can be said for the third track, Snow(Hey Oh) by RHCP.

Vision Ears EVE20-9

Soundstage & Imaging:-

As I stated earlier in this review, EVE20 produces a grand soundstage excelling in both width and height. Depth of the stage can be considered above average(Keeping CA Andromeda as my reference for staging here). Imaging and positioning of instruments is bliss, each instrument placement can be identified easily without any trouble.

Some Comparisons:-

Vision Ears VE6XC Vs EVE20:-

Both the IEMs are from the house of Vision Ears and house a similar 6BA driver configuration. But they both have a different presentation. Here are the key comparison between the two.

Vision Ears EVE20-10

>VE6XC has a deeper bass response, EVE20 bass sound more refined.

>Vocals of VE6XC are out of this world, simply magnificent. Such performance is lacked by EVE20 vocals here sound a bit thin and lean in comparison.

>EVE20 presents a wider soundstage with more airiness than VE6XC.

>EVE20 treble performance is smoother and better detailed.

>VE6XC can be considered more musical while the EVE20 has a better analytical signature with better layering and imaging characteristics.

I personally would consider VE6XC over the EVE20, I just loved that pair with all my heart.

Vision Ears EVE20 Vs CA Andromeda:-

Why not compare something similarly priced. I received a unit of Andromeda from a friend, compared both head to head, here are my results.

Vision Ears EVE20-11

>Andromeda sounds leaner than EVE20.

>EVE20 in my opinion can be considered as an upgrade to the Andros, with better dynamics, better layering of instruments.

>EVE20 excels in the width and height of the stage, but Andros has a more 3D presentation with a better sense of depth on the stage.

>Andromeda’s Bass response is more punchy.

>Fit wise Andromeda is absolute bliss.

>Spacious feeling is the same on both.

>High-Frequency response is smoother on EVE20.

I would pick EVE20 out of the two, eyes closed for its smoother treble and wider stage. Also Andros sound too lean for my taste.

Vision Ears EVE20-13

A Few More Words:-

EVE20 delivers what it is made/tuned to deliver, supreme airiness between the instruments, and a tremendously wide soundstage presentation. I mean it sounds so wide that when I listened to Binaural tracks such as Sparklings by Yosi Horikawa, I closed my eyes and I could feel the stage going far from my headspace. I would give full marks to the EVE20 in terms of Instrument separation and staging. Though it has its own flaws such as the Vocals not as good as the VE6 series, or Fit not as comfortable as other IEMs in its class(Meze Rai Penta, Andromeda, and more).

Will I recommend the EVE20? Well if you are considering Andromeda’s from CA, the EVE20 has a better presentation. It even excels VE6 series in some aspects such as Instrument separation, Layering, and Soundstage, but I will still personally go with VE6 just for its lovely vocals that I crave.

, , , , , , , , , ,
Share article
Previous Post
S.M.S.L SU-8s Latest MQA DAC Released
Next Post
Shanling x Moondrop x Tanchjim M3X Limited Edition Announced
Menu