KVR Audio

Effectsworks · Post by **Effectsworks** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 4:41 pm

I think this would have really interested me a few years ago. But I'm so invested now in my workflow and tools. I wouldn't change it.

But I can see the benefit of such software, especially if it works as described.

dark water · Post by **dark water** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:16 pm

^^ yep, for people who already have a studio setup which they know very well and which translates well for them, this is arguably overkill (although it is a fascinating concept in itself and Steven Slate is generously adding more environment models in the future).

However, I've never been lucky to have a setup that I really trusted (due to lots of rented accommodation / small rooms / inability to put up adequate acoustic treatment) and so I've just ordered these VSX headphones and I think in my case that it will help my mixes translate better and quicker to other environments.
I've also ordered a JDS Labs Atom Headphone Amp and Atom DAC to offer a much better headphone listening experience than just through my laptop, and I'm really looking forward to testing the VSX headphones out with these in a few days time

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:25 pm

Awesome! Let us know how you get along with them.

Make sure you give your brain enough time to adjust. Depending on your experience with monitors and room acoustics, it might take a while (for me it was 3 or 4 days of "wtf is this bullshit??" to "oooh.. that's actually working" to "holy shit!"). Some people click with the system in a matter of minutes though. Seems to be very subjective when or if it clicks at all.

dark water · Post by **dark water** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 11:10 pm

^^ absolutely, thanks bmanic - I've also been reading your comments and those of others at GearSlutz which certainly helped to guide me in understanding the process of 'getting used' to these headphones

It is a very exciting product by Steven Slate which offers great promise not only for these current VSX headphones but also in terms of ideas for the industry as a whole in the future.

Ps, although those Atom headphone amp and DAC are currently in the post to me and yet to arrive, from what I've read they sound like an absolute bargain (UK combined price of around £250)

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Fri Oct 30, 2020 8:44 pm

Indeed! I'm extremely tempted to get the Atom myself. Luckily I'm quite satisfied with my RME Babyface Pro as it is right now. Unfortunately I don't always have it with me at home though.. and I already noticed that I can't use the VSX headphones directly from my laptop headphone output so I need something that is permanently at home.

legendCNCD · Post by **legendCNCD** » Tue Nov 03, 2020 2:36 pm

Another mix, another good translation and better mix.

These do work for me.

alextim · Post by **alextim** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 7:48 pm

I bought these headphones. It's amazing, my mixes sound better! I have been working for more than two weeks, delight.

andymcbain · Post by **andymcbain** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:44 pm

Well I've been trying a pair this evening and so far I'm impressed.

The software is nice, uses basically no CPU on my 2015 MacBook Pro. As I mostly work on electronic music I spent an hour or so just messing around loading reference tracks in and playing them through the "club" model - where you do get a genuine sense of weight from the low end - likewise with the "SUV". The lows on these things, combined with the software really is quite something - better than my Sennheiser HD650s with the default Sonarworks profile.

The Archon mid-field model (ATC monitors I think) is extremely detailed and punchy - and to my ears only just feels like you're actually in a simulated room with reflections etc. When moving on to some mixing I was able to really tweak the bottom octaves and actually get a feel for what I was doing. On my previous headphone setups (and certainly not my monitors) I would never be able to slowly high pass filter a sub bass and say, cut at 33hz rather than 30hz just because it FELT right.

There's some things it probably won't replace, like automating a vocal in my mixcube for example - which just feels easier and more immediate. But rumour has it there's auratone models on the way so I look forward to comparing the two.

My only gripe so far is the build quality. Unfortunately they do feel really cheap considering the cost - less sturdy than my M50x for sure. I'll be keeping them in the hard case when they're not in use!!!

.jon · Post by **.jon** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:36 am

So Slate, a marketing company best known by their pompous copy and big claims about basic plugins of mediocre quality but premium prices, have now expanded into marketing chinese headphones?

Music gear consumers are so incredibly gullible.

dark water · Post by **dark water** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 9:24 am

^^ have you tried out the VSX?
If so, what is your experience of how they sound and help with music-making?

There's a lot of good feedback here at KVR, at Gearslutz and elsewhere online from customers who have bought them.

As per my post above, I've ordered them and I'm looking forward to trying them out soon with my Atom amp and dac.
(they're all currently unused at my dad's house for various reasons that I won't bore you with!).

andymcbain · Post by **andymcbain** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 1:15 pm

Having been part of the Slate hype train (all those months waiting for FG-Stress... does anyone even use it?) I can understand a level of skepticism about anything they release. Fortunately I'm a client of one of the beta testers and I trust his judgement, so I didn't have to pay much attention to any of the marketing for the VSX. I genuinely think with the headphone / plugin combination, Slate are onto something with this. Though I will stand by my concerns about the build quality.

revvy · Post by **revvy** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 6:23 am

legendCNCD · Post by **legendCNCD** » Thu Nov 26, 2020 12:28 pm

Looking forward today to check the update for VSX software part.

From Steven:

NRG - Both the nearfield and midfield will have increased bass linearity, more focused upper midrange, and slightly better stereo imaging. This is a subtle but important change that may just make both of these your new favorites.

We redid the NRG Farfield after getting a better tuning of the speakers. The result is a much better sounding model with extremely massive stereo image, thick low mids, airy highs, and tons of punch. If you wrote off the NRG Farfield, try it again. It’s now a serious mixing reference, especially for edm and hip hop.

Howie Mastering - We added a new “Engineer” position, which is modeled precisely where Howie Weinberg’s ears are when he is tweaking a master. This new mode captures the classic sound of his PMC’s with extreme precision. The result is one of the most detailed and 3D sounding speaker models in the collection. This new model will reveal all the good.. and the bad.. in your mix! The previous Howie Farfield is now in the “Client” mode button, and is a model of the speakers from further back in the room.

Audiophile - We went back into the Audiophile room for more A/B testing, and realized that the current build was a bit shy in the mids, so that has been addressed. Now this speaker is far more balanced and has that classic “hifi” speaker tone. It’s a great final reference.

Archon - Last and certainly not least, we discovered a bug in the Archon Farfield which is a model of a Pelonis Custom Main system. Fixing this bug turned these already great sounding speakers into what may now be one of the top three in the collection. The new Archon Farfield update has incredible depth, massive mid punchy, crisp highs, and fat lows. They are perfect for modern mixing, and even a great mastering reference.

andymcbain · Post by **andymcbain** » Thu Nov 26, 2020 9:48 pm

legendCNCD wrote: Thu Nov 26, 2020 12:28 pm Archon - Last and certainly not least, we discovered a bug in the Archon Farfield which is a model of a Pelonis Custom Main system. Fixing this bug turned these already great sounding speakers into what may now be one of the top three in the collection. The new Archon Farfield update has incredible depth, massive mid punchy, crisp highs, and fat lows. They are perfect for modern mixing, and even a great mastering reference.

Yeah, those new Archon Farfield models were a nice surprise weren't they!

dark water · Post by **dark water** » Sat Nov 28, 2020 9:07 pm

bmanic wrote: Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:25 pm Awesome! Let us know how you get along with them.

Make sure you give your brain enough time to adjust. Depending on your experience with monitors and room acoustics, it might take a while (for me it was 3 or 4 days of "wtf is this bullshit??" to "oooh.. that's actually working" to "holy shit!"). Some people click with the system in a matter of minutes though. Seems to be very subjective when or if it clicks at all.

I've now been testing them out for a few days and the newer, updated room presets are truly excellent.
Howie's engineer setting, the Archon farfields (and mids) and the NRG ns10s are astounding.
I'm not yet fully nuanced to the 'depth' knob and the idea of feeling inside a studio yet, but it's getting there and it certainly doesn't feel like wearing headphones compared to mixing with my Sony headphones.

Out of interest, which of the room / environment settings do you find the most useful bmanic?

Finally, the Atom headphone amp and DAC has made a big difference in terms of clarity and open highs (and also a fair bit more width and separation) compared to my laptop headphone out running ASIO4ALL.
I'm not sure if it would be an improvement over other professional amps / DAC combos, but for me the Atoms are well worth the upgrade.

Steven Slate VSX Headphone