We tested out the Steven Slate Audio VSX Headphone System and wow, what can we say! If you’re mixing at home or if you’ve got kids sleeping in the room next door, these are for you!
Basically what these good looking headphones do, is emulate realistic-sounding studio rooms. We know, you’re excited, right?
Just think! No more testing your final mixes in the studio, with the 5 sets of headphones you have, with the lounge room stereo, in the car etc. etc.
How does the VSX Headphone System work?
There are 2 things to think about, the software and the hardware. In our opinion, Steven Slate Audio get both right. This is what makes these headphones a great addition to any production studio.
Let’s chat design and hardware
Firstly, they look damn good. If you’re one to share a post-mix selfie on Instagram, this is important. We try to get Damiano on the gram, but let’s call him a traditionalist… hey, still follow us over here @MexMusicProductions. More importantly, they’re comfortable to wear and not too heavy. There is nothing worse than ill-fitting headphones that numb your ears during a long mixing session.
Steven Slate Audio have their patent-pending Acoustic Ported Subsonics™ (APS), with a high quality closed-back beryllium driver. The system uses air pressure to “supercharge low-frequencies”. The details you’ll hear are next level.
The VSX 2.0 software
Although we go crazy for everything analog, it’s 2022 and we live in the digital era. And yeh, we are impressed! The VSX 2.0 plugin uses Steven Slate Audio’s Binaural Perception Modeling (BPM) algorithms. What this does is it re-creates the sound from specific studios and systems.
Literally, you can listen to your mix blast from an old school 90s boombox, to a luxury SUV, to Steven Slates’s private Studio, to an $80K audiophile listening room and more. Mind blown.
These headphones are very cool.
The emulations fall into 2 categories, they are either mixing environments, like a studio or mastering room or listening environments, like a car, boombox, even a nightclub! Each emulation has interactive elements, like the depth-of-field, monitor type, EQ, or impedance for headphones.
Headphone specifications
Open/Closed: Closed
Fit Style: Circumaural (Around the Ear)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Impedance: 37 ohms
Cable Type: Detachable straight cable with gold-plated contacts
Cable Length: 2 meters (6.5 feet)
Plug Size: 1/8 inch with 1/4 inch gold-plated adapter
Colour: Onyx/Galaxy Black
Overall, the Steven Slate Audio VSX Headphone System gets the Team Mex approval. These headphones are perfect for you if your mixing room isn’t optimal. We’re excited to use them more and test out all the features and emulations. If you want to chat more about Studio setup, mixing and mastering or other gear we’ve tested and love, get in touch.
Ciao,
Team Mex