Lines and Curves

VSX 5.0 introduces a new layer of technology called Human Linear Response, underpinned by a calibration technique called Ear Canal Curve Optimization (E.C.C.O.).

The idea is that while you can listen to a perfectly flat set of speakers in a perfectly tuned room, that’s not the end of the sonic story. When sound enters your ear canal, the canal itself changes the frequency response of that sound. How it changes is different for everyone, because we all have different-sized and shaped ear canalsit’s the old “is blue to me, really blue to you?” idea.

E.C.C.O. lets you calibrate the frequency response of the headphones to your ears, which, in theory, makes what you’re hearing a lot more like what you would actually hear in the room.

The calibration process involves adjusting various frequency tones so that they all sound at the same volume in your ears. You can further tweak it to your personal taste with the E.C.C.O. EQ—similar to the EQ settings in version 4.0, only far more detailed. Finally, the process guides you through listening to a few music tracks where you dial in how much of the E.C.C.O. adjustment you want.

For many people, these new processes and technologies can take some getting used to, but in the end, 5.0 really does sound more like you’re in a room than confined to headphones. For example, I felt like I could immediately pick out the unique characteristics of specific rooms, such as Mike Dean’s room, that weren’t as obvious before.

The spatial modeling technology used to model and craft the virtual spaces has also been redone from the ground up, which also contributes to the increase in the binaural, psycho-acoustic detail.

More Changes

It’s pretty well known that Steven and his team spend quite a bit of time interacting with their user base, and as such, there’s a slew of new features that come directly from user requests and feedback, including:

• Speaker gain mode: Fine-tune individual speaker levels
• List mode: Allows for faster access via a simplified list format
• Precise value readouts: Available for level matching, bypass, depth and out level.
• More favorites: Now includes a second bank of favorites, for a total of 10.

How It Sounds

Spoiler alert: VSX 5.0 sounds even more like you’re in an actual room. That was quite palpable from the first moment I put the new version to use. Another significant difference for me is how the stereo width changes based on the chosen speaker set. In 4.0, I didn’t necessarily hear the spread get narrower when I selected speakers that were clearly closer together in the studio. n 5.0, that’s super noticeable, offering a much more accurate representation of what happens in the studio. When I select the mains and they’re twice as far apart, I expect to hear a wider spread. In 5.0, I’m getting what I expect there.

Additionally, in many of the rooms, I notice a greater emphasis on the spatial cues and dimensionality of the physical space. Archon, for example, reveals a lot more of the room when I select the far-field speakers versus both sets of near fields.

Looking at the studio image in the GUI, it’s easy to see that the room should be a little more lively than, say, NRG. So now, what I’m hearing aligns with what I see in the room image much more accurately than before.

With E.C.C.O., there’s also more variation in how the overall sound can present itself. The best practice is to use multiple calibrations to get a feel for the process until it sounds and feels best. On day one, I completed two sessions—one in the morning on my laptop at home using a Focusrite interface, and one after lunch at my studio with an RME interface.

The latter calibration made a much brighter image (I actually tweaked 3 and 4k in the E.C.C.O. EQ section—something I didn’t feel the need to do in the morning). You could chalk that up to differences with the interfaces, but I think it’s more likely that my ears were a little more tired.

The good news is you can create more than one profile and switch between them, or turn E.C.C.O. off entirely. Since many of us in the audio field like to work with what we know (often for good reason), you can also switch back to the 4.0 model globally, for individual rooms, or even individual speaker sets within a room. This is a very nice forward-thinking—or should I say backward-thinking—touch.

Final Word

Since 5.0 offers such an extensive redesign, it can take some time for your ears to acclimate, much like when you get a new set of headphones or monitors. My advice is to upgrade between projects and take some time to recalibrate your ears and brain with known mixes. Of course, since you can switch back to the sound of 4.0 at any time, I see little reason not to upgrade.

Some users have reported being unable to distinguish between the rooms, whereas others have reported the opposite. As I’ve listened, I think the difference is there—but really well-done mixes should sound very similar and, more importantly, translate successfully between the rooms. That’s the point. Check a problematic mix in different rooms, and you should be able to hear noticeable differences as the issues are revealed.

I have been a Steven Slate Audio VSX user for over a year, and I have found it to be a very successful tool in my mixing arsenal. As such, VSX 5.0 is quite impressive and sets a new bar in the virtual room simulation and headphone mixing arena.

Price: $399 or $20.99/mo for 12 months with $149.99 down rent to own; $99 upgrade for standard and free for Platinum users

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