I do not know whether the founder of the Venture Electronics company Strugatsky read it very unlikely, but he decided to implement the principle formulated in the "Picnic" clearly. A little paraphrase, we can say: "a good sound for everyone, almost free, and let no one go offended." So the headphones VE Monk appeared, practically "blown up" the community with their sound. In addition to the budget model, the company introduced two models more expensive: Asura and Zen. I do not have the latest, but Asura 2 revision fell into the hands. So this review will be immediately double.
Actually, how much good headphones can cost, the sound of which does not need to be constantly justified by the mantra "well, but they are cheap"? Recently, this price tag has been established somewhere around $ 30. Of course, the headphones of this segment are still full of flaws, but this does not prevent the immersion in good music. VE thought and decided to reduce this figure by 6 times. Yes, headphones for $ 5 in our time, few people can be surprised, in China, a ton of cheap consumer goods is being made, but listening to all these models to a music connoisseur is almost physically painful. In general, the uniqueness of "monks" is not so much in price as in sound, which is very good. Of course, for the sake of achieving a low price "under the knife" went almost everything: from packaging to accessories. Again, the delivery of headphones is not free, which increases their price, in the official store on AliExpress, Monk can be ordered for $ 8. In local stores they are a little more expensive, in Ukraine, for example, you can for an amount equivalent to $ 10, the difference of $ 2 justifies itself as a guarantee.
Of course, on sales of tens of thousands of super-cheap liners you will not earn much, therefore Venture Electronics added two more headphones, mid-budget Asura of the second revision ( ) and Zen (sold in the official store on AliExpress at a price of 150 dollars). In general, Monk acts in this case as a "probe", allowing you to assess your need for high-quality sound, and if it is great - you are waiting for older models.
Specifications
VE Monk
- Housing: plastic
- Emitter: dynamic, 15.4 mm
- Frequency range: 18 Hz to 22.5 kHz
- Sensitivity : 112 dB
- Impedance: 32Ω
- Cable: symmetrical, 1.2 m
VE Asura
- Housing: plastic
- Emitter: dynamic
- Sensitivity: 108 dB
- Frequency range: 10 Hz to 25 kHz
- Impedance: 150Ω
- Cable: symmetrical, 1.2 m
Packing and delivery kit
On Monk, the manufacturer tried to save as much as possible (well, it's not a loss to work for oneself), so they do not have any packaging at all, the headphones are sold in a usual cellophane bag. The package includes a pair of solid nozzles made of red foam rubber and a pair of nozzles with holes in the center.
Asura are much more expensive, but with them the developers also decided not to spend money on the useless accessory in the face of the box. Who needs packaging, which in most cases will still go to the trash? Therefore Asura is sold in the usual Chinese case of nylon on a snake. The delivery kit this time includes two pairs of nozzles and special nozzles of two sizes with rubber protrusions, which ensure better fixation of the ear buds (they are also called EarHooks). Judging by the photos on the Internet, sometimes a clothespin is included in the delivery to fix the cable on the clothes.
In general, the delivery package is the most usual, and the packaging does not pull on the premium segment, the manufacturer emphasizes that all the funds went into sound. In the case of Monk, this is certainly true, but in the case of Asura, the stock on the box was clearly.
Design and Convenience
The appearance of all VE models is very similar. They use the typical enclosures, which are typical for many Chinese models. All the difference between the junior and middle earphones is in the case material and the cable. VE Monk is made from the simplest and most unremarkable black plastic, while the Asura is flaunted with a transparent body, through which one can even see the emitter. By wire - Monk has the simplest Chinese cable in rubber insulation, it has a softer feel for Asura and also has an angled plug.
In general, the design of both models is as simple as possible, the photos transmit it completely, there are no special tricks in appearance.
Headphones are somewhat critical to planting, so you may have to experiment a little with their placement in the ears, but in general, wearing discomfort inserts does not deliver, unless, of course, you are not an unfortunate owner of very small ear shells. In this case, it is worth considering that the result of listening to these headphones will still vary greatly depending on the features of the structure of the ears, this is inevitable for "liners".
Sound insulation is expected to be low, this is determined by the form factor.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- NuPrime DAC-10H and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Fiio X7 and Luxury & Precission L5Pro as portable players
- VSonic Gr01, Dunu Titan 1 and Dunu DN-2000J as headphones for comparison
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
I will not philosophize craftily, this section will simply consist of two halves. To begin with - Monk.
If you take into account the price - the headphones are simply gorgeous. For their 8-10 dollars they sound legible, drayvovo and inviting. Especially if they pick up the same emotional player (it comes to mind xDuoo X2, Hidizs AP100 and HUM Pervasion). The main condition is to listen to them with foam guns in order to prevent the brain from ejection. The form factor of the liners allows them to build a more or less decent imaginary scene (in width, of course, there is no need to talk about depth here). In general, the supply of "monks" is close to the reference V-shaped AFC with an emphasis on the average bass and peaks at 2.5 and about 7 kHz. That is, on the one hand - midbass, forming the basis of the melody, on the other - peaks on the HF and HF, making the headphones sound not deaf, like most of the Chinese industry. Between them - quite decent, although slightly overshadowed by the MF.
If you throw the price out of consideration, it is worth noting that the speed of the bass is still not enough (albeit a little), especially it is clearly visible on quality sources. And in general, the headphones are much simplified in the attenuation area, the instruments sound a little hollow, although you can hear it mostly on quality recordings. Still from problems there is a strong blockage on the very top of HF, which deprives recording of airiness, although this is generally a scourge of cheap models.
But, once again, Monk still play more than their price and will be a very good option for sitting on the shoal of audiophiles.
As I listened to the two VE models, I had a suspicion that the products of this Chinese company were very carefully and accurately tuned by the sound. Budget "monks" is a good example of a "mass" sound with an emphasis on drive and energy. At the same time Asura v 2.0 - an attempt to play a typical audiophile model with an emphasis on the midrange and detail.
In Asura, noticeably less bass, which allowed to come to the forefront of the mid-range, which was surprisingly good. The LF reduction itself also benefited them, they delicately withdrew into the background and because of this they are less lubricated and sound better. Medium frequencies are really good: emotions, details, soulful vocals - all this is there. This leads to an improvement in the scene both in width and depth, in Asura it is already possible to talk about the separation of plans and other audiophile plushka. Unfortunately, HF also differ in some "raskolbas", there are clearly peaks and dips, and the peaks are even more pronounced than in Monk. This makes the headphones critical to both the source and the quality of the recordings. Although this is just the norm for headphones, not trying to mask the upper frequency range.
Compatibility
The main thing that dictates the compatibility of these headphones is impedance. Monk on this parameter is quite suitable for mobile phones with tablets. In the Era, even Modified version with a headset cable. Asura with their 150Ω will already be more difficult load, but their sensitivity is enough for most normal players, although with smarfonami they are not particularly popolzuesh. Well, except that you are the owner of Highscreen Boost 3.
By filing Monk - headphones for fans of rock and metal (not the most complex and brutal directions), electronic music and pop genres. Also in them you can listen to and uncomplicated jazz, but, perhaps, it is better not. Asura, the same is better suited for art rock, instrumental music and other frills with an emphasis on the midrange. On sensitivity to the quality of records, Monk is pulled by 4 points, and Asura by 8 on a 10-point scale.
conclusions
Both models are interesting in their own way, and both models, in general, are not universal. Monk is an ideal choice for a lover of simple music with limited finances. Asura, in turn, is very good for genres of complex, with emphasis on technique, but with emphasis on midrange. Unfortunately, I did not hear VE Zen. Although the curves of the frequency response of the latter are adjusted to some skepticism, I refrain from guessing in the pictures. By the way, if you are looking for good and versatile inserts, I would advise you to pay attention to Yuin products.
The article is based on materials .
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