QoA Vesper Hybrid IEM Review
QoA Vesper Hybrid IEM Review
Introduction:
QOA (Queen of Audio) was established in 2019 as a sister company of Kinera. It continues Kinera’s technology and R&D experience and incorporates its own innovative ideas in the positioning of products. The company has released some successful products like the Pink Lady, Mojito and Adonis.
The Vesper is a Dual Hybrid Driver IEM with 1 x Knowles 32873 BA & 1 x 10mm Diameter Custom Dynamic Driver that are integrated in to a nice looking & lightweight 3D Printed Resin monitor shell.
Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Queen of Audio (QoA) for providing me the Vesper sample for review purposes. I am not affiliated with QoA beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.
Availability:
The Standard Edition of the QoA Vesper IEM is available for around $69,00USD, while recently released, so-called Purple-Murasaki Edition with a Japanese pattern sold for about $89,00USD. More information’s can be found under the links below;
Package and Accessories:
The QoA Vesper came in a pretty small box in black color with some bandings on the top that are in a nice golden color.
This box is including the following contents/accessories;
- 1 pair x QoA Vesper In-Ear Monitor
- 1 piece x Detachable Cable with 2-Pin Connectors
- 3 pairs x Blue Silicone Ear Tips
- 3 pairs x Black Silicone Ear Tips
- 1 piece x Stylish Storage Case
- 1 piece x Some Print Material
The Vesper comes with 6 pairs of silicone ear tips (S/M/L size), from that are 3 pairs with a blue tube and 3 pairs in black color.
The Storage Case in brown color has the QoA logo on the top and looks and feels pretty nice. The case is made of environment friendly PU (Polyurethane) material.
The Vesper comes with detachable cable that adopts a 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin connector.
The cable is made of High-purity Silver Coated – OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) Copper wire material with a braided design. The cable has a pretty soft insulation that shows only a very low amount of microphonic effect.
The 2-Pin connectors have metal housings with left and right color (Red for Right & Blue for Left) indicators.
The cable features also on both channels flexible ear guides for an extra comfortable over the air wearing experience.
It features also a metal y-splitter in silver color and the plastic chin slider that made of transparent plastic material.
The 3.5mm Single Ended headphone plug is gold plated, which is protected with a straight profiled metal housing in silver color that has the QoA brand logo on the top.
Near the metal housing is a flexible plastic strain relief for extra protection.
Design and Build Quality:
I really like the design language of Queen of Audio and the Vesper is not an expectation with its beautiful appearance. The monitor shell is pretty small that is made of a so called ”Crystal Epoxy Resin” material, which was 3D printed with “High Precision”.
The Vesper is available in Purple-Murasaki (Special Edition), Jade Green and Galaxy Grey (Standard Edition) like the one of my review sample.
The design of the faceplate reminds me in to a look to sky at night with tones of tiny stars that are spread around. Each piece sports the Vesper logo that is printed in gold color that gives the IEM a nice luxurious appearance.
On the top of the monitor shells are the 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin female connectors that do show a tight and secure connection. At the rear side is a vent dedicated for the 10mm Dynamic Driver unit.
The Sound nozzle has a slightly angled profile with a small lip and two openings (one for the Knowles BA & one for the 10mm DD Driver) on the top.
Like I said before, I really like the look feel and overall build quality of the monitors that is pretty good for a product at this price category.
Fit and Comfort:
The Vesper is an In-Ear Monitor with a small shape that fits very comfortable to my ears with an ear concha that has an average size, which makes it to an ideal IEM for peoples with small ears.
When it comes to the isolation, I can say that it is on an average level and quite sufficient for the use in public transport like metro, bus or train.
Technical Specifications:
- Driver Configuration : 1x Knowles 32873 BA Driver + 1x 10mm Diameter Dynamic Driver
- Frequency response : 20Hz ~ 20kHz
- Sensitivity : 116dB
- Impedance : 16 Ω
- Cable Material : Silver Plated OFC Wire
- Connector type : 0.78mm Diameter 2-Pin Connector
- Plug : 3.5mm Single Ended (TRS)
- Cord length : about 1.2 m
Drivability:
The QoA Vesper is a very easy to driver In-Ear Monitor thanks to its quite low impedance of only 16Ω and a sensitivity of 116dB that makes it highly compatible weak sources like Smartphone’s, Tablet’s and MP3 players.
Equipment’s used for this review:
- IEM’s : QoA Vesper & Shozy Form 1.1
- Sources : iBasso DX160, Hidizs AP80 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S9plus
Albums & tracks used for this review:
- Barry White – Just The Way You Are (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Isaac Hayes – Walk On By (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Sting – Englishman in New York – (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Elton John – Rocket Man (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Chopin – Nocturn No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Sonya Yoncheva – (Giuseppe Verdi) II Trovatore, ActI (Flac 24bit/44kHz)
- Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
- Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Fazıl Say – Nazım Oratoryosu (Live) (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Otto Liebert& Luna Negra – The River (Spotify)
- Gogo Penguin – Raven (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Lorde – Royal (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- Twerl – Lishu (Spotify)
- U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Portishead – The Hidden Camera (MP3 320kpbs)
- Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Slayer – Angel of Death (Spotify)
- Tom Player – Resonace Theory “Album” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
The Sound:
What I do hear from the Queen of Audio Vesper is an engaging sounding with a warm yet fairly detailed presentation, which will satisfy you for its price. The bass of the Vesper is nicely highlighted without to sound overwhelming, while the midrange is pretty lush and detailed. The treble range on the other hand has a nice sense of smoothness/silkiness, without to sound dull or lifeless.
This review was written after a burn-in period of 80 Hours. I have used the stock black silicone ear tip that are included to the package.
Bass:
The 10mm dynamic driver of the Queen of Audio Vesper is responsible for the lower frequency area, which does a pretty good job in terms of naturalness, tonality and overall emphasis.
The subbass region is one of the highlights of the Vesper, which is nicely pronounced and slightly more dominant compared to the midbass area. The tonality is fairly warm, thick, and soft without to sound overwhelming.
The subbass area offers a nice sense of depth and rumble if needed, while the extension is on a moderate level. Genres like electronic / pop / hip-hop do sound quite entertaining, while the depth and volume/density makes the presentation of instruments like saxophones in jazz music quite pleasant to listen too.
The midbass area of the QoA Vesper shows less intensity compared to the subbass area. It sounds in general fairly balanced and controlled, while listen to instruments like cross drums, snare drums. Percussion instruments do have a good sense of speed and intensity.
The Queen of Audio Vesper shows in general an above average bass quantity and emphasis, while I didn’t notice any remarkable negative conditions like muddiness or mixings.
Midrange:
The midrange of the QoA Vesper shows a pretty smooth and emotional presentation with a quite sufficient level of transparency, detail retrieval and airiness. The tonality is slightly warmish and shows a good balance of coloration that adds the overall presentation good sense of musicality.
The lower midrange of the Queen of Audio Vesper shows a good sense of intensity, depth and body for male vocals that do sound in general pretty natural and emotional. Female vocals on the other hand do have a sweet tonality and do sound pretty vibrant, clear and detailed thanks to a slightly boost around the 3kHz region.
The QoA Vesper offers a full bodied, sweet and soft instrument tonality and doesn’t show remarkable negative situations like sharpness or over brightness.
Instruments like flutes are pretty soft; acoustic guitars are slightly bassy and bold, while violas do sound warmish and emotional. The distance between instruments is on a moderate level.
Upper Midrange & Treble:
The upper midrange of the QoA Vesper is moderately highlighted with a slightly but audible boost around the 3 kHz region. This region sounds quite controlled and is fatigue free, I couldn’t notice any remarkable sibilance and harshness, while I have had listen to instruments such like pianos or flutes and soprano female vocals. If you are looking for an IEM with good upper midrange control and smoothness the Vesper could be a good option at this price range.
When it comes to the treble range, I can say that it has a pretty smooth and lightly bright character. The treble range of many other products at this price range does have an audible boost that leads in most cases to an unnatural or ear piercing sound experience. The sound engineers of Queen of Audio did chose a different tuning that makes the Vesper ideal for longer listening periods.
The upper treble range of the Vesper is more highlighted and detailed compared to the lower treble area. It does show a better level of extension and gives the overall presentation a good sense of airiness and sparkle. The lower treble area on the other hand shows an average extension, while the clarity that is produced is on a sufficient level.
The overall presentation in this area is fairly transparent and not too distant, while the resolution is pretty good for a product at this price range. The treble tonality of instruments such as violins and cymbals is smooth and warmish.
Soundstage & Imaging:
Soundstage is maybe not one of the strengths of the Vesper, while it shows a sufficient level of room for a fairly precise placement of instrument and vocals. The stage is not too narrow or too wide and shows a moderate sense of depth and wideness.
Comparison:
QoA Vesper versus Shozy Form 1.1:
Both the Shozy Form 1.1 and the Queen of Audio Vesper are Hybrid IEM’s with 1BA +1DD that do have a pretty small, lightweight and esthetic monitor shell.
The subbass region of the QoA Vesper is more highlighted, offers a better sense of depth and intensity. The Vesper offers more rumble; while both do show a pretty equal performance in terms of control and speed in this area.
The midbass region of the Shozy Form 1.1 is a tad more pronounced and impactful. The Vesper has the slightly edge when it comes to the control and tightness in this area.
The midrange of the QoA Vesper is a bit more forward oriented and intimate while listen to both male and female vocals. Both the Vesper and the Form 1.1 are pretty equal in terms of male vocal performance, while the Vesper has the edge for female vocals due to the boost in the upper midrange that makes it more detailed and lively with voices like Diana Krall or Aretha Franklin.
The upper midrange region of the Vesper is more highlighted especially around the 3 kHz region that makes it more detailed, crisp and clear in this area. The upper midrange transitions of both IEM’s are quite controlled, while the Vesper has the upper hand in terms of extension.
The lower treble range of the Shozy Form1.1 I slightly more highlighted that adds additional clarity to it in this area. The From 1.1 is more successful in terms of lower treble extension and detail retrieval compare to those of the Vesper, which offers a smoother and more relaxed character. The upper treble range of both IEM’s shows a moderate level of sparkle and airiness, while the Vesper has the slightly edge in terms of detail retrieval and control in this area.
Both the Vesper and the Form 1.1 do share similarities in terms of soundstage wideness, while the Form 1.1 has a slightly advantage when it comes to the depth.
Conclusion:
The Queen of Audio Vesper will satisfy those who are searching for an ergonomic and beautiful looking In-Ear Monitor for an affordable price that offers a smooth, engaging and fatigue free presentation, with a nice sense of musicality…
Pros & Cons:
- + Smooth & Engaging Sound Character
- + Ideal for long listening periods
- + Beautiful Faceplate Design
- + Fit & Comfort
- + Good Cable & Nice Looking Storage Case
- – Lower Treble Roll-Off
- – Not ideal for Treble Heads
- – Average Soundstage
Thank you for the Read!
