VSonic R-02 Pro


Enclosure type: semi-open canalphones
Impedance: 24-ohm, +/-10
Sensitivity: >~105 dB
Frequency response: 8-28000 Hz
Rated power: 10 mW
Maximum input power: 30 mW

On sale here and here.

Canalphones. Ah.
Canalphones are a weird phenomenon. There’re lots of people who swear by them, but there’s that tiny problem they often don’t mention. Comfort.

Canalphones can cost less than full-size headphones of comparable resolution, but they can also be more painful and uncomfortable.

Seal is more of a problem with all earphones; earbuds sit in the outer shell, and don’t quite convey the same power in music as canalphones (or real headphones). Canalphones achieve their resolution and impact thanks to being inserted into ear canals. Like that:

“They have to be inserted how deep into ears?”

Ahem. Now that the necessary distraction has been provided, back to the topic. Canalphones have to sit pretty close to tympanic membranes, and canalphone foam tips have to seal ear canals tightly enough to avoid sound leakage (especially the low frequencies, the “bass” all people are so raving about as CD audio doesn’t have the necessary high-frequency resolution to convey delicate harmonics which provide movement, airiness impressions). This, of course, means pain in many cases. As these Head-Fi threads show, there’re many people who have some kind of comfort/fit problems with canalphones.
Besides ear canal chafing and pain from canalphone tip pressure, there’re also a couple possible health issues with canalphones. One is partial deafness from overly loud playback. This isn’t as much of a trouble as it might sound, as canalphones are usually detailed enough and provide enough sound isolation to play at less loudness (dB SPL) than less detailed headphones (or speakers). Volume is usually raised in response to lack of detail in music playback, as human hearing is most sensitive past 100 dB SPL (that’s roughly the loudness of a club or party house-shaking speakers). In professional IEM systems, there’s usually a limiter to prevent excessive loudness; in a typical listener’s setup, a reference tone like this can be used to determine highest volume tolerable (start with playing the tone at minimum loudness, slowly increasing volume towards a point at which the tone starts to sound too harsh/loud).
The second problem is a higher risk of ear infection. Because of this, canalphone tips have to be cleaned regularly. Hydrogen peroxide (2 or 3% solution is sold in any drug store) is a substance that can be used for cleaning canalphone tips. A few minutes in hydrogen peroxide (10-30) should dissolve any earwax and dried-up oils (thanks to Eric J. from Head-Fi forums for the tip).
Now after this quick survival course, the review itself.

VSonic R-02 Pro are the successor to an earlier VS-R-02 model. Frequency response and overall sounding have been improved in the R-02. R-02 Pro have been a favourite of Marcus from Headphonic (an Australian headphone dealer/store), who loved them as they compared favourably to canalphone models that cost twice as much. So… The typical question is “what do they sound like?”. Headphones don’t sound much by themselves, so here’s how they play music…

R-02 have a powerful, lush sound presentation somehow invoking the colour white and sunlight. At times they can sound rather clinical, as most canalphones. But detail and resolution are unmatched by pretty much any headphones in the same (~$70) price range. As a musician’s tool they’re quite fine, showing smallest aspects of soundstage which speakers may fail to play - they can display an added dimension that monitor speakers discard (speakers in general are less accurate than headphones when it comes to detail and difficult instruments like drums; a bass kick can have as much power at 20 KHz as it has at 100 Hz).

A frequency graph of a bass drum kick. Regular consumer speakers and headphones would be lucky to play ~12 KHz without much distortion, out of the full 25+ KHz.

This added detail is in the energetic mid/high/very-high-frequencies range, which is where response of most speakers (and cheaper headphones) lacks.

Unlike the more “crisp”, contoured treble of Western headphones (and earphones), the treble and midrange of R-02 is smooth, naturally flowing, it is one whole. They have a liquid, flexible character to the sound that is attractive (and maybe even addictive).

R-02 have a number of tips supplied in the package, which also has a frequency response graph. The warranty slip also had each of the drivers (!) numbered, and a measured loudness response written for each of the drivers. A clip is part of the kit - this is to help with cable microphonics. The R-02’s cable is somewhat stiff and so doesn’t move much, a clip can help remove any microphonics completely.

There are five pairs of tips: four differently-sized single-flanged, and medium-sized bi-flanged (which were used for this test).

The frequency response graph is of tremendous use, and VSonic have to be applauded for including it in the package, as it really is key to proper use of the R-02 (and many other canalphones).

R-02 Pro have midrange and treble elevated over low frequencies, as shown by this comparison graph.

For the Audigy-2 soundcard, boosting bass by approximately 40% of the mixer slider was enough to compensate for the elevated midrange and treble.

R-02 Pro have been seriously tortured by the output of an Arturia Mini Moog V software synthesiser (the Moog Mini V was rightfully famous for bass patches), many bass instruments, some synthesised strings, huge cloud-like pads, and by some sampled instruments off the Audigy-2’s own Soundfont engine.

All the “torture” tests have been passed without any sign of distortion.

Out of music, the R-02 have played pretty much anything - some art rock, some Norwegian electronic music composed by Kim Jensen, some Norwegian electronic music composed by Bjorn Lynne (very recommended - with downloadable MP3 samples at his website, CDs also for sale online) and some Norwegian acoustic music performed by Ketil Bjornstad and his trio. Also the standard Audiotest fare - electronic music tests, J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos in Czech Radio performance, and well, pretty much anything that was on the Cowon T2’s flash drive.

With the Cowon T2, the R-02 have a natural synergy. The T2 is actually the lowest-powered of all Cowon players (all of which have more powerful headphone amps than Apple players), and so it “likes” earphones more than real, large headphones.

The Cowon T2 DSP setup had its built-in EQ boosted by 3 dB for each band, except 3 KHz boosted by 2 dB, and T2’s “BBE” feature (which seems to be an overtone generator, creating the illusion of bass boost by adding low-frequency harmonics - a smarter, gentler way of adding “meat” to music without adding boom or overloading headphones) boosted by 1.

A bit of acoustic foam was inserted into the foam tips to filter high frequencies. Acoustic foam can eat some high-frequency detail with larger headphones, but it helps canalphones, making them softer- and smoother-sounding.

Everything played quite realistically, aside from the somewhat “in-the-head” soundstage. But, the R-02 sound is natural enough, with quick dynamics and excellent high frequency response. So they’re not as fatiguing and provide more of a “direct coupling to music” than the cheaper OVC TC-20. In this sense they’re not very earphone-like, the soundstage is quite large and spatious - more so than with earbuds, and larger, more “3D” than of the OVC TC-20. However, soundstage is still somewhat toyish, as with all earphones; especially noticeable with classical music. Cowon T2’s DSP also helped achieve a natural sound, but overall the R-02 should be fine with any EQ boosting bass/low midrange and/or DSP generating bass overtones.

Canalphones do have a number of advantages (countered verily by the comfort issues…). One, and maybe the major advantage, is detail and resolution for the money. The other is low power usage. Canalphones don’t need a dedicated amplifier, and thus can be used with the output of any, even the most anemic and underpowered portable player. Battery charge also takes more time to deplete…

But there are some minuses as well. Here’s a table.

So well… The reader of this review might already be looking for canalphones to be chosen and bought. Therefore he might be well-aware of these issues, and try to find the best canalphones for money (which the R-02 might well be). VSonic R-02 are relatively comfortable (as much as canalphones can be), and with the little foam bit mod they’re not fatiguing sonically (this is a comment from an “anti-earphonist”).

All-in-all, the VSonic R-02 Pro are a smooth-sounding set of canalphones with a flowing, whole character to the presentation of music that is a bit rare in Western headphones. This wholeness and calm energetic vividness of sound make the R-02 Pro addictive.

The R-02 can also be a precise (if only somewhat clinical) tool for a musician.

Costing less than half the price of comparable canalphones from established companies like Etymotic, Shure and Ultimate Ears. Recommended.