Venture Electronics BIE Pro Review – Sloppy Genius
Pros — Natural timbre; great midrange with huge headroom; very good cable.
Cons — Bass could be tighter; heavy earpieces, crappy stock tips.
In this Article
Executive Summary
The BIE Pro is a slightly warm single DD earphone with a middle-of-the-road tuning and great imaging that will please most listeners (including me).
Introduction
Venture Electronics is a company from northern China that covers the whole spectrum of portable audio products in all price categories. Their cheapest earbud retails at $5, and their most expensive amp at >$2500. The company and their products are strongly promoted on social media by their CEO and motivator “Wild Lee”, who recruits a cult following in the (anti)social media.
A $5 earbud, the “Monk”, put the company on the map a few years ago. I had ordered two of the original’s follow ups, the “Monk Plus” as well as the original $20 Bonus IE earphone. The BIE Pro discussed here is the development of the Bonus IE. You will find out whether the BIE Pro is worth the higher price as follows.
Specifications
| Drivers: 1 dynamic |
| Impedance: NA |
| Sensitivity: NA |
| Frequency Range: NA |
| Cable/Connector: MMCX |
| Tested at: $70 |
| Product page: Venture Electronics |
| Purchase Link: Aliexpress |
Physical Things and Usability
In the box are the earpieces, 1 set of silicone eartips (S/M/L), a sturdy case, and VE’s own balanced DI copper cable with 4.4 mm plug, plus a rock-solid adapter (4.4 mm female to 3.5 mm). The piston-shaped earpieces are made of metal, they are reasonably light and they fit well. L and R are identical.
The cable is of unique quality in the budget realm: it features sturdy metal connectors…the main part before the Y-splitter is nylon coated, not too heavy and very pliable. The two strands after the Y-splitter are covered with transparent plastic displaying the copper wire. The cable can be purchased individually for $30 and makes up 40% of the BIE’s price.
Since there are no memory wires, the cable can be worn over or under ear. Comfort is good, no problems arose over longer listening periods. In summary, thehaptic of the earpieces and cables is very good.
The rather basic included silicone eartips don’t do it for me, I am using SpinFit CP145s. Other eartips recommended are Symbioses. With the CP145s, isolation is soso. Results may vary according to tips used.
The BIE works just fine with a phone but they benefit from quality amplification.
Tonality and Technicalities
Equipment used: MacBook Air, iPhone SE (1st gen.); EarMen Eagle, Earstudio HUD 100 with and without AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ; SpinFit CP145 eartips.
TL;DR: The Venture Electronics BIE Pro is a single DD earphone with a warm & sub-bassy middle-of-the-road sound signature that will appeal to most. It is similar to the original BIE but features major refinements that justify its higher price.
No, please don’t look at the graph, or rather, ignore the low end. What may look like a typical bass bomb is none at all. What you see is is a gentle “U” with a forward tilt towards the upper frequencies indicative of a warm sound. Nevertheless does the low end dominate the overall sound.
The VE BIE has a very modest pinna gain of 8 dB between 1 and 2.5 kHz that tells us that it is fatigue-free for most (the mild 4-5 kHz spike may bother some).
OK, the low end with a 15 dB boost, does not do much harm as it peaks at 30-40 Hz region, well inside the sub-bass. That’s where it hurts least. Therefore no thumping midbass at all, in fact it could be more and punchier…and the sub-bass extension could be better, too.
That very low-seated, rather fuzzy kick adds a bit of bluntness and slowness to the image, so that the low end can be to some degree bouncy and rubbery. This does not make it bad, it is far from being outright slow, but it is also not the tightest or most layered. A bit sloppy.
You get fully re-imbursed for this in the lower midrange. Vocals reproduction and midrange definition and headroom are bordering on spectacular for its class. Very enjoyable. Voices are rich (!), forward and intimate despite the graph’s “U”shape. And that’s where you 70 bucks are.
The upper midrange is not fatiguing or thinning out the lower midrange. So, no icepick, however the treble rolloff at 5 kHz is a bit premature. Treble re-appars in a broad peak around 15 kHz. This pushes cymbals back (though they are reasonably well defined) and adds sparkle, air, and pseudo resolution to the image. Connecting the JitterBug FMJ adds depth and creates a fuller, richer sound.
Technically, the BIE Pro is a bit compromised by its lagging low end, as the midrange is more nimble and better resolving. Midrange clarity and note definition are very good. Stage is wide and reasonably deep and tall, which results in this spectacular headroom and great spatial cues for this class. Bass takes away from technical merit.
The other technicalities such as separation and layering are very good. Microdynamics (“the small things”) is better than macrodynamics. Listening to chamber music was quite delightful.
In comparison, the original Bonus IE has a much fuzzier bass that smears into the midrange. Vocals are leaner. The BIE Pro plays cleaner, richer, with better refinement and more finesse. It is more engaging to my senses.
Concluding Remarks
The Venture Electronics BIE Pro remind me of the (discontinued) $30 Moondrop Crescent: a premium earphone in hiding, just a bit short because of sloppy technicalities. You get a lot of sound (and cable) for your money.
Until next time…keep on listening!
Disclaimer
The BIE was supplied unsolicited by VE Electronics and I thank them for that.
Get it from their Aliexpress Store
Our generic standard disclaimer.
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