Details: The last earphone released by large Chinese OEM VSonic before the company split
MSRP: est. $40
Current Price: $35 from ebay.com
Specs: Driver: Dynamic | Imp: 24 Ω | Sens: 105 dB | Freq: 12-25k Hz | Cable: 4.3’ 45°-plug
Nozzle Size: 5.5mm | Preferred tips: Stock Bi-flanges
Wear Style: Straight down
Accessories (3/5) – Single-flange (3 sizes) and bi-flange silicone tips, pleather carrying pouch, and shirt clip
Build Quality (4.5/5) – The bare housings are shared with the Cyclone PR1 Pro and Lear LE01+ but with an additional rubber strain relief on cord entry. The cabling is different as well – the Teflon-coated silver cable is soft, smooth, tangle-resistant, and has just enough memory character to make it easy to manage
Isolation (3/5) – Very adequately isolating for a ported dynamic IEM, especially with bi-flange tips
Microphonics (4/5) – The silver cable doesn’t conduct much noise and the included shirt clips helps
Comfort (3.5/5) – Quite comfortable when worn straight down but the long strain reliefs prevent over-the-ear wear. Can be inserted fairly deeply with the biflange tips.
Sound (6.4/10) – The R02ProII is the last revision of VSonic’s flagship released before the company split up. The sound signature of the R02 is unique, featuring an intimate soundstage and a decidedly in-head sound. The low end is impactful and surprisingly extended. Mid-bass is emphasized slightly but doesn’t throw off the balance. It does creep up slightly on the lower midrange, giving the sound some coloration. The mids are slightly warm and quite full. Both the midrange and treble are extremely smooth – definitely no sibilance here. Extension at the high end is better on the Cyclone PR1 and the Head-Direct RE2, but not by much. The smoothness also ends up glossing over some of the fine detail but the overall sound is very ‘likeable’, beating the far more popular Nuforce NE-6 and Head-Direct RE2 in my book.
Value (8.5/10) – The VSonic R02ProII falls in the same price category as the Cyclone PR1 but offers a very different sound – intimate, bassy, and slightly warm. It’s a very dynamic and likable earphone and the revised build addresses the issues I had with the PR1, with proper strain reliefs all around and excellent cabling. For those in search of an all-around budget earphone with a slightly warm midrange and solid bass punch, the R02ProII should be in the running.
Pros: Balanced, intimate, and slightly warm sound; excellent cabling
Cons: L/R markings hard to see, no cord cinch, susceptible to wind noise