Velodyne vPulse first impressions **Spoiler alert for TDS**

[IDvsEGO]

I just got them today but wanted to put up some impressions. This will basically be following my impressions as I experienced them so the organization is more chronological than topical.

A brief scare when I opened the box...the model pictured was blue. I ordered black. I was quickly relieved when Is aw a little sticker at the bottom that said black. Packaging was decent, which I expected at the MSRP of $90. Easy to get into which was nice. A sleeve over an inner box and some formed plastic holding everything in place. I like the case. A little bigger than most and is has a neopreneish feel to it that I like. I will actually use this one as opposed to tossing it in a drawer like i do for most provided cases. I usually use mint tins instead. The cable is more flexible than I thought it would be. The body isnt as shiny as it is in the pics but the gear looking logo on the end is a bit more flashy. Feels solid enough though. Kind of big but I was half expecting them to be bigger. I dont love the remote in line. Its kind of big and feels a bit hollow. The volume doesnt work for my samsung captivate but the play/pause does. I like the plug. The L is fairly low profile and sturdy enough. I thought I had already broken the Y junction but it has a slider and it was all the way down. The tips arent bad...or at least the set that was on them in the box. a little thicker than the sony hybrids but pliable. I felt like I got a good seal so I havent checked out the others yet. There are a bunch. In addition to the medium sized blackones on the IEMs there are two full sets of 4 sizes, one in black and one in a light grey. Other than color they appear the same in the bag. More on that later in a few days. So...there is my first impression. So far so good.



oh...did you guys want a few words about the sound

I didnt change the EQ from my bass heavy curve for the E10, I just plugged them in. They have bass for days, and plenty of low rumble. It will take me a few days to give a good impression of the overall sound...probably a week really. The bass is very present and grin inducing so I may have to get my jollies on with them for a few before I tweak the EQ and see how they behave. I will say they have the sub-bass rumble of the philips she3580 and the build quality I was hoping for. Now lets see how they fair with the rest of the sound spectrum. I am fine with them for the approximately $45 I payed. Some time will tell if they are $90 IEMs or not. Eventually I may pick up a set of the JVC xplosive series to see how they compare at less than half the price.

[CrowdAds]

[The DarkSide]

No spoiler for me!!! I wanted to know how they sound, and your on the right track. Now, how good is the clarity? Are the mids there, do the highs sparkle? Does it sound "veiled?

Thank bro.

[IDvsEGO]

I will queue up some more vocal tracks with the EQ flat today. I did flatten it out last night and there was still pretty good bass response. I was reading my book though so wasnt concentrating on the sound. Really just doing a little brain burn in.

[The DarkSide]

I received my set yesterday, and I find the sq to be "ok",... The bass is good, but the mids are a bit too recessed for my liking. The highs are also rolled off, giving me the feeling of something being missing from my music.

I listened to electronic based tunes (old style new wave, industrial, ebm) and I really was disappointed. Everything seemed too congested, like the vPulse was trying to do everything all at once - and failing. Yuk!!!

Then, I listened to various types of rock and the results were better (not faster paced death metal or speed metal, especially after the electronic based stuff sounded so bad). But, overall, I'm not too impressed with these.

Maybe, after I burn these in a bit (if it matters), the sq will improve. And I mean leaving these hooked up to my Cowon and NOT listening to them,...the opposite of what I would normally recommend. ***PINK NOISE ANYONE!!!***

[IDvsEGO]

still playing these but I am pleased for sure. Tons of bass and I havent noticed a particularly veiled or bloated feel. I like.

[The DarkSide]

I use more treble heavy iem's and cans, so my tastes differ a bit. The clarity isn't there for me,...maybe burn in will help me a bit - I'll start tomorrow.

Also, I'm going to use my "big guns" player - my favorite Cowon D2. THAT might make a difference in the SQ for me, as (for me personally) some players sound better paired w/some hp/iem's. Maybe the vPulse suck w/my iPod classic (one of the players it's designed to be used with)???

I do HATE one thing - the remote ONLY works with my iPod. Not even the center button will work w/my Android phone. That SUX!!!

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

... I do HATE one thing - the remote ONLY works with my iPod. Not even the center button will work w/my Android phone. That SUX!!!

Good point to make as I've noted the same on some of my friends gear and I've stated here before that they're designed for ipods while much of the marketing states android devices too. In this case here I haven't read the marketing about your new phones, only mean to say it's good to note for others to see ...

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by IDvsEGO

yeah, I need to put an * on all my impressions from now on because I use poweramp and eq all the time. I am pretty much stuck on the sub bass right now and haven't run it through much more than my hip hop collection.

I don't listen to hip-hop anymore (since I really can't practice my popping), so the huge overpowering bass turns me off. I luv bass, but NOT at the expense of the mids & highs. Plus, at lower volumes, these sound anemic. I mostly use low volume,...

Originally Posted by WalkGood

Good point to make as I've noted the same on some of my friends gear and I've stated here before that they're designed for ipods while much of the marketing states android devices too. In this case here I haven't read the marketing about your new phones, only mean to say it's good to note for others to see ...

I'll make it a point to post the Android in/compatibility from now on - it's becoming a must have in the knowledge dept. Especially since the inline controls are being included in quite a few iem/hp's lately.

[IDvsEGO]

yeah, I need to put an * on all my impressions from now on because I use poweramp and eq all the time. I am pretty much stuck on the sub bass right now and haven't run it through much more than my hip hop collection.

[IDvsEGO]

yeah, the only remote button that works for me is the middle button for play/pause. volume would have been nice. Sorry you don't like them that much TDS. good thing is you should be able to get your investment back. They are getting a bit of chatter over at HF. strike while the iron is hot...or maybe just vaguely unknown. Joker has them on his upcoming review list. I have a feeling he will hate them.

EDIT - I was wrong. here is a post of his brief first impressions...

http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/mult...5#post_8183652

The vPulse review is a couple of weeks off. I do recommend it over the S4i when a 3-button headset is a requirement. The vPulse is very bassy but there's just as much sub-bass as mid-bass and the top end isn't harsh like it is with the S4. The vPulse has a decent-sized stage and the presentation isn't overly forward/aggressive.

[VidGamer870]

I, too, am sorry you didn't like them. The top end not being harsh (as Joker of Head-Fi mentioned) was a big deal for me, as both the Klipsch S4 and JVC Xtreme Xplosives (HA-FX1X) have trouble with that, which is one reason why I like the vPulse. (I have heard some refer to the Xtreme Xposives' sound signature as being U-shaped, which A) is pretty true as far as I remember, and B) wasn't nearly as tolerable as the typical V-shaped signature to me.)

Anyway, to each his own.

[The DarkSide]

I do find that they're growing on me a bit, and with adequate volume the sq is solid. I guess I'm more used to a "bright" sound sig. Plus, as per the "placebo effect", I'm starting to notice the pretty good sound stage. These are way better than most of the iem's I own, and I'll give myself more time to adjust to them (the real burn in - BRAIN BURN IN!!!).

I personally think I base most of my opinions on my Sennheiser HD25-1 II's,....and that's not a good thing to do. This is new territory for me I guess, so take my opinions with a grain of salt please.

[IDvsEGO]

you are allowed to not like them. And soundstage is one of those things i don't think my ears care about. either that or I don't care to think that much about the sets I use. I keep my reviews and impressions short because if I start analyzing it or trying to quantify everything there tends to be a habit to want to have something to comment on. Thats where all these terms start getting thrown around or eve made up. Basically I use a set until I feel like reaching for another one. When I do that I try to figure out why I swapped.

[The DarkSide]

^true dat!!!^

PS: for once cnet has a review of something that I actually agree with: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57...overs-delight/

"clouded overall clarity",...yup!!!

[aimran]

One of the other reviews said these sound like a $10 headphones with a million-dollar bass.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/velodyne/vpulse.htm

Wonder how the bass on these compare to IEMs from Radius and Future Sonics Atrio?

[The DarkSide]

I hope to eventually find out about the Atrio M5 eventually,...but Marv just informed me about these:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/he...c52/index.html

[The DarkSide]

Anyone wanna buy my velo's? $50 shipped & delivered.

[IDvsEGO]

I want some atrios too but I am trying to not spend too much on IEMs these days. I love AT so I am sure those would be great. I did end up putting my E10 back on last night because its what I had on hand. I think the velodynes will be relegated to specialty use for when I want the big bass boom and my E10 will still be my full time set.

[The DarkSide]

While the velo's do sound good, I'm more interested in a balanced sound sig. These just aren't for me. I guess I'll put them up for sale in the classifieds & post the sale on head-fi as well. I'm going to save for those ATH's Marv suggested.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

... These just aren't for me. ...

Based on what you've stated in this thread and posts in other threads I think you would really enjoy the A151s sound sig if you can find them on sale (I've seen some great deals on them below $50, as low as upper 30s). While they are on the warm side the mids and highs are really good, they lend well to EQ'ing if you wish in increase one of the ranges but IMHO they sound great without any EQ too. Also this would give you the chance to check out balanced armature sound vs dynamic driver sound sig.