The V-Master has a unique housing - though it is a bit bulky compared to the MX500 shell, the bell shaped curvature of the housing does not cause any physical fatigue on the ears. The quality of plastic on the housing is good and it should last the distance.
What is the achilles heel of the ergonomics of the V-Master is the cable. While there is an honest attempt to make it look pleasing and interesting, the cable is quite stiff and reasonably heavy and can put you off sometimes. If I were to recable my earbuds, the V-Master would be one of the first.
The splitter has a nice carbon fibre texture. The amphenol plug is weird - it is too tight for my laptop and the laptop does not recognize the earbuds. While it fits perfectly on my LG G6, it is quite loose on my Nexus 4 and just fits the FiiO A1 amp. I have never had such a problem is any other 3.5mm plug amongst the gear I own. Another head-fier friend, Gaurav (@Guggga), did make the same observation to me.
The V-Master comes with a single pair of foams in a unique case. Every V-Master earbud is numbered and mine is No. 533.
At the time of the review, the V-Master can be purchased for $80 (inclusive of shipping). I got a slight discount for offering a detailed review of the earbud, but that has no impact on my opinion.
So how does it sound?
While the specs of the V-Master is not entirely known, my guess is that the sensitivity is low and hence it requires a decent amount of amp to make them deliver. Straight out of a smartphone, they sound flat and lack any dynamism.
That said, a humble FiiO A1 is sufficient to drive them. For my test, I used my LG G6 with an impedance adapter and my laptop. Since, the V-Master does not get detected by my laptop, I had to use the impedance adapter with my laptop as well to make my laptop understand that there is something plugged into the 3.5mm port.
That said, the V-Master sounds better with a brighter source to deliver a decent level of details on the tracks.
Like all my earbuds, I tested the V-master without any foam cover. Foams boost the bass at the cost of details and as you will see, from the test tracks, details are at a premium on the V-Master.
We start straight away with an acid test.
Track 1 - Acid Rain by Lorn - This track is an acid test for most earbuds; however wonderful they are, most earbuds tend to struggle delivering the intended bass on this track. The track start with a bass synth and the V-master does well in rendering the texture and weight of this note, but then at the 21 second mark comes a deep bass kick. The V-Master needs some good amping to deliver a satisfying note, else it just falls flat. On my LG G6, the Hi-Fi DAC in Normal mode doesn't have sufficient juice to drive the V-Master to good level. I had to trigger the high-impedance mode with an impedance adapter to get the max out of the V-Master. While it delivers the bass on this track, the V-master does struggle and it is quite evident; the reason - the bass rolls off a bit early and it does not have sufficient weight at the low end. Definitely an acid test for the V-Master.
If the Acid Rain was rendered well, the next track would have been 'Breathe into me' by Marian Hill, but on initial listening, this track was rendered similar to the previous one and hence I did not test it further on this track.
Track 2 - Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill gang - The first billboard topping rap song, has a nice bass guitar riff throughout the track. V-master gets the texture quite very and has enough weight to make an impact - the bass is clean, but definitely not fast enough. One the positive side, there is no noticeable bleed to the mids. Vocals are quite well rendered - clean and reasonably forward. The highs are a mixed bag - the ride cymbals are barely heard when accompanied with vocals; the claps are reasonable well rendered, but don't have the intended impact on the track. The disappointing part with then the electric piano and the electric guitar start playing together - the slowness of the driver is evident as it could not give enough separation and distinction between the two instruments. The treble has some extension but it start rolling off slowly after the 5K mark. There is a sparkle for the cymbals and reasonable airiness, but that is when they are not masked by the mids.
The upper mids and highs definitely leave me wanting more, but then for those who listen to music for long durations, this will definitely be a boon - you will not be fatiguing your sense of hearing.
Update: With the iFi Nano BL into picture playing bit perfect, the highs are improved, but still lack any sort of sparkle or brilliance.
Maybe it is time for some Daft Punk
Track 3 - Lose yourself to dance & Get Lucky by Daft Punk - Lose yourself to dance makes the slowness of the V-Master quite apparent - there is a bass guitar that plays over the bass synthesizer and the V-master fails to highlight the bass guitar. The texture is rendered poorly as well. Also, the track has a beautiful chime at the beginning and at interludes - the magic is lacking on the V-Master. Since the driver is kept busy by the bass notes, the mids are not clean as well - vocals are not satisfying. The track becomes a mess at around the 3 minute when it gets too busy. The only saving grace on this track is the reasonable rendering of the layering and the stereo width and imaging which the V-master gets right.
Get Lucky doesn't go as deep on the lows as the previous track. There is some apparent slowness in the bass notes, but the V-master still pulls through this track quite well. But what is unforgivable is that the details, which this track is generally known for, are missing for the most part.
So what I have learnt so far is that the V-Master is not for all genres of music - casual pop music can be enjoyed for hours with a likeable sound signature and you can listen to it for long hours without getting tired. But on demanding tracks, it may leave the demanding listeners left wanting for more.
So where does the V-Master fare well?
Track 4 - Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics - The bass synth is satisfying and the haunting vocals are rendered well. Sound stage is sufficiently wide and channel separation is great. So, throw a track that doesn't get busy and the V-Master giving you a satisfying listening and decent layering.
Track 5 - Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa - The V-master gives a decent holographic feel on this track - the width and depth are good. What is lacking is the layering - the chimes are almost non-existent but that is the intended sound-signature.
So this again reaffirms that when you are not out testing the V-Master, it does reasonably well, but you start treating it like TOTL earbuds, then you will not be satisfied.
Conclusion:
V-Master is a decent attempt by V-friend group of enthusiasts. While the V-Master has a likeable sound signature, the choice of a driver that evidently lacks speed is what lets it down. However, it gives a satisfying and non-fatiguing listening session for most casual songs and on the plus side you get a nice sound-stage with satisfying width and depth. Just don't subject it to critical listening sessions.
