Steven Slate Audio VSX Essentials Edition Reviews

Left unused after 2 weeks trying everyday

Not bad but not as good as I imagined. I produced better music without it. I wished I didn't buy it.

I like these headphones

The reviews sounded too good to be true, but I was pleasantly surprised. This system exactly fits my needs. I cannot have a perfectly-treated listening room, but now I have a practical alternative. They are comfortable, though one hour is probably the maximum I can do without a break. I use them for studio work, editing and mixing, but I like them so much that I use them for pleasure-listening as well.

No regrets so far…

I had plenty of skepticism about locking myself into this hardware-software system. But so far it seems like some of the best money I could've spent to improve my mixes. Previously I struggled to judge the low end from my monitors, and always found huge problems when playing back on a system with a subwoofer. These gave me an impression of the woof, without wasting time bouncing my mix back and forth to different places. It does convincingly trick my brain into thinking the sound is coming out of the monitors in front of me, and has made stereo imaging tasks easier. The mono avantone mixcube is also a useful emulation included with essentials. I had Archon studios included as part of a deal and I'm not sure I necessarily need many more rooms (although the phone and boombox emulations might be nice). If the upgrade to platinum went on sale I'd be tempted though.

Great for a portable studio, Very interesting rooms for check mix & master

Not a Gimmick whatsoever. Really does help mixes and overall mix accuracy.

So glad I bought these. An absolute must have for home producers that don't have access to a high end studio. You can literally take your studio on the go and mix anywhere with them. I upgraded to the platinum bundle after a few days of testing and I don't regret it at all. In terms of design they are very light, but perfect for me as it makes them easy to wear for longer periods of time. The software is very easy to set up and works flawlessly in FL Studio and Ableton (Only DAWs I can speak for). All in all , great addition, have been using them for almost a year now already before making this review.

U really need them!

I've been skeptical for a while since I honestly thought it was more a commercial move rather than a real game changer but... I was wrong. Like really.

I've been using also some top of the game headphones with top simulating studios softwares but, well it's not the same as the VSX.

I've been buying the basic package so, you don't really need dozen of rooms to have a good mix. I am just using the Steven's studio and the car and it's already good enough to have a great reference.

As a side note, I am pretty happy with the response of my physical room, not really so far from the response of the headphones.

Anyway.

VERY RECOMMENDED:

Get your ears used to the VSX sound with some reference tracks before blindly mixing; they suggest at least one hour, but I must confess it took me pretty much less than this since I really felt everything on the right place after minutes.

The only very very tiny thing, in my very personal opinion, is the comfort.

They are comfortable, don't get me wrong, but after a while I feel like a need to remove them and take a break, anyway they are light enough for long sessions if needed.

I still would recommend to use them as an alternative listen to your main room if possible and keep comparing mixes, especially in the SUV environment simulation.

But trust me, after mixing in Slate Room you really won't need anything else if you want to.

Go for it!

Does not disappoint

Brilliant, after doing a lot of research I bought essentials and Archon room for 39 extra. The midfield in that room is great. The details are amazing.

Great rooms and sound versatility.

I have a well-balanced room acoustically and good monitors, but the VSX is still amazing for the final touch.

Game changing sound but cheap build

Can never go back to other headphones they simply made mixing a whole lot easier. I had to go back and redo mixes from the beginning as it's hard to simply pick up a semi finished mix and then try work on it using VSX as there are too many problems in the mix.

The build quality is mediocre, cheap headphone cable and overall cheap headphone feel, so you really are paying more for the software

Believe the hype

The good stuff, believe it, buy it before they put the price up again

Best decision of the year

I just got my headphones today, these are very high quality headphones, they feel so comfortable and I was amazed by how clear I can hear the variety of frequencies. Price is very fair. I also bought the mastering room from Steven Slate Audio website, which I really recommend since it a great tool and not expensive.

The hype is real and deserved

I have tried other headphone solutions for years and they are inaccurate with nowhere near the precision of VSX. I struggled getting things to translate with other solutions, drives you mad because in headphones, the mixes sound decent, but anywhere else they are lacking. Before VSX I finished an EP and a test track. After receiving VSX and calibrating it, I played the test track.... It sounded like total rubbish!! Finally these headphones are telling me the truth, and I can fix it. So I went back and quickly redid most of the stems, especially drums and bass. Now playing the mix of the test track on the speakers elsewhere it sounds great. Same thing with first track of EP, the old "finished" mix was now in VSX sounding horrific... Bass sustain terrible, weak drums, too much low mids. High end also bad, harsh, unsmooth. Now going back and fixing the stems, removing previous processing and simply EQing correctly (because now I can hear accurately with VSX) in most cases fixed things. Certain tracks like drums and bass I ran through some 500 series gear... But with VSX now I can really hear what's going on... Compression is easier to hear and dial in. The first mix is amazing.. solid bass which is just right. Drums which are weighty but not stepping on the bass. The drums are crisp and transients clear and things groove beautifully now. The musical elements are pleasing now, the right balance and no harsh frequency build up, and finally the top end is managed nicely, still plenty of high frequency but nothing harsh, it's just smooth and shimmery. Playing it on other systems it sounds great, which is the whole point of VSX.

Honestly the difference is staggering. It is crazy that the other solutions flatter the sound so much and hide the truth. I wish I had invested in VSX earlier to save me from so much misery with mixdowns. As I learn the system better I will not need to fix stuff like this as from the beginning I can get things sounding right like they should.

What I like is their solution is ONE headphones specifically designed to work in tandem with their amazing software. This is less points of failure. Other solutions have too many issues measuring each brand & model of headphone then there is lots of variance in the correction curves between these same models of headphones in different products... Then you have control over how much correction to apply... The options for tweaking are endless!!

VSX has brought me so much joy already, now I have no stress opening up my DAW because I can rely on what I'm hearing.

I would recommend Archon and Mike Dean expansions if doing electronic bass heavy music.

Good tool to compliment monitors

I use them as an additional reference to perfect my mixes and masters. Most of us work in imperfect studios, so good reference headphones can help. The modelling takes getting used to. I can't say it sounds as pleasant or "good" as my Gennies, but they sure to help me check how the low end would sound on bigger systems and adjust accordingly. Imagine they'll also be great for producing while on the road.

Best purchase ever

After being super-sceptical, the VSX turned out to be the best thing I could have done for my mixing.

After 2 months of daily work, my mixing approach has totally changed. Initially I was very confused, because everything sounded so different and "empty", but that was just me muddying up everything.

I now mix mostly on my Eve Audio and Focal speakers and use the Slate for occasional checks. All my mixes sound much bigger and more polished.

Love the VSX.

Totally game changer

There's no doubt about it. This system is game changer. I have also the audeze lcd-x and this one is the perfect companion to get 100% perfect mixes without needing speakers.

Best headphones for mixing

I tried any kind of headphones and speakers in differents rooms, i say comfortable that VSX is the king of all traslation.

If you have room profesional treated and big speakers like pmc, atc, amphions, maybe you dont need these, but lets be clear.

Must of us work in not ideal rooms and dont have the budget to spend 10K in only speakers.

Greatest Headphones for Mixing & Mastering

It does what it says it does. Flat Response and Accurate monitoring.

VSX HEADPHONES :)

My name is Petar the headphone are great.Super sound and make my day.

Gamechanger

The VSX are an absolute game-changer for doing work on the go, in untreated environments or studios you are unfamiliar with.

I have no trouble wearing them over extended periods, even while wearing glasses.

The software is intuitive and easy.