Marcus reviews the Vision Ears VE PURE, a new high-end custom monitor with a 7 balanced armature driver design designed for pros and audiophiles alike. It is currently priced at €1,900.
Disclaimer: This was sent as a sample in return for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or services. I would like to thank the team at Vision Ears for their support.
Click here to read more about Vision Ears products I have reviewed on Headfonics
Note that this article follows our latest scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
The VE PURE is the third in our series of the refreshed Vision Ears Custom Monitor lineup. It replaces the VE7 model from the older lineup and is positioned just under the XCON price-wise in the new series.
The VE7 was launched in 2021 and is perhaps one of my favorite custom monitors from Vision Ears outside of the original Elysium. It stood out for its natural-to-neutral sound signature with excellent treble extension.
However, my sample was one of the first production releases with subsequent versions benefiting from Vision Ears’ improved engineering and driver implementation.
So, whilst the last iteration of the VE7 is probably a match in terms of tuning to the new PURE, the original VE7 from 2021 has some qualitative differences, meaning they sound rather different.
This version is beefier and smoother-sounding, with additional weight on the lows and a more refined set of highs. In my opinion, it’s more in keeping with the Vision Ears house sound than the original mode.
However, is the VE PURE still the detail king in this new lineup? How does it compare to the refreshed ZEN and XCON? I found out in my full review below.
Features
The Vision Ears VE PURE is an all-balanced armature driver custom IEM. It uses a total of 7 BA drivers in a 5-way crossover system; 6 of them in dual arrays for the lows, mids, and highs, and a super tweeter for the ultra-highs.
The drivers inside the last VE7 iteration and the current version of the VE PURE are unchanged, with a mix of Sonion for the lows and mids and Knowles for the super tweeter.
Dual chamber BA drivers will generate more depth and power than older single chamber variants, which goes some way in explaining why I hear a fulsome low-end in the PURE.
The Vision Ears VE PURE has an impedance of just 12Ω with an SPL of 116 dB/mW @1kHz, making it a fairly easy-to-drive custom monitor from modern dongles, portable amplifiers, and DAPs.
Design
As with the XCON, I let Vision Ears choose the design, so the sample sent to me is finished with the VE PURE signature Copper Maze Carbon face plate and a midnight semi-transparent main shell.
It is quite similar to the XCON in its aesthetics, but with a slightly brighter line pattern on the otherwise copper/brown faceplate base color.
Arguably, it’s another low-key, nuanced design choice for those who like their custom monitors to be nicely finished but remain relatively discreet.
Subjectively, I prefer this version over the Steel Maze Carbon finish of the XCON sample I was sent, courtesy of the slightly brighter copper effect on the main shell. It’s subtle, but side by side, you can pick out the design a little more on this VE PURE sample.
Of course, it is unlikely you will ever pick two designs so similar, but if you have to choose one of the two, my tip is the copper version for its more saturated colors.
As always with VE customs, the build quality is impeccable, with an average to slightly compact custom shell size and nothing too relaxed on the horn-style nozzle side, so it should stay tight and secure in your ear canal when moving around.
The Midnight Black main shell is relatively transparent, giving you an added glimpse into the inner workings of the PURE’s driver complement. A bit nerdy, but it builds confidence that you are getting what you paid for.
Comfort & Isolation
Because the VE PURE is an all-BA driver custom design lacking in any venting ports, the fit and passive isolation levels are excellent.
The experience is much the same as I had with the ventless XCON, which is no surprise since they were built using the same digital ear scan STL files.
The key is getting the fit right, and that comes down to VE’s molding process from your ear scans. I tend to keep STL digital files of my ear scans handy, but have never seen the need to update them for a few years now because the VE fits have always been a perfect blend of pressure and comfort.
The VE PURE shells have a medium insertion depth, decent canal pressure to retain the seal without pinching too much into the cartilage, and do not stick far out of the ear either, ensuring the monitors sit solidly in the ear without drawing too much attention.
Background noise cancellation is supreme, better than any noise-canceling TWS can offer. However, I wouldn’t recommend using these for flights until cruising altitude due to pressure changes, as they can upset the pressure balance in your ears until you take them out.
VE integrates a horn principle into their CIEM nozzle tips, resulting in an ovoid bloom in the nozzle dimension, which works particularly well for me in terms of sealing compared to more circular alternatives.
Stock Cable
My VE PURE sample did not come with all standard packaging and stock cable, so I cannot comment with too much insight as to how the new stock cable handles relative to the Premium upgrade cable that comes with the ZEN.
What I can tell you is this is a new 1.35m stock cable with a 4-wire 26AWG Litz geometry, and a mix of 7N Ultra-High Purity Single Crystal Copper and 7N Ultra-Pure Copper Extruded Silver.
Externally, the new VE PURE stock cable looks like an upgrade on the old P1 Tech cables that the older models came with.
The external jacket finish is somewhat similar to the original EXT or Phönix cable design, with a black braided TPE material, 2-pin connectors, and matching slimline jack and splitter barrels. There is also a dash of purple here and there to match the company’s color scheme.
You can choose between a balanced 4.4mm or a single-ended 3.5mm termination during the online checkout process, but the 2-pin connectors are fixed.
There is also a fairly hefty amount of memory-retentive coating at the terminations to help shape the cable around your ears and keep the shells securely in place.
Based on my experience with similar VE cables from the last few years, this cable should be quite light and easy to manage with low microphonic performance and memory retention.
Packaging & Accessories
Since my sample came without the complete accessory lineup you would buy as a customer, I can only tell you what you will get based on the feedback from Vision Ears.
Ideally, you will receive a compact, branded retail box with a very neatly laid out presentation of the accessories, including a carry case (round or square) with the stock cable and CIEMs safely tucked inside.
The rest of the packaging includes a cleaning pick, a 6.35mm adapter (if you have chosen the 3.5mm termination), and a cleaning cloth.
Sound Impressions
The following sound impressions of the Vision Ears VE PURE were completed using the iBasso’s DX340, DC-Elite, and Cayin’s N6iii/R202 in 1-bit mode.
Summary
The VE PURE tuning sounds like a mix of the best parts of the XCON with a nod to what is to come from the flagship ZEN.
It’s an expansive, more detailed performance than the XCON, retaining some pleasing fullness in the lows, combined with a smooth vocal timbre and a neutral midrange imaging experience.
Of the three VE custom monitors I have reviewed thus far, the VE PURE sounds the most chilled with a refined liquid-like instrumental tonal quality that permeates throughout, and excellent levels of detail.
The one area I am hesitant about is the vocal prominence. It’s not as forward-sounding or offers as much note contrast as the XCON or ZEN, with the tonal quality more rounded as a result.
And because the 1-4k region is not as pumped as the aforementioned models, it’s not as high-impact or as intimate-sounding, hence why I called it the most chilled tuning thus far.
Of course, those who like a larger soundstage will appreciate the enhanced level of space between the listener and the singer from the PURE. Vocals tend to melt a little into the mix, so surrounding instruments never sound like distant cousins.
And because of the fairly beefy BA sub-woofer response, the fundamental in those instrumental notes is noticeable on the VE PURE low-end, even if not as punchy as the XCON X1.
I would hesitate to call the VE PURE tuning ethereal. The headroom is excellent with a little dash of presence around 10k, but it’s not overly bright or wispy-sounding.
Sources are a factor with neutral DAPs, such as the DX320 MAX Ti, which teases out more contrast in the highs, and portable amplifiers such as the Cayin C9ii’s Modern Tube mode, emphasizing the mids and highs over the lows.
Frequency Response
The VE PURE follows its own path relative to popular target curves such as Harman. Yes, it is lifted in the lows, but it’s not as aggressive as the XCON, nor is it as dense or as powerful as the dynamic driver inside the ZEN.
Instead, you have a reassuring fullness and a bit of warmth to the VE PURE bass response, albeit a controlled one, with an elevated low-end shelf of around 2-3 dB from 20-100Hz to almost 1k.
Bass and lower-mids instrumental presence is noticeable, as is a decent fundamental frequency level compared to the more frugal XCON X2 position.
There is a gentle lift from 1-2k, enough for some natural vocal presence, but it’s not as overtly amplified as the XCON or ZEN and stays fairly neutral to relaxed from 2k up to 6-7k.
I will say, though, the VE PURE FR is not dipped through the mids at all, so, whilst slightly south of neutral, its response is linear and nicely balanced.
Vocals and instruments have equal weighting, nothing sounds peaky at all or too in-your-face, nor do they sound sucked out and hollow in their delivery.
The additional weight on the lows and lower-midrange also allows a bit of warmth to creep up, becoming more of a factor in midrange coloration than any unsettling treble sharpness.
Treble extension is very good with a little bit of a push around 8-10k for additional headroom and air. It creates a light sheen on treble percussion notes but doesn’t permeate too much into the mids.
As a result, I do not hear quite as much contrast from the mids and highs of the VE PURE compared to the ZEN and XCON. The VE PURE is more gentile in its treble application, enhancing that smooth delivery.
Staging & Dynamics
The VE PURE has the edge on the XCON in terms of micro-detail and expansiveness, particularly in terms of width.
It’s not as pushed in the vocal region as the XCON, so the midrange sounds more distant, which for me always enhances that perception of size in an IEM’s staging quality.
Vocals still have a degree of air behind and around, so it’s not a dull sound by any means. Just not as vibrant and intimate as either the XCON or the ZEN.
Depth is surprisingly good. It is the first thing I noticed when I compared it to my 2021 VE7 launch edition. I am not sure what has changed, but my tested recordings came through with improved gravitas on the VE PURE and not quite as dry and clean as I had expected.
Height is superior to the XCON, though it is not achieved by overemphasizing the treble overtones. This is not a bright-sounding IEM, but it does have enough sparkle to extend the stage and ensure spatial cues are easily discernible.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
