REVIEW - Venture Electronics (VE) Bonus IE
Website
- Venture Electronics
Price: U$20.
Specifications
- Impedance: 32 ohm
- Sensitivity: 115 dB
- Frequency range: 17-22000 Hz
- Driver: 10mm Dynamic Driver (N52+)
- Shell: Aluminum Alloy - matte finish
- Plug: 3.5mm
- Cable: 1.2m; 99.99% OFC
The included package is
fine for a budget model. There is a nice small case with 6 pairs of standard
silicone ear tips.
Design
The Bonus IE (or just
BIE) has a simple and very standard straight design. The housings are all metal, aluminum alloy, and have a compact cylindrical shape with
smoothed edges. The color on the VE site seems more like silver but appears to
hold a bronze look. At the back part there seems to be a kind of vent but don't
see it really works as there is a very strong and sharp driver flex on both
earpieces; pretty much the only downside on the BIE. The nozzle too is short
and not wide enough, so almost no ear tips attach well on it, and in the end
the included stock tips worked best.
The fit is pretty easy
with this kind of regular design and the BIE is lightweight, resulting in a
comfortable earphone for daily use. The nozzle length does not allow a deeper
fit on the ear canal, though isolation is still decent. Driver flex can still
be annoying when adjusting the earpieces from time to time.
The cable is fixed and
the same kind of the one used on the Monk earbuds. It consists of two cables attached
together and it's thick but still flexible enough. It does hold some memory
effect out of the box and fades away a bit after some days.
Sound
The sound quality is not
just good on the Bonus IE, but really good for just a $20 earphone. Not going
to beat on the $100 price range, but still a very strong offer on the $50 and
below price bracket.
The sound takes a strong
and well emphasized low-end with a bit of lively v-shaped character to sound
more energetic and sparkly with surprisingly good control and coherence. The
bass is dominant for sure with a powerful boost on the mid-bass range, though
good extension and well leveled sub-bass. It is well layered and textured with
decent speed that avoids sounding muddy or too overwhelming; however, there is
still that continuous bump on the mid-bass. It is not thick enough nor it
reaches much depth to be a heavy-bass IEM, but the bass is fun and has more than
enough of impact for most kind of music.
Despite the strong bass
focus there is little bleed into the upper frequencies resulting in a rather
clean midrange. It is clear and detailed with some sense for warmth, but
remains just a bit behind the whole low-end. There is still good weight and
solid texture on notes, and while not too spacious the instruments separation
is very good at the price. Vocals are clear and detailed, not sweet but not
thin or lacking. Male singers sound a bit fuller; female are still smooth
enough with rare sings of sibilance even out of a standard phone.
The treble is sparkly
and energetic bringing a bit brighter overall tonality that compensates well
the bass dominance. It is still very forgiving and less prone to show sibilance
even on usual tracks where some harshness is present. In comparison, the KZ ZS5
and ZS6, Vsonic VSD2s and 3s are easily more edgy and show more grain, while something
like the Sony MH1 goes much smoother than the Bonus IE; even so, the Bonus IE
has the greater control and refinement.
The presentation is
around average, very acceptable and more than could be expected. Nothing too wide
but not closed or intimate either. More importantly, it is spacious and shows a
good amount of air despite the powerful bass impact.
Value
Nowadays, the market is
congested by so many multi driver hybrids at budget price, so it's quite
refreshing to have a just single dynamic that performs this well. Those who can
overlook or just don't care about the sharp driver flex, and also won't mind
the simple look and are ready to try different ear tips, then should find the
VE Bonus IE an excellent audio product for the low $20 price. Just don't think
it twice because it is sold out pretty fast.